RAGBRAI XLVII: Day 3, Tuesday, July 23, 2019

After a relaxing nine hours of sleep in my own bed, Tuesday was scheduled to be 39 miles from Winterset to Indianola with the route skirting the southern exurbs/suburbs of the Des Moines area. Most RAGBRAI days have between 15,000-20,000 riders. Because of the short ride and proximity to Des Moines, estimates were for somewhere between 30,000-50,000 riders. I have no idea how many there were except that for the twenty-two miles from Winterset to Cumming were as full of riders as I can remember.  For the ride today, we were joined by Christina, Lindsay's friend and colleague.

Me, Dad, Dick, Christina, and Lindsay.

The most common ride I do in the Des Moines area is from the house to the town of Cumming (population 411). It's home to one of the more well-known bars in the area, the Cumming Tap.  Even though Cumming is very near Des Moines, the Tap is still very much a small town bar, but during the summer it's filled with bicyclists from Des Moines.  Sometimes the service at the Cumming Tap moves with a small town pace, which left Garv and I wondering whether or not they would be prepared.  The Cumming Tap was prepared.  I didn't get a picture or video of it, but they had a beer tent set up and were selling dozens or scores of cans every minute.  I probably spent two hours in Cumming and had a great time!

I'm very proud of the photo below, taken from the patio of the Cumming Tap,  because it captures four of the major aspects of RAGBRAI.

1. Lines.  There are lots of lines on RAGBRAI.  For the bathroom, food, beer, even showers.
2. A gator.  An observation original to me is that one of the reasons that RAGBRAI is so popular is not only the spectacle that it brings to small towns, but also that it provides an opportunity for people to drive their gators, four wheelers, and golf carts all over town because normal ordinances are not in effect when RAGBRAI rolls through.
3. Spot-a-pots.  Corn fields are far superior and never have a line.
4. Beer.  That semi trailer behind the spot-a-pots was refrigerated and full of beer (mostly Busch Light) and whatever those White Claw things are.

I ran into Mr. Brad Poock, a fellow Social Studies Teacher at Centennial in Cumming.

Lindsay and Christina in Cumming.

Dad and I wearing old and new iterations of the University of Okoboji jersey in Cumming.

Beer of the Day
The beer of the day could be nothing other than Busch Light.  I hadn't wanted to have the same beer of the day during the week, but they had a truckload of it. Plus, this is Iowa and or whatever reason, Iowans love Busch Light.  It's not my beer of choice, but when in Rome...

Pie of the Day
Since I had the same kind of beer as I had on Sunday, I figured I'd double up on Apple Pie, though this one was from the Amish Pie Stand.

I wish I had more to report, but from Cumming to Indianola actually thinned out a little and since it was only 17 miles, there isn't anything else left to report.

Enjoying our Amish pie and ice cream

RAGBRAI XLVII: Day 2, Monday, July 22, 2019

Day 2: Monday, July 22, 2019
As you can see from the pictures, the weather on Monday was a huge improvement from Sunday. 

Dick, Kelsi, Lindsay, Jean, Me, Dad, and Mom in Atlantic before departing for the day's ride

Doris Krogman, our host in Atlantic, and Dad before departing for the day

One of my favorite parts of RAGBRAI is on the first day and coming to the crest of the first hill and looking ahead to a county road filled with bicycles.  The temperature is comfortable and there's an enthusiasm that can heard and felt since everyone is excited and energized.  I had to save that moment for Monday since I wasn't going to mess with my phone in the rain. 

I wish I was a more skilled photographer so I could capture how incredible this actually looks.

Pass-through Towns

RAGBRAI is the "longest, largest, and oldest recreational bicycle touring event in the world."  One of the reasons it's so successful is that it turns otherwise sleepy small towns into hives of activity swarming with bicyclists.  In these small towns, RAGBRAI passing through provides something to prepare for, something to talk about, and most importantly, an infusion of cash. The small town we spent the most time in during the ride was Anita, which is also where Westel Systems, the company for which Dad has worked for 38 years, has an exchange.  On RABGRAI, towns like Anita, population 926, have 15,000 riders roll through and it's a spectacle that can't be replicated. 

