21 posts tagged “new york city”

The last Monday in July I saw Green Day at Madison Square Garden. I now refer to July 27th, 2009 as the night I saw the greatest concert of my life. There was a lot of emotion leading up to this show, for starters Green Day is a band I've grown up and grown up with. The first time I saw them I was 14 years old at the Convention Hall in Asbury Park, New Jersey. I went with my great friends Joey, Sarah and Lauren and had an absolute blast. The band was touring behind Warning, a huge departure from their previous records and a lot of my friends weren't really into it. Warning for me however was pure beauty. Growing up and playing music wholeheartedly to this day, there's a handful of musicians that I've tried to model myself after. Names that come to mind are Bruce Springsteen, Mark Hoppus of Blink 182, John Mayer, Greg Attonito and my good buddy Pete Steinkopf from the Bouncing Souls, Kris Roe of the Ataris and Mike Dirnt and Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day. On Warning, Billie is almost unleashed. A lion who's turned down his roar so everyone hears what he has to say. I love the band's previous work: Dookie, 1,039, Kerplunk, Nimrod and Insomniac, but not the way I would grow to love Warning. The maturity, the craftsmanship and the absolutely perfect sound of this record is unmatched to me. I'll be the first to tell you there's nothing insanely complex about the guitar, but sound of the Gibson Les Paul Juniors used on Warning is absolutely perfect. Every guitarist or musician for that matter has one idealic sound in their head, their sound. For mine it was found on "Blood, Sex & Booze" and "Waiting". Tough, full-sounding guitar. Crunch and clarity perfectly blended, exactly like the record as a whole. You have these moments of anger, desperation, melancholy, reflection and hope in-depthly encompassed in 41 minutes. That record was the record I dreamed of writing and performing in city after city after city, Billie Joe just beat me to it.

I'd wait a little over two years before I'd see Green Day again, this time as a co-headlining act on the Pop Disaster Tour with Blink 182. I absolutely loved both bands growing up, but I was starting to almots grow out of Blink. I was pretty mature as a kid and that trend kept going. I was amazed I'd get to see two of my favorite bands of all-time on one bill, on one night. Saves the Day was the opener, their record Through Being Cool was and still is one of my favorites of all-time. They were a great band, but they weren't a PNC Bank Arts Center band, not at this point anyway. Green Day came on and I remember never seeing anyone so demanding of a crowd than Billie Joe Armstrong. Not a single person sat and watched that show. What I remember the most from that show was one of my all-time top life moments. I'd started playing bass when I was 12 years old because of Mike Dirnt, Green Day's bass player and in my opinion the greatest bass player in the history of punk rock. Halfway through their set, Billie Joe searched the crowd for musicians, starting with finding a drummer, then a bass player. As he walked from side to side, he came to stage left and I yelled "BILLLLLLLIEEEEEE" from the deepest pit of my stomach. He looked me in the face with wide eyes and said "you can play bass, you can play, you swear to God?!" Next thing I know, there I am on stage next to Mike Dirnt showing me the notes to Operation Ivy's "Knowledge". I'm two inches away from him watching him play the same white bass that inspired me to play music as a kid. Fifteen seconds later it's around my neck and in my hands. It was surreal. I kept thinking "take this IN" while playing behind Billie Joe Armstrong in front of 17,000 people. I never felt more like myself or more at home. Two and a half minutes later, the song is over and Billie Joe, one of my true heroes is telling me to get off his stage because I'm making him "look bad". We share a sweaty hug and a man-kiss before I get off stage and watch the rest of their set. This concert was the first time in my life I remember thinking I'm watching a special band and the entire experience is unforgettable.

When Green Day toured behind American Idiot in 2005, I missed their Giants Stadium date because I couldn't get off my pizza delivery gig that night. Along with a show praised by three dozen or so of my friends who attended, one of my best friends, Sarah Royal, played guitar on stage with them...story-topper! This all lead up to July 27th of this year, and Green Day's 21st Century Breakdown World Tour. The Oakland natives have penned some of my favorite records of all-time, but Idiot was different. Shit, everyone knows that, what I'm saying is it was different because it wasn't stamped. The songs on Idiot wouldn't fit on any other record, and some when taken out of context could almost be perceived as messy. Together, the album is a badass punk rock masterpiece. A blend of punk and poetry never before sounded so good and it is the vernacular craftsmanship of Billie Joe that makes American Idiot one of my favorite rock records of all-time.

In a business of fading ambition and countless homogenized releases, Green Day put together something completely different, looking backward and turning forward simultaneously in 12 tracks. Not to mention American Idiot was released in an era where Americans were ready to burn the Dixie Chicks at the stake for criticizing President Bush and the direction of the nation.

With Idiot being one of my favorite records of all-time, my anticipation for 21st Century Breakdown was unmatched. Not only did it blow my own expectations away, I've never felt a record more than 21CB. There's so much emotion, so much honesty. It's as good a rock record as any that's been written in the last twenty years. When the band headed to New York City to play Madison Square Garden on July 27th, I had to be there. I bought my ticket (note: singular) the morning of the show and headed to the city at 5 p.m. That night would be unforgettable.

Green Day opened the show with "21st Century Breakdown". Billie set the tone for the night by literally screaming at people who were sitting down in the first row of one section and constantly belting out "NEW YORK CITY", each time to a rousing response. It was the world's best band on the grandest stage. As they belted through classics like "When I Come Around" and "King For a Day", there was almost a feeling of not belonging in this building. Not in a bad way, just who would let us run this place like this. It was amazing. The floor that's held heavyweight brawls and championship celebrations was shaking beneath my feet. The band played for almost three hours before Billie Joe ended the night with "Last Night On Earth" and "Time Of Your Life". The best concert I've ever seen? Absolutely. This was loud, emotional and communal, it was a fucking blast. I felt that night with every sense, each fabric of my being. I remember walking out onto Seventh Avenue and almost feeling lost. I wander-ly walked to the subway and made my way back home in a haze of sorts. I felt that for two full days before the hangover-of-sorts went away. My only regret is missing the second night.

Come hell, high water or both, I'm going to see Green Day at Madison Square Garden tonight. I don't have a ticket but am heading out to New York City around 5 pm to try my luck. I missed them on the American Idiot Tour in 2005 and kicked myself for months, all because I couldn't get off work delivering pizza that night. A bunch of my friends went and my best bud Sarah Royal got to play on stage (story-topping mother fucker!) at Giants Stadium. Stories to come!

