Happy Halloween

It's Green Lantern.

Trip to NYC

I’ve come to the realization that I’ve seen all the touristy things that I need to see in NYC. I’ve seen all the the touristy sites, I’ve done all the touristy tours and I’ve walked around all the touristy places. Now, I didn’t say that I’ve eaten at every place that I’d want to eat at (so when I go back I have plenty of places that I still need to explore – food wise)…but I honestly think I’ve seen everything that I have set out to see in the big city. I’ve been to NYC a number of times to visit and hang out with Ben. Hmmm…I was in NYC last year for a long weekend and I spent about 3 weeks in NYC for the holidays a few years back and…well I’ve been there three or four times before that too…so I really have had a chance to do and see a lot.

This trip was definitely on the slow side for me. I spent time just trailing the family around town and enjoyed the vacation at a somewhat slower pace than what I’m used to. Since I’ve been to NYC plenty of times, I left the vacation agenda up to the family and decided to just go with the flow. I know, very unusual for me. This has been our only family vacation of the year and it was nice to just be on vacation to hang with the family.

As you can tell from my pics, we enjoyed some of the touristy sites that NYC has to offer (and some sites we’ve seen before)…but also found time to trek out to Coney Island. I enjoyed visiting Coney Island (it’s the one place from my trip that I hadn’t been to before). And hello, Coney Dog…you have to go to the birth place of the hot dog to truly enjoy and appreciate a Nathan’s hot dog as it was meant to be enjoyed. The hot dog was decent and I had a good time.

Speaking of food, I finally made it to Shake Shack. In my last 2 visits to NYC, I had been unsuccessful in actually getting to enjoy a meal at the Shack. But this time…I made the time and was determined to enjoy a burger and a shake before the end of this trip. I don’t know if it was the long awaited anticipation, or standing in the long line to order or finally holding and tasting the food…but my burger and shake was truly amazing. The burger was everything I hoped it to be and the shake…well, when have I ever had a bad shake?

So overall, I had a good vacation. Haha…granted, all I’ve written about has been food. But hey, good food…always makes for a good vacation.

Enjoy my pics.

Still Stewing

...you know what else I'm stewing about?!?! I missed the Niner game last Sunday!! Damnit. Not only did the Niners win but they provided an ass-whooping of a lifetime. Ugh I'm so mad I missed it!!

Yes, I was on vacation...and yes, I did have a great time. Blah blah blah. But that's besides the point right now. Haha! I'm venting and it's the Niners we're talking about!!! You know how frustrating it was to get text updates from all of you about the crazy ass game that I was missing...while I was at the Statue of Liberty and while I was standing in line at the Shake Shack?!?!?! I was thinking about the Niners and wanting to watch the game. Damn. And to hear that the game was such a blowout...double damn. I returned to my hotel that night and camped out in front of ESPN trying to catch the highlights...but stupid ESPN only showed one touchdown...and then called it a night for the Niners. WTF guys?!?! Show the Niners some love...we're 4-1 baby (well Niners should be 5-0, but those pesky Cowboys stole one from us)!!!

But anyway, the Niners are taking on the undefeated Lions this Sunday...and I'm not about to miss that game. You better believe it's gonna be the game of a lifetime. If the Niners can pull off a win...in Detroit...oh man, that would be epic! Megatron...we're coming for you!

Tired and Cranky

I spent a long weekend in NYC and would be in a much better mood right now if my flight home hadn't been delayed. You know, that sucks how things work. Overall, I had a pretty good vacation but found myself in a sour mood getting off the plane and returning home. But there's no good way to look at dealing with a delayed flight.

With that being said, I'm gonna need a couple days to get my vacation pics organized and will wait to talk about my vacation when those are ready to go up. In the meantime, let me just blow off some steam and take this time to vent.

On my long flight home last night, I saw game 2 of the ALCS between Texas and Detroit. Did anyone else see that game? It was pretty awesome. The game was tied through the bottom of the 11th when Cruz came up, with the bases loaded, and hit a grand slam to end the game in breathtaking fashion. I couldn't help but let out a shout of excitement on the plane, which apparently, scared the kid sitting in front of me. Whoopsy. But yeah, since I'm rooting for Texas to take the World Series...it was a pretty great game to see.

