Royalty Tours USA

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Royalty witnesses a rare Major League Tripleheader in NYC!

Game 2 at Yankee Stadium
Saturday September 24th wasn't your typical day in the park. It was a day spent in two different parks if you will.

For once mother nature set up a unique opportunity for the King and I. We were joined by our friends Bryan Gilligan, Ralph and Vincent Ascanio and Rich Wolber who also decided to take advantage of this rare opportunity.

The King, Bryan and I stayed at Citi Field and we saw the whole Met game which they wound up winning 2-1 over the Phillies. The game ended at 3:39PM. We then hopped on the subway and we arrived at Yankee Stadium at 4:38PM in the bottom of the second inning with the game scoreless. The Yankees proceeded to score six runs in the bottom of the second. Derek Jeter capped off the scoring in the inning with a three run home run. They tacked on three more to build a 9-0 lead after six innings. The Red Sox scored a run in the seventh inning to break the shutout.

We decided to leave with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning at 6:42PM.

We got back to Citi Field at 7:41PM in the top of the second inning right after the Phillies took a 2-0 lead. They added another run in the top of the third to take a 3-0 lead but the Mets stormed back and put up a five spot to take a 5-3 lead. They tacked on another run in the fourth inning as the score remained that way as the Mets beat the Phillies again, 6-3.

It was a unique day in more ways than one. It should be noted that all three games started as follows: 1:12PM, 4:12PM and 7:12PM. The other oddity was the fact that it took us 59 minutes to go from inside one ballpark to the inside of the other ballpark via subway both ways. What a coincidence that was.
Sunday I wound up settling for one game while the King, Bryan Gilligan, Ralph and Vincent Ascanio decided to do the doubleheader.

I went to see the Mets and Phillies at Citi Field then they all went to Yankee Stadium to see the Yankees play the Red Sox again.

In retrospect, I made the right decision. The Mets fell to the Phillies, 9-4. As for the Yankee game, the Yankees lost to the Red Sox in 14 innings, 7-4 in a game that lasted 5 hours and 11 minutes.

After all, I'm human. I had a very long and exhausting week. I needed to recharge the batteries.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty w/o 9/19 in review

Yankees Clinch AL East!
After going to work exhausted Monday I still found enough energy to go out to MetLife Stadium to see Monday Night Football as the New York Giants played host to the St. Louis Rams.

After a gut wrenching bus ride from the Port Authority Bus Terminal during rush hour, I finally arrived. It took only a mere one hour and 34 minutes to get there. Trust me that's no exaggeration. I told the King to take the train out there since he was leaving later than me. Thankfully he got out there about five minutes after I did.

We rounded up some tickets once we finally got there. We went inside and barely made the opening kickoff but luckily we did.

As for the game we saw, the Giants didn't play great but they managed to beat the hapless Rams, 28-16. Their defense played well as they pressured Rams' second year quarterback Sam Bradford all night long.
The Rams were settling for field goals when they had chances to score while the Giants were able to put up touchdowns including one that Domenik Hixon juggled before catching it in the end zone. Unfortunately it was a very costing catch as he tore his ACL in his knee again and he's out for the rest of the season for the second straight year. On the positive side, the Giants came out victorious on the scoreboard.

Tuesday night after work I went up to the Bronx to see the Yankees play the Tampa Bay Rays. I showed some of my co-workers the royal way there. When we got off the train, I heard somebody call my name. Ironically it was a friend of the family, Danny Michaelson who took his step daughter Deanna to the game. It was a pleasant surprise to see them. I haven't seen them in a very long time. As I like to say, timing is everything. I asked them where their seats were, they told me they were sitting upstairs near third base. I told them come with me, I'll give you an upgrade. True to my word, I did just that. Needless to say, Danny and Deanna were very grateful for the opportunity. They had a blast. They got to see me and the Yankees won, 5-0. I was thrilled that we got to meet up by surprise. We exchanged contact information so we can plan to meet up again in the future.

Wednesday night after work I went back for more baseball in the Bronx. The game was delayed an hour and two minutes at the start by rain. Once it finally got underway, the Yankees took a early 2-0 lead but the Rays fought back to tie the game at two which deprived CC Sabathia of winning his 20th game of the season. The Yankees did score the go ahead runs in the bottom of the eighth inning as they scored two to take a 4-2 lead. That's the way it ended. Since the Boston Red Sox lost, the Yankees with their victory clinched the American League Eastern Division.

Thursday night after work I went back up to the Bronx for the finale of this four game series as the game that was rained out on July 8th was made up on this night. With nothing really to play for except for home field advantage through the ALCS, the Yankees got tossed a beating. The Rays came out with their hitting shoes on as they raced out to a 13-0 lead after five innings. The Yankees fought back but they fall short in this one, 15-8.

Friday night with the Mets and the Yankees both home, mother nature got in the way. As a result, both games were postponed. With that being said, we got to witness a rare major league tripleheader.

Saturday afternoon the Mets played the Philadelphia Phillies in a day night doubleheader with the first game starting at 1:10PM and the second game at 7:10PM. The Yankees were scheduled to play the Boston Red Sox at 4:10PM on Fox.

Stay tuned for the special post I'm going to do about this unique day and weekend in NYC.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Monday, September 26, 2011

Royalty schedule w/o 9/26

Here's the game plan:

Monday September 26th Reds at Mets 7:10PM

Tuesday September 27th Reds at Mets 7:10PM

Friday September 30th ALDS Game 1 Tigers at Yankees 8:37PM

Saturday October 1st Toledo at Temple 12 Noon

                                  NLDS Game 1 Cardinals at Phillies 5:07PM

Sunday October 2nd 49ers at Eagles 1PM

                                 Jets at Ravens 8:20PM

Check back to see how it played out.

