2014 Neil McKee. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 10/08/2014

ISBN: 978-1-4969-4535-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4969-4534-1 (e)

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Contents

INTRODUCTION

Road trip#1 The Daily New York City - 12/31/99 Double Philadelphia - 1/1/00

Ticket#1 Philadelphia 76ers vs. Orlando Magic First Union Center Fri. Jan. 14, 2000 7:00PM

Ticket#2 New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers Road trip#2   Madison Square Garden Sun. Feb. 27, 2000 12:30PM

Ticket #3 The Pretenders Concert #1 Tower Theater Sat. Mar. 11, 2000 8:00PM

Ticket #4 Crosby Stills Nash & Young Concert #2 First Union Center Mon. March 20, 2000 8:00PM

Ticket#5 New York Rangers vs. Philadelphia FlyersRoad trip#3 Madison Square Garden Sun. Apr. 9, 2000 3:00 PM

Ticket#6&7 The Penn Relays Doubleheader#1 Franklin Field Sat. April 29, 2000 9:00AM Phillies vs. St. Louis Cardinals Veterans Stadium Sat. April 29, 2000 7:05PM

Golf game#1 Golf Pickering Valley Golf Club Thurs. May 4, 2000

Ticket#8 Boxing The Blue Horizon Fri. June 2, 2000 7:30PM

Ticket#9 New York Yankees vs. Philadelphia Phillies Road trip#4 Yankee Stadium Sun. July 16, 2000 1:05PM

Ticket#10 Wilmington Blue Rocks vs. Salem Avalanche Road trip#5 Daniel S. Frawley Stadium Sat. Aug. 19, 2000 7:05 PM

Ticket#11 Pearl Jam Concert#3 Entertainment Center, Camden, NJ Road trip#6 Friday Sept. 1, 2000 7:30 PM

Ticket#12&13 US Open - Tennis Doubleheader#2 National Tennis Center Road trip#7 Sat. Sept. 9, 2000 11:00 AM New York Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies Shea Stadium Sat. Sept. 9, 2000 7:10 PM

Ticket#14 SEI Pennsylvania Classic Waynesborough Country Club Sat. Sept. 16, 2000 7:20 AM

Ticket#15 Stone Temple Pilots Concert#4 First Union Spectrum Tue. Oct. 3, 2000 7:00 PM

Ticket#16 Philadelphia Eagles vs. Chicago Bears Veterans Stadium Sun. Oct. 22, 2000 1:00 PM

Ticket#17&18 Philadelphia Flyers vs. Ottawa Senators Doubleheader#3 First Union Center Sat. Nov. 11, 2000 1:00 PM Philadelphia 76ers vs. Boston Celtics First Union Center Sat. Nov. 11, 2000 8:00 PM

Ticket#19 University of Pennsylvania vs. University of Maryland The Palestra Sat. Dec. 9, 2000 7:30 PM

Ticket#20 Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks First Union Center Fri. Dec. 22, 2000 7:00 PM

Ticket#21 Philadelphia Flyers vs. Carolina Hurricanes First Union Center Sat. Dec. 23, 2000 1:00 PM

Ticket#22 Philadelphia Eagles vs. Cincinnati Bengals Veterans Stadium Sun. Dec. 24, 2000 1:00 PM

Ticket#23 Cheap Trick Concert#5 Theater Of The Living Arts Sat. Jan. 13, 2001 9:00 PM

Ticket#24 Philadelphia Phantoms vs. Syracuse Crunch First Union Center Sat. Feb. 10, 20001 7:05 PM

Ticket#25 Boxing The Blue Horizon Fri. March 16, 2001 7:30 PM

Ticket#26 Sonic Youth Concert#6 Trocadero Theatre Sat, Apr. 21, 2001 8:00 PM

Ticket#27 AC/DC Concert#7 First Union Spectrum Sat. May 5, 2001 8:00 PM

Ticket#28 Robert Plant Concert#8 Electric Factory Sun. May 27, 2001 8:30 PM

Ticket#29 U2 Concert#9 First Union Center Tue. June 12, 2001 7:30 PM

Ticket#30 Philadelphia Phillies vs. Baltimore Orioles Veterans Stadium Fri. June 15, 2001 7:05 PM