As I enjoy the bottom half of my first ever Sam Adams Black Lager, I'm finally relaxing after what has been a ridiculous past five weeks. I spent pretty much every waking moment of my 23rd December in my office and by the time the 22nd arrived, I couldn't wait to get in my car and get out of Miami for a while. My thoughts and feelings about this city are cyclical and extreme. As much as I love new experiences, it is really tough for me to not be home. I guess I go through these periods where the romanticism of leaving everything behind wears thin. There's dozens of factors I think about each day, but at the end of each day I am 100% committed to making this Miami era of my life one I'll look back on and point to many good things in my life as a result of it. That's not to say I won't be happy trying to rock out on every experience. After all I am 23. Regardless of my age, I imagine always being a hopeless romantic when it comes to road trip. That said, it should come as no shock I chose to drive home and for the most part had a blast doing it. Now Miami to Bayonne is supposed to be roughly 20 hours, so when I departed at 9:37 p.m. Monday and arrived 6:20 Tuesday night, I know I'd really just kicked the shit out of the east coast. After getting onto 95 north in Miami just after 9:45, I didn't stop (besides for gas) to sleep until 6:30 in the morning Tuesday in South Carolina. I woke up and shook off my shivers (it was 33 degrees when I woke up in my passenger seat) and got right back on the road. From there I stopped to grab breakfast at 10 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina at this legit Jersey-style diner called the Highway Diner right off 95.

It took me a while to get some of these photos together because I only took a handful of them myself. So a December blog in January? Sure. The countdown is at five! Here's some stories and pictures from last month.

Alissa and I spent a wet cold day in New York City together right before Christmas. We took the PATH into the World Trade Center and we took a walk over to the Brooklyn Bridge. It was cold and a little breezy but undeniably pleasant. Most of these pictures I stole from Alissa.

We walked into beautiful Brooklyn Heights as kids were just getting out of school. We grabbed lunch at this restaurant where we both got delicious burgers before Alissa started talking Greek to our waiter. It was really good. We walked along the park on the top of the BQE before eventually making our way back across the long Brooklyn Bridge span. Once back on the busy streets of Manhattan we caught a #4 train up to Union Square and checked out the holiday vendors in the park before making our way down through the East Village. We both bought awesome winter hats on Saint Mark's which we both needed because it was raining and getting colder. We entered on 3rd Avenue cold and wet and by the time we popped out on 2nd Avenue we both had stylish new hats, an umbrella and Alissa had a new pair of ear-plug-piercing-things...I know nothing about piercings.

Despite having our feet cold and soaking wet, we were determined to see the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center. We did that just before taking a nice warm 6 train downtown back to the BK Bridge. After a short walk back to World Trade, we were back in Jersey. I had a blast despite being freezing and soaked the entire day, I knew in the back of my mind it'd probably be the last day I fully dedicated to New York City before moving, I'm stoked we did that...

I kept it local this New Year's Eve. This was the first time in four years where I didn't have to work on either New Year's Eve or New Year's Day so I took advantage. Sal was nice enough to have us over to all hang out and that was a really great time...definitely one of the best New Year's I've ever had...

I look like Head-Floating Doctor in this picture...

2007 was the best of my life and this was the perfect way to bring in a new year...

This post took me about a week to put together so please excuse the inconsistencies in relating events to time/days.

So the past two weeks for me have been absolutely insane. I'll remember them forever because I've been having an absolute blast and I needed some time doing something different for my mental health. I don't even know where to begin with an amazing show at Webster Hall in the East Village; The Bouncing Souls and Lifetime. JQ and I got guestlisted by Greg Attonito which was rad and we watched the entire show from the VIP balcony. These didn't come out amazing but I like them anyway.

As for the rest of the past few weeks I don't know where to start but I guess I can start with two weeks ago today when my cousin Sarah and I packed the Impala and headed into New York City to pick up JQ from work downtown. We picked up Jamie at a little after 1 p.m. and headed up the FDR Drive which was absolutely packed with cars and rain water. It took us an hour just to get out of Manhattan and into Westchester where we had to eventually stop for food and gasoline. Gas in New York is $0.15 cheaper if you pump it yourself...

"How much is gas...Jesus Christ! $3.49 a gallon! Wait, how much is self-serve?...$3.25! Shit, I will pump gas out here all day son!"

I'm eloquent. We filled up the gas tank and our stomachs in Larchmont, New York. We ate at this pizzeria called Leonardo's which had Chicago style pizza featured on the counter which was funny because Sarah had just moved back to New Jersey from Chicago. We ate and hit the road again. So began our voyage up 95 North. Rain was pouring and cars were crawling. The traffic was unreal. We would sit in one spot so long I felt like someone was going to knock on my window asking for rent. We propped up my iPod on my dashboard and watched episode after episode of Chappelle's show followed by SNL skits.

Pretty much it sucked but comedy kept us sane. I knew that in a few hours we'd be rocking out to the Bouncing Souls in some venue in Providence, Rhode Island. What I didn't know is that we wouldn't arrive until 9:30! That's right, New York to Providence: 8+ hours. When we finally did arrive the venue (the Living Room) was in this dark industrialized part of the city. As soon as I walked in you could just smell people, which is never good. It smelled like straight-up homelessness. The bands were good but the venue was pretty shitty. I was seriously waiting for the ceiling to collapse and kill us all. In the end, it's a punk show and your well-being should always be in danger. The Souls wrapped up with "Night on Earth" which was great and Jamie and I headed back into the wet New England night before Sarah came by and swept us up in my car as she didn't go to the show. We fussed around as for something to do and I jokingly mentioned we could go to Boston and we talked about it for about two minutes before Sarah says "well we have nothing else to do before the show tomorrow night" and I screamed out "we're going to Boston!!!". It looked something like this:

We got back on 95 North and set sail for my home away from Jersey; Boston, Mass. We found a spot in Beacon Hill and went out venturing for food. We talked to a firefighter who told us stories about drives down in NYC and through New Jersey on his motorcycle. We eventually went back to the car and people and cops were just everywhere as bars had just gotten out. We eventually wound up leaving Boston because we did need to find a place to sleep...and eat. We stopped at a 24-hour McDonald's in Framingham, MA which stopped serving non-breakfast food at 3 a.m., it was 3:02. We hit the road and eventually the three of us wound up falling asleep in a church parking lot somewhere in northern coastal Connecticuit. We woke up Saturday morning to car doors slamming around us and the sun pouring through the windshield. We rose and filled the Impala with gas and headed back down 95 South. The first stop was

