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Paul McCartney Joins Billy Joel at Shea

July 19, 2008 // 1 Comments  // Add yours »

Billy Joel & Paul McCartney
(Source: NYT; Photo:Kevin Mazur) 

So last night, while I was home relaxing.. Paul McCartney joined Billy Joel on stage for the "Last Play at Shea" - the final concert at Shea Stadium before it is to be torn down.  It was two of my favorite singers/songwriters side by side, and I missed it.  I found out about the surprise performance a few hours prior to the show, but it was too late.  Needless to say, I regret not buying tickets in advance.  But I have an idea for next weekend that could make up for it.

McCartney wasn't the only one to join Joel on stage.  Roger Daltrey of the Who, Steven Tyler, and Garth Brooks came on to play a few songs as well.  Videos are floating around on YouTube.

On another note: I went to see  a Brian Wilson concert in Torrington this past Wednesday.  It felt like more of a tribute to Wilson than it did a performance.  His band did the bulk of the singing and he hardly played an instrument, but they were playing HIS songs, and it was an honor to witness it.  If you aren't familiar with Brian Wilson's life and work ("God Only Knows", "Good Vibrations", "Wouldn't it Be Nice", etc.), you should read a bit about him.  He's the genius behind the music of The Beach Boys, and one of the greatest songwriters/producers in American pop-music history.

Posted in:  Billy Joel, Concerts, NYC, Paul McCartney, The Beatles | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook |Comments (1)

Turning Twenty-Four

February 24, 2008 // 1 Comments  // Add yours »

Thanks to Patti, Mindy, Jenn, Brett, Mickey, Marci, Holly, Mike, Matt, Megan, Heather, Melinda, Paul, Adam, Domo, Christina and everyone else who joined me in New York and at the Seven Seas yesterday!  And thanks to everyone else for all the messages you sent me.  It was a great time. One of the best...

Fourists

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The best fries I've ever eaten

February 16, 2008 // 1 Comments  // Add yours »

Last night I enjoyed the best fries that I've ever eaten.  At least within Manhattan, but after scanning through my memory of delicious potato eating experiences I think this may be at the top of the list.  If you're ever in the city along 2nd Ave between 9th and 10th St and you're looking for a bite to eat, be sure to stop in Ryan's Irish Pub and get the Cajun steak fries with melted cheese.  The burgers are great as well and only cost about $5 bucks.

We had originally planned on going to Pommes Frites, which until last night had my vote for the best place to get fries in the city.  If you've never been there I'd recommend checking it out as well.  From my count, they offer 35 different toppings to put on top of your fries.  It comes in this little cone.  You walk in, you walk out with fries, and life is good.

Best fries in NYC
The enthusiasm is real.

Best Fries in NYC
I've posted a few more pics here.

Posted in:  A Day In The Life, Food and Drink, NYC | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook |Comments (1)

New Years Eve in New York

January 01, 2008 // 0 Comments  // Add yours »

Watching the ball drop
Considering that we didn't join the crowd of one million people until sometime around 11:30, I'd say that 59th St. was a pretty good location to see the ball drop.  Sure, we were watching it from nearly a mile away, but we still got to enjoy the whole "Times Square experience" and didn't have to wait in the cold for six hours to get it.

And I can saw with confidence that last night will be one of the more memorable New Years Eve's I'll ever have. The cross-Manhattan bar hopping, the people we ran into, the count-down at midnight, and the highly unpredictable events of the night made it all just insane.  I'll never forget it.

More pics can be found here.

How about everyone else?  Any good stories from last night?

Continue reading "New Years Eve in New York"

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Video from the NYC McCartney Show

October 27, 2007 // 3 Comments  // Add yours »

I came across some really good footage from the Paul McCartney show I attended this past June.  It's shot from right about where I was standing.  In fact, I think I can hear my friends voice on the video.  Anyway, enjoy.

