Posts Tagged New York

Strawberry Fields Forever

The recent radio commercial for opening days at the Citi Field goes like .. bring the whole family, tour the new facility for $3 with free parking (during the game day, it’s $18) .. meet Strawberry. It reminded me of Disney has mickey mouse, Buckingham Palace has Queen and the baseball stadium in Queens has Strawberry Field.

I enjoy play softball but baseball is never my cup of tea. However, I know Darryl Strawberry, he’s to baseball to me as LT – Lawrence Taylor, never Larry Taylor 🙂 – or Joe Montana to football: the most prominent and striking figure of the sport when I started getting to learn.

Straw’s pics, two thick black stripes under his playful and curious eyes were all over New York in the 1980s. He’s tall and gracious build, a piece of an artwork. That’s my impression of him, the fearsome slugger of Mets that won 1986 World Series championship with Mets. When later he became of a real artwork with all sort of troubles in life, and even he won 3 more World Series with Yankees, I seldom paid any attention.

He’s been in the news lately, either to promote the Citi Field or his book or both. I was amused to hear one day on SNY where he’s an announcer now, the interviewer asked him about the Mets. And he replied that Mets is a great team with a huge potential – that was the identical word the former GM used to describe him when Frank Cashen refused Straw’s demand, a José Canseco type of contract.

This last Tuesday we took my father-in-law to the game. There wasn’t Straw in the field. Under the above 90 degrees weather, the Mets scored 2 runs in the first inning and one more in the second. But Florida’s Marlins ended up won the game.

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The dream sellers

The other day I had lunch in a joint and a guy sat next to me was on the phone throughout, even while he was chewing. Apparently he works at an up scale men’s club.
.. .. Last Saturday he made $350 for an 8 hours shift. Porn is recession proof. The average girls to work at the club are 22.
“After a week, they’d be like a wrack. I often do baby sitting.”
He started out as an assistant chef. For a girl to make $5,000 a night is usual at the club. But many would gamble it all away, they often play Texas Hold’em till 8 am.
“They sell you a dream.” He said repeatedly.
The celebrities who came were countless. His most memorable one was seeing Michael Jordan, and TO, Terrell Owens came together. Robin Williams, de la Hoya .. The air Jordan is cool.

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Citi Field .. food court

 

the PA announced that all the tickets were sold out.. the limited number of tickets were sold out on the first day at the brand new stadium.
The greasy fried perfume was thick in the air. It was dampy and cold, so it was bit bearable; not sure in the hot summer day. After a while, the aroma made me sick. The Americans need to eat constantly, so there are always food stands. They need to buy something, regardless of what, just trinkets on display, for them to have an excuse to take out their wallets, hence every museum/sport arenas/parks have plenty shops for them to spend.

Nathan’s World Famous Beef Hot Dog $4.75
Pretzel $3.75
Lobster roll $24
Mama’s Italian Special Hero $9.75
16 oz Fountain Soda $3.50
Bottled Water $3.75
16 oz Buswiser $7.50
Chicken Milanese $9.50

The tickets are ranging from $695 to nosebleed (cheapest) seat at $11. Let’s see .. a family of 4,
ticket $36 = $144
parking $18 = $18
food $20 = $80
——————
Total: $243

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Citi Field .. alcohol compliance officers

 

After 9/11, the word compliance is hot.

..
Just as corporate raiders represented the Wall Street of the 1980’s (think of Gordon Gekko) and mutual fund managers were the icons of the 90’s (Jeffrey N. Vinik, who ran the Fidelity Magellan fund, was a minor celebrity), the lawyers who keep companies in compliance with increasingly tough regulatory laws have become a new prototype of the financial district.

They may lack the flash and glamour of earlier models, but this is the compliance lawyer’s moment in the sun.
..

Now come in the alcohol compliance on baseball field.

