Well, I made it back to Iowa City. It happened yesterday afternoon but I've been out of it until now.
The game was ridiculously cold and I heard players and coaches complaining about the field throughout the game. I was shooting photos down there. A few players tried different shoes and it just didn't matter. The sod on the infield and outfield are different, which is one issue, and both were like an ice rink. There are some things to like about the bowl but not enough to receive my endorsement.
It was fun being on the field for the post-game celebration. Watching the players celebrate puts a lot into perspective. No matter how anyone else feels about the bowl, it meant a lot to them and they work hard in hopes of enjoying a win.
I got out of the stadium at about 11 and went out into the streets of the South Bronx carrying expensive camera equipment. I caught the D train to Rockefeller Center, or so I thought. Subway renovations screwed me up several times on this trip. Instead making its normal stops, the D train took a different route. Luckily, I realized it before I made it all the way to Brooklyn. I ended up hopping off and then walking about five blocks to the F train. City blocks are long and I was still frozen from the game.
Eventually, the F train showed up and I was on my way to Queens. I arrived at 1, so 2 hours from Yankee Stadium. I excited the subway and then walked about 6-7 blocks to Comfort Inn. Queens is not Manhattan. I was glad is was cold because the streets were cleared of people. It wasn't the greatest neighborhood.
I got into my room at about 1:30. I knew I would have to leave for JFK at about 5. So, I just kept working, wrote stories on KF and Akrum. Worked up a photo gallery, took a shower and then had a mile walk in frigid weather to the Air Train to JFK.
I think the hotel was trying to scam me. It said online that it had a shuttle to the airport. Get there and the guy at the desk says they don't have one but he can get me a cab for $30. The cab driver is sitting in the lobby. No thanks. I'll pay $5 for the Air Train.
Anyway, I arrived at JFK around 5:45. Took an hour to get through heavy, heavy security. I was about naked (sorry for the visual) by the time I could go through the scanner.
Got on the plane to Charlotte. At this point, I had been awake for about 24 hours and wanted some shuteye. Low and behold, I had the middle seat between a big guy who couldn't sit still and a tiny lady who made up for her lack of size with a lot of pillows and blankets spilling into my seat. I think I may have passed out here and there, but can't remember.
We got to Charlotte on time, I grabbed a bite to eat and went to sit at the gate. I dozed off for a bit only to realized they changed by gate from 1 to 28. I'd never been in the Charlotte airport but it was a hike between those two gates. Luckily, I made it as the plane was boarding.
I had the aisle seat next to a lady that looked like she was going to chill, which she ended up doing. There was a small child two rows ahead. The row ahead of me was empty. Nobody would recline his or her seat into my knees. I was going to crash hard on this two and a half hour flight.
Just before takeoff, the family with the small child decided it would move back a row in order to keep the kid from kicking the seat ahead of her. She was cute and she hardly fussed at all. However, she was very excited about being on a plane and let it be known, laughing and screaming out. Her parents were encouraging it. Needless to say, it was not conducive to sleeping. I maybe caught a few winks between the noise.
Thankfully, we landed safely in Cedar Rapids. However, there wasn't a gate available, so we sat on the tarmac for a half hour.
When I got to my car, as you could imagine, I was thrilled to see it covered in snow. After clearing it, I headed out south on 380, where traffic was moving at about 40 miles an hour, which was the same when I connected with 80. I ended up getting home at about 3, happy as heck to see my three beautiful kids. I hung out with them for a bit and then crashed hard for about two hours until my wife got home from work. Spent a bit of time with the family and ate dinner then crashed again at about 10.
So, there you have it - Rob's trip to NYC.