Blackbird:

I'll Follow the Sun (Intro):

Posted in:  Concerts, NYC, Paul McCartney, The Beatles, Videos | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook |Comments (3)

John Lennon's Birthday

October 10, 2007 // 0 Comments  // Add yours »

I'm a bit tired so I don't really wanna sit here and type much so I'm gonna be quick and vague here:

Last night I went into Manhattan with Jenndy (aka Jenn and Mindy), and we all partook in a little sing along with a few dozen other people in Central Park to celebrate what would have been John Lennon's 67th birthday.  We sung some songs, hung out with some hippies, saw a drunk man cry and proclaim a death wish on Mark David Chapman as he dramatically clenched his first and reached towards the sky, got soaked from the pouring rain, ate some pizza, had a few drinks in a bar where we bumped into Soprano's actor Steve Schirripa, then went on a little stroll back through Central Park, got a bit lost, and then finally made it home.

So that's how I spent my Tuesday night.  And I bet you five bucks my night beat yours. 

Posted in:  A Day In The Life, NYC, The Beatles | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook |Comments (0)

Toasting freedom in Queens

September 16, 2007 // 1 Comments  // Add yours »

Here's my recap of the past 24 hours:  We go into the city for a movie, and stop for some vegetarian pizza on 2nd Ave.  We learn that Mindy would instantly throw up if Paul McCartney were to ever randomly walk in the same room as her. We're told that Michael Jackson is too old and that the girls should find somebody younger.  Across the Universe was fantastic.  The music is a bit watered down, and the story is a bit corny at times, but it was still very enjoyable.  It turns out that "Come Together" sounds great when it's sung by a crazy homeless person.

After the movie we stopped in at McSorley's, Manhattan's oldest pub, for a round of beers and a few toasts to freedom, Lincoln, and The Beatles. The place was packed and a little too rowdy to hold a convo, so we left and found a much more quiet atmosphere at the Thirsty Scholar

It was getting late and we had started to head back to Grand Central, but then Jenn presented us with the brilliant idea of crashing at her sisters apartment in Queens.  So we hopped on the subway, piled into the apartment, busted out the cards, sung some songs, had some intense conversations about music, learned how Jenn would properly utilize her favorite band, and I created some brilliant artwork. 

For me it felt like the last night of the summer.  And I'd say it was one of the best nights I've had so far this year. 

Now this guy really needs to make it onto a t-shirt:

Chicken Feet

Posted in:  A Day In The Life, NYC, Paul McCartney, The Beatles | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook |Comments (1)

A day for Central Park

August 18, 2007 // 2 Comments  // Add yours »

I took a long overdue trip into Manhattan today with my brother Kevin.  We had perfect weather for it too.  I also found out today that my friend Hazel from Ireland is coming over for a visit!  Can't wait!

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Who is Radioman?

July 01, 2007 // 5 Comments  // Add yours »

Radioman, or "Radio" is a bum.  His real name is Craig Castaldo and he's a former homeless man from NYC who earned his name by having a large radio hanging from his neck.  What makes him stand out from other homeless guys is the fact that he's appeared in over 30 major motion pictures, including The Departed, Mr. Deeds, Elf, and Godzilla. 

I first encountered Radioman while I was waiting in line to meet Paul McCartney last November.  At first I thought he was just trying to find a place to sleep, but then the next day we actually saw him in the building waiting in line with the rest of us.  I learned his name when a couple of guys walked by and shouted "Hey Radio!"  He sat there all night rewinding his tape and singing along to commercial jingles that he liked.   It was really annoying.

Fast forward to yesterday - I was in New Haven picking up my costume for Indiana Jones 4, when Radioman bursts into the door and runs right past security.  At first everyone was kind of startled, but once they realized who he was they brought him over, gave him a shave and a costume, and let him be an extra. 

Following the last shoot of the day, Radioman walked towards Steven Spielberg to personally thank him for allowing him be in the movie.  Spielberg let him come right up to him, shook his hand and said  "No problem!  Great to see you again".  Again?  They know each other?  So I looked him up online.  There are pictures of Radioman kissing Jessica Simpson, a story about him in the New York Times, and even a profile on IMDB.   His website features pictures of himself alongside people like Tom Cruise, Pierce Brosnan, and Johnny Depp. 