Hope all my readers and followers have a great week.

As always, if you need assistance don't hesitate to ask.

Stay tuned for my w/o 9/19 in review.

If you like to tweet you can follow me on Twitter too. @royaltytoursusa

Furthermore, we can hook up on Facebook and/or Four Square as well.

With all the ways to communicate these days, we should always be in touch.

Remember team work makes the dream work.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Royalty meets up with Sam Citron, Security Guard at Citi Field!

Sam Citron
Back in 2010, the King and I would enter Citi Field through the Rotunda entrance which is right off the subway.

We always like to find a familiar face when we enter any venue since we go so often. I always feel more comfortable that way. We always bring a bag with us because we have our scorebooks to score the game.
Sometimes you run into a security guard who wants to take their job way too seriously. In other words, they give you a hard time for no reason. Thankfully after a while we noticed a guy named Sam who always let us go without too much of a hassle. Don't get me wrong, Sam always does his job right but he's always a gentleman about it. He looks at our bags and let's us go in. As a result, we started always looking for him. Now every time we go in through the Rotunda, we make sure we see Sam. Every once in a while, he's not there which makes our visit less enjoyable upon entering the ballpark. It's not the same.

Sam is a great guy. He always greets us in royal fashion. He refers to us as the King and the Prince. In addition, he always says and I quote "it's always a pleasure". I wish they're were more good people in this world like Sam.

I recently told Sam about my blog. He tells me how he's bookmarked my site so he can read all about us.

Upon hearing that commentary, I was speechless. After I gathered myself, I told him I greatly appreciate that. In matter of fact, when I went in yesterday afternoon, he asked me about Kansas City. He said you had a great time there. I replied I certainly did.

If and when you happen to go to Citi Field to see the Mets play, please make sure you look for Sam and tell him Royalty sent you. That way you can go in without a problem and you'll feel welcome the moment you step foot on the premises. That's the way royalty operates.

Life is short and it has plenty of ups and downs. You need to find creative and innovative ways to make the best of your situation. Thanks to Sam when I enter Citi Field it's a breeze. Little things in life do go a long way.

I want to personally thank Sam for his kind and professional way of treating people.

As the baseball season is coming to a close, the most disappointing part is not being about to say hello to Sam on a regular basis until next April.

However I plan to stay in touch with him in the offseason. He'll be checking up on us through my blog. For that I'm very grateful.

For those of you who read my blog regularly, I greatly appreciate it. If you share a similar interest and/or you need assistance or advice please don't hesitate to ask me for help. I'll be more than happy to guide you along to make your life better.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Friday, September 23, 2011

Royalty w/o 9/12 in review

After entertaining and enjoying company over the 9/11 weekend, I got back to my normal local routine as I went to Citi Field after work Monday night, Tuesday night and Wednesday night.

As for the games I saw, the Mets played the surging Washington Nationals who recently got their young phenom Stephen Strasburg back after he underwent surgery that kept him out of action for a year. Ironically the King and I saw him last pitch in Philadelphia on August 21, 2010. That was first and only time we've seen him pitch in person. He looked great until he hurt his arm in the 5th inning.

Strasburg pitched in Washington on Sunday so he missed pitching at Citi Field. The Nationals didn't need him as they beat the Mets in the three games I saw them play. They won by the scores of 3-2 Monday and Tuesday night and 2-0 on Wednesday night.

Thankfully I was working Thursday afternoon as the Nationals completed the four game sweep of the Mets.
I went home after work to rest up Thursday night. I wound up with a rare Friday night off due to the odd schedule making. Both the Mets and Yankees were on the road for the weekend.

Speaking of the weekend, the King and I were joined by our friends and royalty regulars Manny Morales, Frank Anichiarico and Al Linderman on Saturday as I rented a car from Avis for the weekend and I drove us down to Baltimore to see the Orioles play the Angels at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.

Before the game, we met up with our pal Peter Agnew who lives in Baltimore and his friend Jim who joined us as well. We all went to one of our favorite places when we go down there, that being Looney's Pub. As usual, the food and service was second to none. Billy the chef cooked us up some great chicken wings and burgers. Manny in particular was raving about it. It was music to my ears. Royalty aims to please not tease. When I write the script, people aren't disappointed with the results.

After we all enjoyed the great meal we headed over to the ballpark. I want to thank Peter for accomodating us all by getting us the tickets. As always, he gave us his version of royal treatment.

I always looking forward to going to Baltimore just so I can meet up with Peter. He's such a good man.
After the game we saw which the Orioles won 6-2, we drove back home. The game was over in the first inning as the Orioles scored five runs off Angels' starter Ervin Santana who the King and I saw throw a no-hitter in Cleveland on July 27th. After getting roughed up in the first inning, Santana settled down but he dug too deep of a hole for himself and his team to dig out of. Zach Britton of the Orioles pitched well for seven innings allowing just three hits and one run to earn the victory.

Sunday the King and I went to MetLife Stadium to see the Jets play the Jacksonville Jaguars. We met up with our friend and royalty regular, Rich Wolber aka Staten Island Rich who joined us for the Jet game.
The Jets came out like a house on fire as they built an early 9-0 lead early in the first quarter. They went on to cruise to a dominant 32-3 beating of the Jaguars. It was quite a contrast from their subpar opening game performance against the Cowboys which they were very fortunate to win.

