This trip combined two equally awesome things…Bruce Springsteen and hockey!
Thursday, November 15, 2018
The last time we were in New York we had to deal with a major storm that hit the area pretty hard. There was so much ice that all three airports were closed and the Winnipeg Jets couldn’t fly in so they cancelled the game vs the Devils. (one of only 2 NHL Games cancelled of over 2500 games that season).
So it kinda seemed like deja vu when a storm moved in around noon on Thursday on this trip. It was a travel day with not much planned so I headed out to see if I could get a glimpse of Springsteen as he arrived for his show “Springsteen on Broadway” at the Walter Kerr Theatre. There were quite a few other fans braving the elements and it was interesting to meet people from various parts of the US as well as Finland and Germany. Everyone had a Springsteen story and it was fun to share them as we waited. Bruce showed up late due to the weather and basically got out of his vehicle (a GMC Suburban) and went right inside.
Outside the theatre. 
View from 48th street. 
The group of die-hards braving the elements to see Bruce 
The streets were bare at noon. Crazy bunch of snow and slush. 
Security/police getting ready as the Boss is almost at the theatre. 
Bruce entering through the stage door.
Friday, November 16, 2018
The weather was great and most of the snow was already melted away by a warm front that moved in overnight. Our hotel was a two-minute walk from the theatre and the view from the window was about as “New York” as it gets!
Adam and Uncle Jamie flew in together on Porter out of Billy Bishop Airport in Toronto and arrived about 2:00 pm. Our first order of business was to head out for some food. Our destination was McGee’s Pub which is the inspiration for MacLaren’s Pub on the long-running TV show How I Met Your Mother. On our way to find McGee’s, we went past a Taco Bell having a Grand Opening and, being fans, stopped in to check it out. We were all very impressed as it has a whole new look and feel. Very open and inviting. The food is prepared pretty much in front of the customer. We ordered three items off of the Dollar Menu and while we waited for our food we struck a conversation with a couple of guys who were just finished eating. They turned out to be a reporter and a photographer from the website “VICE” who were doing a story on the new Taco Bell. They took a few photos of us and got our names so we will see if we end up famous!
New look and feel! 
Much more visibility in the food prep area. 
Uncle Jamie and Adam waiting for the food.
It was a few more blocks to walk up to McGee’s so we had a chance to work up an appetite before we got there. It is a comfy Irish Pub and it was interesting to see the How I Met Your Mother themes around the bar. They had some photos as well as advertising for their How I Met Your Mother Monday. We had a great lunch and Jamie and Adam even got the Ted Mosby is a Jerk wrap. Definitely worth popping in if you are a fan of the show!
Enjoying the “Ted Mosby is a Jerk” wrap. 
The “Awesomeness” plaque that was on the wall of Barney Stinson’s office. 
View from the outside looking down 55th street. 
Inside on the 1st floor.
After McGee’s, we walked around the city for a while as we got more and more pumped about the upcoming Springsteen on Broadway show. It was the toughest ticket to get of any event we have ever been to in our lives and the anticipation had been building for months.
Jamie and I went to the show wondering if it could live up to the hype. One of the challenges, when you build up any event, is sometimes it can be a let down when the actual event occurs. Not so in this case, the concert was AMAZING!!! Two and a half hours of just Bruce (with his wife Patti accompanying on a couple of songs) a piano and a few guitars. The set-list was great but the highlights came when he was talking or singing and it was so quiet in the audience that you felt like it was just you and Bruce. If you didn’t get a chance to see on Broadway, check out the Netflix special.
Before the show. 
Waiting for the show to start. 
The stage…before Bruce. 
Bruce and Patti 
Bruce at the end of the show.
Saturday, November 17, 2018
The morning found us saying goodbye to Jamie as he headed to the airport and a flight back to Toronto. Adam and I hopped in a cab and went to New Jersey to watch the New Jersey Devils play the Detroit Red Wings in an afternoon game. The Prudential Center is a really nice facility. The crowd was a little sparse (tickets on StubHub were starting at $24.50) but the barn itself was impressive. We were there on Military Appreciation Day and each got a New Jersey Devils camo baseball cap. They also had a station set up where you could get a couple of digits embroidered on the hat. We got the number 24 on ours as this was our 24th rink. The game was tight and ended in a 3 – 2 OT victory for the visiting team.
The Prudential Center from the outside. 
Cool sign. 
Check out the camo hats. 
The rink during the game.
As it was an afternoon game we had lots of time to figure out something to do for the night. We headed back to the city and debated between a few options including a Broadway Show but decided that it was too good of an opportunity to pass up…we had a chance to attend 2 NHL games in one day. The New York Rangers were playing at home against the Florida Panthers so we grabbed a pair of tickets and walked to Madison Square Gardens. One of our favourite rinks, it still surprises how much energy is in the building. A direct contrast to The Prudential Center, the crowd was into it from the puck drop and the chants of “Hey, Hey, Hey” after a home goal were a lot of fun. The Rangers won 4 – 2 so the crowd was in a good mood as we left and walked back to the hotel.
Sunday, November 18, 2018
We had an afternoon flight booked out of Laguardia so that left us with a free morning. Adam decided we should go to the Supreme store in Soho. Supreme is a clothing and lifestyle brand that started about 25 years ago. It has its roots in the New York skateboard culture. Recently it has become ridiculously popular with resale items sometimes selling in the thousands of dollars (yes, I found it hard to believe too). As it was about a 20-minute drive away we called an Uber and headed south. We arrived at about 11:45 am and the store opened at noon. We were relieved to see we were the first people there but as we were looking through the store window a security guard came up to us and asked if we were waiting for Supreme to open. When we replied “yes,” he said, “the line starts down the road”. Sure enough, we went and stood in line and before the store opened there were over 50 people in line. Just to confirm, this was just a normal day, no big sales or anything special. Turns out there are lines every day. We got our hand stamped and were granted admission to the store at about 12:30 pm. The store is very small and basic. Not much on display. Adam bought 3 shirts and I bought…nothing.
Line before opening on a Sunday. 
Almost there! 
Adam looking at t-shirts. 
Success! 
Inside the store…pretty small.
After a quick stop at the Amazon 4 Star store which kinda reminded me of an “As Seen on TV” store we headed to the airport and flew back to Toronto. Another trip in the books. Some major highlights (Bruce) for me and for Adam it was “better than I thought it would be”.