Radioman used to be homeless and a drunk, but now is able to support himself by collecting the small amount of money he earns from being an extra in movies, and by selling the autographs of the celebrities he meets.  Sometimes he sells autographs for sandwiches.  He's become well known among New York celebrities, and is a source of information for paparazzi because he's "in the know" when it comes to celebrity appearances and movie filming. He has hopes of becoming a big actor himself one day.


From the New York Times.

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Paul McCartney talks about his younger fans

June 26, 2007 // 2 Comments  // Add yours »

In this interview with Sir Paul McCartney about his recent show in New York, the interviewer expresses his amazement at the growing number of young Beatles fans and mentions how two of his contest winners, possibly my friends Steph & Bret, were born in the 1980's!!!  Paul then responds with his thoughts.

Paul
: A lot of people (from) my generation would think: 'Well the only people that are gonna really like my music are the people who grew up with it'.  You know?  People who are my age.  Maybe a little bit younger...but, that's it.
Interviewer: Two of the five winners (Steph & Bret) we had on Wednesday morning were born in the 1980's!
Paul: Ha!  Is that possible?  Haha nobody was born in 1980..
Interviewer: No it's possible
Paul: Er, no exactly that's the thing.  And I see that at my shows.  You get these generations - you'll get the people my age, and then you'll get their kids, and then their kids.  And, I love it!  Cuz, these kids know the music.  They know it better than I do.
Interviewer: Well I tried to make it a little difficult to win the tickets to the show, because I wanted to make sure that real Paul McCartney fans would win, obviously.  So I didn't just say.. be the 25th caller and you're in.  I asked questions that Paul McCartney fans would be able to answer.
Paul: Mmhmm.
Interviewer: And those two young people, born in the 1980's, knew the answers!
Paul: You know, it's phenomenal, I must say.  But it's great!  It's kinda, you know, very satisfying to think that young kids are into it.
Interviewer: What would you say to your young fans... ?
Paul: ...What would I say? I would say thank you for like, appreciating something we did a long time ago.  But, I'm with them.  I understand that thing.  Cuz, I'm wrong to assume that it's just my generation that's gonna like it.  And I know that, for instance, cuz I like Fred Astaire, Nat King Cole - and that wasn't my generation.  So, I suppose that what they're doing is they're liking good music.  You know, and I can say that now about The Beatles.  Cuz, you know, it's not being conceited.  I know that the stuff we did was really good.  You know?  And I think that somebody appreciating it now is just great.  It's just very gratifying.  So there you go.  I love it.

You can listen to the full interview by clicking HERE.
Paul talks about the show at the Highline Ballroom HERE.
And you can read my recap of  Paul's secret concert in New York and see the pictures HERE.

Posted in:  Culture, NYC, Paul McCartney, The Beatles | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook |Comments (2)

Paul McCartney's Secret Gig at the Highline Ballroom

June 14, 2007 // 8 Comments  // Add yours »

Paul McCartney at the Highline Ballroom

I'm back from the Paul McCartney concert!  Time for the recap:

Let me go back a few weeks to explain this.  About a month ago I found out that Paul McCartney would be doing some type of live performance in NYC to promote his new album Memory Almost Full.  Any large-scale world tour would be postponed to next year due to "personal issues" (his divorce from Heather Mills).  So being a huge Beatles/Paul McCartney fan, I did some intense research until I found out the details of what would be going down.

I found out that the show was going to be a small-scale "secret" show about two weeks ago and that I'd have to win tickets through a radio station contest in order to go.  Only a few hundred contest winners and invited guests would be given tickets.  So after looking through the websites of nearly every FM radio station from the country's major cities, I finally found a contest where you could enter a raffle to win tickets by correctly answering 20 questions about Paul.  I didn't win.  But my friend Steph did, and she offered to take me.  Amazingly, my friend Bret won as well and offered to take my brother Justin.  So now we had 3 people from CT's smallest town attending a concert that thousands of people from around the world were trying to go to, and I was one of them.