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Finally, the new Citi Field

 

The new Citi Field had opened today, hosted St. Johns vs Georgetown. The season opening is slated on 4/13. The new stadium is classy, cozy, wide open, less seats (they couldn’t sell out anyway, might as well make them nicer and less ..) nicely done, with an old world charm, or old ball field feeling, like the Ebbets Field where Brooklyn Dodgers played. It’s a good place to go, to watch a game and have a drink or two. But today was too cold to have a beer 🙁 .. thank lord it didn’t rain out, the sun almost made it through. The Shea Stadium was like a no frill old Soviet thing, no kidding. The surrounding of the field is still lousy, not sure when it will be completely rehabilitated.

When we left, St. Johns was down 4:6. Every time when a Georgetown guy scored, but RBI or homer, the dugout would be emptied out, everyone rushed out to high five the player. So bush league .. This is the first time I saw a minor league or college, so I have no way of knowing it’s the tradition or just the Georgetownies.

Once we were vacationing at the Cap Cod, Golfer sneaked out for a minor league game at night .. couldn’t say I was disappointed .. but would it be nicer if he said he scored with a girl?

Golfer has a colleague who works in the tax department how’s evening gig isn’t parparing your tax returns but sell beers at the Shea now at the Citifield with the Mets. He does it for the love of it

I would take my kids there, the only problem is: would they want to go?

Now, will the Citigroup have the nine lives to renew the contract in 2029?

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Classic Bobby Valentine: Waiting for a Call

I miss Bobby Valentine. The game was more exciting when he was around. Anyone still remembers once he was being thrown out of the game, but came back with disgust, a fake mustache and all that. It was for a good laugh although he got fined. Who cared. We loved him for it.

Now he’s been in Japan for a few years .. and the Mets never gone far after him. He at least took the team to the World Series, only lost to dammed Yankees.

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$150 at Citi Field

Ok baseball fans , game at the new Citi Field vs the Pittsburgh Pirates will be held on Friday, May 8th. The party suites for that night, not on the firm, so the tax payers don’t get too agitated. It’s $150 per head that includes the ticket, open bar from 5:45 till the 7th inning, and a hot buffet. Not so bad after all. Can I get a Giants bleacher seat this coming October? I knew I could get a decent seat at Lincoln Center either for the NY Philharmonic or Met Opera that isn’t high in the sky with $150 🙂

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The terrorist

the parking lot story .. June 2007 I’m always being unfairly targeted.
With my kids, I always have to be conscious, not to take picture of ..
.. the parking lot (Mom … it’s parking lot for pete’s sake!!)
.. of highway (what’s there to take, Mom?)
.. of them (oh … Mom .. give me a break will you??) ..
of bathroom

Actually on our last vacation, my family had unanimously agreed to vote me as the picture-terrorist, and would confiscate my camera.

The parking lot story .. and more pics of them together, even it just their backs ..

2009-11-7 at Marist College

2008 Aug Vancouver“Mom, if you behave nicely (like no more picture taking) we’ll give you back the toy and take you off the pic-terrorist list.” King told me.
Pumpkin would always patiently wait for me when we went out, while I was busy taking picture .. and laged behind. She worried that they might lose their mom.
Today we went without kids to the CitiField and thought we would stay together with the Hous. Because they’re equally pic-terrorists. To prove it, the husband has 20 cameras! He came armed with two today. But after few minutes, they decided to dump me cause I was too slow .. lagging behind .. 刘姥姥初进大观园 .. Sight .. sight.. the kids didn’t want me, now the adults didn’t want me either. Golfer had no way out, so he stuck with me. Maybe eyeing the sky when I was not looking -:).

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Citi Field .. Caesars Club

2/27/2009

The ticket to CitiField .. it has finally opened, not for the Mets game but St. Johns, a college game.

Padding down at the gate upon entry ..

The parking lots and the highways .. 🙂 The surrounding area of the CitiField. Don’t know when will they beautify this slump. Purely eyesore.

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Vanderbilt YMCA

 

Passing by this Y (224 E 47th Street, between 2nd and 3rd Ave), I couldn’t help but to go in. King went in with me. I used to swim there, pre-King era. Now he’s taller, much taller than I’m .. .. Time never flies.

The pool is still the same, even I joked if they had move it, because the lobby had changed: a gym had added .. once open area now looks like a box cutter.

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