We spent quite a bit of time in Anita and eventually ate at the American Legion, which I don't have pictures of.  One of the things we discovered is that American Legions, Elks Clubs, etc usually don't have lines because they're tucked into a storefront or building that doesn't have a lot of windows or look like a business.  So to avoid the lines for food and the restroom, we began to seek out the storefronts for civic organizations rather than the vendors and spot-a-pots on the streets.

Bacon on a stick.  A photos can't capture the energy of this scene.

Dad and Rich Barnholdt, one of dad's Westel co-workers

Family pic in front of Westel's Anita exchange, sporting the former name of West Iowa Telephone Co

The Ride

The wind on Monday was out of the north so we face headwind and crosswind for most of the ride.  The last third of the ride, however, was a straight tailwind and we were able to fly from Earlham to Winterset.

Beer of the Day

On the day that I wore my West O jersey, I was lucky enough to find West O Coco Stout.  A stout is not necessarily a great summer beer, but Coco Stout is so good that it doesn't matter.  

In my 15 minutes of social media fame, I tagged West O in this picture, which they then put on their Instagram feed!

Me, Dad, Jean

Pie of the Day

I found pie at the Amish pie and ice cream stand that was located about halfway through the route.  Jean had alerted Lindsay and I to this stand last year, so I wanted to visit it everyday.  The Amish don't work Sunday, but they did on Monday and created this delicious blueberry pie, my favorite.

Overnight Towns

One of my regrets of RAGBRAI week is that I was so focused on the ride (and the pie and beer) that, other than Atlantic, I didn't take the time to enjoy what the overnight towns have to offer.  Monday's overnight town was Winterset, which has all kinds of touristy things to do, including John Wayne's birthplace and museum and the Bridges of Madison County, which I've never been to.  But I was tired and we were staying in Des Moines that night. Since Winterset is only half an hour away, I figured that I could visit some other time.  Besides, a shower in my own bathroom and sleeping in my own bed sounded much better than being a tourist.

Mary, Kelsi, and Traci (my cousin) at John Wayne's Birthplace and Museum

RAGBRAI XLVII: Day 1, Sunday, July 21, 2019

Day 1: Sunday, July 21, 2019 

When we woke up Sunday morning at 7 am, it was raining, thundering, and lightning and the radar looked like it would last a few more hours so we went back bed.  By 8 am, however, the thunder and lightning was gone and it had even stopped raining.  By the time Lindsay, Dad, Dick, and I got on our bikes at 9 am, it was raining again.  So we rode the first forty miles in the rain, which wasn’t a great way to start the event.  When it rains, it’s also a bummer for the towns because the residents have spent so much time preparing and the rain definitely dampens (pun intended) spirits.  There is also likely an economic hit, because instead of stopping every other town or so, we only stopped to make purchases in the meeting town of Avoca which was about forty miles into the ride.

Lindsay, Kelsi, Dick, Dad, and I before departing for our first ride.

Kelsi (Mary and Dick's granddaughter) pouring Missouri River Water on the Dick's back tire.

With Dad and Jean in Avoca.  It rained from Council Bluffs to Avoca.

The bright spot of the morning which was in Underwood, we parked our bikes along a building on the outskirts of town and who should come around the corner but Aunt Jean (Dad’s sister). Jean is a bicycling machine, logging over 2000 training miles this year, and this year marked her 19th complete RAGBRAI.  We always manage to run into her and often ride with her, but it was especially serendipitous for the first person out of thousands we run into to be her.  We then rode together the rest of the day.  

As for the ride, the first forty miles were rainy and flat and the last twenty miles were dry and hilly...though we were still wet for the rest of the day. 

Pie of the Day

The pie of the day was a slice of apple at the Catholic Church in Atlantic.  I overheard one of the church volunteers say that it was not homemade. But it tasted just fine because I hadn't had any all day and wanted to have a piece everyday.