Mystic Seaport. It was an absolutely perfect day; the air was cool, the sky was clear and trees were turning colors for miles above the water. We grabbed lunch at Mystic Pizza which was delicious. Dan and I had went to Mystic in July coming back from Boston but it was pouring so this time around we did some exploring. Mystic is small and pretty much a tourist haven but at the same time it has this genuine New England feeling about it. There's boats in the water, fresh fish offered everywhere and white-tipped churches piercing the sky. We got some coffee and walked around being touristy before getting back in the car. Being it was so nice out we decided to just drive down Route 1 South instead of hopping back on 95. We passed through this town of Groton which was pretty interesting before stumbling on Rocky Neck State Park which

 we drove in to just for the hell of it. It was rad as leaves were falling down around and on top of us. "Fall is happening in real time". The park was seriously beautiful and we wound up discovering this beach at the eastern end which was amazing! Sarah, Jamie and I risked life and limb climbing over this jetty with the waves splashing around us making the rocks more and more slippery. We hung there for a while, talked and took pictures before heading back out onto 95 towards New Haven. It started to rain again on the way but it was all good because by the time we were circuling the city a rainbow sprouted its way above Yale's ivy-laced buildings. New Haven is a pretty little city, it's nicer than Providence. Yale's pretty rad but I think Princeton is an more fulfilling campus aesthetically. Anyway the show that night was at this venue called Toad's Place which was right across the street from Yale's main library which was pretty random. The show was absolutely empty, like no shit there were maybe 200 people there. The show was still good. The Bouncing Souls ended their set with an "encure" or in other words, three Cure songs as an encore. It was very cool. After the show Sarah, Jamie and I drove 95 back down

to Bayonne and Sarah crashed here. The next day her and I woke up and decided to go to Cape May for a whole new adventure. I'd never been to Cape May so south of Atlantic City was unchartered territory. Again, it was an absolutely beautiful day. When we got to Cape May we checked our the lighthouse and walked around the beach. We eventually seeked out the southernmost point in New Jersey which sparked a controversy with the locals. Some people thought that the lighthouse was the southernmost point but it turns out the US Coast Guard did a geographical survey and determined that this point on Beach Boulevard was the lowest point. We had some pizza, watched some birds, watched some sunset and then took off north. We drove up through Wildwood Crest and Wildwood before stopping to explore the empty boardwalk and beach. The sun was setting over rollercoasters abandoned for the winter which was sweet. After we got back in the Impala we cruised north before stopping at a diner which had never heard of pizza fries. We cruised back up north while scrambling for AM radio channels to listen to game seven of the ALCS between the Sox and Indians which the Sox eventually won at about the same time that we were settling into Sarah's living room. After some beers and acoustic guitar jams I passed out. We woke up Monday and decided to go on a little west Jersey jaunt. We went to Four Sisters Winery in Belvidere and tasted about ten different types of wines before getting some pizza in Washington. We skipped rocks and hung out at this waterfall near Glen Gardner before we went back to her house and had dinner. Being around Sarah and her parents Peter and Doris makes me think of what kind of household I want later in life. They actually sit down and talk to each other, they all eat dinner in the same room. My family, we have dinner in the same room twice a year; Easter and Thanksgiving. Watching Monday Night Football together made me envious. I want that, I always have, I don't know what it's like to have family. Anyway the next day I woke up around 10 and after breakfast I was back on 78 east coming to Bayonne. I got back at around noon and after sitting down for about five minutes calculating money, I decided to take another trip.

I'd said all year that if the Red Sox made it to the World Series that I would go to Boston and by 3 that afternoon, I

was on the way back to Bean Town. I took the bus from Canal Street in New York City

to South Station in Boston for $15, amazing. I got into Boston around 8:30 and did some North End exploring for a bit before walking my way down to the Back Bay. I was staying at Mike's apartment on Hemenway and Westend Avenue but he was at work for another two hours so I figured I would spend the remaining few cold, rainy hours hanging out on the line for Red Sox World Series tickets on Lansdowne Street. I made friends with a guy Kevin from right outside Boston and talked to people from here and there that had traveled to Fenway for a chance at tickets. At around 1 a.m. I got off the line and walked down beautiful Hemenway Street to Mike's place where I slept on a cot...in a kitchen...again. It was awesome. I woke up Wednesday and showered before heading out around 9. I wanted to just take a ton of pictures so I bought a new memory card for my camera from a place on Mass. Ave and made my way back to Fenway. I hung around there for a while. I actually watched Manny Ramirez drive in and out of Fenway Park which was pretty sweet. Alex Cora was walking by and he signed my jersey which was sweet. From there I went exploring Boston from new scenes to my favorite streets and taking pictures of everything. I walked my up the Charles, past Mass. General, through Downtown, through the crossing, past City Hall Plaza, past Quincy Market and finally sat and relaxed for a while at the Harbor. Sitting there I couldn't help but think that I am in absolute love with the city of Boston and when I think of living there one day, it's almost natural. I had a cup of chowder sitting outside Faneuil Hall before heading over to the Back Bay to linger by Fenway before Game 1 of

the World Series. To be so close to the World Series felt momentous to me, it's the ultimate 'place to be'. The air was absolutely electric and people were everywhere. I did an interview with a writer from USA Today named Mike Dodd which appeared in the paper the next day. The article is titled "Tales From Other Side Of Fenway" and it's about people like me who went to Boston just to be there. Talking about the Green Monster...

"Life beyond the wall is a collection of vendors, ballhawks, ticket hawks, hungry fans and just plain people watchers. If you don't have a ticket for the game and want a taste of the Series, it is destination No. 1. And admission is free.
It's what drew Sox fan Sean O'Rourke, a 21-year old college student from Asbury Park, NJ, who took a bus up to Boston on Wednesday with no hope of getting a ticket. Clad in a Red Sox jersey, hat and black backpack, he stood on the street simply enjoying the scene.
'Here I am skipping class and work to be outside Fenway Park," said O'Rourke, who arrived at the scene around 1 p.m. "Nowhere else I'd rather be. I didn't even bring enough money to get in the game, I'll probably find a bar" to watch the game, he added."

I was pretty stoked to have some relationship to the Series. As for that bar it turned out to be Lir on Boylston Street about six blocks away from Fenway. I made friends with a lawyer from Phoenix visiting Boston on business, three women from Newton and a kid named Sun from Oakland, CA. I love Boston. That night the Sox won 13-1 and never looked back as all of you know. As for me it was another night on a cot in a kitchen before Thursday morning when I came back to a rainy New York City and finally New Jersey. Walking through the streets I felt my relaxed inner-New Englander battling my innate hustle and bustle New Yorker. All in all this was an amazing trip I'll always remember because it felt like a vacation, like I let it all out screaming for my favorite team in my favorite city...baseball in October.

