Royalty realizes a dream for our pal Mike Carroll as we complete our NFL doubleheader in Cincinnati!

Paul Brown Stadium - Home of the Cincinnati Bengals 

After we left Indianapolis we headed towards the Queen city of Cincinnati where we went to Paul Brown Stadium to see the Bengals host AFC North division rival, the Pittsburgh Steelers.

On the way there, we stopped off at McDonald's to get some dinner to eat in the car because we didn't want to waste time getting to our next game without a hassle.

The main reason for this getaway was to make a dream come true that our pal Mike Carroll had. He's been a Bengal fan since he was very young. He told me in the past that he always wanted to go to Cincinnati to see his Bengals play a home game. I told him I will make it happen someday. That special day was Sunday night at Paul Brown Stadium.

Upon arrival to the Queen city we parked the car on the streets of downtown. We did so around 6:45PM which gave us plenty of time to get to the game that started at 8:20PM.

We didn't have tickets for this game either. As we walked towards the Stadium, tickets were readily available. We decided to wait it out a little while. By doing so, we were able to save some money. Mike got the first ticket for $25. We told him to go ahead inside so he could enjoy the experience. This game was the main reason he came with us. I'm so glad he did. Shortly after he went in, the King and I were able to round up a few more tickets for $20 each. We were surprised how easy it was. Unlike the Colt game, lots of tickets were available. It should be noted there were a number of Steeler fans who came to see the black and gold play as well. Steeler fans have a reputation of traveling well to see their team play home or away.

As for the game we saw, the Steelers took the opening kickoff and they drove into Bengal territory. They wound up settling for a 42 yard field goal by Shaun Suisham which gave them an early 3-0 lead. Later in the first quarter, running back Cedric Peerman of the Bengals ran in from five yards out to give the Bengals a 7-3 lead that capped off a 15 play 80 yard drive that chewed up just over eight minutes.

In the second quarter, the Bengals got a break when they sacked Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethisberger and they forced him to fumble the ball. The Bengals recovered at the Steelers' 8 yard line. The very next play the Bengals extended their lead to 14-3 as quarterback Andy Dalton found wide receiver A.J. Green in the end zone for the touchdown. The Steelers came back as they added a 47 yard field goal to get within eight at 14-6 with 3:11 left in the half. The Bengals were driving to score again before the half came to a close but Andy Dalton made a costly mistake as he had a pass picked off by Steelers' linebacker LaMarr Woodley who returned it 11 yards to the Bengal 29 yard line with 1:23 left in the half. It turned out to be the turning point in the game. The Steelers capitalized on the opportunity as they got a 9 yard touchdown pass to their tight end Heath Miller to pull within two at 14-12. They decided to go for the two point conversion to try and tie up the game. They converted as Heath Miller caught another pass from Ben Roethisberger to even the score at 14 at halftime.

In the third quarter, the Bengals got the ball first and they went down the field but their drive stalled. They managed to get a 48 yard field goal from kicker Mike Nugent who gave the Bengals a 17-14 lead. The Steelers answered right back as they got a 42 yard field goal from Shaun Suisham to even the score again at 17 with 8:17 left in the quarter.

The Steelers found the end zone early in the fourth quarter as running back Chris Rainey ran in from 11 yards out to give the Steelers a 24-17 lead with 14:16 left in the game. The drive covered 67 yards in eight plays that put the game away as the Bengals couldn't get any closer much to Mike Carroll's chagrin.
Despite the loss, Mike had a blast he said. With that being said, it was a thrill to show him the way to the 'Nati.

After the game, we went back to the car and we drove back to Columbus where we spent the night before we drove back home all day on Monday.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty is going to invade the State of Ohio and Indiana for some football doubleheaders!

Here's the game plan:

I'm renting a car Friday night October 19th from Avis for the weekend after work.

