Brian Simpson concert recap 2 September 9, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Golf, Jazz, Music, Personal, Photography, Sports, Travel.add a comment
Previous Brian Simpson recap: April 2011
Later Brian Simpson recap: February 2015
Last night, I returned to Houndstooth Pub to see keyboardist Brian Simpson. His show marked the anniversary of Midtown Groove.
Brian played the keyboard…
and the keytar:
Matt Marshak was on guitar, as he was last time:
John Dillard on bass:
Courtney Williams on drums:
And Brian Lanier on soprano (seen below) and alto sax:
I was on hand for the first set. Here’s what Brian and the band played:
1. It Could Happen
2. Here With You
3. South Beach
4. Funkology (by Matt Marshak)
5. Can’t Tell You Why
6. Blues for the Houndstooth Pub (written for the show)
7. Let’s Get Close
8. Saturday Cool
Fasten your seat belts because it’s time to ride through the set via my cameras’ viewfinders. That’s right, I used two (but not simultaneously).
Brian addressing Matt before “Funkology”:
Brian made his way toward one of the premium seat tables during “Saturday Cool”:
The last note of the set:
Before I left, I had a brief chat with Brian and we posed for a pic:
It was another wildly enjoyable set! Thanks to Brian, Matt, John, C-Will, and Brian for a great show.
(By the way, I was wearing a souvenir shirt I bought last Sunday at the final round of The Barclays, a PGA Tour event held this year at Bethpage Black Golf Course.)
Riding the Long Island Expressway July 29, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Internet, Media, News, Personal, Photography, Travel, TV, Video, Weather.add a comment
I went to Hoboken last Saturday for my friends’ daughter’s first birthday party. On the drive with my parents to and from the Madison Bar and Grill, I took plenty of pictures. In fact, I shot more on the drive than at the party: 115 out of 224.
In this post, we’ll focus on pics taken on Interstate 495, the L.I.E. (Long Island Expressway).
Westbound, starting with Exit 37:
Exit 36:
Exit 33:
Exit 32:
Exit 31:
Exit 28:
Exit 27:
A tow truck got in the way for the next few exits. I resumed at Exit 20:
Exit 19:
Exit 18:
Exit 17W:
Exit 16:
Exit 15, the last westbound exit:
Eastbound starts immediately after the tolls with Exit 13:
Exit 14:
Exit 17:
Exit 19:
Exit 21:
Exit 22:
Exit 24:
Exit 25:
There was a bow below the rear view mirror in the way in the upper left. So, I rubber stamped it out in Adobe Photoshop 7.
Exit 26:
Exit 27:
Exit 29:
Exit 30:
Exit 31S:
Traffic advisory sign:
Exit 32:
Exit 33:
Exit 34:
Exit 35:
Exit 36:
Exit 37:
Exit 38:
Exit 39:
Exit 40W:
Exit 40E:
Exit 41S:
Exit 41N:
Exit 42:
Exit 43:
A closer look:
Before HOV lanes were added, the Exit 43 ramp was here:
The original ramp can be seen in a video from WLIG-TV (now WLNY) after Hurricane Gloria hit Long Island on September 27, 1985. This is a vidcap (h/t Mike Erickson):
Video:
The vidcap was taken at the 1:03 mark.
Exit 44S:
That was our exit. From there, it wasn’t long before we got home. I spent several hours the next day editing all 224 pictures. The party pics were easy to edit because I used the flash and didn’t have to fix the color or smudge out license plates.
Scenery pictures June 30, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Baseball, Personal, Photography, Sports, Travel, Weather.add a comment
Inspired by my travel pictures post, this post is made up entirely of pictures of scenery or past landmarks that are new to the site.
I originally planned on putting in pictures I shot in April and June of this year, but then went further back to 2005. Unless otherwise noted, the pictures were taken outside my house.
We’ll start with a few sunrise pictures.