After a few days back in Jersey my uncle and I chose to depart for Boston again on early Tuesday morning. I mean I guess I had to be there for the parade right? It was great seeing all the players up close. I got to watch Jonathon Papelbon do his dance while on a rolling stage with the Dropkick Murphys playing "Tessie" live with the large Boston crowd singing along. It was awesome but this may come as a shocker to you but I am absolutely exhausted of typing so I will let the pictures do most of the story telling. All you have to know from the parade is that it was amazing and the Yankees nor any other team have anything on the Red Sox anymore. They're a great franchise that builds from within and I love that. We left Bayonne at 4:50 a.m. and arrived in Boston at 9:25 a.m. I went 38 hours without sleep. Here's some pictures from the parade. So until next Spring, let's go Red Sox!

So there, this is a retelling of two weeks of my life. I'm making a new collection for Boston so if you want to check out the photos full-sized do it there. Until next time!

I really can't stand working. Now it's not because I'm lazy but it's because I'm apathetic about my job and with my classes. A good friend a few weeks ago told me a lot about sacrifice and how everyone has to serve their time but I'm finding it almost impossible to have that mentality. I can only assume it's because I didn't like where I saw myself going in two years, five years down the road. I needed to change that and took steps to chance that. After all, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. I love you, Confucius. My second or third step comes on Monday when I go to interview with a NTI (NASCAR Technical Institute) Admissions Director at 4. I'm stoked. I'm going to North Carolina to check out the school in the middle of next month so that should be good. I still don't have a place to stay so if anyone happens to be reading this and lives in the Charlotte/Mooresville area and you have a floor/couch that isn't infested with insects holler at me! I'm so out of it today, I'm just mentally exhausted I guess. I've been feeling strained for a while.

Maybe a new paragraph with kickstart some normality. This was a good weekend. Friday night we partied hardcore at OJ's after Sal, Nora and I pregamed with a pitcher of sangria at Sal's Apartment (notice I made the 'A' proper, no reason, it just gives it a little originality). I was really wrecked by midnight and I'm guessing I have this huge bruise on my leg from stagediving off of tables and crowdsurfing around the bar. I wound up sleeping at Sal's and waking up with a decent hangover. We ate breakfast and eventually I walked to my house. Elle and I hung out for a while Saturday before I wound up going to Josh Krubner and Hal Grossman's house party in Bloomfield. It was fucking out of control and awesome. Crazy people, crazy amounts of alcohol. I'm waiting to see these photos on Facebook and I'll throw them on here because some I assume will be insane. I slept at their house and Sunday morning a few of us went to IHOP where I had one of the best breakfasts I've ever had:

coffee
orange juice
pancakes with strawberry syrup
french toast
four scrambled eggs
four pieces of sausage
a full plate of hash browns

Dude it was amazing. I had a really great time with those guys and their roommates and various friends. We had a hilarious conversation about Jolt Cola and it's effects on the human genome and I almost exploded from laughter.

"You give a new-born a bottle of Jolt Cola and it'll grow up right in front of your eyes".

It was good I had a huge meal because work was absolutely insane all night and I didn't get a chance to eat until after ten. I got out on time though thankfully. All in all it was a great weekend but man, I'm beat.

Tonight I had a ticket for the sold-out World/Inferno Friendship Society show at Knitting Factory so I headed over into Tribeca at around seven. The show was good although they played a ton of new stuff and I don't have their newest record...I had to buy that Kanye, baby.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jack vocalized a great observation:

"Allow me to put things in perspective. Thousands of people are dying right this very second, you never hear about it...all the furor and uproar is stemming from the fact that Against Me! signed with Sire Records".

Speaking of Against Me! (now Jamie, that's a segway) they're playing Saturday of the Saints & Sinners Fest at the beautiful Convention Hall in Asbury Park in early November. I'll definitely be there, if anyone wants to come let me know, I have a family sedan. As for this week; there's a show at the Lanes as well as The Years Gone By playing at Internet Cafe in Red Bank. TYGB now features fellow Racing Kites alumnus/my brother Dan Boyce on bass so if you ever have a minute go check them out at www.myspace.com/theyearsgonebynj . That's it for now, I hope you have a great week!

If you ever have a chance to catch Third Eye Blind live, do it. In addition to being possibly the most underrated band in music today they are absolutely amazing live. Tim, Gary, Vinnie Oz and myself went to 3EB last Friday at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville. Before the show we tailgated in the parking lot across Journee Mill Road at the Vets' Hall. $1 beers inside? Absolutely. I'm going to write more in depth (pictures and set list) when I get my computer at my house back up and running. All in all the band had a ton of energy and as usual, Starland was way, way oversold. It was a blast as the four of us hung out at the bar the entire show. More to come! The next day I got to do something I've been wanting to do for a while, one of those "before I die" things. I went to, as a Red Sox fan, the House of Horrors. Yes, last Saturday Sal and I got to sit about nine feet off the field between third base and left field to watch the Red Sox and the Yankees go head to head. It was such a blast and I will eternally be grateful to Sal and his girlfriend Megan (who got us the tickets) for that opportunity. The Yankees won 3-1 behind a great performance in relief from Kei Igawa. Jorge Posada hit the game winning shot and afterwards the Yankee faithful chanted "hip hip, Jorge!". It was fun, here are some of the pictures from both Sal's camera and my phone...