I'll be driving out to Ohio and Indiana then I'll be heading back to Cincinnati before returning home late Monday night. If the Nationals get to the NLCS and play a Game 7 I plan to stop in Washington DC too before I come back home.

Saturday, October 20th Northern Illinois Huskies at Akron Zips 12 Noon

                                     Western Michigan Broncos at Kent State Golden Flashes 3:30PM

Sunday, October 21st Browns at Colts 1PM

                                  Steelers at Bengals 8:20PM

I hope to meet up with Rick Morris of the FDH Lounge as well as some other special guests from his media alliance network. If I do, it's definitely going to be a thrill.

If you're interested in going on this exclusive getaway royalty style just let me know so I can arrange to have you join me.

It's going to be a blast so why not come for a "royal" ride.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty returns to FedEx Field and meets up with a football roadtripper and his family!

Prince at FedEx Field - Home of the Washington Redskins 

After I said goodbye to the Van Cleve family in Philadelphia, I drove 120 miles to Laurel, Maryland which is midway between Baltimore and Washington DC where I spent the night at Knights Inn. The hotel is conveniently located right the exit of the Baltimore-Washington Parkway off Maryland highway 198. I got a good night sleep. After I cleaned up and checked out of the hotel, I decided to have some breakfast at McDonald's which was located right next door.

After I ate, I got back on the highway and I drove to Landover where FedEx Field is located. It's the home of the Washington Redskins who are celebrating their 80th anniversary season. In addition, it was their home opener and it was Robert Griffin the Third aka RGIII's home debut as the Redskin quarterback. I wound up parking the car in a nearby neighborhood on the street for free. It's a nice walk to get to the stadium from there but it's good exercise and it beats sitting in traffic to get out of the parking lot after the game. I parked the car at 10:45AM. I started walking over towards the stadium and I e-mailed my pal and fellow roadtripper, Charles Stephenson  who has Redskin season tickets. He has five altogether so he can accommodate his whole family which includes his wife Betsy and their three young children Grace, Abbey and Charlie. I met Charles for the first time last November at FedEx Field when the Redskins played the San Francisco 49ers. He had an extra ticket that day and he gave it to me. It was really nice of him. I was very grateful. This time he told me all his tickets were accounted for. In a side note, Charles went to New Orleans to see the Redskins open the season which was RGIII's NFL debut. He also went to Heinz Field in week two where he saw my Jets play.

I told him it's not a problem. I'll get one outside the stadium when I get there. He had invited me to tailgate with them before the game. I had a great time last year doing that with him. This time he told me they diverted him from the area he normally parks at for the game. Since I needed a ticket I wanted to secure one before I tried to meet up with them. After trying to get a ticket for a little while, I finally found a guy who was willing to take $30 for a ticket. I met a guy named Jack who was with two young guys, they were probably his sons. He told me to follow them. He had to go to the will call window which was right nearby to get the tickets. It worked out beautifully for me. I told him I'll see them inside. I have a friend who's tailgating and I want to go see him before I go inside. He gave me the ticket and I promised him I would come up to the seat. I got in the building after I spent some quality time with the Stephenson family who feed me well. I had a bratwurst and some steak while I was with them. I want to personally thank them again for their tremendous hospitality. I got to meet Charles' wife Betsy for the first time. I told her how lucky she is to have Charles for her husband. He's such a great guy. He seemed embarrassed but I prefer to tell the truth. That's what I think and I told her so. I'm sure she knows she knows she's truly blessed. After they cleaned up, we all walked over to the stadium and we headed inside. We parted ways and told each other we'll get together again in the future.

