Planting Fields Arboretum pictures July 3, 2014
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal, Photography, Travel.2 comments
I didn’t say anything about it here, but last August, a few days before the Spyro Gyra Smooth Cruise, my girlfriend and I went up to Planting Fields Arboretum State Historic Park in Oyster Bay. It was the first time either of us had been to the park in over a decade, years before we met. We only went there for concerts, not touring the sights. This time, we went solely to look around.
Here are select pictures from our sightseeing:
I hope this has inspired you to visit Planting Fields Arboretum. As long as the weather is dry when you go, you won’t be disappointed.
The Jeff Lorber Fusion at Blue Note June 14, 2014
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, Personal, Photography, Travel, Weather.add a comment
Monday evening marked my first trip to the famous Blue Note Jazz Club in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan.
Blue Note is not far from Zinc Bar, which I was at in June 2011 for Lisa Hilton.
The band I saw at Blue Note on Monday was the Jeff Lorber Fusion, who were originally scheduled to appear on April 7. It’s a good thing the show was moved because I would have had to deal with moderate to heavy rain on the original night. The sky was equally overcast on this rescheduled night, but it didn’t rain, at least not while I was outside.
My girlfriend and I arrived nearly two hours before showtime, 15 minutes after doors opened. Our early arrival paid off as we were seated at a table right next to center stage! It was great.
The Jeff Lorber Fusion was made up of Jeff on keyboard:
…and piano (seen here playing both):
Eric Marienthal on soprano sax:
…and alto sax:
Jimmy Haslip on bass:
…and Lionel Cordew on drums:
There were two shows that night: 8PM and 10:30 PM. Kelly and I chose the early show. The set list was as follows:
8PM SET LIST
1. Chinese Medicinal Herbs
Originally heard on: “The Jeff Lorber Fusion,” 1977; “Now is the Time,” 2010
2. Hacienda
Originally heard on: “Hacienda,” 2013
3. He Had a Hat
Originally heard on: “He Had a Hat,” 2007
4. Singaraja
Originally heard on: “Galaxy,” 2012
5. Montserrat
Originally heard on: “Galaxy,” 2012
6. Horace
Originally heard on: “Galaxy,” 2012
7. Rain Dance
Originally heard on: “Water Sign,” 1979; “Now is the Time,” 2010
8. King Kong (Frank Zappa cover)
Originally heard on: “Hacienda,” 2013
9. Surreptitious
Originally heard on: “He Had a Hat,” 2007
NOTE: Eric Marienthal played soprano sax on #1, 4, and 7, but alto otherwise.
With flash photography disallowed, and fearing that my camera’s AF-Assist light would be mistaken for a flash, I didn’t take that many pictures. But it was an exhilarating show with wild solos by each member of the band. This was my first Jeff Lorber concert, and I doubt it will be my last. Thank you to Jeff, Eric, Jimmy, and Lionel.
I’ll leave you with pictures from two solos.
First, Lionel Cordew’s “Chinese Medicinal Herbs” solo:
And Jimmy Haslip’s “Hacienda” solo:
SJFS 2014 Night 2 recap April 24, 2014
Posted by Mike C. in Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Travel.3 comments
Jay Rowe‘s twelfth annual Smooth Jazz for Scholars benefit concert resumed on Saturday night with a packed house. They were in for a wild night.
Kevin McCabe welcomed the house, or audience, at approximately 8PM:
The first song of the night was by select members of the West Shore Middle School Band. Twelve hours earlier on Facebook, the band’s teacher, Bob Nunno, let me know that some of his students would be opening the show. I told him that was great and I looked forward to seeing them. Pictures from their song can be found in the set list below.