More below the cut.

Continue reading "Paul McCartney's Secret Gig at the Highline Ballroom"

Posted in:  A Day In The Life, Concerts, Contests, Culture, NYC, Paul McCartney, Photos, The Beatles, Videos | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook |Comments (8)

My plans for the evening: Attend a secret Paul McCartney Concert

June 13, 2007 // 0 Comments  // Add yours »

McCartney in London

Tonight I'll get the incredible opportunity to see Paul McCartney in concert from just a few feet away.  Along with my friends Steph, Bret, and my brother Justin, I'll be among just 300 contest winners and invited guests who will watch McCartney play Beatles classics as well as some of the best songs of his new album Memory Almost Full.  The show takes place at 8:30 pm tonight at the Highline Ballroom on 16th St. in NYC.  It's extremely rare for a guy who usually performs in front of 50,000 people to do a show in a venue this small.  What makes tonight even more interesting is that his album debuted at #3 on the Billboard 200 this morning with his highest weekly sales since 1982.  I'll post a recap after the show.

Thanks for MaccaReport.com for the heads up on the secret gig!

Posted in:  A Day In The Life, Concerts, Contests, Culture, NYC, Paul McCartney, The Beatles | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook |Comments (0)

Beatles Brunch

April 07, 2007 // 0 Comments  // Add yours »

Strawberry Fields perform at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill

Hey Beatles fans - If you ever get the chance I strongly suggest checking out the "Beatles Brunch" at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill on 42nd St. in Manhattan.  For $40 you get an all you can eat buffet and 2 hours of Beatles songs performed live.  The tribute band calls themselves Strawberry Fields and 3 of their members are former cast-members of the Broadway show Beatlemania.  They've got the music down to the exact note, do 3 costume changes, and they put on an incredibly good show. 

You get a wide variety of Beatles songs - from their early days with songs like "I Wanna Hold Your Hand" and "Till There Was You", through the psychedelic era with "Norwegian Wood" and a very interesting version of "A Day in the Life", and then later songs like "Dig a Pony" and "Rocky Raccoon".  They've got the facial expressions, hair, and performance styles down extremely well, and while they're a little bit overweight, you get a tiny hint of what it must of been like to actually see The Beatles perform live.  I guess that's why they were the ones chosen to play at the 40th anniversary of The Beatles' Shea Stadium performance in 2005.   Trust me... you get good food and a great Beatles tribute band.  You cant lose.

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My Dose of Truthiness

March 05, 2007 // 2 Comments  // Add yours »

Tonight I was back in Manhattan with Joe and Steph for a taping of one of my favorite TV shows - The Colbert Report.  It was well-worth the small sacrifices I made to get there - something many other people I had invited refused to do.  The three of us got into Manhattan around 4:00 and we had an hour to kill before the doors opened, so we decided to stop in a pub for a quick meal.  I had a really good burger - which I had been craving all day, along with one of the best pints of Guinness I've had since my trip to Ireland in September.  Steph had some Smithwicks, which is my second favorite beer, and Joe was a boring American with some dull mixed drink.   They were kinda slow with the meal and we were running out of time so as soon as the food came out we devoured it as fast as we could and then started running towards the studio. 

We made it there just on time.  Once we were in we had to sit in a waiting room for about an hour and watch all the non-VIPs go through the x-ray.  It was extremely boring and after a while it got to be aggravating.  But once we got in the actual studio my mood changed instantly.  The room was much smaller then it appears on TV, and you could see a lot of things on the set that you normally miss on television.  A warm-up comic came out and entertained us for about a half hour, making jokes about the rich guy with the paycheck falling out of his pocket and the Save Darfur idealist in the front row.