Beer of the Day

As you can tell from my shirt, I really wanted a Miller Lite on the first day. I didn't look for one on the route since I was more concerned with getting the ride finished and getting out of wet clothes. I looked a little bit for one in Atlantic, but I didn't find one because the beer tent didn't sell it. So I had to settle for a Busch Light, which maybe suiting since it is the most popular beer in Iowa and RAGBRAI is an iconic Iowa event. One of the highlights of Day 1 was a very mini IKM (where I taught and coached from 2003-2008) sports reunion.  While walking around downtown Atlantic, I unexpectedly ran into Coach Tom Casey (recently inducted into the Iowa Football Coaches Hall of Fame) and his wife Diane in Atlantic who were there for the festivities.  In every overnight town, RAGBRAI organizes a concert for riders, but it also ends up being for people in the surrounding area since RAGBRAI is quite the spectacle.  The band that night was an 80s rock tribute band called Hairball, who are one of the better known local acts across the upper Midwest and the Casey's were in town to see them. I coached football with Coach Casey for five years and he taught me a lot about what to do (and occasionally what not to do!) as a coach. Also joining us was Zack Bandow who played quarterback on the 2006 state championship team and is now a dentist in Atlantic.  Besides playing quarterback, he also played for the state qualifying basketball team I coached and pitched and played first base on some really good baseball teams. We had a great time reminiscing about the good ole days before I had to depart so I could get a good night's sleep. I'm sure some RAGBRAI'ers stayed for the whole show and partied into the night. But in my experience, those who want to do the whole ride don't do that because there's only so much the body can take. And I didn't want to test that after the first day!

With Zack and Coach Casey in downtown Atlantic

And finally, a big thank you to Doris Krogman, a retired former co-worker of dad at Westel Systems, who graciously hosted us in Atlantic! 

RAGBRAI XLVII: 2019: Introduction and Day 0, Saturday, July 20, 2019

Introduction

I did a part of RAGBRAI for the first time in 2008 and have done parts of it several times since, usually when it was geographically convenient.  I have never done an entire RAGBRAI because although I enjoyed the experience of RAGBRAI--the towns, the people, the sights and sounds--I didn’t enjoy bicycling that much.  And ultimately, if you want to do RAGBRAI, you have to pound out ten or fifteen mile stretches that aren’t always so fun.  Those stretches are even less fun when your bike is shitty.  That changed, however, when I bought a new bike in February of 2018, updating from a hybrid to road bike.  Last year, when I did two days of RAGBRAI, I enjoyed the bicycling so much more which enabled me to enjoy RAGBRAI even more. 

When the RAGBRAI route is announced in late January, we always start sketching out what days we’ll do based on where the route is and what kind of accommodations we could have.  We refuse to sleep in tents after a bad experience with storms in 2008 and heat in 2012 so access to indoors is paramount.   This year, as we went through the route, it became apparent that we could have indoor accommodations in or near every overnight town. Lindsay, my sister, had always wanted to do an entire RAGBRAI, but I had never wanted to do all of RAGBRAI because of how poor my bicycle was.  So Lindsay's bucket list item, my extremely positive experience last year, and the convenience of this year’s route, made it obvious to us that we should do the whole thing. Over the course of the entire week we were joined by dad and my Uncle Dick, who rode parts of each day and Mom and Aunt Mary (mom's sister), who drove the support vehicles the entire week. We were also joined by others throughout the week who I will introduce as we go along.

Finally, I haven't done a good job of keeping up with this blog (my last post was three years ago!) even though I've traveled quite a bit. So I figured that RAGBRAI was a perfect opportunity to remove the mothballs and I will provide recaps of each day of RAGBRAI over the next few weeks.

Day 0: Saturday, July 20, 2019 

The tradition on RAGBRAI is to start the ride by dipping your back tire in the Missouri River (or one of the tributaries if the route starts in northwest Iowa).  Because of massive flooding earlier this year, however, the official dip site was not the actual river.  Instead it was a couple wading pools in the parking lot with Missouri River water in it.  I wasn’t really pleased with this arrangement because for my first full RAGBRAI I wanted my tire in the actual river, but we had arrived in Council Bluffs in the evening and I wasn’t in a position to go exploring on my bicycle to find a spot to put my back tire in the Missouri. So we dipped our tires in wading pool in a parking lot.

Can you see the Mighty Mo in the background?

Beer of the Day

For everyday of RAGBRAI I’m going to highlight a “beer of the day.”  I’ll also highlight a “pie of the day” starting on Day 1. 