The band for the rest of the night consisted of Jay Rowe on keyboards:
Trever Somerville on drums:
…and Steve Scales on percussion:
SET LIST
1. Clocks (Coldplay cover)
Musicians: Select members of the West Shore Middle School Band, under the direction of Mr. Bob Nunno (who also played keyboard)
Applause:
Like the previous night, Kevin returned to the stage to introduce Jay and his band. Jay welcomed the audience…:
…then played the first song of the main show, the second song overall:
2. Pleasure Island (Jay Rowe)
Originally heard on: “Laugh Out Loud,” 2001
Featured musician: Jay Rowe (keyboards)
3. George Can’t Dance (Chieli Minucci)
Originally heard on: “Catwalk,” 1994 (Special EFX album)
Featured musicians: Chieli Minucci (electric guitar), Nelson Rangell (alto sax)
4. Till the End of Time (Chieli Minucci)
Originally heard on: “Genesis,” 2013 (Chieli Minucci & Special EFX album)
Featured musicians: Chieli Minucci (electric guitar), Nelson Rangell (alto sax)
5. Point of Departure (Nelson Rangell)
Originally heard on: “Red” and “Blue” (upcoming albums) (1/30/15 UPDATE: “Red” and “Blue” are available for download this Sunday, February 1.)
Featured musician: Nelson Rangell (alto sax)
6. Speak Softly Love (Love Theme from The Godfather)*/Slammin’ (Nick Colionne)
Originally heard on: “Influences,” 2014
Featured musician: Nick Colionne (electric guitar)
*-Jay’s intro tune for Nick
7. Melting Into You (Nick Colionne)
Originally heard on: “No Limits,” 2008
Featured musicians: Nick Colionne (vocals/electric guitar), Marion Meadows (soprano sax) (walked on mid-song)
8. The Lift (Marion Meadows)
Originally heard on: “Body Rhythm,” 1995
Featured musician: Marion Meadows (soprano sax)
Marion and Jay co-wrote this song, the last track on “Body Rhythm,” which featured both them and Dave Anderson.
9. My Cherie Amour (Marion Meadows; Stevie Wonder cover)
Originally heard on: “Body Rhythm,” 1995
Featured musicians: Timmy Maia (vocals), Marion Meadows (soprano sax), Chieli Minucci (electric guitar)
10. Blue Lagoon (Chieli Minucci)
Originally heard on: “Genesis,” 2013 (Chieli Minucci & Special EFX album)
Featured musician: Chieli Minucci (electric guitar)
11. In Memory of Elizabeth Reed (The Allman Brothers Band cover)
Featured musicians: Caitlin Kalafus (drums), Chieli Minucci (electric guitar)
12. Children’s Games (Nelson Rangell; Antonio Carlos Jobim cover)
Originally heard on: “Red” and “Blue” (upcoming albums) (1/30/15 UPDATE: “Red” and “Blue” are available for download this Sunday, February 1.)
Featured musicians: Nelson Rangell (whistling/piccolo/vocals/claps), Musician (acoustic guitar)
When I spoke to Jay in February, I wondered what Nelson’s whistle song would be this year. This was a pleasant surprise, and the second year in a row where Nelson covered a Jobim tune.
13. Rainbow Seeker (Nelson Rangell; Joe Sample cover)
Originally heard on: “Far Away Day,” 2000
Featured musician: Nelson Rangell (flute)
14 (Finale). James Brown Tribute
Featured musicians: Everyone, led by Nick Colionne (vocals)
Now for various pictures of each musician, beginning with Jay Rowe:
Dave Anderson:
Trever Somerville:
Steve Scales:
Chieli Minucci:
Electric guitar:
Acoustic guitar on “Children’s Games”:
Nelson Rangell:
Alto sax:
Flute:
Piccolo:
Percussion via Steve’s chimes:
Vocals and claps:
“Nelson Rangell, ladies and gentlemen!”:
Nick Colionne:
Guitar:
Vocals:
Marion Meadows:
Timmy Maia:
Caitlin Kalafus:
This was Caitlin’s first appearance at SJFS in six years.
To be blunt, she rocked!
The audience agreed.
On to wide shots. First up, “George Can’t Dance”:
“Till the End of Time”:
During “Melting Into You”…:
…and after:
“The Lift”:
During “My Cherie Amour”…:
…and after:
“In Memory of Elizabeth Reed”:
“Children’s Games”:
Steve and Trever’s “Rainbow Seeker” duet:
The wild finale (isn’t it always?): Nick’s tribute to James Brown:
“Yeah!”:
“Ha-haaaa!”:
Nick: “Here we go! Can I count it off?!” Nelson: “Count it off!”
“1, 2, 3, ‘ey!”
Time to go into the audience:
(singing): “What about you?!”: (4/27 UPDATE: Or as it’s spelled on “Influences,” “Whatta ‘Bout You?”)
What about Jay’s mother-in-law?:
Meanwhile, back on stage:
Caitlin briefly returned to drums…:
…and Timmy took over percussion:
No tribute to James Brown would be complete without the cape routine:
Jay wrapped it up:
“See you all next year!”
Bob Nunno was sitting near where I set up. So, we spoke for a few minutes after the show. Then, I had my girlfriend take our picture:
Putting together these recaps is a labor of love. From capturing to editing to uploading to writing, it’s a long and trying process. When I left the Parsons Complex on Saturday night, I contemplated not going again. But that would be crazy. I love Smooth Jazz for Scholars. For two days out of the year, Milford is my home. I am grateful to Jay and everyone involved each year for putting on what I consider the Super Bowl of contemporary jazz.
I’ll be back, and I hope you, the reader (if you’re into this genre), make plans to come, too. Thank you for reading, and to quote Jay, see you all next year!
SJFS 2014 Night 1 recap April 23, 2014
Posted by Mike C. in Internet, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Travel.add a comment
For eight years, I’ve traveled to Milford, Connecticut, for Jay Rowe‘s Smooth Jazz for Scholars benefit concert. This is the first year that has taken place on Easter weekend. My original plan was to only come to this first night – Friday, April 18. But when I spoke to Jay between sets at Jeff Kashiwa’s Houndstooth Pub show in February, he convinced me to come to both nights. I’m glad I did. I’ll recap the second night in a separate post, but let’s focus on the first night.
The night began just after 8PM with an introduction from Kevin McCabe:
The first song of the night was by select members of the Foran High School Jazz Ensemble. Pictures from that song can be found in the set list below.
As for the main band, you had SJFS founder Jay Rowe on keyboards:
Dave Anderson on bass:
Trever Somerville on drums:
Steve Scales on percussion:
…and for nine songs, Rohn Lawrence on guitar:
SET LIST
1. Pick Up the Pieces (Average White Band cover)
Featured musicians: Foran “Average High School Ensemble,” as they called themselves
Applause:
After the ensemble performed, Kevin McCabe returned to the stage to resume his introduction, then he tossed to Jay Rowe:
2. Rosemary’s Tune (Jay Rowe)
Originally heard on: “Live at Daniel Street,” 2011
Featured musicians: Jay Rowe (keyboards), Rohn Lawrence (guitar)
3. Just a Natural Thang (Steve Cole)
Originally heard on: “True,” 2006
Featured musicians: Steve Cole (tenor sax), Rohn Lawrence (guitar)
4. Going in Circles (Steve Cole; The Friends of Distinction cover)
Originally heard on: “Pulse,” 2013
Featured musicians: Steve Cole (tenor sax), Rohn Lawrence (guitar)
5. The Music Inside (Chuck Loeb)
Originally heard on: “The Music Inside,” 1996
Featured musicians: Chuck Loeb (guitar)
6. Hacienda (Jeff Lorber)
Originally heard on: “Hacienda,” 2013 (Jeff Lorber Fusion album)
Featured musicians: Jeff Lorber (keyboard), Steve Cole (tenor sax), Chuck Loeb (guitar)
7. Tune 88 (Jeff Lorber)
Originally heard on: “Water Sign,” 1979 (Jeff Lorber Fusion album)
