SATURDAY, MAY 4, 2019
7am Check out of hotel and drive up I-95 to New York
Try to avoid tolls – go via US1 through New Jersey – filled up the tank near Princeton – then through Staten Island and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and to Brooklyn.
Heavy traffic in Brooklyn. Stopped at a Mobil to top off the tank (only 3 gas stations in all of Manhattan)
9:30am Chinatown – parked at the first parking garage. $15
Wah Fung No 1 Fast Food – roast pork, char siu and roast duck. Duck was kinda gamey.
Ate by the basketball court. After eating, shot some hoops and took some pictures.
Traffic super bad.
Off to Milk Bar East Village.
Lots of construction. Paved roads but no lines. Anarchy.
Lucked out and found parking - $2.
Milk Bar – super expensive but great tasting stuff.
Lots of busses parked in front the Marriott Marquis. Stopped in Loading Dock for Madelyn to find a bell man.
Returned car at Avis. Walked back to the hotel
Good news! Even though its noon, we were allowed to check in. Double beds.
Hotel has an open interior – much like an Embassy Suites.
Nice clean hotel with spacious rooms. Lobby is on the 8th floor.
Decided to chance it and go to the Yankees game.
Subway station on 47th and 7th closed. Gotta walk to 53rd street.
$10 pass. Catch the “D” train straight to Yankee Stadium. Subway packed but manageable
New Yankee Stadium. Beautiful, clean and modern.
Walked the wrong area. Had to go all the way around to the ticket booth.
Cheapest seats available - $38 in the upper deck. Section 407, Row 14, seats 16-17.
Line to Gate 4 took forever due to security.
Missed out on the free CC Sabathia bobblehead to the first 40,000 fans.
Star Wars characters – oh yeah, it’s May 4th – May the Fourth Be With You
Entered the opposite side of the stadium
The Ramp to the upper level took forever
Walked all the way from left field to right field.
Row 14 was the very last row! Top of the stadium!
Under the cover of an overhang and nice breeze and view from the top
Was already the 2nd inning when we got in, 3rd inning by the time we got to our seat
Decided to leave during the 7th inning stretch
Picked up a grilled Italian Sausage and soda. Madelyn got a pretzel.
Watched from the middle deck outfield stands.
Goal was to beat the postgame rush to the subway
Lucked out and got on a baseball subway special – all stops.
Got off at 72nd Street – The Dakota and Central Park West
Strawberry Fields (busy), smell of horse shit, Bow Bridge, Bethesda Fountain , Mall walk and tulips with Baby Archie
Cruised down 5th Avenue – where’s Lindt’s?, homeless people selling Louis Vuitton bags on the sidewalk for $60 (I should’ve checked to see if they had a backpack!)
Back to the hotel at 7pm. Enough time to shower and get dressed
Walk down and cross the street to the Majestic Theatre for “Phantom of the Opera”
Rear Mezzanine seats. Stadium seating but the Spaniard in front of me was so huge that his head literally blocked the middle of my view for the entire show!
Music and songs were great but I have no opinion on the acting as the head was in the way
After the show, lucked out and got seated quickly at Junior’s.
Pickles, beets, swiss burger, reuben but no room for cheesecake.
Walked around Times Square. Souvenir shopping for Mom’s NY Plate. Lots of scary, mentally ill people
Back to the room, watch SNL – Adam Sandler, tribute to Chris Farley, pack up