February 24, 2005:
March 3, 2005:
March 14, 2005, overlooking the 1st hole fairway of Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead golf course in Palm Harbor, Florida:
July 3, 2005: Sunset outside Jones Beach Theater:
May 27, 2006: Memorial Day Weekend fireworks at North Hempstead Beach Park:
July 30, 2006: A series of sunset pics while on a boat ride south of Freeport:
August 18, 2006: Looking above Woodcleft Avenue in Freeport:
August 25, 2006: On the beach in Lake Worth, Florida:
Later that day, an approaching thunderstorm at The Cascades in Boynton Beach:
August 26, 2006: Storm clouds north of Boynton Beach:
August 28, 2006: Walking up Cascades Isle Boulevard:
September 6, 2006: Shea Stadium before the first game of a Mets-Braves doubleheader:
A plane for a since-defunct airline in its final approach to LaGuardia Airport:
September 8, 2006: Hicksville LIRR station:
September 11, 2006:
October 28, 2006: Back at Innisbrook, looking above Copperhead’s 2nd tee:
Part of Innisbrook’s Loch Ness pool:
November 3, 2006: Fall foliage at LIU Post:
Looking above the Duffy Avenue/Newbridge Road intersection in Hicksville, south of the LIRR station:
November 10, 2006: Sunset at Post:
August 17, 2007: The early stage of a thunderstorm:
September 12, 2007:
October 27, 2007:
March 8, 2008: Back above Copperhead:
April 7, 2012, at a surprise wedding in Freeport:
June 3, 2012:
June 9, 2012:
June 17, 2012, at a Father’s Day barbecue in Freeport:
June 22, 2012: Sunset:
June 27, 2012: Looking above the platform at the Wantagh LIRR station:
A bird in the Rockville Centre LIRR station parking lot:
And now more photographic loose ends have been tied up at MikeChimeri.com. I hope you liked what you saw.
Acoustic Alchemy concert recap 3 June 22, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Jazz, Music, News, Personal, Travel, Weather.3 comments
Other Acoustic Alchemy recaps: June 2008, October 2010, November 2016
Yesterday was a day I had been looking forward to since mid-March when I bought my ticket: Acoustic Alchemy‘s 8PM set at The Iridium. It was their third night of three at the club.
But there is a prelude to the photo recap of their show.
This was the middle day of a three-day heat wave in the Northeastern U.S. The evening before, the power went out at my house for three hours, from 6:20 to 9:20 (both approximately), except for two minutes around 8:45 when there was power before losing it again. 45 minutes later, the power was out again, but back within a few minutes. The next time I lost power wasn’t until 2:25 yesterday afternoon. LIPA (the Long Island Power Authority) estimated that power would be restored by 5:00. According to the alarm clock in my room when I got home, it returned at 5:13.
But I couldn’t wait two hours in a gradually heating up house until my planned train ride at 4:59. So, within 15 minutes of the outage, I got ready to go (with only sunlight to work with) and got a ride to the Wantagh LIRR (Long Island Rail Road) station at around 3:15. The train left at 3:27 and I was at Penn Station by about 4:15. While in Woodside, my train passed over I-278, the B.Q.E. (Brooklyn-Queens Expressway):
This was my second attempt at a picture over there. My first try came on the way to Shilts’ show at Houndstooth last month.
I took the subway from 34th Street to 42nd and walked toward 6th Avenue. From there, I passed News Corporation, McGraw-Hill, SNY (SportsNet New York) and Radio City Music Hall, before turning back toward Broadway at 51st Street.
It was only 5:15. I still had an hour and a half before show attendees could go into Iridium. So, I killed another hour at the Applebee’s a block away. Then, I waited for a half hour outside the next-door Winter Garden Theatre. Finally, at 6:50, the first wave of attendees were let in. After seltzer, water, and pizza, it was time for the show.