Then the man himself, Stephen Colbert, walked onto the stage.   He introduced himself and did a few Q&A's before the show.  Not many people had questions to ask but Steph was quick enough to come up with one.  She asked him how many bears he had killed in the last year.  He had quick responses to that and after other question.  It's impossible to nail this guy.  When he was done with the questions he bounced around for a bit doing some goofy dance as he made his way up to the desk.

Americone_dream_pintThe show went by at a very quick pace.  Ben & Jerry came on to talk about their new ice cream flavor AmeriCone Dream.  Shortly after he went into the interview with some Democrat author who was boring and couldn't keep up with the intense nailing she got.  Colbert's wife and son were sitting on the steps next to us and Joe heard her say "Daddy's smarter then that lady".  I couldn't agree more.

At the end of the show we all got our own ice cream and that was that.  I tried some in the car on the way home and the sweet taste of liberty in my mouth was incredible.   If you didn't catch the show tonight it will be on again tomorrow at 1PM on Comedy Central.  I'm not sure if you'll see me, but you might pick up our laughter.  If you've never seen the Colbert Report, I strongly recommend it.  It's what Lincoln would have watched.  I don't even come close to agreeing with him politically but I still love it.  Great times.

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South Street Seaport

March 03, 2007 // 2 Comments  // Add yours »

South St.

Took advantage of the nice weather by driving down to Manhattan with Steph for some exploration.  We drove around the Upper West Side for a bit then went down to the South Street Seaport for  dinner.  This picture was taken along the East River right under the Manhattan Bridge.

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Dinner in Little Italy

February 21, 2007 // 0 Comments  // Add yours »

Last night, I was lucky enough to eat dinner in New York's Little Italy with Steph.  We went to this great place called Amici II, where we were their only customers so we got their full attention.  They had great wine, great food, great service, and the classic Little Italy atmosphere.  While I've only been to a few restaurant on Mulberry Street thus far, at this point, Amici II has been my favorite.  After a filling meal we walked around a for bit and checked out some of the nearby shops.  It was a late night for a weekday, but with the help of Red Bull we pulled it off.

I'd like to start  to start getting a group of friends to go out to dinner in New York every other week or something.  It's a painless 50 minute drive from my place, and it's no more expensive then going out to dinner at a local chain restaurant.   If you're interested, definitely let me know.  When you're living within driving distance of one of the greatest cities in the world, you should really be taking advantage of it.

Sean in Amici II

Steph Sean Steph

For directions and reviews of Amici II, click here.

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Bryant Park

December 01, 2006 // 0 Comments  // Add yours »

Bryant Park Two excursions to New York this past week.  The first of which was a trip to Bryant Park with Patti, Scott, and Steph for Scott's B-day.   The 4 of us drove in, having a Beatles/Paul McCartney rock-fest dance-off for most of the ride.  Then after the stress of finding a parking spot we made it to the park and went ice skating for about an hour.  This was the fist time I had gone it at least 10 years so my skating abilities were a little rusty.  Steph and Scott were doing circles around me while Patti stuck behind and tried to help me out.  But I think I did alright.  I didn't fall once, and after a while I was starting go get it.  But the rink was packed, and we were all getting kinda sweaty, so we left the ice and came across some high quality hot cider up by the public library.  We also stopped at Patsy's Pizza - one of my favorite pizza places in New York.  We had a lot of fun... I'm hoping to go again sometime this winter.

On Tuesday we got a group of 8 together to go watch a Colbert Report filming in Manhattan.  We all had tickets but didn't get there until a few minutes before they opened the doors, and unfortunately found out that we weren't gonna get in.  Obviously we were pretty disappointed... but they were nice enough to take down our names and provide us with VIP tickets for a future date that guarantees our entrance to the show.  Even though our original plans were ruined, we made the most of our evening and still had a good time.  We walked around the city for a bit, stopping at Rockefeller center and the NBC store, where we caught a random live performance by Enya, and then ate some damn good pizza before making our way back.

Scott and Patti

Nothing else too exciting to report.  Recent activities include:  wine tasting on Friday's at the Twisted Vine, random walks around Back Rock, breakfast at Groovy's Cafe, starting a new seasonal job for extra Christmas $$$,  constructing a mini-bar at the apartment,  a few quality hikes, experimental food events, and the early stages of travel planning for 2007.

