On Saturday I did very very little. I watched football all day in the hotel room and I ordered Japanese take-away to the hotel room too. It brought back good memories of last summer having Udon noodles again.
I did book myself a swanky meal for the evening in Brooklyn though and had an amazing three courser there. I had Scallops to start, Filet Mignon for Main and some chocolate trio dessert. It was all excellent and would highly recommend ‘Benchmark’ if you ever head to Brooklyn.
On the Sunday I was up early and over to the smoothie place for a fruit smoothie and a smoked salmon crepe. I got back to the hotel to watch Liverpool/United and then Arsenal Stoke. The Arsenal result was a little disappointing on the face of it but Stoke are excellent at home and we are still top so I left happy.
Then it was time to go to my final Isles game Vs the Canucks. I had booked upper tier tickets this time which made for a cool difference as I could see the whole game but I prefer to be as close to the ice as possible to feel the hits.
It was 0-0 for a long time then the Canucks scored, thankfully we grabbed a very late equaliser after pulling the goalie and it was all square after OT. Unfortunately, we lost in the shootout but we still claimed a point so that made it 5 points out of the 6 on offer during my 3 games.
After the game I went to collect the Anders Lee signed, match used stick I had bought from the official merchandise guys but unfortunately the certificate hadn’t been authenticated yet so they’re going to ship it to me (better for me). I had two jerseys from them and a signed Anders Lee framed print for the hassle.
They took me down into the locker room which was unreal, and I met Matt Martin who took us around, and got photos (and shirt signed) by Thomas Hickey, Josh Bailey and John Tavares too. Thomas Hickey was great, was chatting with him for ages and they’re all proper down to earth guys.
As I had the jerseys and the framed photo, I had to rush back to the hotel after the game so no time for post match treats. I am so sad to be going tomorrow (albeit my flight is later in the evening). My plan for tomorrow is to head for brunch at this place recommended to me, do a small bit of shopping, just getting something small for Dougie and then maybe pop into Manhattan for one last time.
It’s actually started snowing today so I can claim it has snowed each and every time I have been in NYC. Thankfully, it doesn’t seem to be as bad as the last few times and certainly isn’t covering the ground yet.
So it will be a long day tomorrow no doubt and coming home is always tough with the jet lag and time difference. Thankfully, I am not working on the Tuesday (I get back Tues am) so I can get some sleep before being back in work Wednesday (and up to Leeds Thursday).
It’s been amazing here again, after doing all the touristy stuff the first time I was here, I just love coming here and chilling with a load of hockey in the mix. I reckon I might be back here for the playoffs if the trip on the road is too ambitious.