Greg Carmichael, the Boss of the Band, played acoustic guitar:
Miles Gilderdale played electric guitar…
And acoustic guitar:
Fred White on keyboards:
Gary Grainger on bass:
And his brother Gregory Grainger on drums:
The set:
1. Homecoming
Originally heard on: “Reference Point,” 1990; “Arcanum,” 1996
2. Overnight Sleeper
Originally heard on: “Natural Elements,” 1988
3. Angel of the South
Originally heard on: “The Beautiful Game,” 2000
4. Jamaica Heartbeat
Originally heard on: “Back On The Case,” 1991
5. Marrakesh
Originally heard on: “Roseland,” 2011
6. One for Shorty
Originally heard on: “Roseland,” 2011
7. Passion Play
Originally heard on: “AArt,” 2001
8. Ariane
Originally heard on: “Blue Chip,” 1989
9. The Stone Circle
Originally heard on: “Red Dust & Spanish Lace,” 1987
10. The Beautiful Game
Originally heard on: “The Beautiful Game,” 2000
11. Tuff Puzzle
Originally heard on: “AArt,” 2001
Encore 1. Casino
Originally heard on: “Natural Elements,” 1988; “Early Alchemy,” 1992 (recorded circa ’82); “Arcanum,” 1996
Miles’ “Overnight Sleeper” solo:
Greg C.:
Gary’s bass/scat solo on “One for Shorty,” a tribute to his late niece, Gregory’s daughter, Dianne:
Greg G.:
Click here to learn about The MusicianShip, the non-profit organization co-founded by Greg, Dianne, and Jeffery Tribble Jr.
Fred’s “Passion Play” solo:
The Graingers’ bass/drum jam during “Tuff Puzzle”:
Miles’ wild “Tuff Puzzle” solo!:
The encore: “Casino”:
It was quite a show. The band was fantastic! And I heard from Fred that the 10:00 show was just as great!
Travel pictures June 13, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Personal, Photography, Travel.add a comment
This post contains pictures that I haven’t put in a post at this website before. Most go back to before it began in April 2008. The pics were taken during my travels: on interstate highways, parkways, state roads, county roads, city streets, from a cruise ship, and in a parking lot.
We’ll begin in Pennsylvania and New Jersey on May 16, 2005, leaving Penn State University the day after that year’s commencement ceremony. (My sister received her Bachelor’s degree in marketing.)
U.S. 322 west:
U.S. 220 north:
I-80 east:
Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania is not related to the actual Jersey Shore, nor anywhere near it.
I-95 approaching the inbound George Washington Bridge:
Our next stop is Connecticut on the Merritt/Wilbur Cross Parkway.
Northbound on March 28, 2004:
Southbound on December 10, 2010:
It’s off to Florida for the next set of pictures. We’ll start in South Florida.
April 7, 2004: I-75 south:
I-75’s southern terminus, and State Road 924 (Gratigny Parkway):
According to the Google Maps street view, this is how the above interchange looked seven years later:
Downtown Miami, viewed from a parking garage near American Airlines Arena:
April 9, 2004: State Road 869 (Sawgrass Expressway) approaching I-595:
I-595 east:
August 29, 2006: I-95 north, approaching Palm Beach International Airport:
The above pic was taken at 6:16 AM, just before sunrise.
I-95 south two days earlier, on August 27:
Then-State Road 782 (Linton Boulevard) west, approaching I-95:
Linton was re-designated as Palm Beach County Road 782, but as of today, either it’s an unsigned route or that designation was also removed.
We head northwest to the Tampa Bay Area for the next few pics.
October 27, 2006: State Road 60 west:
U.S. 19 north:
October 30, 2006: Pinellas County Road 611 south:
State Road 60 east:
That leaves us with New York. The first set of New York pics are from Manhattan, then the Bronx, and Westchester and Nassau counties.
April 27, 1999:
July 8, 2002: Embarking on a five-day cruise to and from the Canadian Maritimes:
November 7, 2003: State Route 9A (West Side Highway) south:
December 5, 1999: A view of two bridges from the southbound FDR Drive.
November 17, 2006:
Back to May 16, 2005: I-95 north at I-295‘s northern terminus:
March 28, 2004: Hutchinson River Parkway north:
May 10, 2001: State Routes 107 and 106 splitting up in Hicksville, the southern terminus of their 1.51 mile concurrency:
The last picture of this post was taken on August 22, 2004, on a boat, just below the Loop Parkway‘s eastern terminus at the Meadowbrook State Parkway:
And with that, this website’s photographic loose ends have been tied up.
For more travel pics, check these posts:
Spyro Gyra Smooth Cruise recap (July 2008)
Alumni Show interview: Ken Navarro! (September 2008)
South Florida trip recap (September-October 2008)
SJFS 2009 recap (May 2009)
Rippingtons Smooth Cruise recap (July 2009)
HotForWords at Borders in NYC! (August 2009)
David Benoit at Tarrytown recap (May 2010)
RnR Smooth Cruise recap (August 2010)
Guitars & Saxes 2010 Smooth Cruise recap (August 2010)
Rippingtons Smooth Cruise recap 2 (July 2011)
Shilts at Houndstooth Pub recap 2 (May 2012)
Shilts at Houndstooth Pub recap 2 May 14, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Hockey, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Sports, Travel, TV, Weather.add a comment
Previous Shilts recap: June 2011
Two nights ago, for the second Saturday in a row, I saw saxophonist Paul “Shilts” Weimar perform. Last week, Shilts was part of keyboardist Jay Rowe’s tenth annual Smooth Jazz for Scholars benefit concert. This time, he played solo at the Houndstooth Pub, a few blocks north of Penn Station. It was a busy night in that area. In addition to Shilts, there was the Bolder & Fresher Tour (Bill O’Reilly and Dennis Miller) show at the Town Hall six blocks north (and two east) of Houndstooth, and Game 7 of the NHL Stanley Cup Eastern Conference Semifinals was taking place at Madison Square Garden. The New York Rangers and Washington Capitals alternated wins and losses in the first six games and the winner would face the New Jersey Devils in the conference final beginning two nights later. Both floors of Houndstooth had TVs tuned to the NBC Sports Network where Rangers and Caps fans alike that could get into MSG watched.
Before we get to Shilts’ performance, I have a few pictures to share from my train ride in to Penn on the LIRR.
Forest Hills station:
BQE (Brooklyn-Queens Expressway):
A view of Manhattan from Long Island City:
I thought one of those buildings was One World Trade Center, but that’s to the south, and I was in a north-facing seat.
Long Island City rail yard:
Not only was this a concert, but it was also a release party for Shilts’ upcoming album, All Grown Up. Copies were available, but sold out fast, just as tickets for the show did.
I got a premium seating ticket back in March and ended up right next to the stage!
Shilts was joined by Abdul Zuhri on guitar:
Ken Stacks Richardson on keyboards:
Thomas Gooding on bass:
And Eric Brown on drums:
SET LIST
SET 1
1. See What Happens
2. Lambeth Strut
3. Good Evans
4. Seeing Things Clearly
5. Sugar
6. Look What’s Happened
SET 2
(NOTE: I left between sets, but saw the set list printout from my seat. If I made any mistakes, let me know in the comment thread.)
7. All Grown Up
8. 2 Pesos For Bud
9. Soul Eyes
10. Eyes Down
11. Blues
12. Back On The Hudson
Neal Newman, audio engineer, assisted by his son Dale (not pictured):
Eric Brown’s “Sugar” drum solo:
I left between sets, but not before getting my copy of All Grown Up signed by Shilts and grabbing a picture with him:
Cheers to Shilts, Abdul, Ken, Thomas, and Eric for another great show.
I’ll conclude this recap on the topic of the Rangers.
Just as I approached 34th Street, I heard wild cheers coming from the top floor of Lucy’s Cantina Royale. The Rangers had held on to beat the Capitals 2-1 and advance to the Eastern Conference Finals against the Devils.
Here are the happy Rangers fans leaving Madison Square Garden to head home:
Game 1 of the EC Finals is tonight.
5/25, 11:17 PM UPDATE: Unfortunately for Rangers fans, like myself, the Rangers lost to the Devils in six games. They took a 2-1 series lead and then lost three straight. The Devils will face the Los Angeles Kings in the Stanley Cup Finals.
Briar Park April 3, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Internet, Jazz, Music, Personal, Travel.add a comment
Early in my recap of saxophonist Jessy J’s show at the Iridium in February, I said this:
The site I bought [my ticket] through, TicketWeb, listed my hometown, with the 11793 zip code, as Briar Park rather than Wantagh. I had never heard of that alternate name and a Google search was inconclusive. I reached out to my Facebook friends from Wantagh or North Wantagh through a status update, but none of them commented.
