bobmacliberty

On 1/15/2024 at 8:20 AM, Ocean Boy said:

It is so much better being at Havensight than at Crown Bay.

Unless you just want to walk to the ferry that goes to Water Island and spend the day at Honeymoon Beach.  This is one of our preferred St. Thomas activities.

On 1/14/2024 at 2:43 PM, h20skibum said:

My son lived a few blocks from the stadium in Orchard Park for a while, before he moved to Williamsville, not far from the Buffalo airport.  

I grew up in Williamsville (Williamsville East HS).  That's where my unfortunate die hard Bills fandom got permanently injected into my veins.  I've often wished that I could root for another team but alas, I'm stuck with them for better or worse.  At least I'm not a Browns fan.  They've suffered far worse.

We got back from our NYC trip Sunday night.  Played golf and watched the Bills game yesterday, and am sitting at home now while it rains here.  Finally caught up on this thread.

We had a great trip.  The Billy Joel concert was incredible.  His energy and his voice at 74...just amazing.  The Book of Mormon was hilarious.  Definitely a lot of adult content.  We did a few other fun things while there and of course had some great food.  Weather was pretty good...mostly in the 40s and even peaking up in the 50s, with some wind.  Temps dropped on Sunday and the wind picked up, delaying our flight out of LGA for an hour.  I watched 4 straight planes trying to land on runway 22 before having to do a go around right before touching down.  They ended up closing that runway and had everything both landing and taking off on runway 31.  I think there were 12 planes waiting in front of us to take off and we spent an extra 30 minutes taxiing. 

I'll separately post some pics and videos of the weekend.

9 hours ago, HBE4 said:

He was known for his charity work & visiting hospitals.  You & your SIL were in the presence of hockey greatness.

Absolutely true.  My nephew, who was in his teens, was dealing with cancer while Hasek was playing for the Sabres.  Hasek met with him several times at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo while he was there being treated.  He even arranged for my nephew to do a ceremonial puck drop before a Sabres game.  From everything I've heard, he's a tremendous guy in addition to being one of the greatest goalies ever.  My nephew is doing great now and is a pediatric oncologist.  

13 minutes ago, Sea Dog said:

Lizzy and Charlie love playing and fetching balls. Even if they’re snowballs.

 

 

IMG_4032.mov 95.72 MB · 0 downloads  

 

Dogs playing in snow.  Doesn't get much better than that.  Looks like they're having a great time!

1 hour ago, Momof3gurlz said:

@DaniDanielle belated Happy Birthday wishes to you!

We returned home last night from our quick trip to Disney for race weekend.  As expected, Cristina finished the full 26.2 mile run, her first full marathon.  Jessica’s goal was to make it from the starting point in Epcot to the Magic Kingdom which is 10 miles and she was able to do that. Not bad for being almost 5 months pregnant.  Ali’s goal was to beat per personal best of 13.1 miles; she made it to mile 17 before dropping out.  A few pictures from the weekend.

 

My girls, 5:01 am on race day

 

The finisher and her family 

 

Andy and I with the grandkids

 

Me with the youngest granddaughter (Ali in the background)

 

4 of the 5 grandkids

 

Celebratory dinner at The Boathouse in Disney Springs

 

Now we’re home to the cold and snow 🙁. 

 

 

 

 

Congratulations to your daughters!  Very impressive achievements.  I don't even like to drive that far.  😁

9 hours ago, aussielozzie18 said:

My Portuguese friend posted this today, to give her friends & family an idea of just how vast Australia is:

 

 

 

 

 

I saw this one the other day, for people who are more US centric.  In cased it's not obvious, that's Alaska, California, and Texas.

1 hour ago, HBE4 said:

Why not extend your stay & watch the game at one of these fine establishments?

 

https://murphguide.com/sports/buffalo-bills-fans-in-nyc/

Thanks for this!  I don't think we'll extend our stay but a drink at one of these places may be in order.

8 hours ago, George C said:

Huge win for our Buffalo Bills and their Mafia , my negative wife is starting to believe .

Full disclosure...I had to stop watching after Josh's 3rd turnover...the fumble at the end of the 3rd quarter.  I can't handle it.  He's going to give me a heart attack this year.  

Our flight back from NYC is on Sunday at 3:49pm.  I wasn't at all thinking about playoffs when I booked. 😁  Hopefully, Delta will have Live TV turned on while we are waiting to take off, so that we can see the end of the game on the plane.  

My favorite video of the week showing Bills Mafia taking over Fort Lauderdale.  It's on Twitter/X so looks like you'll need to follow the link to watch:

https://x.com/BarMD5/status/1743749931406348294

1 hour ago, HBE4 said:

I'll measure the old fashioned way with a wooden ruler when I go out to clear the driveway & sidewalk later today.

Would you mind also shoveling all of Manhattan?  I'd like to have no snow when we get there on Wednesday please.  Thanks. 😜

The long term forecast looks good for us right now...Thursday and Friday should be in the mid 40s and sunny.  I'll take it!

27 minutes ago, ONECRUISER said:

For example a 70 is Office Noise, 80 is like inside airplane or a Vacuum, 85 is City Noise from inside a car or a Noisy Restaurant, 90 is a Hair Dryer, 95 a Food Processor or Car horn. Though it's long term that causes damage, some are more sensitive to higher Sounds/Db's

Long term is a relative term when being exposed to loud noise.  My wife has her watch set to notify her when noise levels are more than 90 dBA.  Ship venues would almost always set off the notification.  From the CDC:

42 minutes ago, Arzeena said:

@Ozark_Kid

I just opened up a big fat envelope for my birthday. It had  no name on it so I was wondering who sent it. Till I opened it and a ton of rice fell out.....I knew at once it was from my Uncle Ben!

 

You always put a smile on my face with your dad jokes so here is one from me for you.

 

 

Copied from a corny (and free) news letter I picked up in Florida.

35 minutes ago, Ozark_Kid said:

😆 That is going into my Dada base .  Love it! 

 

I try to hold back so I don't overwhelm.

If you're looking for more Dad jokes to add to your dada base, try this YouTube channel.  He's also on Instagram here.

I also follow this Instagram account for daily+ dad jokes

4 hours ago, Sea Dog said:

Every Samsung product I’ve ever owned was horrible and never lasted. I know others who love Samsung but I will never own any of their products. 

3 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

I like their phones and ear buds a lot. I don't care for their TVs or other appliances 

38 minutes ago, Jimbo said:

 Their Flat Screen Tv's are great, appliances is another story.

I'm with Jimbo on this one.  We have several of their TVs and have had good luck with them.  Refrigerators are a completely different story.  Never again.  Add us to the list of Maytag users when it comes to washers and dryers.

Edit: I wish more Meile appliances were more broadly available in the US.  Love our Meile vacuum cleaner. 

4 hours ago, h20skibum said:

Speaking of flights…..

 

Our daughter and her family did not have the best end to their vacation.  I dropped them off for their direct flight on SW to Pittsburgh last night.  So I go to the flight aware website later, to check on their progress home, and the flight had disappeared from the screen.  

 

I did some more searching, and found that their flight had been diverted to Nashville.  That is not exactly on a direct line between Ft. Lauderdale and Pittsburgh.  

 

The official explanation for diverting the flight was that Pittsburgh was experiencing icing, and the engine anti-icing system was not working.  Who schedules a plane going to Pittsburgh in January, with a non working system?

 

They did get on another SW plane, but didn’t get home till 2am.  So now, grandkids are back to school this morning, probably falling asleep.  Daughter had to get up early, and is already in Cleveland for her second cancer vaccine shot. And, Susan and I are tired from being awake most of the night and early this morning, checking to see if they made it everywhere they needed to be.  

4 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

Apparently...Southwest.

I've never flown Southwest.  After seeing several things posted here about them, I don't think I really want to.  I'll stay with Delta, even if it means paying a little more.

3 hours ago, ValerieJo said:

 

Hmmm...After the game I packed my Michigan shirt to wear on our cruise next week.  Hopefully, we'll be able to watch the game on board.

As an Ohio State fan, I'm legally required to root against Michigan. 😁 UW has embraced the fact that everyone thinks of them as underdogs (which they've been for the last 2 games).  That should work well for them again.  Still, I think this is Michigan's year.  UW coaches still better warn their players about using personal iPads. 😜

9 hours ago, xpcdoojk said:

So, I like to keep this always a happy thread, but I have some sad news, but if you want to know what it is go to John’s thread in Floataway.  RIP OWD.

 

jc

So sorry to hear that JC.  RIP Wellie.  He was a good boy.

1 hour ago, Keksie said:

My May cruise goes to Cocoa Cay.  What I was thinking for that day is to go to the Chill Island section.  We just want a chair in the shade, access to food, drink, bathrooms and maybe some snorkeling.  Does this sound like the right area for that?

We usually go to whatever beach has the floating bar.  It occassionally moves.  We've seen it at both South Beach and whatever the beach is to the left of Coco Beach Club.  We'll swim/wade out there once, maybe twice for a drink.  It also makes for some interesting people watching.  Not a good idea though if you prefer a more natural view.  

10 hours ago, Ocean Boy said:

I know that feeling. People walking like they have no where to go and all day to get there.

I DO have no where to go and all day to get there.  That's the beauty of being retired.  But I still walk quickly.  It drives Micheline crazy because she has short legs.   

31 minutes ago, CSHS1979 said:

 

A ton, no.

Just a handful of slackers

 

Rumor is we are getting Marc Sebastián in BA for leg 2. It's John's goal to torment him if he gets out of hand. He even added Tic Toc to his phone

Never heard of him, although that's not a surprise.  I fully support John in his efforts, but still not adding TicTok to my phone.

2 hours ago, island lady said:

MMm....so many ways to enjoy a good taste of Peanut Butter.  😉  

The best way is as a shot after the Buffalo Bills score a touchdown. 😁

Skrewball Peanut Butter Whiskey is the official whiskey of the Buffalo Bills

2 hours ago, HBE4 said:

 

Sort of. The tree & gift shops will be gone but the ice slating rink & pop-up bar & restaurant are there until early March.  Still worth the visit & honestly,with maybe one or two exceptions,  there was nothing unique about the gift shops that you couldn't find in any gift shop in any other touristy destination or shopping mall.

 

I'm always hesitant about giving dining recommendations as people tastes & expectations vary, plus when I'm at MSG, it's for a Ranger game so most places I go to are sports bars/Irish pubs. Having said that, here are a few non-fine dining options:

 

Stout is huge, 3 levels & can handle large crowds quickly and efficiently.  Located 1 block from The Garden.

https://www.stoutnyc.com/location/stout-nyc-penn-station/

 

The Keg Room is about 3 blocks away, smaller but less crowded.  With 45 TV's, you'll be able to see any game, anywhere in the world from where ever you sit. At anytime. Feel free to cheer on your favorite Rugby or Cricket team.

http://www.thekegroom.nyc/#snippet

 

Mustang Harry's somehow became one of the "go-to" bars when visiting MSG and as such, will probably be the most crowded.  But I never had a bad meal  there either.

https://www.mustangharrys.com/

 

Of the three, I tend to favor The Keg room, mostly for convenience. It's about half-way on the walk from Grand Central to MSG.

 

Thank you so much for this.  All 3 look like great options...just the kind of places that we're looking for.  

25 minutes ago, maggieq said:

@mets07 We are going on 1/11 to msg.   This will be our first time in nyc since before Covid.  Hope you had a great time. 

See you there!

19 minutes ago, George C said:

Do you have other plans for your New York City trip and Billy Joel concert ? Many of us would be happy suggesting restaurants and bars in the area , hotel has a small bar open from about 5 to midnight and you can get a nice breakfast there .

We're also seeing The Book of Mormon and will go up to Summit One Vanderbilt.  Since that's right Near Bryant Park and Grand Central, we'll check those out for a bit as well.  Maybe get a drink at the Campbell Bar upstairs in Grand Central.  Unfortunately, I think the Bryant Park Winter Village will be gone by the time we get there.  Another day will probably be the 9/11 Memorial.  Not sure yet what else we'll do...better figure that out this week.  We'll need to play it a little bit by ear depending on weather, but the long range forecast right now looks pretty good in the 40s/50s.  

We only have one dinner reservation so far at La Masseria on West 48th.  Friends here highly recommend it.  I've also received a recommendation for Patsy's and Becco.  I have a few Italian friends.  😁  Joe Allen is also on our radar.  We may go to Ellen's Stardust Diner for fun since it's very close to the hotel.  Definitely a bagel sandwich someplace for breakfast, a slice or two of pizza, and a black and white cookie.  Any recommendations for any of those 3 near Times Square would be welcomed. 

I'd also be interested in any dinner recommendations near MSG.  The concert starts at 8:00 and we'd want to be done eating by 7:00 to give ourselves plenty of time.  Nothing too fancy.

15 hours ago, George C said:

We are extremely happy , went to the sports bar that is the official Buffalo Bills fan club, 90 percent of the customers are wearing some Buffalo Bills shirts or hats or pants or all three. This was first time we got there early enough to get bar seats over a dozen TVs , almost all on the Bills game , but a couple on miami, fish lost badly to ravens and Bills won after a bad start . So bills vs Miami for the afc east title next weekend. Bar also had some great buffalo wings 😁 and a great bar staff.

Another ugly win, but a win.  It's always fun watching with a lot of other Mafia.  We had about 60 yesterday.  

Huge game next weekend.  A win over the Dolphins gives the Bills the AFC East title and the 2 seed in the conference.  A loss and they could still miss the playoffs.  Crazy.  

6 hours ago, mets07 said:

Happy 2024, everyone.  We went to the Billy Joel concert at the UBS Arena, New York 

 

Photo taken at midnight.  Concert was great. 

Looks like fun.  Can't wait to do the same thing in 11 days, only earlier in the night and at MSG.

How was the sound level?  Micheline is worried that it will be too loud.  She'll definitely have her Loop earplugs with her just in case.