Well, I wrapped up my Creative Writing portfolio on Tuesday about twenty minutes before class. I could have put more work into it if given more time but I had one week to revise thirty pieces of my work. I enjoyed most of my work, especially this piece I wrote which I entitled "My PF Flyers" which I posted here a couple of days ago...check it out. Besides school I've been spending a lot of time enjoying the weather and also checking out some music I hadn't gotten the chance to previously. I am in love with the Gym Class Heroes record, I listened to it the entire day today. I almost completely backcatalogued the Replacements, who were my soundtrack to last night. I spent the last two days in Manhattan, yesterday I went in at about six to go uptown to the NBA Store, not knowing it closed at seven. After that discovery I did a quick lap through the Apple Store on 58th and 5th before taking the 1 downtown to Sheridan Square. I walked over to Washington Square and laid in the fountain for fifteen minutes. I was hoping to catch some of Michael David and friends in the park but they weren't around. I walked down Thompson and Sarah called me from Chicago and we caught up. We hadn't really talked in a couple of weeks. If things don't work out with going on tour with Racing Kites I'm going to go back to Chicago for maybe seven to ten days and party it up mid-west style. I got pizza on Avenue A before walking down Saint Mark's in the rain listening to the Replacements, it was amazingly serene. I got back and got my study on before getting some sleep. I wound up going back to NYC on Wednesday and got my shopping on as well as meeting a very cool lady friend. My two days meandering around Manhattan let me relax and not think about subject matter or thought structure. I've been so grinded from this semester, and I'm really not getting a rest as I'm only going to summer semester one starting May 25th. It's all good, I'm not stressing out over school. I didn't do as good as I wanted to this semester but I know that all I have to do is change the way I act during a semester. I have to have normal sleep hours. I can't be staying up all night watching Say Anything every time it's on Cinemax at 2:30 a.m. Also I need to stop drinking during the week, even though it's only like Thursdays or once every couple of Sundays after work, I need to cut it, even though JQ and I have fun every Thursday night. All in all, this semester was like spring training. I'm going to improve my overall approach to school this summer.

Anyway enough about school. How about the Yankees resigning Roger Clemens? If I was a Yankee fan I would be beyond sick to my stomach. Give me a break, you're supposed to be the most prestigious franchise in sport yet you're showing one man that he is bigger than the entire team. Family clause?! Are you kidding me? What happens if A-Rod wants to stop shaving before games, is that going to be alright? It was a low, desperate move by a desperate team. I guess the highest payroll in sports (by a lot) can't buy confidence in your roster...and oh yeah, it's May.

On the other end of the spectrum we have the Golden State Warriors, who after barely making the playoffs pulled off the greatest upset in the history of the NBA Playoffs. What you don't hear is that the Mavericks this season had the sixth most wins in the history of the NBA's regular season. Baron Davis; you are truly a warrior in every sense of the word. He's the kind of player that you thank God he's not in your division or even your conference because when he is healthy, he is just as good as Nash, Kidd, Billups or Parker.

The Nets did a great job against Toronto and if they could learn to rebound on the defensive glass they will beat the Cavs. But in actuality think about this: Do you think the NBA wants to see Kidd and Carter beat their darling LeBron? No chance, Lance.

So the Rangers and Devils got knocked out this week, I guess that means that about twelve people shall watch Buffalo versus Ottawa.

So Brady Quinn fell to #22 in the NFL Draft. First off, the draft is way too long. Secondly Miami, Minnesota, Baltimore...don't you guys really need a quarterback? It's like last year when the Texans took Mario Williams and then had to trade for a running back by week four. Hmm...do you think that Reggie Bush guy would have helped? Good job Matt Millen of the Lions for picking up yet another wide reciever in the first round, your days as a GM are numbered. The Jets moved heaven and Earth to pick up a star cornerback, good job with no sarcasm.

So I picked up two prescriptions for my asthma the other day and noticed that the FDA is forcing companies to stop using spray inhalers for potential damage to the environment. Why? Is it because you're afraid people might have trouble breathing if the environment is unstable? God knows none of us with asthma would have any idea what that's like.

Dear NBC, if you do not pick up season seven of Scrubs I am going to boycott all of your programming from now until forever. This will include but not be limited to the Office, Today and both late night shows. I realize this is a rather small action however I have read that this season ends with a cliffhanger and if that is how the series ends, I may sell my body for sex in order to pay for production of season seven. In other Zach Braff news, his new movie The Ex comes out this Friday and I would like to go after work. I still need to see Spider Man 3 but I'm going to wait 'til next week as I'm getting my post-semester relax on.

It seems like everyone is in a relationship...I don't know.

And finally, perhaps the most important part of this entry for yours truly is that my mother just got offered a relocation to Naples, Florida from her job. So I guess all I have to say about that is sometime over the next year I might be moving to the Gulf Coast. More to come in the coming days and I promise to have my computer back up and running soon, hopefully before this weekend.

All in all if anyone would like to go to go to A) the Nets/Cavs playoff game this Saturday at Continental Airlines, B) see The Ex and/or Spiderman 3 this weekend holler at me. Hope everyone is enjoying the weather like we're having here on the beautiful East Coast and is doing well. Peace!

What are the 10 most memorable music performances you've seen? (Remember, "memorable" may not be good.) 
Submitted by Bill. 

I'm not going to rank these because that would probably require a little bit of time that I can't spare. I can however spare a few minutes to recollect on some of the best and worst...

I'll start off with Paul McCartney at Madison Square Garden on October 4th, 2006. It was my first time seeing Paul and hopefully not my last. This concert might be the best sounding, the most beautiful thing I have ever heard and the fact it was at The World's Most Famous Arena leaves the memory fresh in my mind. I remember watching young girls in front of me sing along to his songs with that same adoration my mother did, it was something great. Singing along to "Hey Jude" was something I always wanted to partake in. "Na na na na na na na" resonating through the Garden while Paul would but in with a "Oh New York City, you sound so beautiful tonight"...it was amazing. He spoke between songs and everyone listened, he made Madison Square Garden intimate...

When it comes to live bands the band that takes my number one ranking is The Bouncing Souls. It was a humid and warm November night in central New Jersey as Against Me! and The Bouncing Souls played the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville. I love every second of seeing my beloved favorite band in my home state but what set this single show apart was Bryan Kienlan and to what is to my knowledge the only live performance of his ballad "Night Train". With a Heineken bottle in one hand and his middle finger raised with his other, he yelled out "but what you really want, I can never be".

How about Pop Disaster at PNC Bank Art Center in Holmdel, New Jersey? Saves The Day, Green Day and Blink-182 playing a monster show and it was something I'll remember for a while. It was a real event with people talking about it for weeks previous all over the place be it in school or out skateboarding, everybody was going to this concert. Saves The Day had released "Stay What You Are" a few months before and played most of their set of that album. The twenty minutes before Green Day played, the air was electric and they came out with fire. Ripping through a perfect blend of songs from their albums which were soundtracks to grammar and high school. Tapes just worn to shit played through headphones, tape decks and car radios non-stop. When I got picked to play on stage with Green Day, yes really, it was something I will never forget. Blink-182 followed suit with a great show filled with pyrotechnics and old school pop-punk. Not nearly the energy Green Day had but their set was their own element. This would wind up being the last time I'd see Blink, one of my all-time favorite bands. They were the first band I heard and remember it striking something inside me.