After the game, we drove down to Philadelphia to see the Phillies play the Cardinals in Sunday night baseball at Citizens Bank Park.

The Cardinals were trying to keep their playoff hopes alive and they did by beating the Phillies, 5-0 behind Chris Carpenter who threw eight shutout innings to earn the victory for the Redbirds.

After the game, I drove us back home and another week was in the books.

Stay tuned for the special post I'm going to write about a guy who always makes our visit to Citi Field worth it the moment he greets us when we step foot on the premises.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty entertains company from out of town over the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 weekend Part Two!

After getting a surprise visit on Friday night, I got a planned visit over the 9/11 weekend.

Saturday morning I arranged to meet a guy from San Diego named Dave Block. I spoke to Dave at the end of July when I was on my big road trip. He told me he wanted to come to NYC for the 9/11 weekend.
We wrote back and forth and we finally got to meet up in person.

In addition, I met up with a few special ladies who represent the SADS Foundation. They were Vice President Laura Wall and their CEO Alice. They were at Citi Field to promote awareness for this deadly disease that affects young people. I was privileged and honored to meet a family who had a history of this disease in their family but thankfully the young girls have been tested and they've been cleared of this disease. That was a refreshing and remarkable story that they can tell to others who have a family history.

For further details of this weekend, please see the wonderful post below that Dave did on his blog, http://mygratitudelife.wordpress.com/

Dave is known as the "gratitude guy".

http://mygratitudelife.wordpress.com/2011/09/14/day-190-my-visit-to-new-york-city-on-911-weekend/

I want to personally thank Dave, Laura and Alice for taking the time to meet up with me.

It was an absolute pleasure to meet and greet them.

I plan to see them again in the future.

Stay tuned for my w/o 9/12 in review as I continue to try and play catch up.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Royalty entertains company from out of town over the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 weekend Part One!

On Friday night, the King and I were at Taste of Dolly's having dinner before the Mets and Cubs game at Citi Field. While we were eating I got a call from some people we met when we were in Tokyo, Japan back in 2000 to see the Mets ironically play the Cubs to open the season. They were none other than Dennis and Sue Kelly, who were originally from Long Island. Back in 1980, they moved to Irvine, California which is near Anaheim and they've been out there since.

Over the years, we've stayed in touch and we've taken turns visiting each other a number of times. This time they returned to NYC along with Dennis' brother Bob, who lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The King and I recently saw Bob in March when we went down South to Norfolk.

They said they were on their way to Citi Field and they needed tickets for the game. They called the right person as I was able to arrange to get them what they needed. I wound up meeting them outside the ballpark with tickets for the game. They were very grateful that I came through on last minute notice. We proceeded to go inside and we all enjoyed each other's company as well as the game. The Mets won in dramatic fashion, 5-4 as Justin Turner delivered the game winning single after the Cubs fought back to tie the game in top of the ninth inning.

After the game, we all went to Donovan's Pub in Woodside for a victory meal and some drinks. Dennis and Sue had gone there with us another time in the past. After we enjoyed our food and drinks, we said our goodbyes and we parted ways.

I want to thank them for coming back home if you will. They're all big Met fans and at least despite the rollercoaster season it's been for the Mets, I'm glad they got to see them win. Dennis and Sue came to see Citi Field for the first time. Bob had been there a few times already.

I hope to return to Southern California in the future so we can arrange to meet up again.

Stay tuned for Part 2 from that weekend as more special guests came in to NYC to visit and remember that horrible day back in 2001.

Thank you for reading and following.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Monday, September 19, 2011

Royalty schedule w/o 9/19

Here's the game plan:

Monday September 19th Rams at Giants 8:30PM

Tuesday September 20th Rays at Yankees 7:05PM

Wednesday September 21st Rays at Yankees 7:05PM

Thursday September 22nd Rays at Yankees 7:05PM

Friday September 23rd Phillies at Mets 7:10PM

Saturday September 24th Phillies at Mets 1:10PM

                                        Red Sox at Yankees 4:10PM

Sunday September 25th Phillies at Mets 1:10PM

Check back to see how it turned out.

Hope all my readers and followers have a great week.

As always, if you need assistance don't hesitate to ask.

Stay tuned for my w/o 9/12 in review.

Please bear with me as I continue to try to play catch up. I'm falling further behind but I plan to get up to date as soon as I can.

If you like to tweet you can follow me on Twitter too. @royaltytoursusa

Furthermore, we can hook up on Facebook and/or Four Square as well.

With all the ways to communicate these days, we should always be in touch.

Remember team work makes the dream work.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Royalty w/o 9/5 in review

View from Section 319
After I returned from the Heartland Sunday night, I continued my adventurous holiday weekend by renting a car at Avis on Monday Labor Day morning.

I drove back to Astoria to pick up the King and off to Yankee Stadium we went to see the Yankees play the Baltimore Orioles at 1:05PM.

We wound up seeing a wild game that resembled batting practice as the Yankees held a 8-7 lead after just three innings. Robinson Cano hit a grand slam to help fuel the Yankee offense.

The scoring calmed down a bit as the game wore on as the Yankees prevailed, 11-10.

In the top of the ninth inning we positioned ourselves by the elevators so we could make a fast getaway. Upon doing so, we saw a familiar face. It was none other than Joe Neubauer who we know from going to Yankee games as well as other local area sporting events.

Joe has a unique distinction of attending every Yankee home game since June 1975 so he says. In addition, he's gone to every Major League All-Star Game since 1982 plus the one at old Yankee Stadium in 1977.
Needless to say, Joe said he'll be going to Kansas City next July for the All-Star Game. I told him I just got back from there. I told him what to expect since he said he's never been there before.

While we were talking he asked where we were going after the game. We said we're going to Philadelphia to see the Phillies play the Braves. He asked if he could join us, I responded sure we have room, the back seat is empty. He said let me call me my wife and check with her. His wife gave him the okay to go. With that being said, the King and I had unexpected company. We proceeded to walk to the car and off to Philadelphia we went.
Cliff Lee,
Joe said he went to Citizens Bank Park one time back in 2007. It was nice to be able to take there so he could see what I think is arguably one of the best new modern ballparks.

As for the game we saw there, it was quite the contrast of the game we witnessed at Yankee Stadium. In this game, we saw one of the game's best pitchers pitch in Cliff Lee who started and finished the game for the Phillies. He pitched masterfully as he shut down the Atlanta Braves, 9-0 allowing just five hits as lived up to his nickname "Completlee".

As a baseball fan, it was a joy to watch him pitch. He dodged the rain drops that fell on and off during the game to continue his recent domination after getting off to a slow start early in the season.

After the game, I drove the King back to work in Manhattan. He works at the Post Office at Grand Central Station. Just before I dropped him off we let Joe out at a bus stop so he could catch a bus to the Upper East side where he lives. Joe couldn't thank us enough for taking him. He said he would love to do it again sometime. It was a pleasure to have him with us.

I proceeded to take myself home and I returned the car Tuesday morning before I went back to work.
After work Tuesday I was planning to go to Yankee Stadium but it was raining so I went home first to have dinner. I met up with the King and we waited to see if indeed they were going to eventually play. They did but with the game not starting until 11:08PM I decided I'll just stay home. The King went since he starts work at 2AM so it's somewhat on the way so it made sense for him to go. As for me, I was exhausted from all the traveling I did over the weekend. In retrospect, it was a blessing in disguise.

Wednesday night after work I had another night off which allowed me to catch up on things at home.
Thursday I wound up getting out of work early so I could attend the doubleheader between the Mets and Braves at Citi Field.

Despite the sparse gathering at the ballpark, I got to see many familiar faces which included Charlie O'Reilly who's another road tripper. In addition, Vincent Ascanio and his father Ralph were present and accounted for.
As for the games we saw, the Mets wound up falling behind 3-0 in top of the first inning. They came right back to take the lead in the bottom half of the first as Jason Bay hit a grand slam to give the Mets a 4-3 lead. The Braves eventually regained the lead and they held on to win game one, 6-5.

In the night cap, the Braves completed the sweep as they beat the Mets, 5-1 to take both games of the twin bill.

Stay tuned as I'm going to do some special posts that will capture the events that transpired over the 9/11 weekend here in the New York City area. It was memorable and unforgettable in more ways than one.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Royalty meets up with Superfan Chris Coats at Kauffman Stadium!

Superfan Chris Coats and I
I think I jumped the gun in my last post saying my trip to the Heartland was complete.

After having an amazing breakfast, I went to Kauffman Stadium, home of the Kansas City Royals and their Superfan Chris Coats who I saw in May when he came to Yankee Stadium to see the Royals play the Yankees.

Chris is a really good kid. He was all dressed up in his Royal attire which included his cape. I was thrilled to be able to watch most of the game with him. We got to catch up on things. He said he was hoping to go to Florida to see the Marlins for their last series of the season. I hope he gets there. He goes to all the Royal home games as well as a number of their road games. With that being said, he obviously enjoys being punished. In other words, he's a true fan. Good for him.

Unfortunately I had to catch a flight at 6:15PM so I couldn't possibly stay to the end of this drawn out game. Thankfully Shelley Duncan of the Cleveland Indians hit two home runs including his second one with two outs in the eighth to extend the Indians lead from 7-3 to 9-3. I needed to leave but I knew he was coming up so I said to myself I have to watch him bat. He made me look good as he blasted another home run. With that, I left the ballpark. The Royals added three runs in the ninth inning but they fell short, 9-6.

I got back to the car and I went to get something to eat at Hi Boy Drive In which is a place Dorothy recommended. I went there last year when we visited. So I wisely took her advice and I got a double cheeseburger with onion rings and a vanilla shake.

I proceeded to drive 30 miles to the airport. I dropped off my car rental and I went to the airport and I ate my food. I wound up with just enough time so I didn't have to break a sweat trying to catch my flight home on Frontier Airlines.

I got back home in one piece and with that another successful getaway was in the books.

Stay tuned as I do my w/o 9/5 in review. In addition, I'll be doing some other special posts as well. Please bear with me as I continue to play catch up.

As always, thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Farewell breakfast at Cracker Barrel with Dorothy and Company!

Dot and I 
Dorothy Straney dropped me off at my hotel after we spent an eventful day together with her Mom. I couldn't thank her enough for being so good to me. I had a blast.

She told me her boyfriend Joel who I've met on a few occasions including back in 2008 when he visited NYC for the very first time wanted to see me.

With that being said, I asked Dorothy if she wanted to meet up for breakfast. She said she would that way Joel could see me again. They had plans in the afternoon so it worked out well for all of us.

I suggested going to Cracker Barrel which is one of my favorite places to go for breakfast when I'm on the road since they don't exist here in NYC. Dorothy said we all love that place. That was music to my ears. We arranged to meet up in the morning for a hearty country style breakfast which was not too far from my hotel. Dorothy told me exactly how to get there so it worked out perfectly.

We all indulged in an amazing meal together. We got to chat some more. It was a pleasure to see Joel again. He's a really good guy. His presence made my visit to the Heartland complete.

After we got done eating, I wanted to pick up the tab for the table but Dorothy wouldn't let me. She said you can leave the tip which I did. We had a waitress named Allie who was excellent. I'm not used to getting such first class service. I'm only used to delivering it. She was really great. It was reflected in the generous tip I left her.

Stay tuned for the next installment of this journey. After bidding farewell to Dorothy, Mom and Joel, I went on my way to Kauffman Stadium to see the Royals play before catching my flight home to NYC.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Steak N Shake

Steak N Shake
When I go on the road especially to the Midwest, I always try my best to go to Steak N Shake. They've been around since 1934. They are known for their steakburgers and shakes.

Some of them are open 24 hours so you can always stop in for a late night snack or meal. Young people like to hang out in them too.

They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner all day and night. They're reasonably priced so you definitely won't go broke.

On our way back from the football game, we wound up stopping at one in Lawrence, Kansas. I wound up getting a shake to go as did Dorothy's Mom.

It was tremendous as usual. Sometimes when we're on a trip we stop in and sit down and have a late night meal when time allows.

I strongly suggest that if and when you happen to be on the road and especially if you haven't experienced Steak N Shake before that you give it a shot.

I know you won't be disappointed. Your doctor may not approve but life is too short and you should always enjoy the ride.

I'm just giving you my sound advice. I hope you take me up on it when the opportunity presents itself.

I know if you decide to come with me somewhere and there's one in the area you know we're stopping to satisfy the craving. Please keep that in mind when you want to make a road trip.

Royalty knows all the good places to eat on the road from plenty of years of experience.

All you have to do is let me know when you're ready to go so I can accomodate your needs and wants.

Thanks for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty finally sees the Kansas State Wildcats win!

Dot and I
After the volleyball game we saw, we walked back to Dot's car and we had a little tailgate party. She brought burgers and hot dogs and we cooked them and we ate.

After eating, we headed over to the Bill Snyder Family Stadium, home of the K-State Wildcats.
Thanks to Scott Garrett, the assistant athletic director who arranged to get me a $10 ticket for the game which was right next to Dot's in section 8 row 45.

I want to personally thank Scott for being so accomodating. That turned out to be a very wise decision since the game was sold out. Dot said she hadn't seen the stadium that full in a few years. All the benches were filled up with people all dressed up in purple. The fans brought their pride and passion with them.

It was a great experience for me finally getting the Wildcat off my back.

I've seen the Wildcats on the road back in October 2002 in Boulder, Colorado but they lost to the Buffaloes that day in an exciting game, 35-31. More recently at Yankee Stadium I was at the Pinstripe Bowl that Dorothy and her Mom came in for last December and they fell short to Syracuse, 36-28.

This time they were playing the Eastern Kentucky Colonels at home. The question was with me in the house would they be able to "pop" the colonels.

For most of the game it looked dim. The game was scoreless into the third quarter. The Colonels finally got on the scoreboard to take a 7-0 lead. The Wildcats cut the lead to 7-3. Despite committing five turnovers the Wildcats put themselves in position to win the game. They wound up scoring a touchdown with 1:39 left to take the lead at 10-7. They wound up holding on for the slim victory as I escaped Manhattan with a W.

It was a thrill to be there. In matter of fact, we wound up sitting by some young people. One of which was a young man named Josh Allen. Josh and I spoke during the game and he said he's been a football Giant fan since he was 4 years old. I hope he gets to come to NYC some day so I can arrange to take him to a Giant game. He goes to school in Minnesota at a school called Bethany he said.

Stay tuned as the next installment of my heartland getaway continues.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Royalty sees Volleyball played at Kansas State!

Mom and I
After Dorothy gave me a great tour of the Kansas State campus, she dropped off her Mom and I at the Ahearn Fieldhouse, home of the K-State Volley Cats.

Dorothy went to park the car near the football stadium in preparation for the main event, the K-State football game at 6PM.

She met up with us inside as we saw the visiting BYU Lady Cougars beat the Volley Cats in three sets. The scores were 25-23, 25-19 and 25-23.

Regardless of the outcome, it was great time watching the ladies battle it out. It was something different and it was entertaining. Needless to say, the company couldn't be beat.

After the game, we took a nice walk back to the car and we had a little tailgate party before the football game.
Dorothy came prepared with her little barbecue. It was relaxing as we indulged in a nice pre game meal.

After we ate, we headed in to the Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium, home of the Wildcats.

Stay tuned as I recap the experience I had at the football game.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

2012 Major League Baseball Schedule is Released!

Please see the link below for all the details.

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/schedule/?tcid=mm_mlb_schedule#date=04/04/2012

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/schedule/team_by_team.jsp

http://bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5420:mlb-released-2012-schedule-with-less-days-more-time-off-around-asg&catid=30:mlb-news&Itemid=42

If and when you need my expertise in planning your 2012 baseball road trips please feel free to contact me.

I plan to dissect the schedule to put together the most creative trip plans that the schedule allows.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty enjoys Heartland hospitality in the State of Kansas!

Kansas State University
After the minor league baseball game in Des Moines, Iowa I said goodbye to a new friend in Tige Hutcheson.

I barely survived the 210 mile drive back to my hotel in Lenexa, Kansas which is in the Overland Park area. I was running on fumes but I managed to check in shortly after 2AM.