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Dinos in New York

November 19, 2006 // 0 Comments  // Add yours »

Saturday was my fourth day in the city in a week.  This time it was for a trip to the American Museum of Natural History with Shane and Steph.  Steph was the driver this time, and before we got to the city we stopped at a Mini dealership so she could test drive one of the convertibles.  This guy Fabrizio took us down a beautiful road along the water and made a few passes at Steph, who was getting a liiiiitle too comfortable with the gas peddle.  It was fun tho... the Mini's an awesome car.  Hope she gets one.

Picture_396Because of the stop at the dealership we drove into the city a different way then we were used to and ended up getting a little of course, but then found a parking spot right near the museum.  We grabbed a quick lunch, ate in the park, stood in a ridiculously long line for tickets, saw a really good planetarium show for FREE, ate some freeze dried ice cream, and then chilled with the dinos.   All we were really interested in was the space stuff and the dinosaurs, so once we had gotten our fill of that we headed back home.  It's great having New York so close.  One hour's worth of driving and fifteen bucks worth of gas and I'm in the greatest city in the world.

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Ecce Cor Meum at Carnegie Hall

November 15, 2006 // 1 Comments  // Add yours »

Ecce Cor Meum at Carnegie Hall

Last night Steph and I went back into the city to attend the United States premier of Paul McCartney's latest classical album Ecce Cor Meum.  The concert took place at Carnegie Hall, which was one of the few major places in the city that I had yet to visit.  We arrived minutes before the show was to begin, walked right in and took our seats on the main floor.  We were excited, but not shaking with anticipation as I had thought we'd be, probably because we had just met Paul the day before, but still, it was great to be there and I couldn't wait for it to start.

A minute or two before the performance was scheduled to start Paul entered a box maybe 10 feet directly above us and sat down with a bunch of celebrities.  The crowd went nuts and many got out of their seat to get closer.  Eventually they sat everybody down and the show began.

Continue reading "Ecce Cor Meum at Carnegie Hall"

Posted in:  A Day In The Life, Concerts, Culture, NYC, Paul McCartney, Photos, The Beatles | Permalink |  Digg This | Share on Facebook |Comments (1)

How I Met Paul McCartney

November 13, 2006 // 13 Comments  // Add yours »

I have now met one of The Beatles.  The other day I finally got to meet Sir Paul McCartney, the most successful popular-music composer and recording artist ever, at the Times Square Virgin Megastore in NYC.

Picture236 It took some effort to get the opportunity.  Steph and I arrived 22 hours before he was scheduled to arrive.  We had expected maybe 30 people or so to already be standing in line, but instead found a line that wrapped all the way around the corner and down W 46th St.  A man towards the front of the line started passing down a list for people to sign, and we found that we were the 114th and 115th persons in line. 

Continue reading "How I Met Paul McCartney"

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McSorley's Old Ale House

November 05, 2006 // 0 Comments  // Add yours »

McSorley's Old Ale House The closest thing you'll find to an authentic Irish pub in NYC is McSorley's Old Ale House - located at 15 E. 7th St. in the East Village.  Opened in 1854, it's Manhattan's oldest continuously operating pub, and over the years has served people like Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Boss Tweed, and E.E. Cummings.  It was one of the countries last "men only" pubs, and it wasn't until 1970 when the National Organization for Women sued McSorley's that they finally opened their doors to women.  Inside you'll find Irish bartenders, great ale sawdust on the floor, rowdy customers, good conversation, and about 150 years of history on the walls including a pair of Houdini's handcuffs attached to the bar rail, as well as an original "Wanted" poster for Lincoln's assassin.

Inside McSorley's

On Saturday I was in the city with Justin, Steph, Patti, and Scott walking around the East Village.  I took them there and they loved it. It was extremely crowded, which

Continue reading "McSorley's Old Ale House"

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Yanks vs. Orioles

August 17, 2006 // 1 Comments  // Add yours »

Thanks to some free tickets provided by Justin I got to go see my 5th game this season Wednesday.  They lost, but we still had a great time, and nobody got hurt!