Since the tire dip didn’t take place in the traditional RAGBRAI manner, it's fitting that our pre-ride meal wasn’t very traditional either.  Instead of a meal at a church, community organization, or a vendor at the bicycle expo, we ate at….Olive Garden! I’m not usually a fan of chain restaurants, but I do like Olive Garden and all the bread and pasta was a good meal the night before RAGBRAI.  Since I always order Peroni at Olive Garden, it was the “beer of the day" and my only beer of the day. I certainly didn’t think Peroni would be one of my “beers of the day,” but sometimes on RAGBRAI things don’t go as planned.

A Peroni at Olive Garden--Very RAGBRAI-esque...

I wish I had more to report or more pictures, but this is all I got for Day 0...After our meal, we returned to the hotel and prepared our bicycles for the first of seven days of riding!

New York, New York

Two years ago, an Iowa horde invaded the DMV (DC, Maryland, Virginia) to welcome the Maryland Terrapins to the Big Ten. The Terrapins were not very welcoming on game day, but our group had such a great time traveling east that we scheduled another trip to the East Coast, this one to see the Hawkeyes play Rutgers and to visit New York City. Since we’d had such a great time the last time, we ended up picking up a few new people.  

Tailgating before an Iowa victory!

 Here’s the crew for the New York trip:

Me (Estherville, IA)

Garv and Lindsay (my brother-in-law and sister; Santiago, Chile)

Mom and Dad (Remsen, IA)

Ron and Jeanne (Garv's aunt and uncle but they're like family; Okoboji, IA)

Brandee (Ron and Jeanne's daughter; Las Vegas, NV)

Jean (Dad's sister Des Moines, IA)

Lynda and Pat (Jeanne's cousin and her husband; St. Louis, MO)

Betty (Jeanne's cousin; St. Louis, MO)

Jimmy (Lynda and Betty’s Nephew; New York, NY)

Mary and Dick (my aunt and uncle, mom’s sister; Idaho Falls, ID)

Eric (my cousin; Onawa, IA or wherever there’s wind turbines to be worked on)

Justin (Eric’s dad; Onawa, IA)

Saturday crew:

Toni and Jon (Brandee’s friends who recently moved to New Jersey from Las Vegas)

Nick (Garv and LG's friend Des Moines, IA)

I do have to mention that we sadly missed one of the crew members from our last trip, Mark Johnson, my aunt Jean's boyfriend, who was not able to make it because he was diagnosed with leukemia in July.  This was very disappointing because of all the people who went on our previous trip, Mark had the most fun.  He was greatly missed.

Since this trip involved such a big group, I wanted to have everyone’s impressions and memories included so I asked everyone to share their favorite moments of the trip. I arranged them chronologically so as to provide some structure. You'll also notice that there is a "Tony" and a "Tony as narrator" characters. The "Tony" voice will be my impressions of the trip.  "Tony the Narrator" will fill in the gaps in the narrative and provide context and explanation when necessary.  Anything in parentheses is also my words.

Arriving in Manhattan, Thursday, September 22

Tony the Narrator: We had people flying in from Santiago, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City, Omaha, Des Moines, and St Louis and into Newark, LaGuardia and JFK airports, and remarkably,  everyone arrived at their scheduled times and made it to our hotel, the Doubletree Suites, Times Square by Thursday evening.  Brandee, Garv, and Lindsay arrived before everyone else so they got to do a little bit extra. So Brandee bats leadoff.

Brandee: I loved my first morning in NYC.  I was able to meet up with my friend, Toni, and hearing her talk about the city was great.  I got to experience getting a bagel from a deli and enjoying it by the Hudson.  Even did a little shopping for the kids.  It was such a wonderful start to the trip.

The arrivals of everyone worked out perfectly.  I got to spend some time with Michael and Lindsay, saw a few of the sights and walked through Central Park (really just scratched the surface).  We were excited for everyone else’s arrival.  Funniest thing that day was when LG and I were getting some coffee and she tried to order hers in Spanish.  That one got a lot of miles.

Brandee, Lindsay, and Garv--The first arrivals celebrating their arrival in New York.

Dinner at Hillstone, Thursday Evening

Tony the Narrator: After one part of the group had arrived at the Doubletree Suites and been introduced to the prices of alcohol in New York City, we walked through Mid-town to Hillstone for a drink and dinner.  

 

Times Square on the walk to Hillstone

At Hillstone, we met up with Pat, Betty, and Jimmy, but unfortunately not Lynda who had a mishap as she will explain below.  We enjoyed a great dinner at Hillstone and then toured Jimmy’s apartment which was right next door.  

Dad, Justin, Eric, Mom, Mary, and Dick at Hillstone

Jeanne, Jean, Betty, Lindsay and Brandee

Garv, Me, Pat, Jimmy, and Ron

The first rule of politics...Never eat when a camera is present.

Lynda: I have been in New York many times, and have seen most of the sites more than once.

This year was so much more special! I had family and very dear friends to see the same sites with, as the majority of things I did in New York in the past I did alone.

Waiting for luggage at Southwest I fell and cut my lip, not bad enough for stitches, but frightful none the less...and I am the person who doesn't drink and don't do drugs. Ha Ha...jokes on me! The Southwest staff were outstanding in cleaning me up, providing me with a chair, and ice packs. That evening I skipped dinner [at Hillstone] and the Empire State Building, fortunately I had been there. The reason all of this was a highlight for me is much more important: the concern my family and friends had for me. Everyone after dinner came by to say hi, see how I was doing, and many hugs from everyone. And I know I was a scary sight. Am I blessed or what!

Empire State Building, Thursday Night

Tony the Narrator: On our way from Hillstone to the Empire State Building, we passed the Remsen Building so those of us who had lived in Remsen got our picture taken there and puzzled the doorman as to to what in the world we were doing.  

 

WTF are they doing?

We got some good views from the top of the Empire State Building, but it didn’t make anyone’s most memorable list.  After all, as Lindsay so adroitly pointed out when she and I were at the top of the Costanera Center in Santiago, every city has a touristy place from which the tourists can have a great view.  But it was still something we had to do.  

Obligatory Picture from the top of the Empire State. You can see the Freedom Tower in the middle.

Tony: After the Empire State Building, we took the subway for the first time of the trip which led to one of my favorite moments of the trip--Mom’s reaction to seeing a rat scurrying around on the platform across the track from us!

This is actually the day after seeing the rat. I don't consider it a trip to New York unless I spot one in the subway.

Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, and World Trade Center Memorial, Friday, September 23

Tony the Narrator: Getting to the ferry that took us to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island was a little more adventurous than it had to be…We probably spent too much time enjoying our morning bagels.  But we did some good pushing off and knee driving and though we didn’t make the 10:00 ferry, we did make the 10:20 ferry.  

The group on Liberty Island

The Manhattan Skyline from the Statue of Liberty's Pedestal

Lady Liberty and Me

Lynda: The second  favorite memory was on Friday. Battery Park, Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty, but most important the 9-11 Museum as well as the sight on which it stood. I had been to see the very beginning of the museum (still had dust etc. around area) and my oh my, now it is so well done, it is awesome. A very serene, sad and heart felt surrounding. The amount of history is remarkable. I look forward to going again and having more time in the entire area. To me, a very spiritual time, as so many souls lay buried on such sacred ground.

The National 9/11 Memorial and Museum

Dad: I enjoyed the World Trade Center the most.

Garv: World Trade Center memorial. Amazingly well done.  I loved all the quotes about the benefits of free trade that were on display as you walked down the ramp.  Very interesting during this election cycle where both candidates are against TPP.

Ron: The World Trade Center was my favorite.  I could have spent all day there.  And to think what those people sacrificed going into those buildings is just incredible.

A mangled fire truck. Wow

One of the two waterfalls that is part of the memorial to represent the collapsing buildings.

Ringing the waterfalls are the names of those who died in the building.

Tony the Narrator: After we had left the September 11 Museum, Mom and Mary wanted to spend a little more time looking at the waterfall portion of the memorial which has the names of those killed inscribed around it. They picked a spot to look at the waterfall and the name right in front of them was Patrick Dunn, which was very significant because Granny's (their mother, my grandmother) maiden name was Patrick and Gramps's (their father, my grandfather) surname (and their maiden names) was Dunn (and they also have a nephew Patrick Dunn). Sometimes you can't make this stuff up.