Ticket#31 Philadelphia Phillies vs. New York Yankees Veterans Stadium Tue. July 17, 2001 7:05 PM

Ticket#32 New York Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies Road trip#8 Shea Stadium Sat. July 28, 2001 1:15 PM

Ticket#33 Philadelphia Phillies vs. Arizona Diamondbacks Veterans Stadium Sat. Aug. 25, 2001 1:15 PM

Ticket#34 Penn State vs. Miami Road trip#9 Beaver Stadium Sat. Sept. 1, 2001 8:00 PM

Ticket#35 Philadelphia Phillies vs. Florida Marlins Veterans Stadium Sat. Sept. 22, 2001 7:05 PM

Ticket#36 Philadelphia Eagles vs. Arizona Cardinal Veterans Stadium Sun. Oct. 7, 2001 1:00 PM

Ticket#37 The Breeders’ Cup Road trip#10 Belmont Park Sat. Oct. 27, 2001 1:00 PM

Ticket#38 Philadelphia Eagles vs. Oakland Raiders Veterans Stadium

Sun. Oct. 28, 2001 4:15 PM

Ticket#39 Bob Dylan Concert#10 First Union Spectrum Sat. Nov. 17, 2001 8:00PM

Ticket#40 Philadelphia Phantoms vs. St. John’s Maple Leafs First Union Spectrum Fri. Dec. 14, 2001 7:05 PM

Ticket#41&42 Philadelphia Flyers vs. New York Rangers Doubleheader#4 First Union Center Sat. Jan. 12, 2002 1:00 PM Philadelphia Eagles vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Veterans Stadium Sat. Jan. 12, 2002 4:15 PM

Ticket#43 Villanova vs. Georgetown First Union Center Sat. Feb. 16, 2002 12:00 PM

Ticket#44 New York Rangers vs. Philadelphia Flyers Road trip#11 Madison Square Garden Sat. Mar. 2, 2002 3:00 PM

Ticket#45 Philadelphia Flyers vs. Buffalo Sabres First Union Center Sat. Mar. 30, 2002 3:00 PM

Ticket#46&47 Philadelphia Phillies vs. Florida Marlins Doubleheader#5 Veterans Stadium Fri. April 5, 2002 3:05 PM Philadelphia 76ers vs. Detroit Pistons First Union Center Fri. April 5, 2002 7:05 PM

Ticket#48 Paul McCartney Concert#11 First Union Center Tue. Apr. 16, 2002 8:00 PM

Ticket#49 New York Yankees vs. Seattle Mariners Road trip#12 Yankee Stadium Sat. May 4, 2002 1:05 PM

Ticket#50 Philadelphia Phillies vs. Houston Astros Veterans Stadium Tue. May 7, 2002 7:05 PM

Ticket#51 New York Mets vs. New York Yankees Road trip#13 Shea Stadium Sat. June 15, 2002 1:15 PM

Ticket#52 Philadelphia Phillies vs. Minnesota Twins

Veterans Stadium

Fri. June 21, 2002 7:05 PM

Ticket#53 Philadelphia Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves Veterans Stadium Sat. July 20, 2002 1:15 PM

Ticket#54 Philadelphia Phillies vs. St. Louis Cardinals Doubleheader#6 Veterans Stadium Sat. Aug. 17, 2002 1:15 PM X Games VIII South Philadelphia Sports Complex Aug. 15- 19, 2002

Ticket#55&56 U.S. Open Road trip#14 National Tennis Center Doubleheader#7 Sat. Aug. 31, 2002 11:00 AM Philadelphia Phillies vs. New York Mets Shea Stadium Sat. Aug. 31, 2002 1:15 PM