In the recap comment thread, Zach Pollack had an answer:
The area between the [Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway; NY 135] and Jerusalem [Avenue] up to the Southern State [Parkway] used to be called Briar Park. So, basically the “T” section and a little bit more. [I] hope this helps.
I told him it helped a lot. Via a screencap of Google Maps, this is North Wantagh’s “T” section:
Will Donato & Elan Trotman at Houndstooth recap March 12, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Basketball, Hockey, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Sports, Travel, TV, Video.add a comment
Saturday night, to coin a borrow a previously used term, was saxtacular! Saxophonists Will Donato and Elan Trotman performed at Houndstooth Pub, a few blocks north of Penn Station. It was the first time I’d seen Will in concert, but the second for Elan, who I saw last April with Brian Simpson.
But before taking the LIRR to Penn Station and walking those few blocks to Houndstooth, something noteworthy occurred in my neighborhood and another thing in my family. It was my mother Lisa’s birthday. My presents to her were two scratch-off lottery tickets, she won $2 with each, and a Chicago CD. As for the noteworthy neighborhood event, a curbside tree by my neighbor’s house was taken down by a crew from what I assume was the Town of Hempstead. They also removed a tree a block north and west away on Thursday.
Here are two before vidcaps. This one is from February 5, 1995:
And from November 11, 2011:
The next three are after pictures that I took before going to Wantagh’s LIRR station:
I suppose the next step is to redo the sidewalk.
With that business out of the way, on to the show at Houndstooth.
Backing Will and Elan up were Jay Rowe on keyboards:
Kenny Harris on bass:
And Chris Marshak, brother of guitarist Matt Marshak, on drums:
I was on hand for the first set. Elan went first. Here’s what he played:
Elan Trotman:
1. Lil’ Too Late
2. 100 Degrees
3. Heaven in Your Eyes
4. Last Dance
Jay’s second solo on “Heaven in Your Eyes”:
Elan made way for Will Donato:
Will Donato:
5. New Life
6. I’ll Be Around
7. Jaywalking
8. Always You
9. Funkability
Guitarist JJ Sansaverino joined the band for Will’s portion of the set, seen here during his “New Life” solo:
Will went into the audience multiple times:
“Jaywalking” began with a bass solo by Kenny Harris:
And he had a simple “it’s you” vocal on “Always You”:
That song also had a wild guitar solo by JJ:
Back into the audience during “Funkability”:
He even went behind the bar!:
After “Funkability,” the set was complete.
And what a wild set it was! Elan was exciting and Will was lively! I can only imagine how much wilder the second set must have been. Before I left, I got to meet Elan and Will in person for the first time. Elan told me he liked my Brian Simpson show recap and I thanked him for the compliment.
On the way back to Penn Station, I remembered that the championship game for the Big East Tournament was taking place that night at Madison Square Garden. Before walking into Penn, I took a picture of the tournament’s banner:
In the championship game, the Louisville Cardinals defeated the Cincinnati Bearcats 50-44. About twelve hours later on the same basketball court, the Knicks and Philadelphia 76ers squared off. Unfortunately, the Sixers won. After the game, the court was taken apart and the hockey rink was set up as the Rangers faced the Islanders a few hours later. The Rangers won 4-3 on a Marion Gaborik goal with six seconds left in overtime.
Back on Saturday night, the 10:45 Babylon-bound train was a few minutes late, but I made it back to Wantagh on time.
Thanks to Will, Elan, Jay, Kenny, Chris, JJ, Steve Butler, and Ed Tankus for another great night at Houndstooth.
11:47 PM UPDATE: After posting this recap and linking to it on Facebook, Elan had this to say:
Nice job – yet again. Really nice work.
Thank you again, Elan. I’m very glad you liked it.
I also got this from Will:
Mike I really enjoyed your amazing blog. The photos really captured the night and I am honored to be reviewed with such passion and care!
Thank you, too, Will.
Jessy J at Iridium recap February 11, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Broadway, Hockey, Jazz, Media, Music, Personal, Photography, Travel, TV.2 comments
(2/25 UPDATE: Jessy has posted video of six songs from the 8:00 set to her YouTube channel, including two in one video. They are embedded in the set list below the corresponding titles.)