Broadway Shows, Friday Night, Saturday Night, Sunday Night

Tony the Narrator: The Doubletree Suites Time Square was right in the heart of Times Square and we took advantage of the proximity to Broadway shows as members of our group attended shows on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights.

Tony: One of my favorite moments was walking out of our hotel and into Times Square at about 7:00 PM as we headed to our various Broadway shows. It looked like it was daylight, but I knew that it wasn't. So I told some members of our group to look up so that they could be awed by the realization that Times Square truly was lit up like daylight.  

Tony the Narrator: I went to Something Rotten and School of Rock on Saturday night.  On Friday night, other groups went to Jersey Boys and Kinky Boots, on Saturday, others went to Jersey Boys or An American in Paris, and on Sunday, everyone still there went to Beautiful.

 Lindsay: I liked the Broadway shows the best! I also liked walking outside our hotel room at night with all the lights, people, energy, etc.

Jeanne: My favorite part of the trip was Kinky Boots on Friday night.

Brandee: Everyone heading to their Broadway plays on Friday was amazing!  Saw Kinky Boots and it was the best show I have ever seen.  It was also great as everyone arrived back to the hotel after their own shows and the excitement in the air. Saw School of Rock, a must for 3 teachers and then had a wonderful dinner together at Vice Versa to end the day.   The coffee and dessert were delicious.

Mom: “What I enjoyed the most was when Frankie Valle came out during Jersey Boys and starting singing ‘You’re just too good to be true. I can’t take my eyes off you.’ I would rate Jersey Boys as a 10/10, Beautiful  as 9.89/10, and School of Rock as a 9.75/10.”

Tony: Broadway is also my favorite part about New York. In my two previous trips to New York City, I’d attended a total of seven shows and on this trip I added two more, Something’s Rotten and School of Rock.  The shows are amazing and incredible and it’s hard to believe that people can sing, dance, and act like that. I loved Something’s Rotten because it was a musical that didn’t take itself too seriously and seemed to fill the niche of the musical on Broadway that makes fun of musicals on Broadway.  I loved School of Rock because besides the Jack Black character, the stars of the show were 10-12 year old kids.  They were unreal.   Another favorite part of a Broadway show  is that moment when the show is over and people are pouring out of their shows into Times Square.  It’s such an intense positive energy as show-goers excitedly talk about the amazing performance they just witnessed, marvel at the lights of Times Square making daylight out of night, and decide where to go eat or drink.  It’s just a moment because that’s all the time there is before you have to move to avoid being trampled or causing a cluster.

Tailgating and a Hawkeye Victory,  Saturday, September 24

Brandee: Tailgating on Saturday with Toni and Jon…how that came together was outstanding!!  Even though the game itself was probably the least exciting thing of the trip, the Hawkeye win was not!  Go Hawks!

Jon, Garv, Toni, and Brandee, our tailgate organizers!

Lynda: The next big memory was the Rutgers game, and Iowa winning, (even though such a boring game!). HA HA  Fun to be in a different stadium and with friends and family! The tailgating venue was a big surprise and welcomed by all.

Tony: My favorite part of the trip was tailgating before the football game because it was not something that I had counted on as part of the trip.  Brandee’s friends, Toni (I'll never forget your name!) and Jon drove their vehicle to the game and brought lots of snacks, Miller Lite, and Coors Light.  Garv and Brandee helped them find a great tailgate spot in a grass lot very close to the stadium.  Since there was plenty of time and Miller Lite, I made sure to enjoy my share.  One of the nice things about games in the Eastern Time Zone is that the early game starts at noon instead of 11:00 AM so there was an extra hour of tailgating.  It was a lot of fun because we had a big group, some first time tailgaters, some friendly Rutgers fans next to us who shared some Budweisers for a few group members averse to Miller-Coors products, and another friendly Rutgers fan who gave me an excellent restaurant recommendation.  As for the game, it was really boring which is better than a loss.  Two years ago, at Maryland, I was not well-behaved and set some F bomb records.  I guess after Coach Ferentz signed an extension through 2026, I resigned myself to getting used to the same old offensive and defensive issues.  Fortunately, Rutgers is a little worse than us.