Featured musicians: Jeff Lorber (keyboard), Chuck Loeb (guitar), Rohn Lawrence (guitar), Kim Waters (alto sax)
8. Waterfall (Kim Waters)
Originally heard on: “Someone to Love You,” 2002
Featured musicians: Kim Waters (alto sax), Rohn Lawrence (guitar)
9. In the House (Kim Waters)
Originally heard on: “From the Heart,” 2001
Featured musicians: Kim Waters (alto sax), Chuck Loeb (guitar), Rohn Lawrence (guitar)
10. With You All the Way/All ‘n All (Steve Cole)
Originally heard on: “Pulse,” 2013
Featured musicians: Steve Cole (tenor sax), Rohn Lawrence (guitar)
11. Silver Lining (Chuck Loeb)
Originally heard on: “Silhouette,” 2013
Featured musicians: Chuck Loeb (guitar), Jeff Lorber (keyboard)
12. Silhouette (Chuck Loeb)
Originally heard on: “Silhouette,” 2013
Featured musicians: Chuck Loeb (guitar), Jeff Lorber (keyboard)
13. Red Wine and You (Kim Waters)
Originally heard on: “My Loves,” 2013
Featured musicians: Kim Waters (alto sax), Rohn Lawrence (guitar)
14. Confirmation (Charlie Parker cover)
Keyboard duet: Jay Rowe, Jeff Lorber
15 (Finale). Toad’s Place (Jeff Lorber)
Originally heard on: “Water Sign,” 1979 (Jeff Lorber Fusion album)
Featured musicians: Everyone
Let’s move on to various pictures of each musician.
We start with Jay Rowe:
A call and response with Chuck Loeb on “The Music Inside”:
Dave Anderson:
Trever Somerville:
Steve Scales:
Prompting the audience to clap during “Waterfall”:
Rohn Lawrence:
I love when he creeps up the fingerboard.
I love this, too:
Steve Cole:
Chuck Loeb:
Chuck worked scat into his “In the House” solo:
Kim Waters:
Kim briefly switched to keyboard – Jeff Lorber’s keyboard – during his “In the House” solo:
Jeff Lorber:
On to wide shots, beginning with “Rosemary’s Tune”:
“Going in Circles”:
“Hacienda”:
“Tune 88”:
“In the House”:
“Confirmation,” a duet by Jay and Jeff:
The finale – “Toad’s Place”:
The first night of Smooth Jazz for Scholars was in the books. Jay gave it up one more time for all performers.
Afterward, I had brief conversations with Steve Cole, Chuck Loeb, Kim Waters, and Jeff Lorber. I also got pictures with three of them, starting with Jeff:
Then Kim:
And Chuck:
There were more musical thrills on the second night. Click here to see.
2014 WCWP Hall of Fame Ceremony April 12, 2014
Posted by Mike C. in DVD, Interviews, Media, Music, News, Personal, Photography, Radio, Sports, Technology, TV, Video.add a comment
Other Hall of Fame ceremony recaps: 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020-21, 2022, 2023
Last Saturday, the WCWP Hall of Fame welcomed four new inductees in a ceremony in the Goldsmith Atrium at Tilles Center for the Performing Arts. This year’s inductees were Rita Sands, Frank D’Elia, Ted David, and the late Bill Epperhart.
You can see videos of the ceremony at the end, but first, the pictures:
Pete Bellotti welcomed the audience shortly after 1PM:
Images from the intro video, voiced by Jim Cutler:
The ceremony was hosted by Jeff Kroll:
Bill Mozer assumed the co-host position:
Rita Sands could not make it to the ceremony, and instead pre-recorded an interview with Bernie Bernard:
Bernie and Jeff posed with Rita’s plaque:
The second inductee of the day was Frank D’Elia:
The view from my camcorder:
Frank receives his plaque:
Like Rita, Ted David was unable to attend the ceremony. But he did record an acceptance speech:
Dan Cox, WCWP station manager, spoke next:
Dan brought up ceremony audio engineer Zach Parker to share the news of a generous donation to WCWP by Zach’s father:
Then, reflections of Bill Epperhart began. Dan shared his memories first, then Frank, Bill Mozer, and Jeff joined in.
Dan Epperhart, Bill’s son, accepted his father’s plaque:
And gave an eloquent, emotional speech:
Then, Jeff Kroll and Bill Mozer tossed to other alumni in the audience to share their memories:
Phil Lebowitz was first:
Then, Mike Phillips:
Neil Marks:
Bruce Leonard:
Roberta Epperhart O’Neil, widow of Bill’s brother Mike:
The last stroll down memory was provided by Jay Elzweig:
The only thing left to do was pose for pictures:
7/9/23 UPDATE: I originally split the ceremony video into two parts, but posted a complete version today.
6/7/24 UPDATE: I don’t know how to embed the video in WordPress classic mode. So, click on the link below to watch.
2014 WCWP Hall of Fame Ceremony (2023 repost in full)
As you can see, this year’s WCWP Hall of Fame Ceremony ended up running for a little over two hours. Memories were shared and praise was heaped. It was a day I won’t soon forget. Congratulations to Rita Sands, Frank D’Elia, Ted David, and Bill Epperhart.
One year with iPhone April 11, 2014
Posted by Mike C. in Audio, Health, Internet, Media, News, Personal, Phone, Photography, Radio, Sports, Technology, Travel, TV.add a comment
A year ago yesterday, I boarded the iPhone bandwagon by switching from an LG enV3, which I had for 3 1/2 years, to an iPhone 5. When I’m not texting or making a phone call, it’s a great alternative for internet access. My workouts with the Nike Running app have gone further than I was going in my first iPhone post last July. I’ve gone as far as 5.35 miles in one workout and broke 100 miles for the month of March.
When I need to comparison shop, I use shopping apps. When I want to listen to the radio, I have the TuneIn app. I’ve downloaded apps for several networks, network affiliates, and cable channels.
But I still wish the internal hard drive was bigger; maybe with the next iPhone.
Winter 2013-2014 recap March 28, 2014
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Technology, Weather.add a comment
3/31 UPDATE: Pictures of this morning’s wet snow added at the end of this post.
4/16 UPDATE: Post revised to reflect earlier snow than I previously remembered and a coating early this morning.
The winter of 2013-14 didn’t begin and end at the official times. Winter weather bled into mid-fall and early spring. The first snow came over a month before winter and the last came a month after winter. The first storm to produce an inch or more of snow came two weeks before winter and the last storm to do that came a week and a half after winter.
This post serves as a photo recap of most of the snow to affect my neck of the woods – Western Long Island.
Unlike the previous two winters, there were a handful of storms that left six or more inches of snow. Luckily, February 13 was the last storm of that kind. The rest of the season featured minor storms with little to no accumulation.
November 12:
December 8:
December 10:
December 14:
As I went outside to shovel, the snow switched to rain and the air temperature approached 50 degrees, about 25 degrees warmer than when snow began.
January 2-3: See separate post
January 21-22: See separate post
January’s snow was powdery and lightweight because temperatures were well below freezing. As you’ll see below, most of February’s snow was wet and heavyweight as temperatures were near or above freezing when it fell.
February 3:
February 5:
A couple of inches fell on February 9, but were powdery and light. It was nonetheless hard to shovel because of the frozen slush in the driveway from the previous two storms.
February 13:
February 14:
As I noted at the top, this was the last big snowstorm of the season. A smaller storm dropped a couple of inches on February 15, which didn’t stop me from going to Manhattan to see saxophonist Jeff Kashiwa perform.
February 18:
After this quick coating of snow, we were treated to six days of above normal temperatures; perfect melting weather.
Snow showers came through on the afternoon of February 26, also leaving a coating, which quickly melted in the sun, despite temperatures in the 20s.
March 3:
March was a month of near misses and close calls. It began with this storm. Nearly a foot of snow was initially forecast, but in the 48 hours leading up to the storm, computer models kept suppressing it further and further south. Thus, the snowfall forecast dropped all the way down to an inch at most. We ended up with less than that, but I still shoveled it.
The next near miss came on March 17. Once again, a lot of snow was expected initially, but that threat went away quicker. Again, up to an inch was the final forecast and we didn’t get a thing. I woke up on St. Patrick’s Day to a dry driveway.
The ultimate near miss came on March 26, a week into spring. This would be a blizzard, like the one on January 2, but with wet snow, like the three storms in February. Up to nine inches was expected for a while, but the storm was suppressed to the south and east, making it a bigger threat for eastern New England and Atlantic Canada. For them, it was a monster with tropical storm-force gusts on land and hurricane-force gusts at sea. For us, only a coating fell, which quickly melted. And wind gusts behind the storm were no higher than 50 miles per hour.
As pretty as snow is when it falls, it is a pain to shovel. So, as of now, I won’t miss winter completely. Luckily, as we move deeper into spring, milder temperatures are ahead.
Before long, the three Hs – hazy, hot, and humid – will return, and the pesky Bermuda High will keep humidity-breaking cold fronts from coming through. By then, cold air and snow will be a refreshing thought.
3/31 UPDATE: Earlier this morning, around sunrise, rain began to mix with sleet and wet snow, and then it changed to all wet snow. About an inch fell over two hours and is already melting, as of 11AM. Here is how it looked:
This should be the last snow of the season. If I don’t post anymore updates, you’ll know it was.
4/16 UPDATE: It wasn’t. A shot of unseasonably cold air behind a cold front turned any precipitation to sleet or wet snow overnight. Temperatures were near freezing at the time. It dropped a quick coating, which I found on my sister’s car and the backyard deck when I woke up after sunrise:
The coating will melt fast in the warm April sun, even though it’s only 35 degrees as I type at 9:30 AM. Since it’s spring, a freeze warning was issued for this morning. Temperatures will return to normal by the weekend.
Jeff Kashiwa at Houndstooth Pub February 19, 2014
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, News, Personal, Photography, Travel, Weather.add a comment
I had a social doubleheader last Saturday. By afternoon, I was at my friends’ twin daughters’ first birthday party in Hempstead:
By night, I was at Houndstooth Pub in Manhattan to see saxophonist Jeff Kashiwa perform. I almost didn’t go because of the snow that had developed late in the afternoon. I was afraid to venture out because I thought we were in for up six inches of snow. Instead, we only got two. So, after much deliberation, including a declaration that I wouldn’t go, I decided I would go.
There was nearly an inch snow on the ground when my mother drove me down to Wantagh LIRR station at 5:15. The station platform looked like a pretzel as it was covered in rock salt. The result was a slushy coating that I trudged through as I walked in the light snow to the far end of the platform where only one person was standing. Everyone else huddled by the stairs and escalator. It was a quiet ride inside my railcar, but sparks flashed outside as the train rode the snow-covered rails. I had 40 minutes to kill before Houndstooth’s lower bar was open, so I stopped at Famous Famiglia two blocks south for a slice of pizza. With five minutes to go, I resumed the walk up to Houndstooth and made my way inside. I ordered chicken fingers and steak fries, then waited for the show to start.
Shows usually begin at 8:00, but Jeff Kashiwa’s began ten minutes early. Jeff played tenor saxophone…
…and EWI (“E-wee”) (electronic wind instrument):
Jay Rowe was on keyboards:
Dave Anderson on bass:
…and Trever Somerville on drums:
The set list featured six songs, a break, and six more songs:
1. Givin’ In
Originally heard on: “Walk A Mile,” 1997
2. Blue Jeans
Originally heard on: “Play,” 2007
3. Could It Be I’m Falling In Love (The Spinners cover)
Originally heard on: “Remember Catalina,” 1995
4. When It Feels Good
Originally heard on: “Back in the Day,” 2009
5. A Quiet Goodbye (preceded by Jay Rowe’s intro)
Originally heard on: “Simple Truth,” 2002
6. Hot Tin Roof
Originally heard on: “Let It Ride,” 2012
BREAK
7. Let It Ride
Originally heard on: “Let It Ride,” 2012
Played with multiple loops on Jeff’s iPhone app
8. Well, You Needn’t (Thelonious Monk cover)
9. Once Again
Originally heard on: “Play,” 2007
10. Canon in D (Johann Pachelbel)
Jeff’s iPhone app was used again for an echo effect
11. Movin’ Up
Originally heard on: “Play,” 2007
12. Hyde Park (The “Ah, Oooh” Song)
Originally heard on: “Another Door Opens,” 2000
Jeff played tenor sax on #1, 2, 6, 7, 9, 11, and 12; alto sax on #3, 4, 5, and 8; and EWI on #10 and part of #11.
Now for pictures grouped by artist, starting with Jeff:
Jay Rowe during “Blue Jeans”:
Jay’s “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love” solo:
“A Quiet Goodbye” intro:
“Well, You Needn’t” solo:
Dave Anderson’s “Well, You Needn’t” solo:
Flash pictures of drummers fail to capture the fluid movement involved. So, I took one pic without the flash:
Back to flash:
“Hyde Park (The ‘Ah, Oooh’ Song)”:
The “ah, oooh” part came from the audience, as Jeff’s direction indicates.
The view from my table:
The last note:
Jeff introduced the band one more time…
…and that was it.
Jeff and I caught up with each other during the break and I had Steve Butler take our picture:
Later in the break, I took this shot of Jeff, Trever, and Jay:
I wasn’t able to catch up with Dave until after the show. I told him that I almost didn’t come to the show, but once I knew that he, Trever, and Jay would be back Jeff up, I had to go. He really appreciated that.
I made the right decision to brave the snow and come to the show. Thank you to Jeff, Jay, Dave, Trever, manager Steve Butler, and father-and-son engineers Neal and Dale Newman for a wonderful night of music.
My trip up Super Bowl Boulevard February 14, 2014
Posted by Mike C. in Broadway, Football, Media, News, Personal, Photography, Sports, Travel, TV, Video, Video Games, Weather.add a comment
Last Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the Seattle Seahawks resoundingly defeated the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XLVIII by the score of 43-8. It was the Seahawks’ first Super Bowl championship in franchise history.
Two days before the Big Game, I headed to nearby Manhattan to walk the NFL’s Super Bowl Boulevard Engineered by GMC. The “Boulevard” spanned Broadway between West 34th and West 47th Streets. It was open to the public between Wednesday, January 29, and Saturday, February 1, the day after I was there. I had my Nikon D5100 (and two lenses) along for the walk to take pictures with.
The pictures in this post were taken outside the remote studios of ESPN, NFL Network, and FOX Sports; inside the Xbox One tent; by the Super Bowl Toboggan Run; by Extra Points, where fans could kick footballs through a goalpost; and a few other landmarks along the way.
We begin at ESPN’s studio:
The Xbox One tent:
The CNN/Bleacher Report studio:
The autograph stage:
Super Bowl Toboggan Run:
NFL Network’s studio at West 41st Street:
One block north of Super Bowl Boulevard was M&Ms World:
On the second floor, there was a massive array of tubes that contained milk chocolate, peanut, peanut butter, and pretzel M&Ms in a variety of colors. Two of the tubes had milk chocolate M&Ms in the team colors of the Seahawks and Broncos. I filled a bag of all kinds of M&Ms in all colors; 2.87 pounds worth. It took me three days to eat it all.
The FOX Sports studio at West 46th Street:
Megyn Kelly hosted her Fox News Channel show, The Kelly File, from this south-facing desk hours after I took this picture:
The north side of the studio:
A later shot of the south side:
Extra Points:
This kick was good:
When I passed by NFL Network’s studio again, Joe Montana was on set with hosts Andrew Siciliano, Willie McGinest, and Heath Evans:
Here’s how that looked on NFL Network:
And when I passed by ESPN’s studio, NFL Insiders was on:
From left to right: Bill Polian, Chris Mortensen, Adam Schefter, and Suzy Kolber:
Macy’s Broadway entrance:
Macy’s West 34th Street entrance near 7th Avenue:
Once inside, I bought a Super Bowl XLVIII polo shirt, cap (second from the left above), full size football with the Seahawks and Broncos logos on it, and program.
Despite the massive crowds and back stiffness that set in after an hour and a half, I had a great time walking Super Bowl Boulevard.
Congratulations to the Seattle Seahawks on winning Super Bowl XLVIII two nights later.
January 21-22 snowstorm pictures January 26, 2014
Posted by Mike C. in News, Personal, Photography, Weather.2 comments
I said in my previous snow-related post that I expected more snow this season, and if there was another big storm, I’d have pictures to share. It only took ten days from that post, nearly three weeks since the blizzard, for that to happen.
I was not expecting a snowstorm anytime soon, but the specter of such a storm was dropped into my lap on the morning of Monday, January 20, when I saw that a winter storm watch had been issued for Long Island. Four to eight inches of snow was expected. By mid-afternoon, that was upgraded to a winter storm warning and the snowfall amount prediction increased to six to ten inches. By evening, it went up again to eight to twelve inches (one foot). Then, I vowed not to check the weather again until the following morning. I checked and the amount prediction grew a third time: ten to fourteen inches. On top of that, the snow started earlier than expected. This meant I would have a very busy Wednesday shoveling all that snow up.
The difference between this snowstorm (winter storm) and the blizzard at the beginning of January is weaker wind. It was still gusty, but not as strong as with the blizzard.
Expecting a lot of snow, I took pictures outside my window and my sister’s window every two to three hours. This was taken at 11:18 AM:
1:55 PM:
4:18 PM:
Just before 5:30, I decided to get a head start on shoveling for the next day:
My sister took these pictures from the front porch.
I was outside for 20 minutes and took this when I came back in:
8:34 PM:
40 minutes later, I felt the need to re-shovel the area I shoveled earlier. I brought a standard ruler outside with me and stuck it where I hadn’t shoveled. The snow only covered 6 1/2 inches, much less than I was expecting. Like earlier, I was only outside for 20 minutes. Back at my computer, I checked The Weather Channel desktop app and saw snow dissipating on recent radar echoes. Perhaps, I thought, we wouldn’t be getting much more snow.
This picture at 11:21 PM indicates that the snow was tapering off:
I woke up at 8:30 Wednesday morning as skies were in the process of clearing.
Here is what I saw outside my windows at 8:55:
30 minutes later, I got dressed for what I expected to be another three hours of shoveling.
Before going out the front door, I stopped at the backyard door to see how the snow looked on the deck:
Once out the front door, I took a before picture:
Next, I took a final measurement in the driveway: still 6 1/2 inches. Meanwhile, a trained spotter for the National Weather Service recorded 9.2 inches for Wantagh close to midnight. Either there was less snow where I was or there was drifting in my driveway.
I was finished shoveling in only two hours. I shoveled the driveway, curb, a path around the house, the sidewalk, and a path from the driveway to the sidewalk. The air temperature barely cracked the teens while I was outside. I wore two layers of shirts and pants in addition to the coat, hat, scarf, and gloves.
Here are the after pictures:
When I came back inside, I took a pair of pics from my bedroom:
While my mother and sister were out, I shoveled where their cars were, leaving the entire driveway shoveled:
I still had the backyard deck to shovel, which I did on Thursday morning:
I was back inside within 20 minutes, the same length as my Tuesday night shoveling shifts.
The temperature climbed through the teens on Friday night and reached the low 30s by Saturday afternoon. Temps fell back into the 20s as a band of moderate to heavy snow came through. Only an inch fell, but I still had to shovel it, which I did at around 7PM. I shoveled all the spots I shoveled on Wednesday and Thursday, retracing the paths I created to the sidewalk and backyard.
Until the next major storm, thanks for reading.
MikeChimeri.com 