I had to get up early so I could meet up with an old friend, Dorothy Straney who came with her Mom. I met Dot as I call her back on August 13, 1993. That was one of my many lucky days in life that I came in contact with another good person.

Over the years, we've taken turns meeting up either in the Heartland, in NYC or another part of the country.
Dot and her Mom who is a such a lovely lady both graduated from Kansas State. Her Mom in 1951 and Dot in 1974. They both love their Wildcats. They follow them all over. They always dress up in purple from head to toe.

I always wanted to see a Wildcat football game at their home in Manhattan, Kansas aka the "Little Apple" if you will. I got more than I bargained for. Dot informed me that their volleyball team was home too. They were playing at 1PM and the football game was at 6PM.

Dot told me she would give me a ride to and from the game which was about 125 miles each way. I couldn't be more thankful since I was exhausted and I needed a break from being behind the wheel.

She came to my hotel shortly after 9AM. On the way to Manhattan, she gave a guided tour as we visited Lawrence, Kansas home of the Kansas University Jayhawks. She drove us around their campus.

We continued on our way through the Flint Hills on I-70 as we made our way to the "Little Apple". Once we arrived in Manhattan she drove me around the downtown area which consisted of three or four blocks.

After that, we proceeded to drive around the Kansas State campus which was beautiful. All the buildings were made out of limestone except for two of them. They were made out of red brick. Dot said they received the wrong shipment of bricks that's why they're different then the others.

In addition, she showed me where her and her mother lived when they went to school there back in the day.
Furthermore, we visited the cows in the Dairy Unit. Dot used to milk them when she was in school. We got to see them up close. It was quite a treat for me.

Stay tuned for the special posts I'm going to do about the volleyball game and the football game we saw.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Royalty visits Principal Park in Des Moines, Iowa with up and coming roadtripper!

Prince and Tige
After I had dinner at The Machine Shed with Tige Hutcheson who writes for the website Stadium Journey, we went to Downtown Des Moines to see the Iowa Cubs host the Omaha Storm Chasers in a minor league baseball game.

For all the details about the ballpark experience please see the link below. Tige did a great review that covers all the bases.

http://www.stadiumjourney.com/stadiums/principal-park-s230/

As for the game we saw, it was a seesaw battle as the hometown Iowa Cubs were playing out the string and the visiting Omaha Storm Chasers were preparing for the playoffs.

The Storm Chasers took an early 4-0 lead. The Baby Cubbies came back to take a 5-4 lead after 4 innings. In the top of the fifth inning, the Storm Chasers went back ahead, 6-5. Then in the seventh inning they put up a crooked number as they posted a nine spot to break this game open. That's how it ended as the Storm Chasers won, 15-5.

Regardless of the outcome, it was an entertaining and fun night at the ballpark.

I want to personally thank Tige for joining me and making my first visit to Principal Park a very memorable one.

Stay tuned as I relive my return to the Heartland. I have plenty more to write so please bear with me as I attempt to play catch up.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Monday, September 12, 2011

Royalty schedule w/o 9/12

Here's the game plan:

Monday September 12th Nationals at Mets 7:10PM

Tuesday September 13th Nationals at Mets 7:10PM

Wednesday  September 14th Nationals at Mets 7:10PM

Saturday September 17th Angels at Orioles 7:05PM

Sunday September 18th Jaguars at Jets 1PM

                                     Cardinals at Phillies 8:05PM

Check back to see how it played out.

Hope all my readers and followers have a great week.

As always, if you need assistance don't hesitate to ask.

Stay tuned for my w/o 9/5 in review.

In addition, I'll be doing some special posts. Trust me it will be worth the wait. Please bear with me as I try to play catch up. I'm falling further behind but I plan to get up to date as soon as I can.

If you like to tweet you can follow me on Twitter too. @royaltytoursusa

Furthermore, we can hook up on Facebook and/or Four Square as well.

With all the ways to communicate these days, we should always be in touch.

Remember team work makes the dream work.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Saturday, September 10, 2011

The Machine Shed

Iowa  Pork Chop Dinner

When I was attempting to meet up with Tige Hutcheson for dinner I accidentally came across a restaurant called the Machine Shed in Urbandale, Iowa. It was located right outside of West Des Moines which is not far from Downtown Des Moines where we were going to see the Iowa Cubs play.

I walked inside the restaurant if you will and I asked a lady named Julie Eckhardt who was waiting to seat people for the exact address while I was talking to Tige so he could meet me there.

Julie was very friendly which is typical of people from the heartland and the cornfields of the State of Iowa.
While I was waiting for Tige, I was looking around and I noticed this place reminded me of Cracker Barrel. It had a watering hole on one side, a retail store which included a bakery and the family restaurant on the other side.

Another lady named Tonia Slack, who was the retail manager got my attention. I started talking to her and I told her I was from New York City. She told me she lived in Connecticut for a while so it made for an instant conversation.

During our chat, she showed me the different pastries they had to offer and she told me to go ahead and pick one out to take home with me. They're known for their cinnamon rolls which were covered with butter cream frosting. It was a huge roll. I couldn't thank her enough for her kindness. I proceeded to go out to the car to put it away.

I waited for Tige to come and shortly thereafter he did. We went inside to indulge in a hearty country farm style home cooked meal.

I had an Iowa Pork Chop as you can see in the picture. Tige had Brisket which also looked and tasted delicious. In addition, Julie and Tonia both recommended their baked potato soup. I was going to order a bowl but our waitress Barb said to go with the cup since I was getting the extra thick chop. That was a wise decision.