Wrapping up a year I saw this band twelve times, I voyaged down to the House of Blues in Atlantic City, New Jersey on December 29th, 2006 to see The Bouncing Souls along with Sticks and Stones and Weston. As the final song in their set, very symbollic of the entire year they ended their set with "For All The Unheard" with Greg staring out across the crowd before walking off the stage to leave Bryan, The Pete and Michael to jam out for five minutes the final chords of the song, of the year. It was one of those moments where I knew there was nowhere else in the world I'd rather be than in this club on the Jersey Shore listening to my favorite band.

I'll stick with the Bouncing Souls here too, playing the Save CBGBs rally in Washington Square Park in August of 2005. It was the first time I got to really sit and talk with those guys. Tre Cool was also wandering around the Park with his daughter and bodyguard...insane. When they started their set the press paid them no attention, but two songs in, the press pit was filled with media as they realized like "fuck, this band is what CBs and New York City is all about", the crowd was absolutely insane. They sang a song with the singer of Bad Brains, whose name currently escapes me and you could just tell how stoked Bryan was. Despite the rally, CBs is now an empty shell on the Bowery, gated and spraypainted.

Ever hear the explanation "tear this floor up"? Well that was almost accomplished during World/Inferno Friendship Society's set at Webster Hall in New York City on December 28th, 2006. During "The Brother of the Mayor of Bridgewater" you could actually feel the floor giving way and I was waiting to fall into the ghetto dance party they had going on downstairs. It was excellent, they're an awesome live band.

I'm going to wrap this up with number seven right here. During the third night of the Bouncing Souls' six-night party at the Knitting Factory in New York City the power to the PA system went out during "Joe Lies". After maybe five minutes of confusion the Souls belted out the chords to "True Believers" and despite having no microphones, I've never heard words sung, yelled, belted, whatever; out so loud from the crowd with Greg leading the charge on stage. It was one of those things I'll remember forever, my boldest memory ever from a show. It was just so dynamic, so pure and so energetic it really encompassed the soul of that band and their fans; no matter what nothing can match that energy.

I got lazy and I'm strapped for time, not to mention that most of my concert memories, especially in recent years have been spent at Souls' shows and so at some point this must get monotonous for anyone reading but yea, here's to the memories!

So a week ago from yesterday I finally did something I've wanted to do for a while; I walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. And while tens of thousands of people cross the bridge every day, for me there is this pure unexplainable aura about it. The mere site of the bridge from New Jersey growing up always intrigued me. It was always an enduring symbol of New York City and it's strength and on top of that, as a throwback. "Old New York", despite me not knowing a thing about "Old New York" being I'm twenty-one. Despite my youth I still think I have at least a little credibility through my emotions. Anyway the first impression of the Bridge on the walk is it's length, it is a serious hike across this thing. About four minutes into a Bridge-walk you'll notice you're towering over Fulton Street, looking north to One Police Plaza and finally looking down at what seems like a mile below to the FDR Drive. It's high enough at the apex to scare the beJesus out of anyone that is a wee-bit scared of heights...like myself. For years and years it was the highest point in New York and the bridge was really the place to go to look out over Manhattan. Anyway sometime over the couple of weeks I want to go back and really take a ton of pictures but being I had a dying a cell phone this was all I got...for now.

 

 

So it's been two weeks since I've last written. I've got a lot to write about and being I fell asleep early until about midnight, I figure I might as well do this as opposed to actually doing homework. I'll start with the Thursday before I left for Chicago, oh by the way I went to Chicago over my spring break, but before I left the late night drinking team of Mags, Sal, Jeff, Jamie, Amy and myself partied it up at the Apple. Definitely a good time to hang out with all of those guys again as Jeff lives in Ireland and Mags is hell bent on dedicating his time on Earth to financing...not that there's anything wrong with that. We got nice and drunk, hung out 'til last call and Jeff, Amy and I hit up the diner...

 

It was a really good night. While Jeff was here we got to spend a lot of time together catching up, reminiscing and making new memories...along with drinking lots of alcohol. The next night I had work until 9 and then instead of going to Asbury, figured I'd keep it local as I was leaving at 10:55 the next morning from Penn Station. Sharon from the Apple was having her birthday party in Hoboken and so I wound up picking up Matt and we headed over. Well, the bar really didn't fly with us so we wound up just going over to the Lower East Side to Continental and eventually to 2X4 where we ran into some people we knew. I wanted to be sleeping by 2, we wound up knocking back $2 PBRs until 3:30 in the morning...

I got a decent sleep but for some reason woke up nervous for my trip. Sal, Matt and I grabbed breakfast in Hoboken before heading over to midtown Manhattan. I took some pictures, said goodbye to those guys and headed down into Penn to get situated. My train boarded at 10:40 and left at 10:55. I didn't know what to expect, I just knew it would be lengthy. We had a couple of stops in which I just watched the scenery. Rolling through the backyards of Jersey stopping in Newark, Princeton and Trenton. We hit Philly at around 11:35. Now I don't mean to rag on this city but I mean honestly, could you be more disgusting? You could tell when you got into Philly's city limits because there was trash absolutely everywhere. We had a half hour layover there but I wound up staying in my seat and talking to the guys in the row to my left, they were going to Pittsburgh. We left and began west and I wound up knocking out Little Miss Sunshine, Garden State, a ton of homework and the entire March issue of ESPN magazine and then found myself with nothing left but my iPod and the landscape of Pennsylvania. Now just incase you guys have never travelled through middle Pennsylvania please allow me to sum it up for you. First off, there's nothing even remotely interesting. You'll cross a bridge once or twice and go through a mountain but for the most part, it's a bunch of nothing sprinkled with little towns and villages with people living in trailers and old cars. I'm serious, I saw families living out of old spray-painted school busses. But, here's some choice cell phone shots...

 

 

 

 

 

I got some sleep and rolled into Pittsburgh at around 8:45. I ran into this girl (I think her name was Amy) who when I asked where I could get something to eat told me about how she's been homeless and then offerred me pot. Resourceful, yes...helpful, no. I wandered around for a bit before finding this Irish sports bar called Primanti Brothers. The place was empty, two people at the end of the bar, two bartenders and myself. The two guys behind the bar were cool and we wound up talking for a bit. I had a capicola sandwich with french fries, hot sauce, lettuce and tomato...delish! It was a really nice place, I took this one picture in the hallway down to their bathroom...