I was at The Iridium jazz club Thursday night to see saxophonist/vocalist Jessy J perform. There were two shows: 8:00 and 10:00. I went to the earlier one. It was the first time I’d seen her solo since I first saw her with Guitars and Saxes in 2008.
I had originally planned on seeing Jessy at the Daniel Street club in Milford, Connecticut back in late July, but I was unable to make it. I was unaware she’d be at The Iridium until the previous Monday, January 30, when the date was listed in her latest newsletter. Not about to let this opportunity pass me by, I immediately bought a ticket. (6/22/12 UPDATE: Daniel Street closed one month before The Iridium show.)
Before we get the show recap started, I’d like to share a funny thing that happened after I bought that ticket. The site I bought it through, TicketWeb, listed my hometown, with the 11793 zip code, as Briar Park rather than Wantagh. I had never heard of that alternate name and a Google search was inconclusive. I reached out to my Facebook friends from Wantagh or North Wantagh through a status update, but none of them commented. A comment in this old message board thread helped slightly, but not much:
… While my neighborhood is served by the Levittown School district, I am 110% positive that my development is considered (for intents and purposes) North Wantagh. Just north of me is the “R” section of Levittown, and the Briar Park section of Wantagh; and south of the parkway is the “T” section …
I walked through that “T” section of North Wantagh earlier today, so called because most of the street names begin with the letter “T” (i.e. Twin, Tally, Toll Gate, Tumble, etc.). So, apparently, Briar Park is a section of Wantagh, but I still don’t know where. If anyone happens to read this and knows the answer, please leave a comment.
On to the recap:
I was dropped off at the Wantagh LIRR station at 5:30, 29 minutes before my Penn Station-bound train arrived. I killed some of the time in the adjacent McDonald’s, buying a small meal, before returning to the platform. The train I was on was an older model, an M1, the predecessor to the M7, which features an automated voice recording – which I do a good impression of – and synthesized bell. When I arrived at Penn Station, I immediately walked to the 34th Street subway station to take the uptown 1 train to 50th and Broadway. I barely missed one, but another arrived four minutes later. Finally, I arrived at The Iridium, 45 minutes before showtime. Since I was early, I got a great seat: a table on the left side of the stage. After a spaghetti and meatballs dinner, it was finally time for Jessy J and the band.
Jessy was on the tenor sax:
Her pants look pink, but they’re red.
She was backed up by Jay Rowe on keyboards:
Mike Nunno (“NEW-no”) on bass:
Jon Roundtree on drums:
And Rohn (“Ron”) Lawrence on guitar:
8:00 SET LIST
1. Fiesta Velada
2. Sin Ti
3. Mas Que Nada (Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66 cover) – Jessy, vocals; Rohn, background vocals
4. Tequila Moon
5. Tropical Rain
6. Remember the Night
7. Hot Sauce
8. Conga (Gloria Estefan & Miami Sound Machine cover) – Jessy, vocals; Rohn, vocal solo
9. Oye Como Va (Tito Puente cover, arrangement similar to Santana version) – Jessy, vocals; Rohn, vocal solo
10. Baila! – Jessy, vocals
1-4 are from Tequila Moon (2008).
5 and 10 are from True Love (2009).
6 and 7 are from Hot Sauce (2011).
A few songs featured a call and response, wild at times, with Jessy and Rohn Lawrence. Here’s a sample:
The view from the HD monitor behind me:
Jessy wore two musical hats for “Mas Que Nada,” “Conga,” “Oye Como Va,” and “Baila!”: saxophone and vocals. Here she is during “Mas Que Nada”:
Rohn backed her up:
Mike Nunno’s “Mas Que Nada” bass solo:
Rohn’s “Remember the Night” guitar solo:
Clapping in the middle of “Hot Sauce”:
Jessy switched to alto sax for “Conga” and “Oye Como Va”:
“Conga” vocals:
Rohn’s “Conga” solo:
Miami-style clapping:
Vocal solo…
…with audience participation:
Jay Rowe’s “Oye Como Va” keyboard solo, first seen from a monitor:
The end-of-solo glide:
Jessy switched back to tenor sax for the last song of the set – “Baila!”:
Jay’s “Baila!” solo:
Then, it was Rohn’s turn:
And finally, a drum solo by Jon Roundtree:
The last note:
The end!
Afterward, Jessy and I briefly caught up with each other and shot this picture:
She asked if I still had my blog and I told her I do. I also met Rohn in person for the first time and caught up with Jay and Mike, who I’d previously seen on bass for drummer John Favicchia’s Dharma All Stars. Outside of the band, I saw my friends Katherine Gilraine, who came for the 10:00 show, and Kat Sarracco who was at the 8:00 show, but I didn’t even notice during it because I was focused on the stage the entire time.
Going back to Penn Station, I was unable to find the entrance to the 50th-Broadway subway station’s downtown platform. So, I gave up and planned on walking all the way down to Penn. I didn’t realize it, but I would be walking through Times Square. The tourists were out in full force and I was one of them, shooting these pictures:
My last picture of the night was the exterior of the Times Square station:
I was finally able to board the downtown 1 train, but had to walk a bit above ground before finding the LIRR entrance. I ran to catch the 10:05 Babylon-bound train. The New York Rangers hockey team had a game against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Madison Square Garden that ended moments earlier. (The Rangers won 4-3 in overtime.) So, the train I barely made was packed. I stood by the car door until Jamaica when one of the fold-out seats next to me was vacated. I got back to Wantagh just after 11:00, ending a great night of music and travel.
Thanks to Jessy, Jay, Mike, Jon, and Rohn for a wonderful, exhilarating show. It was a blast!
MikeChimeri.com 
The Barclays at Bethpage Black recap August 27, 2012
Posted by Mike C. in Commentary, Golf, Internet, Media, News, Personal, Photography, Sports, Travel, TV, Weather.add a comment
For the first time in three years, Bethpage Black Golf Course in Farmingdale hosted a PGA Tour event. This time, it was The Barclays.
The weather this year was much better than it was at the 2002 and 2009 U.S. Open Golf Championships, especially than the latter. It was rain-free.
Earlier in the year, my dad got final round tickets for me and him. Before we get to a recap of that, here are recaps of the first three rounds:
Round 1 recap
Round 2 recap
Round 3 recap
After Nick Watney’s third round struggles, I predicted that Sergio Garcia, the leader going into the final round would win. I was wrong.
Unlike at the two U.S. Opens the Black hosted, cell phones were allowed, but had to be on silent or vibrate. My phone was on vibrate as I provided live updates throughout the day on Facebook. Here’s how that went:
11:23 AM: “I’m headed to Jones Beach where a shuttle will take me and my dad (and other passengers) to Bethpage Black Golf Course at Bethpage State Park. We’ll be catching the final round of The Barclays. Golf Channel coverage runs from 12:00 to 1:30, followed by CBS from 2:00 until play concludes, which should be around 6:00.”
12:03 PM: “I’m on the bus headed to Bethpage Black. I saw some license plates in the parking lot from as far away as Michigan and Tennessee. Also, New Jersey, Connecticut, [Massachusetts,] and Maryland.”
12:21 PM: “Almost at Bethpage Black. I plan on following the second-to-last pairing: Kevin Stadler [son of Craig] and Brandt Snedeker [‘SNED-uh-kur’].”
1:32 PM: “I ended up following Phil Mickelson and John Senden for the first two holes, then stopped at a concession stand. We’ll catch up with Stadler and Snedeker at the 3rd.” Despite shooting a 76, the fans loved him, as I could tell from the wild cheers I heard at 17 later in his round.
I put my phone down until Stads and Sneds were halfway through.
3:32 PM: 9 holes down, 9 to go.
Then, I waited another five holes before writing another update.
4:46 PM: “Crossing Round Swamp Rd. 4 holes to go.”
After the pair’s second shots at 15, Dad and I jumped ahead to the last three holes. Then, the updates became more frequent…
5:02 PM: “Skipped to 16th fairway. CBS’s [course reporter] Peter Kostis is to my right.”
5:18 PM: “Up to 17th green. Live CBS feed is on video leaderboard.”
5:26 PM: “Now at 18th fairway. Again, a leaderboard with CBS’s feed is straight ahead. The green is to the left.”