81706016_1_1

Picture from StephBell.com

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The 5 Boroughs

August 05, 2006 // 0 Comments  // Add yours »

Weekend8706028_1 I'm finding that unplanned days end up being the best.  Yesterday Steph and I hopped in the car and had a choice between going to Boston, Wildwood, or good ol' New York City.  Wildwood and Boston were a bit too far a drive and New York's never failed us, so naturally we ended up there.  We ended up checking out all the stores on St. Mark's Place, picked up some reeaaally strange sunglasses and then ate at a Japanese/American restaurant where we had amazing Baily's shakes and watched all of New York's finest stroll down the street.  From there we headed up to 42nd st. where we watched Weekend8706024_1 Will Farrell's new movie: Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby - a truly scrumtrulescent experience.  Go watch it now for life extending laughter.  On the way out we came across some free energy drinks and an odd man in a blue jump suit, ate at the Moondance Diner, saw the movie My Blueberry Nights being filmed, found out that the Notorious B.I.G. really is still alive, realized that my car had been rear-ended while we were in the movies, saw a man get hit by a car, took a drive over the Brooklyn Bridge, passed through every borough in the city, and then made it back home for sunrise.

Pictures from StephBell.com

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Steph's Great Fall

July 01, 2006 // 2 Comments  // Add yours »

Last night I went to the Yankees/Mets game with Steph, Justin, and Nick.  By the 4th inning, the Yankees were winning 2-0 when a thunderstorm came in from the west and it started to pour.  Everybody started getting out of their seats to get out of the rain and the players left the field.  Steph and I started climbing over the seats and had gotten a row or two back when I turned around to find that Steph had fallen and was rolling down the stairs... one of the funniest/scariest things that I've ever seen.  She just kept tumbling and I didn't know when she was gonna stop.  She cleared 4 rows of seats before she finally did stop, becoming a celebrity by having the most prominant fall of the night.  Amazingly, she seemed alright at first and was laughing and cracking jokes.  But when we started walking inside the pain set in and she had to sit down.  I pushed through the crowd of wet, drunk Yankees fans to get to the first aid people who came back and threw her in a wheelchair.  They told her that she had probably broke her finger but would be fine as long as she went for an x-ray and they let her loose.  Once we were out of there we snuck into the more expensive section and grabbed some seats right behind home plate.  We finished up the game (the Yankees won), met up with Justin and Nick again and headed back home to go to the emergency room where Steph made friends with Dr. Doolittle and company.  With everything that happened it's amazing that we all still had a great night... but we did.  I'm just pissed off I didn't have my camera with me.   

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Yanks vs. Indians

June 13, 2006 // 0 Comments  // Add yours »

Picture_950_1Thanks to brother Justin, I got to go to yet another Yankee game tonight with the twin bro himself, Steph, and Mickey.  Justin and Mickey took an early train in while me and Steph waited till around 4:30 and drove down.  We partied a lil' on the top level of the parking garage with some Jersey folk before the game and had some high quality Killian's Irish Red while blasting the Beatles.  The game was great... as it always is, and the Yankees won 1-0.  We had great seats, had a great time, and the car ride back home was just as good.  We stopped at a rest stop for some water, red bull, and corn nuts, and made it back around 1 in the morning.  Nights like this make me love life.  I know some of the best people on earth. No video tonight... but here's a pic. There's more in the Newest Pics.