Before really realizing it I'd drank five pints of Yuengling and a triple shot of AppleJax before finally making my way back to the train station. Hey, I wanted to get some sleep. The ride from Pittsburgh got really interesting when after sitting down, this straight up gangsta girl sits down next to me. Making small talk I say...

"Goin' to Chicago"?

"Nah, I'm goin' to Cleveland"

"Ah cool, family there"?

"Yea, my moms lives there...where you goin'"?

"Chicago"

"Ah cool"

"Yea, where are ya comin' from"?

"Jersey"

"Haha, me too, where in Jersey"

"Oh, I just go to school there"

"Me too, where at"

"New Jersey City University"

Seriously...how random is that? Live three hundred miles away from north-east Jersey and I run into someone I go to school with. We wound up talking for like forty five minutes about the most random shit before I fell asleep, I'm kinda bummed I didn't get to say goodbye but then again maybe I'll see her on campus. The rest of the trip to Chicago sucked, it took forever. After the girl got off in Cleveland this strange man wound up sitting next to me and I wake up and he's sleeping with his right arm over my left arm and despite this guy being straight up creepy I say "come on son!" loud as hell and he looked at me and found another seat. I was stoked I had the row to myself to lay out and get some more sleep. It seemed like eternity once the train attendant said "one hour to Chicago". It was about 8 a.m. on Sunday morning and Sarah was already waiting for me in Union Station. I wound up not getting into the city limits on the South Side until around noon. You can see the skyline of Chicago in the distance...

I love that picture...

Well anyway when we started to really roll into the city I took a really touristy one...

A lot of the people from my train were taking pictures. By this point you could see across Lake Michigan and it was a totally beautiful day. I yelled out "Oh My God"! when I saw a White Castle. I had people on my train going to St. Louis and Texas but I couldn't wait to get off. Sarah and I found one another and it was possibly the best hug I've ever had in my entire life. We left the station and hopped on the El. The "El" is short for elevated because the trains mostly run above ground which is totally awesome in my opinion. It's the loudest thing ever and Sarah was telling me that a company offered Chicago rubber wheels for their cars but the city rejected because the rumbling of the El is a characteristic of the city...amazing.

This is what I look like after being on a train for nineteen hours...

We got to her apartment which is right off the Belmont stop and I dropped off my stuff, took a shower and brushed my teeth. Our first of many self-pictures...

We headed out on our first adventure to get a CTA pass (Chicago Transportation...) and I was hankering for some ice cream, it was that warm out. The closest store was a 7-11 which sold not only ice cream, but also hard-liquer right behind the counter...

We walked past Wrigley Field in which Sarah took pictures of me in front of because I'm a geek...

But our first adventure was a walk to find the Threadless warehouse. In case you don't know what I'm talking about Threadless is an independent clothing company based out of Ravenswood Avenue in Chicago. As we ventured we took a shortcut down this huge alleyway. Sarah has this thing with alleyways, she always winds up finding interesting shit or taking random pictures. This was just written on a door, both of which are "Seanjectives"...

So Threadless! I buy a lot of shirts from them and so I wanted to check it out while I was in town. We found the building and rang the bell, but figuring it was Sunday we started to walk away before someone answered and offered Sarah and I a tour of the warehouse. This building was sick! As soon as you walk in there are arcade video games lining one wall, seperated by an 80-inch flat screen television. There's a vintage pool table, a set of go-karts, props everywhere, a trailer, the walls were just completely filled with art. On top of all that, there was a fridge in their brand new kitchen that was stocked with beer. This is a work place?!? Are you hiring?!? I wanna guess his name was Rob, but after showing us the whole place he hooked Sarah and I up with four shirts, totally sweet, love the company...

We left the warehouse and meandered down Chicago's wide streets, Sarah was telling me about how amazing Chicago was to bike in. We caught a bus and met up with three of her friends at where else than White Castle! She was telling me about how on Valentine's Day they transform the entire place into a first-class restaurant setting with waiters and waitresses, table-clothes and seating available only by reservation. They had sweet potato fries that were insanely good...

Definitely next Valentine's Day. We ate and hopped back on a bus and took it all the way down to the Lake View section of Chicago which is right on Lake Michigan. The weather was so clear that we could actually look across and see Michigan. Amazing and yet again, she has all the pictures we took for the rest of Sunday as my phone had died after we left the Threadless factory. We walked for miles down on the waterfront. I never thought of Chicago as being as big as it actually is. This here is the 'awkward tourist picture'... 

And it's insanely diverse in every way as there's parts that feel like the inner city and parts that feel like Hunterdon County, New Jersey. We made our way back over into the city streets and got on the blue line up to Wicker Park. We took some pictures in the park and finally sat down and relaxed for a bit before exploring North Milwaukee Avenue...

We checked out this sweet record store Reckless Records and took tons of pictures of the most random shit...

 

We found a random fence painted all different colors with the wall behind it painted with something or other strange written about the "Royal Family". We eventually came back to the apartment and Sarah, Jessica, Leslie, her boyfriend Chris, and I walked to get some Mexican but Leslie and her boyfriend wound up just going to Chris's apartment. It was good stuff, we wound up getting in at around 12:40 a.m.

By Sunday night I was absolutely exhausted and slept better than I have in my entire life into Monday morning. Since Sarah had to go to work at the bindery I decided to grab her bike and take a ride out and see where the day took me. After riding down Broadway I took a right and biked up the waterfront...it was beautiful out...

 

 

 

 

I left the waterfront and headed over the highway into Lincoln Park to grab some lunch before I came across the zoo inside the park and I mean, come on what kind of person passes by a free zoo on a 72 degree day? I loved this sign...it reminded me of Michelle Lanzarone for some reason...

I got the attention of an antelope...

Animals really bring out the kid inside of you. I got to see monkeys!!

 

 

I only went to the zoo once when I was a kid, or anytime for that matter.

 

 

 

Totally awesome, I seriously felt like a kid again. After a while my hunger took control of my thought process so I rode and found a sandwich place and wound up eating lunch in this park which had statues of all of the Wizard of Oz characters. My legs were exhausted so I took the bike back to Sarah's, rested up for a bit, lost the jacket and went for a walk around Wrigley Field and a couple of places around Sarah's apartment. This is definitely my kind of place...

 

 

 

 

These are the bleacher seats you always see on television if you watch a Cubs' game...

 

 

After leaving Wrigley I walked west for a while before heading back in the direction of the apartment to meet with Sarah when she got out of work. These are just some random pictures from Wrigleyville...