I figured I'd use this picture in context

"In Heaven there is no beer! That's why we drink it here! And when we're gone from here, our friends will be drinking all our beer!

More Broadway and Times Square, Saturday Night

Tony the Narrator: We arrived back at the hotel after the game at about 6 pm and since we were in the heart of Broadway and Broadway is so amazing, most of us went to some more shows. Then we met for some great Italian food from my restaurant recommendation and finished our evening in the heart of Times Square, watching a flash mob and all the action, energy, and intensity, even at midnight.

Times Square at Midnight. Our view from the stands above the Tkts, Tkts booth.

Lots of photo bombers

Church, Sunday Morning, September 25

Tony the Narrator: Unfortunately, on Sunday, the group startled to trickle home. Eric and Justin left very early in the morning. My final New York event was attending church at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.  It was full of worshipers from all over the world and it was much more enjoyable than a normal church experience.

I hope I don't go to Hell for that previous sentence.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

Museums and Other Activities, Sunday Afternoon

Tony the narrator: After I departed, the rest of the group visited some of New York's better known museums, the Guggenheim and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Brandee: I can say I’ve been to the Guggenheim and that’s a good thing because I don’t have to go back.  Ever. The MET was overwhelming…and we just needed more time to try and read the map.

Lunch outside a museum

Tony: I’ve never been to the Guggenheim, but from what it sounds like, it’s one of those museums that is designed so that if you don’t understand it, then you’re a rustic rube lacking in culture and sophistication.  For my true thoughts on these types of museums, please see the July 9th entry from this post.

Tony the Narrator: Sunday also happened to be Lynda's 70th birthday.

Betty: Having never been to New York City it was overwhelming in the beginning, but after a few days, it all felt normal, so to speak!!

My favorite memory was being in New York City and being able to celebrate my sister’s 70th birthday. After a fun filled morning seeing sights we continued onward. All had a great time boating, eating lobsters roll, wings, and more. Then bus tour of city, and off to a fantastic dinner.

My memories are so numerous, and all special.

The Today Show and Final Departures, Monday, September 26

On Monday morning, the group still in New York went to the Today Show and Rockefeller Center.

Hawkeyes representing at the Today Show

Dad trying to get some airtime.

Matt, over here!

Al, over here!

The set

30 Rock

One last beer before returning home!

Closing Thoughts

Tony: New York, particularly the borough of Manhattan, is my favorite city. There is nothing quite like it. I even have a fondness for the garbage and rats. But it's my favorite because there's no where else can match the energy that is created by so many people living, working, and visiting.

Eric: My favorite part was being in Times Square. Trying all the street food and watching the Hawks win.

Eric ordering some street food!

Justin: Other than the Hawks win, I really enjoyed Something Rotten and the Statue of Liberty. The whole trip was great!  Thanks to you and Garv for being tour guides!

Jean: Family and opportunity is what sums up this trip for me.  Getting to spend more than just a quick few hours with everyone was so wonderful.  The opportunity to see and do everything we did would not otherwise be there for me.  The patience (most of the time) and planning  from our guides was fantastic.  I loved flying into Newark and seeing the Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty in the harbor for the first time.  You cannot even imagine Times Square unless you actually experience it.  And THREE Broadway plays!  Just like our DC trip, it was so great going to so many famous locations -  now I can say that I've been there.  The cookies on the last day were the best!

Brandee: This is such an outstanding group of people to travel with.  The planning and adherence to the schedule is very efficient.  Between you and Michael getting all of us where we need to go, I thank you from the bottom of my heart!  

Jeanne: The trip went so smoothly. It was a well-oiled machine.

Tony the Narrator: I can’t summarize the trip any better than my aunt Mary.

Mary and Dick

There was:

Laughing- Happiness of family

Singing- Amazing Broadway shows

Cheering- A Hawkeye victory

Shrieking- Rats in the subway

Eating- Deli and street vendors

Tearing- 911 museum, Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

Praying- St. Patrick's Cathedral

Gawking- Tall buildings and Times Square

Thanking- Garv, Tony and all our family and extended family for making this such a memorable and fabulous trip.