Ticket#57&58 Temple vs. Miami Doubleheader#8 Franklin Field Sat. Sept. 14, 2002 12:00 PM Phillies vs. Pirates Veterans Stadium Sat, Sept. 14, 2002 7:05 PM

Ticket#59&60Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys Doubleheader#9Veterans Stadium Concert#12Sun. Sept. 22, 2002 1:00 PM The Rolling Stones Tower Theater Sun. Sept. 22, 2002 8:00 PM

Ticket#61 Bruce Springsteen Concert#13 & the E Street Band First Union Center Sun. Oct. 6, 2002 7:30 PM

Ticket#62 Rush Concert#14 First Union Center Sun. Oct. 27, 2002 7:30 PM

Ticket#63 Bob Dylan Concert#15 First Union Center Fri. Nov. 15, 2002 8:00PM

Ticket#64 University of Pennsylvania vs. Penn State Palestra Sat. Nov. 23, 2002 7:00 PM

Ticket#65 Philadelphia Eagles vs. Washington Redskins Veterans Stadium Sun. Dec. 15, 2002 1:00 PM

Ticket#66 Philadelphia Flyers vs. Montreal Canadiens First Union Center Thurs. Jan. 16, 2003 7:00 PM

Ticket#67 St. Joseph’s vs. Temple The Palestra

Thurs. Feb. 13, 2003 8:00 PM

Ticket#68 Philadelphia 76ers vs. Utah Jaz First Union Center Fri. Feb. 28, 2003 8:00 PM

Ticket#69 Philadelphia Flyers vs. Boston Bruins First Union Center Thu. Mar. 27, 2003 8:00 PM

Ticket#70 Pearl Jam Concert#16 The Spectrum Mon. Apr. 28, 2003 7:30PM

Ticket#71 Camden Riversharks vs. Somerset Patriots Road trip#15 Campbell’s Field Sat. May 3, 2003 6:35 PM

Ticket#72 Philadelphia Phillies vs. Arizona Diamondbacks Veterans Stadium Tue. May 13, 2003 7:05 PM

Ticket#73 6⁴th Senior PGA Championship Aronimink Golf Club Fri. June 6, 2003

Ticket#74 Philadelphia Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves Veterans Stadium Thurs. June 19, 2003 1:05 PM

Ticket#75 Metallica Concert#17 Veterans Stadium Sat. July 12, 2003 3:00 PM

Ticket#76 Chicago Cubs vs. Philadelphia Phillies Road trip#16 Wrigley Field Thurs. July 24, 2003 1:20 PM

Ticket#77&78 Philadelphia Phillies vs. San Diego Padres Doubleheader#10 Veterans Stadium Sun. Aug. 3, 2003 1:35 PM Manchester United vs. FC Barcelona Lincoln Financial Field Sun. Aug. 3, 2003 8:00 PM

Ticket#79 Bruce Springsteen Concert#18 & The E Street Band Lincoln Financial Field Fri. Aug. 8, 2003 7:30 PM

Ticket#80 Philadelphia Phillies vs. Boston Red Sox Veterans Stadium Mon. Sept. 1, 2003 1:05 PM

Ticket#81 Philadelphia Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves Veterans Stadium

Fri. Sept. 26, 2003 7:05 PM

Ticket#82 Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Jets Lincoln Financial Field Sun. Oct. 26, 2003 4:15 PM

Ticket#83 Philadelphia 76ers vs. New Orleans Hornets Wachovia Center Wed. Nov. 5, 2003 7:00 PM

Ticket#84 New York Rangers vs. Philadelphia Flyers Road trip#17 Madison Square Garden Sat. Nov. 8, 2003 1:00 PM

Ticket#85 Temple vs. Virginia Tech Lincoln Financial Field Sat. Nov. 15, 2003 1:00 PM

Ticket#86 Temple vs. Drexel Mini Doubleheader#1r&Penn vs. St. Joseph’s Palestra Sat. Dec. 6, 2003 12:00 PM