Now, let me do some ranting. As excited as I was to enjoy the game last night...while I was on a plane...watching it on tv...with my headphones on, I was mildly pissed and stewing that the game that I saw in person...in Arlington, at Ranger Stadium, surrounded by Texas fans, wasn't nearly as exciting, or even remotely close, to the game last night. I mean, Texas barely put up a fight with their 9-0 lose against Tampa Bay a couple weeks ago and had a difficult enough time getting anyone on base much less to score. I would've just been happy with a couple exciting moments at my game, much less hoping for an entire game of heart stopping action. So why couldn't the game that I saw in Texas be that exciting? Answer me that.

Never mind that I thoroughly enjoyed exploring their stadium...or that I saw 2 other awesome games...or that I had an awesome vacation entirely. I'm still bitter about that Rangers game and the performance they put up during my visit. Well...this could just be my crankiness talking this morning...but this is something that I've been stewing about.

Texas

I spent a long weekend in Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas and I gotta say, despite a few rough patches, I had a pretty good time. My vacation was an epic sports weekend and it was super fun. Besides Giants Spring Training, I don't think I've ever done a vacation solely focused on sports…but it definitely was an interesting concept that I would strongly consider doing again. I think it also helped that I had never been to Texas before...so I really did have a good time getting to explore.

My trip started out with a bang. My first stop…Texas BBQ. I had beef brisket, bbq ribs and a beer at 10:30 in the morning. Oh man…is there a better way to start a vacation? Yeah, I didn’t think so. And let me just say, the beef brisket was totally amazing and I could’ve eaten it all day. I’m getting hungry just thinking about it. After BBQ, we headed to Dallas to check out the JKF Memorial. It was my history lesson of the trip and it was…ok. Friday afternoon we caught Game 1 of the Texas Rangers vs. Tampa Bay Rays playoff game. I decided that since the Giants aren't in the playoffs this year, I can safely root for the Rangers...and hey, the Giants kicked their ass last year to win the World Series…so I figure I'm ok. As you probably know now, the Rangers' took best out of 5 from the Rays and advance in the playoffs. But the game I saw on Friday was their only loss...the Rangers got killed 9-0. Why is it that I saw their only loss...and it wasn't even a good loss? Ugh. Whatever. At least I can say I enjoyed their ballpark, which was very nice. Friday night we enjoyed a true Texas rodeo. I've never seen a rodeo show before and it was definitely...everything I thought it would be. Haha. It was very…Texas. Ha!

Saturday was suppose to be my free day. I was going to spend the day checking out the sights in and around Fort Worth (there really weren't that many) and spend some time relaxing...yeah, I know, relaxing...me? Not really my style on vacation. So we made a last minute decision to get some tickets to the Southwest Classic game…Texas A&M vs. Arkansas at Cowboy Stadium. I’m partial to Texas A&M since a few of my friends are alums…but I’m not a true die-hard fan. With that being said, since my seat was in Arkansas territory (and college football fans are absolutely crazy…) I decided to go with Arkansas and play it safe. It was a pretty good game and Arkansas came from behind to win. Towards the end of the game, the place went nuts and the noise level inside the stadium was deafening. It was a cool experience and a fun environment. Seriously, college football fans are really crazy (I just have to say that again). Saturday night, I had a to-die-for beef tenderloin at Tim Love’s Lonesome Dove in Fort Worth and, hands down, the best churros I’ve ever had in my entire life. The cinnamon, sugar and warm dough…oh man, it was so good. Awesome food. Later that night, we hit up a dueling piano bar…my first one…and I had a pretty good time. Drank too much…but still, had a good time.

Sunday was the Cowboys vs. Lions game. I hate the Cowboys and I was definitely rooting for the Lions. I sported my Niner gear and my Bay Area pride (even though they weren’t playing) and I was ready to take the shit for it. The game was awesome. Not only did the Lions come back and take the game in the end…they did it in heartbreaking style and crushed the Cowboys. Tony Romo looked like he might’ve shed a tear. I couldn't have asked for a better game. Now about Cowboys’ Stadium…I gotta hand it to Jerry Jones…the Stadium is pretty badass. But I guess if I spent about a billion dollars, I could make me one of those too. Don’t mind me, I just have stadium envy since the Niners play in the biggest shithole possible. Ugh.

Anyway, my vacation ended on Monday with a trip to the Texas State Fair. Now I’ve heard stories about the Texas State Fair and their reputation to debut unique and super high-fattening foods. And there was definitely plenty of fried food…and um…large people to see at the fair. Haha. But overall, fun times and good fair food.

I think my pictures do a pretty good job of cataloging my trip…check ‘em out. I'll have more pics to share next week since I'm hitting the road and headed to NYC tomorrow. Wahoo.