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I Love New York

June 06, 2006 // 1 Comments  // Add yours »

I also love my proximity to it.  Lately I've been going down to the city at least once a week.  I had another completely spontaneous adventure there yesterday with Steph, who had just flown in to JFK from a vacation in California.  I started off the day around 3:30 am when I left Derby for the airport.  I hit absolutely no traffic and got there early, so I had some time to wander around and I think I saw Morgan Spurlock from Supersize Me going up the escalator next to me.  I'm not a big fan of the guy so if it was him I'll never know cuz I just kept on moving.  Once Steph got in we made a quick decision to head into Manhattan, so we hopped on the FDR and went on a quest for bacon.  After an awesome breakfast in Bryant Park I suggested that we try to see a Broadway show, but after looking into it realized that there weren't any on Mondays.  So we hopped on the 6 train and headed down to the BODIES exhibition at the South Street Seaport which was really cool, but disgusting.  After touching a real human brain we got pretty hungry so we stopped in at Mc Menamin's Pub on South St. for some Killian's, pizza, and sheppard's pie.  After the food we headed back to the car and I found that I was blessed with another parking ticket and a massive sticker that they slapped on my window to make me feel bad for disrupting a street cleaning.  We headed up to StubHub on 40th street to pick up the tickets, and while I was on the elevator this guy in a business suit next to me lets out this huge fart... sounded like a trumpet.  No apology, no smile, no confession, nothing.  He follows me in and gets his tickets right after me, and then ends up waiting behind me to take the elevator back down when he starts talking to me.  Halfway through his second sentence the fart trumpet rang out again.  From there we headed up to Yankee stadium, where we bought some junk, drank lots of beer, ate expensive hot dogs and saw one of the best games I've ever been too.  I don't think I've ever had more fun at a game.  In the parking lot afterwords Steph was a lil tipsy and ended up getting hit by my car.  A few minutes later we enjoyed a near deadly  confrontation when an angry guy stepped in front of somebody else's car.  They resolved it by pressing on the gas and hitting him.... a smart move.  We ended the day the with the usual Beatles sing alongs and a secret nighttime concert.  Check out the rest of the pics in the Newest Pics album.

Also here's a short video clip... nothing too exciting, just a couple seconds from the game:

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Springtime For Hitler

May 25, 2006 // 0 Comments  // Add yours »

I'm hooked on The Producers right now so I had to post this.

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Vegan Celebrity Galas & Broadway Shows

May 22, 2006 // 3 Comments  // Add yours »

Justin & Steph after The ProducersI had such good weekend and did so much that I'm not even going to try to recap everything but here's a little summary along with a few pics.  I'm having trouble even remembering where to start because so much has gone on the past couple days it feels more like a week.  It started off Thursday afternoon when I got a call from Justin and found out that I was going to NYC to see The Producers with him and Steph.  I left work 5 minutes early, trekked through the rush hour traffic, parked somewhere in Harlem and made it to the show 20 minutes late.  That was my second time seeing it on Broadway and I NEED to go again.  Go check it out if you haven't already.  After the show we stopped in some Irish pub/restaraunt where Steph proved she was a real man when she got her lamb-chops while I ate my girly bacon cheeseburger.  Beatles-listening-fest all the way home.

Friday was long, extremely busy, and stressful.  After working both jobs during the day I rushed down to the doctors office where I got stuck sitting in the waiting room for exactly 2 hours and 15 minutes before I got aggrivated and walked out.  I wasn't even sick.  That night I ended up seeing the Da Vinci Code (which kinda sucked) and went to a party down in Milford.  Woke up in Hamden to screams and "St. James Place" and then spent early Saturday morning driving all over the state putting up signs for open houses.

Me and Steph on the FDRSaturday night was the highlight of the weekend.  Me and Steph ventured down to New York again to go to a charity dinner on Wall St.  It was cool eating dinner with a bunch of celebrities but most of em are insane.  Alicia Silverstone looked like she was drugged up and sounded crazy.  Unfortunately I didn't bring my camera so I didn't get as many pictures as I would have liked but Steph saved the day and snapped a picture of me with Dave Foley from "Kids in the Hall" and "NewsRadio".  We ran into a lot of people, like the Pepsi girl, Daryl Hannah, James Cromwell, Paul Sorvino, and Moby.
   
MeOn the way out I saw Moby walking towards my car so I slammed on my breaks and he walked right into the side of my car... suckaa!  Gave me a good laugh to