Thoughts from New York

I could write a novel on my experiences in the "city that never sleeps".  I will instead choose to keep it as brief as possible.  Here is my "Top Ten" from New York City.

10.   Chicago-style pizza is superior to New York-style pizza.  The best piece of pizza on the trip may have been from small shop at 10:30 in the morning.  I wish I would have visited more of those shops during the trip.  Grimaldi's Pizza is vastly overrated and I have concluded that coal-oven pizza is not my thing.
9.    Central Park is very unique.  It really is just as the movies and shows and pictures depict it.  It is quite something to have this giant park right in the middle of the city.  We went through what I thought was a lot of it, but after looking at a map appears to have been only a small fraction of it.  Would be fun to see in the summer and/or with snow on the ground.
8.  New Jersey is kind of a dump.  At least what we saw anyway.  I'm sure there are nicer parts but North Bergen and what we saw driving through Hoboken leave a little to be desired. 
7.   There are always a s*** ton of people in Times Sqaure.  I would be interested to find out what percentage of them were true New Yorkers and what percentage were tourists.  I can't see any resident in their right mind routinely passing through there unless they had work obligations.
6.  Rockefeller Center was interesting.  I would like to tour the NBC studios sometime and get to the top of a building (either Rockefeller or Empire State) the next time I go, but it wasn't first on my list this time.
5.  The World Trade Center site is going to be really incredible when finished.  Right now, it is missing information.  Soon, people that will be visiting will not have experienced or been alive when the events occurred.  They are building a museum so this should improve.
4.  The subway system was pretty incredible.  It is quite amazing how impressive the logistics of the whole operation are.  It was fun to learn how it operated and get a good feel for how millions of people commute on a daily basis.  When I go again I will stay within walking distance of a subway station and the whole trip should prove to be much easier.
3.  New York City doesn't have to be expensive.  There are plenty of people that call NYC home that live on small salaries and wages.  I quickly learned that these people probably do not buy rounds of jager bombs or eat at Dylan's Prime, but everyone deserves a learning experience.  You would not have the need or the desire probably to own a car in New York.  Public transportation actually works pretty effectively there.  There are certainly places to eat and get groceries that aren't all that different in price from here.
2.  Brooklyn and the bridge itself are pretty special.  I could live in Brooklyn.  The parts I saw anyway were much more low key yet at the same time just minutes away from the city.  The bridge offers tremendous views of Manhattan and we were lucky enough to walk across twice at dusk.  There really is no skyline that compares with that of Manhattan's.
1.  The Pinstripe Bowl, the reason the trip was made, was a pretty cool experience even with the loss by the Cyclones.  The "table-gating" beforehand with ISU fans was great and Yankee Stadium is a surprisingly good place to watch a football game.  Paul Rhoads certainly opened up some questions going into spring ball, but at the end of the day I think a lot higher of the Pinstripe Bowl than I did going in.  It was really a first-class bowl game and through a little Twitter-stalking I think the players thoroughly enjoyed themselves as well.  I probably would not make a repeat appearance next season but would consider it down the road if the Big XII tie-in was still in tact.


In conclusion, I had never really considered New York as a place I wanted to visit.  After being there, I definitely want to go back.  There is enough to do there to take up several trips.  As with Vegas, I think each time you go you get a sense of familiarity and things go a little smoother.  The next time would be a blast without the pressure of having to see everything.  I'd really like to get off the tourist track and see a little bit more of how the New Yorkers live.

Bowl Week Predictions

First and foremost I look forward to watching this ISU commercial again this week....

CPR is worth his weight in gold.  He has done more marketing for ISU through YouTube videos than they could ever purchase.  I love that this will be played after every bowl game.  Now on to this weeks games.


Current Record: 2-1


Beef O' Brady's St. Petersburg Bowl
Florida International vs Marshall

Marshall, Marshall, Marshall.  Get it?  No, they will not win this game.  I am really surprised that Cristobal is still there.  He won one game his first year on the job.  This victory tonight will give him 9 for the season.  I could see him being introduced as Pittsburgh's new coach by the end of the week.  If not there, somewhere.  This guy is legit.

Florida International 23   Marshall 16

San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
TCU vs Louisiana Tech

This game intrigues me as an ISU fan for two reasons.  Reason number one is obviously TCU joining the Big XII next season.  A future opponent of ISU's as early as next season, it will interesting to start getting to know this "cinderella".  Reason number two is to watch Louisiana Tech's offense.  Tony Franklin is their OC.  He may very well be calling the shots for ISU next season.  He worked with Rhoads for all of five games at Auburn before he was canned.  I think he is better than that experience.  He runs spread camps all over the state of Texas.  I would not object to this hire.  As for the game I think TCU has too much for Louisiana Tech in this game.

