The terrible thing about creating this travel journal years later and trying to catch up is that I can't remember every detail from these adventures and even the stuff I look back on fondly I can't put into words sometimes. I can't express how amazing of a time I had the four days I had in New York state but I'm about to try to an extent.
First off, Deanna's parents are awesome! Haha I made good friends with them and still talk to them periodically I love it! Anne is such a dear, we bonded over watching Pitch Perfect one morning or afternoon and still joke about it from time to time. Tom and I talk hockey on the daily when playoffs come around but I'll send him a message here and there when I catch a Isles game and can catch up a little bit, plus I need to hit up Barclays Center with him next season if the planets align and I get out that way. Anyway the first night in town Deanna shows me around Massapequa's main strip and couple of bars before we head back and prepare for authentic New York Pizza the next day and heading to the Islanders game. I clearly remember the hype Anne and Tom were amping up for this pizza and I have to say, to this day; I don't know if I've had better. I am a full on convert to the New York thin crust and I love it to death!! I almost want to make a trip back just for that! Haha I always order thin crust now when I have the opportunity somewhat reminiscing what we got that day. But later that evening Tom, Deanna, her friend and I piled in the car and headed to Nassau for the good ol Isles game. I'm super happy I got to experience the old barn before they moved on. It showed some history from the brighter days in the franchise and was my first taste of a arena with a backstory. It might have been dated but it still gave off the great feeling the sport itself gives off and I was stoked to be there and explore it either way! I nabbed my official puck and Johnny Tavares t shirt and slipped it on instantly to fit in. That night the Isles took on the Tampa Bay Lightening and gave a honest effort but ended up falling in the end. It still was a great time and left a lasting impression, there was a section all the way up towards the rafters in a corner that was practically the only section up high filled with fans that were clearly die hards from the glory days. This section filled the entire arena with noise and led the chants every time, it was refreshing to see some real fans that stuck it through thick and thin and still found joy in their hometown team. Nothing against pittsburgh but after their slumping years and a rise to fame there has been a large increase in clueless "fans" and its nice to see the people that really live for it.
The next day Deanna was to show me around New York City since I was/am the definition of a tourist and help me see everything important. Little did I know till a couple weeks before I embarked on this trip, because Deanna couldn't contain the surprise :P; SHE BOUGHT US TICKETS TO THE PENS IN MSG!!! Not only did I get to cross the Isles home off my bucket list but also the Rangers at Madison Square Garden andddddd the Penguins were playing them! Two Days, Two Arenas. Crazy! Okay so we had a awesome time at the Isles game the night before and went out afterwards with Deanna's friends so today we were kind of taking our time and just taking in NYC on our own pace haha. It was sweet though, I got to see Grand Central Station like I had seen in movies before but it just felt surreal once there and seeing all the people scattering, bolting, to their next train. We got to see St. patrick Cathedral I believe it was, that was in the middle of reservation but the Altar was still breathtaking and a place I knew my Uncle Al whose a Deacon has told me about before. As well as the ice rink in Rockefeller square and Times Square. Probably the most lasting impression of the day (besides the hockey game of course) was heading to the top of The Empire State building. I know how everyone had talked about it and its importance but little did I know about the view I was about to take in. Deanna booked us a special tour to the top that we could stand almost to the edge of the roof with panes of glass fencing us in. It was surreal. It was scary. I had to stand there and just look in every direction a few times and take it in, take in all the buildings around me, all the people that could be in those buildings, all the business and work going on, crazy. We got to look off each side of the building for about twenty minutes before being ushered to head back down to ground level. But on our way to the elevator (which was the fastest most weird feeling elevator I've ever been in) I decided to kneel on a deep windowsill and look down to the streets below and immmmmmediatly felt nauseous hahaha. I knew I had some of my dads fear of heights in me but oh my God looking down there I nearly jumped backwards from the window in fear of tumbling through the clear stable glass to the distant streets below. I still get shivers. Anyway, it was off to MSG!
One of the coolest things I thought about Madison Square Garden is how its multi-layered. Our train into town was on one level and then a couple levels up there was a ice hockey arena that's arguably the most famous in the world. All it takes is money, as my father has always said. I happened to visit MSG a year or shortly after they had renovated it and I didn't realize how excessively nice an arena could be. For instance I remember there being LCD tv's in the most unnecessary places around the arena just because. In the second section of seating there was a front row of tv's because apparently people can't see the ice right in front of them... God. It was sickening to an extend haha but it was beautiful I can't deny. We had some great seats in my opinion, I don't know if I mentioned it before but my ideal seats are second section up on a blue line. These were a bit towards a corner but it didn't matter one bit, I love how at that height you can see a whole play come together and watch everything without missing a beat. People can pay extra to be on the glass and see the players up close and lose track of the puck, give me the cheaper seats and a great open view any day. Dressed in my Staal jersey I was representing and getting a few evil eyed looks but everyone was surprisingly kind, except for this lil guy a row in front of us! Haha he was probably about 7 and had a Nash jersey on and he and I were talking trash the whole game! Well, as well as any 7 year old can... it was awesome, his mom was watching the whole time making sure it was civil but we had a fun time telling each other that their team was going down! Anytime there was a crazy play he would turn around a make a face or shout something funny and Deanna and I played along which made the night that much more fun. Somehow we were treated to a nail biter that went to a shootout, and not any shootout but to one that went (if I remember correctly) 7 players per team. The beauty of it was that either Malkin or Crosby was out so it came down to some unsung heroes and Sutter was the name of the game. Not only did he score to force OT I think but he also was the deciding factor in the shootout, that I know for sure! Somehow he had King Hanks number that night! Our little friend in front of us was definitely down after the outcome but boy was he mature and shook my hand telling me it was a good game. Stay classy bud.
After a train home and a few hours of sleep it was rise and shine to head back to the big city to catch my MegaBus back home. Things started off smoothly and about half way through the trip when we stop at State College in PA our bus decided to give out on us. Yup I was stuck there for around three hours till a new bus from pittsburgh came to get us, and then drive that three hours back. Boy was that a ride back for the ages, its one thing to wander around Walmart for three hours on a boring night with nothing to do but when its your only option it gets old fast.
Would I do it again though? Hell yeah. Will I do it again though? Hell yeah.
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