By this time, the drunk fans that are wont to cheer too loud, yell catchphrases out of context (i.e. “GET IN THE HOLE!” on a tee shot at a par 4 or 5), paraphrase the “Olé” song using Nick Watney’s surname (as I heard on my DVR later), and heckle players they don’t like (Sergio Garcia) got to me:
5:34 PM: “It’s not fun when a reserved guy like me is next to enthusiastic and/or drunk fans.” Sober fans acquitted themselves well, as they always do.
5:36 PM: “Snedeker and Stadler are on the green. Sergio Garcia and leader Nick Watney are approaching.”
5:39 PM: “Last pairing in fairway. CBS’s [other course reporter] David Feherty walked by, got cheers.”
5:44 PM: “Watney’s on the green, Sergio’s in the bunker, to the delight of some fans. I feel sorry for him.” A “USA” chant broke out as if we were at the Ryder Cup, speaking of out of context. And there were two Spanish people standing next to us. I felt sorry for them, too. I finished the update by saying “[t]he crowd at the green is cheering.”
5:47 PM: “Sergio bogeyed. The stage is set for Watney.” He birdied!
5:49 PM: “Put it in the books.” That’s what Mets radio announcer Howie Rose says after a win. “Nick Watney has won The Barclays. Final score: -10.”
5:52 PM: “Feherty interviewed Watney for CBS [briefly interrupted by Nick embracing his wife], then off to sign the scorecard and back to 18 for the trophy presentation.”
5:53 PM: “Leaderboard reads ‘Congratulations Nick Watney, 2012 Champion’ with a headshot of him.”
5:58 PM: “CBS’s Ian Baker-Finch is [hosting] the presentation.”
5:59 PM: “The champion is back.”
6:06 PM: “After getting the trophy, Finchy [one of Ian’s nicknames] interviewed him. He ‘couldn’t be happier,’ ‘overjoyed.’ He thanked volunteers, fans, and wife. After the interview, he hoisted the trophy.” His cousin Heidi, of the soon-to-launch Time Warner Cable SportsNet in Los Angeles, was also there.
With The Barclays complete, it was time to go home.
6:07 PM: “Now, we’re walking to the shuttle bound for Jones Beach.”
6:24 PM: “The shuttle is departing…”
6:48 PM: “Walking to the car at Jones Beach. Next stop: home.”
7:19 PM: “I got home about ten minutes ago. Phew.”
I ate a hearty meal of pasta and watched some of my DVR of CBS’s coverage, but not before taking two pictures.
This is how I looked as I walked the course:
My ticket stub, pins, and two copies of both the spectator guide and final round pairings:
Here are the post-round links:
PGATour.com:
Round 4 recap
Nick Watney press conference
Daily Wrap-up
Results
PGA Tour Replay podcast
Newsday (subscription needed)
New York Daily News
Golf Channel:
Doug Ferguson: Watney wins Barclays; Garcia 4 back
Jason Sobel: Watney becoming more comfortable in spotlight
Barclays photo gallery
Rex Hoggard: Watney’s psychologist credited for Barclays win
The day after, I returned to Bethpage by bus and by foot, taking these pictures along the way:
Welcome sign at Farmingdale LIRR station:
This sign was up approaching Round Swamp Road while walking west on Bethpage Road:
The next three pictures were taken from Round Swamp Road:
This sign was at the main entrance on Quaker Meeting House Road:
After the above picture, I made my way back to Quake Meeting House Road. The inside of the park was closed until three days later.
This was the last relevant shot of the day before heading home:
The Barclays returns to Bethpage Black in 2016, part of a four-year rotation with other New York area courses. I hope the weather is as great as it was this year. Congratulations again to Nick Watney, your 2012 Barclays Champion. Best of luck in the final three FedExCup Playoff events.
NOTE: I decided to write entirely in the past tense rather than the present except for “yesterday” referring to when the final round was played. I did this despite “the day after” being today and “three days later” being Thursday, among other examples.
8/15/21 UPDATE: The PGA Tour will be replacing this tournament, renamed The Northern Trust, with the FedEx Cup Championship. That means this year’s tournament, the 55th, will be the last.