As for the game we saw, the Redskins kicked off and they fell behind on the first play from scrimmage as the Cincinnati Bengals called a direct snap to Mohammed Sanu who's a rookie from Rutgers who I saw play at Yankee Stadium in the Pinstripe Bowl back in December. Sanu threw a bomb to wide receiver A.J. Green who ran it in for a 73 yard touchdown to give the Bengals the early 7-0 lead just 17 seconds into the game. I saw it downstairs before I wound up going up to my seat in the upper deck by the 30 yard line in section 429 row 14 with Jack and the two young guys which had a $79 face value. I had a great a view of the action. Shortly thereafter, the Redskins evened the score at seven just four minutes into the first quarter as former Kansas State linebacker Rob Jackson intercepted a pass in the end zone that resulted in a touchdown for the Redskins. Upon doing so, they played the Redskins' fight song, Hail to the Redskins. The Bengals proceeded to score the next 17 unanswered points to take a 24-7 lead in the second quarter. The Redskins added a field goal just before the half to trail 24-10.

The Redskins got the ball first in the second half and they carried the momentum over as they marched down the field to get within a touchdown at 24-17. Later in the quarter with 3:29 left, they got even again at 24. Unfortunately for the natives the Bengals responded by scoring two more touchdowns to take a 38-24 lead. The Redskins got one back to cut the deficit to seven as RGIII ran one in from two yards with 3:35 left in the fourth quarter. The Redskins almost got the onsides kick but it went a yard too short when they recovered the ball. They had one last gasp chance but a costly unsportsmanlike conduct penalty took away that chance as the ball was knocked down as the Bengals held on to beat the Redskins, 38-31. It was an exciting game to be at. I felt bad for Charles and his family. On the other hand, my Mike Carroll who couldn't join me is a Bengal fan so I was happy to bring him back a victory.

RGIII finished the game with 85 yards rushing on 12 carries. He's a tough guy and I think he has a bright future in the NFL. For the good people I know who live the in the DC area, I hope so. Time will tell.

Stay tuned as I continue to recap my adventurous Sunday as I went to Baltimore for Sunday night football.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty celebrates Thanksgiving and the King's Birthday in Baltimore!

Prince at M & T Bank on Thanksgiving Night

This Thanksgiving was more special than usual because this year it came out on the King's birthday.
With that being said, the most appropriate way to celebrate would be by attending a game live. After all, it's just another day on the calendar.

Four of the last five years on Thanksgiving, we've seen NFL football live on Turkey Day including this one.
Back in 2007, we saw our Jets play in Dallas at old Texas Stadium. The Jets got destroyed but the tradition of being in Big D on Thanksgiving Day made it all worth it.

In 2008, we went to Philadelphia to see the Eagles play the Arizona Cardinals.

In 2010, we were in our backyard if you will as the Jets hosted the Cincinnati Bengals at the New Meadowlands Stadium as it was called then.

This time we got to see history as the Harbaugh Bowl was scheduled in prime time in Baltimore as the Ravens coached by John Harbaugh were taking on his younger brother Jim's San Francisco 49ers. This was the first time two brothers have coached against one another in NFL history.

It wasn't easy to get a ticket for the big game but royalty found a way to make it happen.

We arrived in Baltimore early with intentions of attending a tailgate party courtesy of a guy who's known as "Nib". I met him at the Raven/Cardinal game back on October 30th. He invited me to join in his tailgate party in Lot H.

Unfortunately the King and I needed to find tickets so we could see the game first.

With that being said, we went over to the box office to see if they had anything available. There were 15 people in front of us we were also waiting for a chance to purchase tickets.

While I was on line, the King went to see if he could find something around the stadium.

With my Blackberry in hand, I was able to multi task as I checked Craigslist to see if anybody was heading to the stadium with any extra tickets.

I called and texted a handful of people. Luckily a guy named Julian Toliver who was from Laurel, Maryland contacted me. He said he still had an extra ticket. I told him I'll take it. We worked out a deal and I arranged to meet him in the parking lot at the stadium. True to my word, we eventually met up and did the exchange.
As for getting another ticket, the King had no luck outside. I stayed on the line and my patience paid off as they slowly started selling tickets. I finally got up to the window and I was able to buy another ticket. I got the ticket and gave it to the King so he could go inside.

I waited outside and I met Julian and then I went inside.

Unfortunately we couldn't sit together since it was very crowded.

Before I went to my seat, I went to see Nib to say hello. He told me I missed out on a great tailgate party. He said they had Turkey and Ham. He told me I can come the next time I'm there.

As for the seat I got, I really lucked out because I got to sit next to a young lady named Ally who was a huge Raven fan. I was very impressed with her knowledge of her team. We enjoyed the game and each other's company throughout the night.

As for the game we saw, the Ravens beat the 49ers, 16-6 in the Battle of the Harbaughs, John outcoached his brother Jim.

The Raven defense was ferocious even without their leader Ray Lewis who missed his second straight game as they were in 49ers' quarterback Alex Smith's face all night long. He barely had time to breathe. Terrell Suggs lead the way with three sacks. Cory Redding had a big night as well.

After the game, I met the King and drove back home. This time I got him to work at 3:24AM.

I proceeded to go home to get some sleep before I had to return the car I rented from Avis just before midday.

Stay tuned for the special post that will recap the rest of the long weekend we had.

Thank you for reading and following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty is going to the Queen City of Cincinnati this weekend!

It's going to be December in a few days, Royalty will be spending the first weekend of the month in the Queen City of Cincinnati.

The game plan is as follows:

The King and I are going to the 'Nati.The primary purpose is to see Nippert Stadium home of the University of Cincinnati Bearcats and former and original home of the Cincinnati Bengals.We also have a few other games while we're there.

Saturday, December 4th we have a flight booked on Delta Airlines that departs NY LaGuardia Airport at 8:05AM Eastern Time and it's scheduled to land in Covington, Kentucky which is 12 miles from Cincinnat at 10:19AM Eastern Time.

Upon arrival, I'll be renting a car and we're going to drive right to Nippert Stadium to see the Cincinnati Bearcats play the Pitt Panthers in a college football game that will kick off at Noon local time. They finally set the official time yesterday.

After the college football game, we have a minor league hockey game in downtown at the US Bank Arena where the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL host the Florida Everblades at 7:30PM.. That makes for a convenient doubleheader right in the Queen City.

Sunday, December 5th, we'll be back at Paul Brown Stadium to see the Cincinnati Bengals take on the defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints. Kickoff is scheduled for 1PM local time.

After the game, I'll be driving the King to the airport so he can catch his 7PM flight home since he has to go into work at 2AM and he couldn't get off. I wanted to play it safe just in case with the flex schedule since I booked my flight back in August before the season started.

 I'll be flying back home on Monday, December 6th. My flight on Delta Airlines departs Covington at 9:45AM Eastern Time and lands at LaGuardia at 11:47AM Eastern Time.

Upon arrival, I'm going home fast then I'm going to Avis to rent a car and pick up the King as we head up North to Foxboro, Massachusetts for the AFC East showdown on MNF at 8:30PM  as the Jets and the Patriots meet to probably decide the division title.

Please feel free to check back for all the details of how this adventure turned out.

If you want to join us, please let me know so I can arrange to make it happen.

Thank you for reading.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Manning Bowl 2 & more in the Midwest!

Here's a game plan for football fans to consider:

It's as follows:

Saturday, September 18th

Ball State at Purdue TBA which is in West Lafayette, Indiana only 67 miles from Indianapolis.

Akron at Kentucky TBA in Lexington, Kentucky which is only 195 miles from Indianapolis going through Cincinnati.

Sunday, September 19th

Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals 1PM

AFC Central Division Rivalry Game

NY Giants at Indianapolis Colts 8:20PM

Manning Bowl 2 Eli vs. Peyton in prime time

It's an easy 110 mile drive from Cincinnati to Indianapolis.

I've done it on a few occasions so I know from experience.

If you want to make this adventurous football journey please feel free to consult me so I can make it happen for you.