When I finally got done eating, I was stuffed.

After we ate, I made sure I said goodbye to Julie and Tonia. In addition, there was another lady with them, Cat Wood. I spoke briefly with her as well.

Tige and I had to get to the game so we were forced to leave.

I want to personally thank these ladies for the wonderful hospitality they provided us.

If and when I happen to be back in that area I'll definitely plan to enjoy another great meal.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Thursday, September 8, 2011

A Royal return to the Heartland over Labor Day Weekend!

Hello KC!
Friday morning I woke up early and off to LaGuardia Airport I went to embark on a return visit to our Nation's Heartland. In other words, I was going to spend my Labor Day weekend in Missouri, Iowa and Kansas.

I flew out to Kansas City, Missouri on American Airlines at 7:45AM Eastern Time with a layover in Dallas-Fort Worth. By doing so, it was more cost effective for me since after all I'm not made of money. I eventually landed in Kansas City at 1:40PM in the afternoon Central Time. As a result, I was able to gain an hour on my way out there.

Upon arrival, I took a shuttle bus to the rental car center and I proceeded to rent a car from Alamo. The rental agent named Colter who tried his very best to try to lure me into taking a bigger car for just $33 more for the weekend. Being a veteran and astute traveler, I didn't go for the bait.

In retrospect, it turned out to be a wise decision. I reserved an economy car. He told me when I was getting ready to leave the counter to pick out a car he said and I quote "you got a really good deal." I sure did. I proceeded to walk out to the area where the cars were. He said to pick one from the compact area. That's an instant car upgrade already. As I was walking over to the compact cars, I noticed a Chevy Impala was parked there. I know for a fact that's a full size car. I asked a worker who was nearby and he said and I quote "get it while it's hot." Since I was by myself there was no need to get such a big car especially in the area I was driving to and from. I looked at the other options and I decided I'll take the Hyundai Elantra, a car I've rented a number of times in the past. That's a midsize car by today's rental standards. I also noticed that it was equipped with a XM radio so I said to myself that's mine for the weekend.

I got in and I drove off. My next destination was going to be Des Moines, Iowa which was about 200 miles north of Kansas City. It was a straight shot up I-35. I arranged to meet up with an up and coming sports traveler in Des Moines where we were going to see the Iowa Cubs play against the Omaha Storm Chasers at Principal Park. This young man named Tige Hutcheson, contacted me earlier in the week when I was at Citi Field. He told me he covers the state of Iowa for Stadium Journey, the website that does reviews of all the different ballparks and arenas around the country as well as other parts of the World. If you haven't checked it out yet, I strongly suggest that you do so.

When I saw Tige's e-mail, I responded quickly like I always do. To be perfectly honest, he made my night. I anxiously made arrangements to meet up with him. I told him I was planning to have a nice dinner before I got to the ballpark.

He said to call him when I got close to Des Moines. He was coming from Mankato, Minnesota where he's currently attending college at Minnesota State. He told me he's from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I was fast approaching Des Moines at 4:30PM I was about 25 miles away so I called him to see if we could try to meet up for dinner before the game. He was at a store killing time in a mall. I got off the highway and I noticed a place to eat. It was called the Machine Shed. I walked inside while I was talking to him so I could get their address so he could meet me there. Shortly thereafter, he did.

Stay tuned for the very special post I'm going to be doing about this restaurant, country store and watering hole. In addition, the next installment of this memorable weekend.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

Royalty w/o 8/29 in review

Thanks to Hurricane Irene, I was affected by her aftermath. Since I work with people who live in Westchester, I wound up working the full day. They couldn't get to work because Metro-North, their commuter train suspended service due to Irene.

With that being said, I had to miss the whole first game of the doubleheader between the Mets and the Florida Marlins at Citi Field which the Mets wound up winning. I was going to get out of work early so I could see most of the first game but that didn't go as planned.

I wound up seeing the Mets play the second game as they completed the sweep of the twinbill as they squished the Fish, 5-1.

Off the field and in our section 516, I was planning to see the CitiFSHooligan's and Hooligals but it seemed like most of them came for the first game and they either left or went downstairs for the second game so I didn't get to really enjoy their added entertainment.

Tuesday night after work, I went back to Citi Field to see the Mets play game three of the five game series with the Marlins.

On this night, the Mets and Marlins matched zeroes for the first six innings as Mike Pelfrey of the Mets and Javier Vazquez of the Marlins both pitched well. That was true until the seventh inning when Mike Pelfrey unraveled as he got beat up as the Marlins put up a five spot in the top half. Four of those runs were given up by Big Pelf. The Marlins added another run in the ninth as they went on to shutout the Mets, 6-0.

Wednesday night on my way to Citi Field, I stopped off at Subway and Carvel which are located in the same place right off the Junction Blvd. stop on the 7 train which is one express stop from Citi Field. I indulged by having a royal meal at Subway and a hearty dessert at Carvel.

After I stuffed my face, I got back on the train and off to Citi Field I went.

When I arrived at Citi Field, I saw my pal Vincent Ascanio near my seat in section 516. He was supposed to join me for dinner but he had a big lunch so he decided to pass up the golden opportunity. He did ask me how it was. I couldn't come up with enough adjectives to describe it but I did tell him he definitely missed out. He said he'll join me the next time.

I had additional company at the game as I saw an old friend who I grew up with. That was Jonathan Karten who was at the game with his son Matt who was attending his very first baseball game. When I asked Matt what he thought he said he was having a good time. Hopefully his daddy will bring him back again some day.
As for the game we saw, the Mets beat the Marlins, 3-2. The Mets fell behind 2-0 in the first inning. They clawed their way back to tie the score at two in the sixth inning. In the seventh inning, Lucas Duda delivered what proved to be the winning run as he delivered the go ahead hit that secured the victory for the Mets.

Thursday night I went back to Citi Field once again for finale of the five game series.It was my 200th game that I've seen at Citi Field.

The Mets once again fell behind early 2-0 after two innings. They came back and put four runs up in their half of the third inning. They tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to build a 7-2 lead. Luckily they did because they tried their best to give this game away as they barely hung on to win, 7-5.
Friday morning I flew out to Kansas City for the Labor Day weekend.

Check back for the special posts that I'm going to do that will go into extensive detail of the great time I had out in the Heartland.

As always, thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Monday, September 5, 2011

Royalty schedule w/o 9/5

Here's the game plan:

Monday September 5th Orioles at Yankees 1:05PM

                                     Braves at Phillies 7:05PM

Tuesday September 6th Orioles at Yankees 7:05PM

Thursday Braves at Mets 4:10PM Doubleheader

Friday September 9th Cubs at Mets 7:10PM

Saturday September 10th Cubs at Mets 1:10PM
Where's Bob? SADS Awareness Day at Citi Field

Sunday September 11th Cowboys at Jets 8:20PM
10th Anniversary of the Tragic Attacks at Ground Zero 9/11/01
Day of Remembrance

Check back to see how it turned out.

Hope all my readers and followers have a great week.

As always, if you need assistance don't hesitate to ask.

Stay tuned for my w/o 8/29 in review.

In addition, I'll be doing some special posts from my Heartland getaway. Trust me it will be worth the wait. Please bear with me as I try to play catch up.

If you like to tweet you can follow me on Twitter too. @royaltytoursusa

Furthermore, we can hook up on Facebook and/or Four Square as well.

With all the ways to communicate these days, we should always be in touch.

Remember team work makes the dream work.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Royalty is already feeling the KC love and I'm still in NYC!

Please see the link below regarding the hint of the release of the 2012 Major League Baseball schedule.

http://m.kansascity.com/kcstar/db_41615/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=NO9miHY5&detailindex=0&pn=0&ps=5

Check back for the full release when it becomes available.

I'll be here to satisfy your needs and wants. All you have to do is contact me.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Darren O'Donnell continues his journey with a layover in Buffalo before he goes across the Border into Canada!

Please see below for all the details of his progress in this great article that was written about him by Andrew Kulyk and Peter Farrell of the USRT.

http://artvoice.com/issues/v10n35/play_ball#.Tl9pT41wgQI.facebook

Please feel free to follow him on Twitter @Baseball_Biking and/or on Facebook where he has been chronicling his amazing adventure.

Try to catch him as he's coming down the home stretch with the finish line slated for September 25th in St. Louis.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty blows off Irene to make a surprise visit to the FDH Lounge with Rick Morris!

As I mentioned in my w/o 8/22 in review, the King decided he needed to escape NYC before Irene decided to arrive over the weekend. I was planning to stay home to do the wash and clean the house.

With that being said, we found a creative way to getaway.

For all the details, please click on the link below to read the great post that Rick Morris of the FDH Lounge did about his "royal" experience.

http://thefdhlounge.blogspot.com/2011/08/hanging-out-with-greatest-sports-fans.html

As for Rick Morris, I strongly suggest you check out his blog and his amazing ultimate links page. With over 2,100 plus links and counting, you'll never run out of sites to visit including mine which happens to be on this exclusive list.

With Rick's tremendous support for the King and I, I hope that in due time we'll fulfill his wishes and royalty will continue to roll on for many years to come.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty shows visitors from Australia the way to Yankee Stadium!

Jamil, Joey & I
Last Tuesday night after work I went down to the subway to take the train to the game like I always do.

Sometimes I notice people who seem lost so I take it upon myself to volunteer to help. Over the years, I've attracted people from different parts of the country and occasionally other parts of the world by being me. I treat people as I want to be treated. That's the reason why I ask people if they need help. Some people act scared. That's understandable especially in the crazy world we live in today. You never know what somebody's really up to.

This time I came across a few guys who were going to see a baseball game for the very first time they said. I happened to be with my co-worker, Byron Bruno who was heading home after work.

We got into a conversation with these guys, Jamil and Joey. They said they were from Sydney, Australia. It was perfect timing as we got to talk with them during the ride up to Yankee Stadium. They said they bought tickets online through Ticketmaster. They had to go to will call to get their tickets.

When we got off the subway, I pointed them in the right direction. I suggested that they join me as I was going to pick up some food to bring in. They decided to go and get their tickets instead. They gave me their seat location and when I went inside I met them. They thought they were pressed for time but I wound up beating them to their seats.

I arranged to get them a Yankee Yearbook so they could have a souvenir to bring back home with them. They were very grateful for my thoughtfulness. Before we parted ways, we exchanged contact information.
Jamil told me his cousin plays rugby in Austrailia. If I go there someday, he said he would get me tickets. In addition, he said he would treat me like a VIP.

I do hope to go "down under" someday. If I'm fortunate to do so, I plan to look them up.

It was truly a pleasure to meet and greet these guys. Too bad they were heading back home on Thursday they said. It sounded like they had a great time here in NYC. Too bad we didn't up sooner.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman