Royalty sees the Jets play the Falcons on MNF with another fellow roadtripper!

After landing in Atlanta back on Saturday, October 5th, I drove to Tennessee where I spent the weekend. Monday morning October 7th, I woke up & I planned to drive back to Atlanta for Monday night football as the Jets were on the road in Atlanta at the Georgia Dome. When I checked out of the Knights Inn in Cookeville, Tennessee, I went to Cracker Barrel which was nearby for breakfast to start my day off right. I enjoyed my Uncle Herschel's favorite which consisted of scrambled eggs, hash brown casserole, biscuits that came with sawmill gravy along with grits & a piece of farmed raised grilled catfish.

Uncle Herschel's Favorite at Cracker Barrel

After I finished my hearty breakfast, I drove towards the Great Smoky Mountains. I wound up taking a ride
back through Knoxville then I went to Pigeon Forge but when I saw how far out of the way I went, I decided to turn back so I could get to Atlanta. I arranged to meet up with another fellow roadtripper, Mark Chesna who lives about an hour from downtown Atlanta. It should be noted that Mark has been to over 2,700 live sporting events in his life. In addition, he's been to quite a number of countries in different parts of the world. I wanted to meet him earlier than I did. I called him with a progress report. It turned out he was kind enough to wait for me at the CNN Center by the food court. I finally found a parking spot on the street by a meter. Since I arrived around 6:45PM I just needed to feed the meter until 7PM which cost me $2. That was better than paying $10 or $20 in a parking lot and/or garage. In that regard, things turned out well. I wound up walking to the CNN Center which was maybe 10 minutes away. I went by the food court where Mark was holding a table for me. Upon arrival, we said hello to each other. We finally got to put a face with a name. For the past year, Mark & I have been in contact thanks to social media & modern technology. Since time was of the essence, I wound up going to Arby's for dinner. I had a roast beef sandwich with fries & a drink. It worked out well. When I finished eating, Mark & I walked towards the Georgia Dome. We ran into a scalper that Mark recognized on the street. He asked me what I wanted to pay. I told him $20. Surprisingly he was willing to meet my asking price. He had a few seats in the end zone in the upper level. I wasn't thrilled at first but after trying to wiggle my way out of the deal, we gave him $20 a ticket. We continued walking to the Dome.

Mark Chesna & I at the Georgia Dome

When we got there, we walked inside & we walked around the concourse. This was my first visit since 2002 so I didn't mind refreshing my memory of the building.

I was wearing my Gio Gonzalez jersey. As a result, I got some comments from people as I walked around. The best one was from a Latin gentleman who was so happy when he saw the name Gonzalez on my jersey. Mark said the guy must have thought it was a Tony Gonzalez jersey since he plays for the Falcons. It was hilarious. Regardless I enjoyed showing my Gio pride off.

After walking around we decided to go up to section 302 row 15 where my pal Ira Lieberfarb aka Ira from Staten Island was sitting which was in the corner of the end zone. We wound up lucking out into a few seats next to him. It turned out that his seat was better than what we had. It worked well as we got to enjoy the game with him.

As for the game we saw, the Jets lead most of the game. It should be noted they were up 27-14 in the fourth quarter with 12 minutes to go when the Atlanta faithful started to head to the exits. Typical Atlanta sports fans. Quite amazingly, the Falcons stormed back to take a 28-27 lead late in the game. The Jets did get the ball back with some time left. Geno Smith lead the Jets back as he put them in position to win the game. Thanks to the right foot of kicker Nick Folk who booted a 43 yard field goal at the gun which gave the Jets a 30-28 comeback victory. It was a perfect way to end this memorable weekend down South.

It should be noted that during halftime, the Falcons honored former running back Gerald Riggs as they put him in their ring of honor.

After the game, Mark & I walked back to the car that I rented for the weekend. I wound up giving him a ride to the train station where he left his car. We proceeded to say our goodbyes. We both enjoyed each other's company. I want to personally thank Mark for joining me while I was in the area.

Stay tuned for another special post that will go into detail about my return to the Big Apple.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty goes to Knoxville, Tennessee to see a college football game at legendary Neyland Stadium!

My Name in Lights at Hertz in Atlanta #338

On Saturday morning October 5th I got up early so I could catch a 7AM flight on Delta Airlines to Atlanta, Georgia. I arrived there a half hour early than scheduled. As a result, I was able to go to Knoxville, Tennessee which was 220 miles was the airport. Upon arrival, I took the new ATL Sky Train from the airport to the car rental center. When I got there, I went to Hertz to pick up my car rental for the long weekend I had. When I got to the car they initially gave me as a #1 Club Gold member I was disappointed. It was a Chevy Aveo. When I turned it on, I saw the odometer said the car had 59,000 miles. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. I've never rented a car with more than 35,000 miles. So I walked back to the area where I saw my name in lights. Shortly thereafter, I saw a customer service agent. I told her I can't take this car because it has too many miles. She proceeded to an exchange for me. She gave me a Ford C which was a hybrid car that I never heard of before. I walked over to the car & I saw it was a hatchback without a trunk so I went back again to get another car. This time she gave me a Hyundai Elantra. I was almost ready to drive off with it but when I went to adjust the rear view mirror it fell off. After trying to fix it myself, the manager came over to me. I told her what happened. She told me to pick out a car that was nearby. I decided to take a Chevy Cruze that she was kind enough to drive over to me. Finally after four tries, I got a car that met my standards. This car had only 4,397 miles on it & it was equipped with XM radio. Even though I wasted the time I made up thanks to Delta, I still decided to go to Knoxville so I could see Neyland Stadium which is located in downtown. The game between the Tennessee Volunteers & the visiting Georgia Bulldogs was kicking off at 3:30PM Eastern Time. I wound up leaving Hertz shortly after 10 AM.

First car space I was given

I wound up getting to Knoxville at 1:36PM that afternoon. I had to dodge some pockets of game traffic as I got closer. When I got off the interstate, I drove around the downtown vicinity looking for a parking spot. I noticed parking for $25, $20 & $10 before I came across a lot for $5 which I pulled into. I couldn't park at a meter since there was a two hour time limit. With that being said, I got a real bargain. Once I got myself situated, I walked over towards the stadium.

Since I didn't know for sure I was going there I didn't buy a ticket in advance. They did have tickets at the box office for $80 though. I didn't want to pay that much for the game. So I walked around until I found an area where people were trying to sell their extra tickets. I decided to pass up tickets for $60, $50, $40 & $30. I offered a guy $20 & he said he would take $30. I insisted on $20. He decided to settle for $25 for a seat in the end zone that was 32 rows up. I told him you got a deal. I proceeded to walk inside the stadium. When I got to see the field, I was in awe. I've always heard great things about it. When I finally got to see it for my own eyes, I wasn't disappointed. What a venue it was. It sits over 100,000 people. I savored the moment long before the game even started. I got my money's worth & then some. After I took in the different views on the lower level, I walked along the concourse before I decided to go to my seat so I could get ready for the game. I also got to enjoy the band who were performing on the field especially when they played Rocky Top, the unofficial school fight song. They finished their routine by forming the Power T. Seats in general appeared to be few & far between but I lucked out as I had an extra seat on the bench I was sitting on. I did have a nice young lady sitting next to me. She told me she went to school there. I told her about some of the different college venues I've been to since she asked me who I was rooting for. She was very knowledgeable & I enjoyed her company. During the first half, a guy who was all the way down low in the section got her attention & he told her to come down. It wound up being her husband. She decided to wait until half time before she joined him. When she left I had more space for myself. During the intermission, I turned around & I started talking to some more friendly people who were behind me. They were also fans of the Volunteers. We wound up chatting the rest of the game.

View from my seat at Neyland Stadium

Tennessee Band in the Power T formation

As for the game we saw, the Volunteers fell behind 17-3 in the first half. In the second half, they staged a comeback. They even took the lead late in the game but the Georgia Bulldogs were able to tie it up late as they were able to force overtime. The game was tied at 31. The Volunteers got the ball first in overtime. They appeared to be on their way to a possible touchdown but they wound up losing the ball as they fumbled. The ball went out of bounds in the end zone which resulted in a touchback for the Bulldogs. They took over & they kicked a field goal that gave them a 34-31 victory. It was an exciting game that the Volunteers should have won but they wound up giving it away.

After the game, I walked back to the car. I had to deal with some game traffic as I made my way towards Cookeville where I was spending the night at Knights Inn. I wound up driving 10 miles from Knoxville so I could have my post game dinner at Sonny's Bar-B-Q which I had mapped out in advance. I was so hungry. I wound up getting the all you could eat ribs that they were offering. Luckily I got there just in time to do so. Shortly after I placed my order, other people came in but they were told that deal was no longer in effect.

I took full advantage as I filled up my empty stomach. I came hungry & I left very happy. You can't beat southern hospitality. When I finally finished eating, I got back in the car & I drove 90 miles to the hotel where I called it a night.

Stay tuned for another special post that will go into detail about my latest visit to Nashville.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman