SoCal: Day 2, Ducks Game

We freshened up and prepared for the game. I wore my old-school Mighty Ducks practice jersey, and Shok and Mary both wore Devils gear - white for Shok and red for Mary. We walked along Katella to the game and got there around the time the gates opened, taking pictures along the way.

We entered the arena and walked around some, checking out our seat location. We made our way to the Team Store where I picked up a new t-shirt, as did Shok, as well as a puck for Mary. We kept wandering and I found another shirt that I liked at a smaller stand, so I picked that up too ;)

We grabbed some snacks and headed down to our seats for warm-ups. It’s always fun to watch a hockey game, and I was hoping that the Ducks would pull this one out for me.

After warm-ups we headed back out and wandered some, making it back to our seats for the game.

During the 1st Intermission I headed upstairs to meet some friends, and hung out with Vicki, Abi and some new people that I met off of Twitter. After the 2nd Period I met Amanda, one of the Power Players I’ve befriended on Twitter. It was cool of her to de-skate and come out to visit during Intermission. She was dressed in a Snow White outfit for Halloween.

The third period saw the Ducks give up the lead and ultimately lose. That stunk, but I met a bunch of cool people…that helped take the sting out of things.

We left and headed back to the hotel. Along the way Mary got into a shouting match with some local rapscallions, which was quite amusing. After changing out of our game clothes we headed back out to find a bar for a few night caps. We found this cool little place next to the Grove in Anaheim where we could sit outside and enjoy a libation. Mary discovered on the dessert menu that when you order milk and cookies the bake the cookies fresh, so we ordered a round…which was quickly followed by another round - they were delicious! Though the Ducks lost, it was quite and enjoyable day and night.

Ducks Power Player Amanda cleaning the ice

SoCal: Day 1, flight

I don’t know why I keep booking flights so early in the morning. The night before is always a jumble of packing and making sure I have everything I need, followed by too few hours of sleep, and then a mad dash to the airport only to sit there for over an hour waiting to board. But, no traffic and a breezy security screening means that everything is going to plan.

This morning I’m flying from JFK to SNA (John Wayne Airport in Orange County, CA) on Delta. It’s my first time flying into Orange Country directly, and I’m looking forward to the convenience of NOT having to deal with LAX. Upon checking in I found that the flight is fairly light- I changed my seat to the back of the plane so I could have my own row. With my back still a little tight, this is most fantastic news!

Odd thing I just saw - we have a male flight attendant - a little older, very pleasant. He’s walking down the aisle offering blankets (for a fee, I’m sure). A few aisles away I heard him quip “it’s for the ladies - guys don’t use blankets.” I found it a little odd that a male in a stereotypically female job would make such an antiquated joke playing on traditional machismo. Eh. I laughed in my head.

I can’t wait to fall asleep.

Anaheim - Day 3

Today was a long and fun day. I woke up around noon pacific after having such a late night last night. I got up, showered and met my friend from the Ducks game to head on over to Disneyland again.

We spent the day searching for Hidden Mickeys. We saw a bunch, doing Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted House, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Snow White, Storybook land, and a few others. It was a great time. I also ate several churros, which I absolutely love. The churros in Disneyland are waaaay better than the ones in Disney World. These are so much fresher.

After hanging out at the park for a few hours we headed back to my hotel so I could get my jersey on, then a third friend picked us up to head over to the game.

By the way, did I mention how cold it is here? It's not much warmer than it is back east...I've been checking. Though there is not threat of snow, I'm sure glad I packed my fleece and my flannel. Layering is a MUST!

I get to the game and watch the end of warm-ups. After that I send notes to friends on twitter that are at the game but whom I still haven't met. My friends from earlier meet me for the first period. After that (and seeing the Ducks go down 2-0 and play like poop) we meet a few more twitter friends during intermission. For the second period, we head over to the section where these other friends are and hang out there. The Ducks go down 3-0, but get one back. After the 2nd it's 3-1, and the Ducks aren't looking that much better.

The 3rd period starts, but not before another slight seat change. These were the lucky seats. Our new rookie Sexton nets his first NHL goal and brings us within one - then with about a minute left nets his SECOND NHL goal to tie it! The place erupted, and I was screaming like a madman!

The Ducks take it to overtime and own the extra 5 minutes. Several close shots just barely miss the net before Saku Koivu gets the game winner and my Ducks winless streak ends at 7. It's finally over!

After the game we freeze as we walk back to the car. We get dropped off at Disneyland where my friend left her car, then she dropped me back at my hotel.

I was kinda hungry, so I moseyed on over to the Denny's next door for some eggs and a LOT of hash-browns. I don't really miss Denny's, or the indigestion that usually occurs afterward, but I do miss those hash-browns!

It's 11:30pm here, which is really 2:30 for me. I think it's time for bed. I plan to go to the San Diego Zoo tomorrow if I wake up early enough. I do, however, have a reservation tomorrow night for one of the nicest restaurants at Disneyland! I have a late seating (9:40pm) but I HAVE to be back for that. Can't wait!

Anaheim - Day 1

I woke up this morning at about 4am to begin my trek out to California. I wasn't prepared as I was last time, and am kinda winging it. I just made my hotel reservations about 8 hours before my flight. Yeah, not good.

I flew out of JFK on Virgin America for the first time. It was an uneventful flight. I was comfortable, and the TV and Music was nice...but JetBlue has XM, which I like better personally. It ranks up there with JetBlue, but it seems to me like you had to pay for everything extra where JetBlue has more perks. Got me here on time, which is the best perk.

After landing in LAX I picked up my car and headed to Anaheim. A little traffic on the 105 is to be expected I suppose...a car flipped over, which caused some delay.

After getting to Anaheim I promptly got lost thinking that I remembered where I was going from last time. 2 days in a city does not make you an expert. Thanks to Google Maps I corrected my errors. I went to Honda Center to buy tickets for tonight's game. I tried looking on Stubhub and Ticketmaster while on the flight (remember when I said I had terrible preparation for this trip??) but I didn't want to pay the ticketmaster fees, nor did I want to pay Stubhub's "last minute" extortion. I bought a seat in Section 412, upstairs.

After I left the Pond I went to a supermarket to get water and snacks for the room. I checked in at the Best Western Anaheim Inn a little after 3. After freshening up and putting on my jersey it was off to the Pond!

Parking was a snap and I walked around the building outside a little. They have a whole little lot area where they have kids' games set up - a lot of street hockey games going on. Basically a kids-zone, which is always cool to see.

I went inside and checked out the team store. I am from New York and used to NY prices, and I was taken aback by how expensive everything was! I paid $36 for a hat! I only paid it because I know I'll wear it very often.

I went down to ice level for warm-ups which is always fun. After that I headed upstairs to my seat.

The first period saw the Sens and the Ducks score twice each. Each time the Sens scored the Ducks tied it right back up. After the first a few friends I met on Twitter stopped by my section and wound up staying the rest of the game. It was fun to watch the game with other Ducks fans that I (kinda) knew. I know them now!

The game went to a shootout and the Ducks lost. It's a shame - my losing streak continues (up to 7 now...ugh) but I hope to snap it on Tuesday.

I left the game and felt like I was back in NY - freezing! Well, sort of. Not as bad as when I leave games in the Garden in December, but not SoCal weather! I guess I brought the cold with me...

I made it back to my room but was very hungry so I decided to grab a bite at Denny's next door. I'm sure I'll begin to regret it soon, but the hash browns were calling me!

Speaking of calling my, my bed is doing that now.

Pittsburgh Planning

My 2009-10 Ducks tour continues through Pittsburgh this year. I decided to make the trip out to see the Igloo (Mellon Arena) before the Penguins move to their new home next season. I'm flying out of JFK on Monday morning (11.16.09) and returning the next morning.

Using Starwood points (Sheraton) that I earned on my trips to Buenos Aires and buying a few more points, I was able to get a room at the Westin in Downtown Pittsburgh for only $70 (the price of the extra points I needed for the free night). I'm flying on Jet Blue and am looking forward to checking out the JFK terminal that they're always bragging about...

Now I just need to get my ticket to the game. I'm amazed at how expensive the tickets are there, especially compared to getting tickets in the NYC area...

Off to California!

The plans are made. The hotels are booked. The tickets are purchased.

Now I just have to figure out long-term parking at JFK and I'm all set!

I fly out of JFK tomorrow at 6:40 am et, landing at LAX at 10am pt. I am renting my car through Enterprise as they gave me the best one-way rental rate. After I leave the airport I drive down to Anaheim and spend one night there at the Ramada Main Gate.

On Wednesday, I check out of the hotel and spend the day at Disneyland (most likely). I hit the Ducks game that night (vs the Blues) and head to Santa Barbara immediately after the game. That night I stay at another Ramada right off the 101.

Thursday morning I trek up the Pacific Coast Highway on what most people say will be a drive I'll never forget. My destination for lunch is Nepenthe in Big Sur. After lunch, I'll be rolling into San Jose to hit up the Shark Tank for Ducks/Sharks. Once that game is through, I head up to Redwood City to a Best Western to unwind after a looooong day of driving. Thank god for XM! The MyFi will be with me for the whole trip.

When I wake up Friday morning, I will ride into San Francisco for the first time, dropping the car off downtown. Then a quick bus ride or, if the weather is nice, brisk walk will take me to my final hotel, the Westin St Francis in Union Square. I've heard that every President since Taft has stayed there (thanks to my trusty Frommer's Guide Book). My activities for San Francisco are still up in the air, but a visit to Alcatraz is very much in the cards.

Saturday, I check out of the hotel and enjoy the morning in San Francisco. I fly out of SFO around 3:30pm pt and land just before midnight eastern at JFK. I'm sure I will freeze my buns off while I look for my car in the long-term parking lot!

I booked the Westin St Francis on Hotwire.com. It's an awesome site - if you're ever traveling to a big city and don't care what chain hotel you stay at I highly recommend this tool. You can pretty much narrow it down to one or two hotels before you book it if you look here. I was spot on with the Westin.

AAA was also a huge help in planning this trip. I reserved all of my other hotels through their website and got the best rates. I also used their Triptik tool to map all of my routes, printing out the PDFs they produced. I suppose I'll know how accurate they are after this trip!

I bought my tickets to the Ducks game from Stubhub. I tried to do that for the Sharks game too, but they had less available, especially for just one ticket. I went through ticketmaster, and cursed my way through the $15 in fees they tacked onto the price. Bunch of savages.

I'm hoping my next update will be from sunny Orange County! If it's from an airport you can be sure that I am grumpy!

California Here I Come!

Details for the great California Adventure are being worked out as we speak. Here is the tentative plan:

Fly from JFK to LAX on December 9, arriving at 10am PT. From there, I rent a car and drive down to Anaheim.

Spend the day/night in Anaheim, visiting DisneyLand, and perhaps a beach.

December 10th will mark my first trip to Honda Center to see the Ducks play the Blues. After the game I plan to drive up to Santa Barbara, assuming it hasn't totally burned up.

The next morning I set up the Pacific Coast Highway to San Jose. Should be quite gorgeous from what I hear. That evening (December 11th) I will see the Ducks take on the Sharks at the HP Pavilion in San Jose.

After the game I will drive up either to a suburb of, or downtown San Francisco and spend a day and a half there, flying home on Saturday, December 13th, landing at JFK around midnight eastern time.

Pretty ambitious trip, but it should be a nice way to celebrate the end of the season for me and the start of my vacation.

So far I have the flight booked, as well as a hotel room in Anaheim and Santa Barbara. Tomorrow I will figure out what I am doing up in San Jose and San Francisco, and after booking those hotels I will book my car. I want to make sure to give back the car once I get into SFO since I won't really need it to see the city.

Hopefully I'll have another update tomorrow.

Stay Tuned!!

I am currently planning a trip to California for a little Ducks tour. It'll be great to see my favorite team on Home Ice! Plus, you know, Disneyland. This is turning out to be quite an ambitious undertaking, so keep an eye on this blog as details get finalized and released.

By the way - the airline tickets have just been purchased!!