Category Archives: Travel

New York Trip – Summer 2009.

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This weekend Julie and I ventured out to New York for the Mets – Phillies at Citi Field.  This was my first trip to the stadium (Julie went earlier in the week) and our first opportunity to see our brick.  The game of course didn’t end well after the starting pitcher was removed for an arbitrary stat… pitch counts. Besides that the stadium was really great.  There’s a ton of space, lots of quality food and great views from throughout the park.

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Side Note:

* Saturday night I met up with Jim at the Blue Moon Cafe where we spent the better part of night discussing the finer points of the Stanley Cup Finals.  We spent the next day at the Shark Bar (which is really the Spring Lounge and not this Shark Bar) then we headed to McSorley’s before bailing on our reservations at the Ninja Restaurant.  I am nearly positive we each have a team of Ninja Assassins who will enact revenge on our disrespect some time in the future.  I will probably get mine via a blow dart when I least expect it.  If you’re wonder about the Ninja Restaurant this choice quote from the NY Times should do it justice:

You are greeted there by servers in black costumes who ceaselessly bow, regularly yelp and ever so occasionally tumble, and you are asked to choose between two routes to your table.
The first is described by a ninja escort as simple and direct. The second is “dark, dangerous and narrow,” involving a long tunnel and a drawbridge that descends only when your escort intones a special command, which he later implores you to keep secret.
I recommend a third path: right back out the door.

You are greeted there by servers in black costumes who ceaselessly bow, regularly yelp and ever so occasionally tumble, and you are asked to choose between two routes to your table.

The first is described by a ninja escort as simple and direct. The second is “dark, dangerous and narrow,” involving a long tunnel and a drawbridge that descends only when your escort intones a special command, which he later implores you to keep secret.

I recommend a third path: right back out the door.

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** This car was outside Citi Field:
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Willis Tower Skydeck.

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This weekend Julie and I had family in town so we decided to take the opportunity to check out the Sears Willis Tower Skydeck.  The views were very unique, I kind of wonder why the Skyboxes aren’t other side of the building but either way it was pretty cool.  I’d highly recommend anyone going to visit to spend the extra $10 and buy the ‘Fast Pass’ as we waited in line for more than 2 hours.  When it was all said and done I’m pretty sure we got in line around 1:45pm and didn’t leave the building until about 5pm.  There was even a line to go back down.
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One of the more interesting things we could see was Lollapalooza in Grant Park.  We could see a large mass of people near the north part of the park which would have been the Arctic Monkeys at the Budwiser Stage.  After the last two years (2007 day 1, day 2, day 3, and 2008) I’m glad to have missed Lollapalooza this year.  Like clockwork this was also the hottest weekend in Chicago.

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The Biscuso Wedding.

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Saturday was the Biscuso Wedding at The Citizen Hotel in Sacramento.  Julie and I flew out the morning of the wedding and are heading back to Chicago today so it was a quick trip but we get to spend several hours at Sacramento’s glorious international airport.  The wedding was fun, the food was great and the photograph below sums up everything:

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*Side Note:
*The rest of my photographs are here.
**There was a of course a silver sequined glove and dancing soon followed.

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