 

When Sarah got back from work we went out again and checked out Chicago Comics...kind of self-explanitory. They sell books and zines there, including Sarah's...

And then this store Hollywood Mirror on West Belmont Avenue which sold a lot of vintage stuff and just random shit...this thing was so creepy I had to take a picture of it...

That night we took a walk up to the far north side and checked out another record store, as well as this huge two story vintage shop...

 

We caught a bus and grabbed some dinner from Pierogi Factory and some 312 beer which is brewed in Chicago. We wound up staying in and hanging out with her roommates Jessica and Leslie. I wound up playing guitar for them and we just hung out. Sarah and I always tell our 'playing on stage with Green Day' stories one way or the other. That and my $500 tip story are always a hit. I slept on the couch and watched Garden State again before falling asleep.

Tuesday I got on the train and went north for a while because I wanted to check it out, even though I was to spend my day around the Loop. I took the brown line to Kimball Avenue and then took it to the Loop so I can walk across the infamous Chicago River...

 

 

Infamous because it is the same river that Dave Matthews' Band released their feces onto a tour boat full of people. I wound up making my way over to the Sears' Tower, then to Millenium Park and the weather was just out of this world. Chicago in March in short sleeves...

 

Public chess tournaments...$2 a game...

...and the park...

This is the large mirror-bean...

 

and inside...

 

 

The Convention Center...

The Chicago Public Library surrounded by modern buildings reminds me of Copley Church in Boston...

...and a random city picture...

I wound up grabbing lunch and eating in the park. I got so lucky because every day I was in Chicago it was out of this world beautiful. I headed back down the brown line to Belmont Avenue before I bought a few posters for my room, a couple of magnets for the house and for my uncle, and a piggy-bank for Vanessa from the Apple. It was a new record high for the city, who needs June when you have this?

If only the weather was like that year round I would be packing right now. An awesome major city right on the water, and so when the temperature is like that, there's nothing better. I met up with Sarah and while we waited for a bus had a great conversation with this guy who was going to Jersey in two weeks. He said how Jersey was filthy, we responded with "Hey, the only dirty parts of New Jersey are near New York City and Philadelphia". I had my first Chicago-style hot dog from Swank Frank's on North Milwaukee Avenue. A hot dog loaded with mustard, peppers, sweet relish, a pickle, tomato and most imporantly; celery salt. It was damn good. The two of us then took the blue line all the way to O'Hare to pick up her friend Michael who was going to stay at the apartment for a couple of days. There's apparently a Harlem in Chicago too...

 

 

Yea, we're weird. This trip blew away my previous farthest western adventure (Lynchburg, VA) by about seven hundred miles. On the ride back from O'Hare we were reading the billboards in the train car and I asked Sarah and Michael if they had to choose to either sweat your own urine or be dumped on by Dave Matthews every single day, which would you choose? I'd take the dumping for the record. Anyway, that night a group of us went out and I had my first Chicago-style deep dish pizza...

It was alright, I think everyone knows Jersey has the best pizza. Period. There was a kid our age who definitely had a hooker with him...random. A random kid with a Hispanic woman in her late 20's with her chest hanging out of her shirt. Now that it's 6:12 a.m. in New Jersey I may be losing my storytelling a bit but I press on. We went to a bar a couple of blocks east of the restaurant where Leslie's boyfriend Chris demonstrated his ability to hide quarters in his cavernous eyes...

 

We bullied the jukebox and I showed off some dance moves then we left the bar at around 1:30 and headed to another bar that was only about three blocks away from the apartment. It was a good time, we made some new friends and had a sing along to Oasis's "Don't Look Back In Anger" like you wouldn't believe. We met a guy from Chicago who was talking to Leslie about his boat, he also loved Oasis and was the one who played the song on the jukebox. Really nice guy, I don't remember his name, I wanna say Robert. This guy was buying us all drinks and he didn't believe I could knock down two beers at once...

Leslie left early as she had work the next day, as did Sarah but she wanted to pretend to be sick on Wednesday to take off Thursday and Friday. Sarah, Michael and I stumbled our way back to the apartment and I played and sang two songs for Sarah which we had played on the jukebox but got cut off because it was 3:50 a.m. I slept in Sarah's bed, she slept in Leslie's who had slept at Chris' apartment.

Waking up the next day I was pretty bummed to be leaving. I'd spent every single moment in Chicago active. I woke up every single day with my legs aching like no tomorrow. I woke up at around 10 with a hangover but after I showered Michael and I grabbed breakfast at New Modern Grill on Belmont Avenue. We ate and took the El north. Michael was going to an art exhibit and I was heading back to Wicker Park. I walked around and looked in a few shops including one custom t-shirt place that was made to be like a deli but pressed custom shirts, hoodies and underwear. I wound up coming back to the apartment at around 3 to get all of my stuff ready as my train was leaving at 7:05. After I finished packing I took one last walk through Wrigleyville taking pictures and saying goodbye, at least for now. It was a rainy, cloudy day with a little bit of wind. I felt justified to get some typical Chicago weather on my last day...

This is across the street from Wrigley Field...

Some pictures of Chicago's wide streets and a sidewalk chalk find Sarah and I had discovered the day before...

 

The apartment...

I headed back inside and grabbed my stuff to meet up with Sarah and Michael in the Loop. The Loop is a section of the El which is exactly that, a Loop...well it's more of a square. It's where all the city's train systems meet. We met up around 5:40 and grabbed one last meal together at Potbelly which was delicious, especially their oatmeal-raisin and chocolate chip cookies. I had to be at the station at 6:45 but at 6 Leslie called Sarah and invited us up to her office in the Sears Tower. It was pretty much the last thing to check off on the things I wanted to do while I was there. My bag got screened through with the officer asking "is that a piggy bank"? We flew up ninety one flights to Leslie's office during which I said "oh guys by the way, I'm deathly afraid of heights". But the view was unreal!

 

 

 

Next time I shall definitely do the Bueller, in other words stand up and press your head against the glass. In this instance I was too nervous, call me a pussy I don't care. We made our way back down the ninety one stories with my hand clinching Sarah's arm. Afterwards it was a three block walk to Union Station, then some hugs and goodbyes and I was on my way back to New Jersey. The trip back wasn't all that bad, I made it back to my house at around 5:30 Thursday and wound up going to the Nets/Heat game at Continental Airlines. The trip all in all was a blast. Chicago really fits the role as NYC's little brother but it has it's own unique style and is really an amazing place. I'm going to try and make it back this summer definitely. All in all that was how I spent my spring break so...is it June yet?