TCU 34   Louisiana Tech 23

Maaco Las Vegas Bowl
Arizona State vs Boise State

Once again Boise State gets screwed with their bowl placement.  It is BCS or bust for them and I guess that is why they are joining the Big East.  How awesome would that be if ISU played in the Las Vegas Bowl?  Rhetorical question- It would be epic.  Arizona State is in a state of flux right now.  They canned their coach and now are stuck with a coach who lies more than Nick Saban.  This game could get out of hand if Boise State shows up motivated.

Boise State 48   Arizona State 30

Sheraton Hawaii Bowl
Nevada vs Southern Mississippi

Without Hawaii playing in this game, no one will be there.  Usually without anything else on (aside from the Christmas Story marathon) everyone is at least watching from home.  This year a full slate of NFL games precedes the Hawaii Bowl.  I know this is on later, but it still doesn't put the spotlight on it as much as usual.  As for the game, it won't be much of one.  I hope Nevada at least gets to enjoy some beach time.  Southern Mississippi wins by two touchdowns.

Southern Mississippi  34   Nevada 20


And before we conclude these lead pipe locks let me bring you a weather update from NYC....

December 28th   High 44 deg  Low 36 deg
December 29th   High 44 deg  Low 36 deg  (SHOWERS)

On the contrary in Cedar Rapids....
December 28th  High  35 deg  Low 25 deg
December 29th  High  36 deg  Low 23 deg
 

Who said we aren't going somewhere warmer?!?!

New York, New York

I will be the first to admit New York City was not my first choice for an Iowa State bowl destination.  However, after deciding to make the trip I have done some more research on NYC and am getting more and more excited.  I think it truly will be a great trip for the players, coaches and fans.  Warm weather is nice in December, but this truly is a once in a lifetime opportunity for everyone involved.  Here are ten reasons I am looking forward to this trip.

10.  The Cyclones have now taken me to Houston's Reliant Stadium, Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium (3 times), Las Vegas, Tempe, Columbia (MO) and now New York City.  I love seeing different stadiums and cities.  I really enjoy seeing different baseball stadiums.  My #10 reason I am excited for the New Era Pinstripe Bowl is the chance to see the new Yankee Stadium.

9.  I've been fortunate to visit a lot of different places around the country.  My only experience out east was Washington D.C. when I was younger.  I have never really been tremendously interested in visiting New York in the past.  JMeeks wanted to go out there a couple summers ago and I didn't really understand why.  The east coast is truly a different experience.  Reason #9 is this trip presents the opportunity to go to the east coast and experience New York City.

8.  New Year's Eve in New York City.  This is supposed to be the place to be on NYE right?  I've spent NYE in Houston and Tempe why not New York City.

7.  Statue of Liberty.  I've seen it on television and in books.  This is a chance to see it in person.  I just hope it looks like this...

6.  Central Park.  I was a big fan of the Home Alone movies.  I had the Home Alone game for my GameBoy and on the Super Nintendo.  I want to see what this Central Park is all about and throw bird see all over JMeeks and watch him scream.

5.  TMNT.  I want to see the land of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  I love those dudes.  The movies were great.  Cowabunga!!!

4.  Times Square.  No, I don't plan on standing outside for hours upon hours without beverages and without restrooms to see a ball drop.  Would it be cool to say you have done it?  Yes, absolutely.  Is it worth it on your first trip to NYC?  Absolutely not.  However, I do look forward to seeing what this Times Square is all about.

3.  Ground Zero.  One of the biggest moments of United States history, one that happened when I was a freshman in high school happened in NYC.  I still and always will remember sitting in the wrestling room during physical education class.  At that time I really didn't know the significance of the World Trade Centers nor did I know at that time how big of a travesty this truly was.  Football practice was cancelled after school and when I got home seemingly every channel had constant coverage.  I knew this was big.  I look forward to seeing this area and the tribute to the victims and the hero's of 9/11.

2.  New York Style Pizza.  I love pizza.  I really freaking love pizza.  I have had New York style pizza but I haven't had pizza from New York.  I'm getting hungry thinking about it.  As a kid I had a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle toy that shot out pizzas.

This really could have been #1....

1.  Cyclone Football.  At the end of the day I really look forward to seeing these boys play again.  This has really been a special season to be an ISU fan.  The team was favored in TWO games and won SIX.  A season that just about started with a loss to UNI ended with a trip to NYC.  It is a season I will never forget.  A season that included two of the most memorable games I've ever been to.  It would be a shame to not take advantage of the biggest win in school history.  Paul Rhoads is putting out a product on the field that is fun to watch and I simply can't wait until the 30th.  Getting a chance to tailgate at different establishments in Manhattan and the Bronx will truly be something different and special.  I really truly hope Rutgers packs the house.  It will be hard for ISU to bring a ton of fans but both teams deserve a great atmosphere whether that be hostile or supportive.  I think it will be a fun game to watch and the chance to win a 2nd bowl game in three years is pretty unbelievable considering where this program was at just three years ago.  Here is a clip from Paul Rhoads last night to get you fired up....

And this post wouldn't be complete without a few music video's....

And...

Let's GO CYCLONES!!!!!