Ticket#87 Villanova vs. Notre Dame Wachovia Center Sat. Jan. 10, 2004 12 Noon

Ticket#88 Philadelphia Flyers vs. New York Rangers Wachovia Center Sat. Feb. 14, 2004 3:00 PM

Ticket#89 Philadelphia 76ers vs. Chicago Bulls Wachovia Center Sat. Mar. 6, 2004 7:00 PM

Ticket#90 Philadelphia Phillies vs. Cleveland Indians Citizens Bank Park Sat. April 3, 2004 1:05 PM

Ticket#91 Philadelphia Phillies vs. Cincinnati Reds Citizens Bank Park Mon. April 12, 2004 1:05 PM

Ticket#92 Penn Relays Franklin Field Sat. April 24, 2004 9:00 AM

Ticket#93 Philadelphia Phillies vs. Arizona Diamondbacks Citizens Bank Park Sat. May 1, 2004 7:05 PM

Ticket#94 Philadelphia Phillies vs. St. Louis Cardinals Citizens Bank Park Wed. May 5, 2004 7:05 PM

Ticket#95 YES Concert#19 Spectrum Mon, May 10, 2004 7:30 PM

Ticket#96 The Belmont Stakes Road trip#18 Belmont Park Sat. June 5, 2004

Ticket#97 Eric Clapton Concert#20 Wachovia Center Sat. June 26, 2004 7:30 PM

Ticket#98 Philadelphia Phillies vs. Atlanta Braves Citizens Bank Park Fri. July 9, 2004 7:05 PM

Ticket#99 New York Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies Road trip#19 Shea Stadium Sat. July 17, 2004 1:20 PM

Ticket#100 AC Milan vs. Chelsea FC Lincoln Financial Field Mon. Aug. 2, 2004 8:00 PM

Ticket#101 Philadelphia Phillies vs. Houston Astros Citizens Bank Park Thurs. Aug. 19, 2004 1:05 PM

Ticket#102 Philadelphia Phillies vs. Milwaukee Brewers Citizens Bank Park Fri. Aug. 27, 2004 7:05 PM

Ticket#103 University of Penn vs. Villanova Franklin Field Sat. Sept. 25, 2004 7:00 PM

Ticket#104 University of Penn vs. Columbia Franklin Field Sat. Oct. 16, 2004 1:00 PM

Ticket#105 Velvet Revolver Concert#21 Spectrum Wed. Nov. 10, 2004 8:00 PM

Ticket#106 John FogertyConcert#22 Tower Theater Sat. Nov. 13, 2004 7:30 PM

Ticket#107 Philadelphia 76ers vs. San Antonio Spurs Wachovia Center Thurs. Nov. 18, 2004 7:00 PM

Ticket#108   Penn vs. LaSalle Mini Doubleheader#2 & Temple vs.Villanova Palestra Sat. Dec. 4, 2004 1:00 PM

Ticket#109 Philadelphia Phantoms vs. Manchester Monarchs Spectrum Fri. Dec. 17, 2004 7:05 PM

Ticket#110 Villanova vs. Kansas Wachovia Center Sat. Jan. 22, 2005 12:00 PM

Ticket#111 Villanova vs. Syracuse Wachovia Center Sat. Feb. 12, 2005 12 Noon

Ticket#112 Penn vs. Harvard Palestra Sat. Mar. 5, 2005 7:00 PM

Ticket#113 Philadelphia Philless vs. Washington Nationals Citizens Bank Park Thurs. April 7, 2005 1:05 PM

Ticket#114 Penn Relays Franklin Field Sat. April 30, 2005 9:00 AM

Ticket#115 U2 Concert#23 Wachovia Center Road trip#20 Sat. May 14, 2005 7:30 PM

Ticket#116 Bob Dylan Concert#24 & Road trip#21 Willie Nelson Mini Doubleheader#3 Campbell’s Field Thurs. June 16, 2005 6:30 PM

Ticket#117 Baltimore Orioles vs. Colorado Rockies Road trip #22 Oriole Park at Camden Yards Sun. June 19, 2005 1:35 PM

Ticket#118 Philadelphia Phillies vs. New York Mets Citizens Bank Park Wed. June 22, 2005 7:05 PM

Ticket#119 Philadelphia Phillies vs. Boston Red Sox Citizens Bank Park Fri. June 24, 2005 7:05 PM

Live 8 Live 8 Concert#25 Ben Franklin Parkway Sat. July 2, 2005 12:00 Noon

Ticket#120 Philadelphia Phillies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Citizens Bank Park Thurs. July 21, 2005 1:05 PM

Ticket#121 Philadelphia Phillies vs. Chicago Cubs Citizens Bank Park Thurs. Aug. 4, 2005 1:05 PM

Ticket#122 New York Mets vs. Chicago CubsRoad trip#23 Shea Stadium

Sat. Aug. 6, 2005 1:20 PM

Ticket#123 Jimmy Buffett Concert#26 & The Coral Reefer Band Citizens Bank Park Thurs. Aug. 25, 2005 8:00 PM

Ticket#124 Washington Nationals vs. Philadelphia Phillies Road trip#24 RFK Stadium Sun. Sept. 4, 2005 1:05 PM

Ticket#125 The Breeders’ Cup Road trip#25 Belmont Park Sat. Oct. 29, 2005 1:00 PM

Ticket#126 Philadelphia Flyers vs. Pittsburgh Penguins Wachovia Center

Wed. Nov. 16, 2005 7:00 PM

Ticket#127 Aerosmith Concert#27 & Mini doubleheader#4 Lenny Kravitz Wachovia Center Wed. Nov. 23, 2005 7:30 PM

Ticket#128 Philadelphia 76ers vs. Miami Heat Wachovia Center Fri. Dec. 16, 2005 7:00 PM

Ticket#129 Temple vs. Villanova The Palestra Sat. Dec. 31, 2005 4:00 PM

Ticket#130 Penn vs. LaSalle The Palestra Wed. Jan. 25, 2006 7:30 PM

Ticket#131 Temple vs. Duke Wachovia Center Sat. Feb. 25, 2006 2:30 PM

Ticket#132 Philadelphia Flyers vs. New York Rangers Wachovia Center Thurs. Mar. 2, 2006 7:00 PM

Ticket#133 Ray Davies Concert#28 Tower Theater Tue. Mar. 21, 2006 8:00 PM

Ticket#134&135 Philadelphia Soul vs. Chicago Rush Doubleheader#11 Wachovia Center Sun. Apr. 9, 2006 1:00 PM Philadelphia Phillies vs. Los Angeles Dodgers Citizens Bank Park Sun. Apr. 9, 2006 1:35:00 PM

Ticket#136 Philadelphia Phillies vs. San Francisco Giants Citizens Bank Park Sat. May 6, 2006 7:05 PM

Ticket#137 Philadelphia Phillies vs. Washington Nationals Road trip#26 RFK Stadium Sun. June 11, 2006 1:05 PM

Ticket#138 Philadelphia Phillies vs. New York Mets Citizens Bank Park Thurs. June 15, 2006 1:05 PM

Ticket#139 Philadelphia Phillies vs. New York Yankees Citizens Bank Park Mon. June 19, 2006 7:05 PM

Ticket#140 Philadelphia Phillies vs. Florida Marlins Citizens Bank Park Fri. July 28, 2006 7:05 PM

Ticket#141 Van Morrison Concert#29 Wachovia Spectrum Sat. Aug. 5, 2006 5:00 PM

Ticket#142 The Who Concert#30 Wachovia Center Tue. Sept. 12, 2006 7:30 PM

Ticket#143 Philadelphia Eagles vs. New York Giants Lincoln Financial Field Sun. Sept. 17, 2006 1:00 PM

Ticket#144 Philadelphia Phillies vs. Houston Astros Citizens Bank Park Mon. Sept. 25, 2006 7:05 PM

Ticket#145 Philadelphia Flyers vs. New York Rangers Wachovia Center Sat. Oct. 7, 2006 7:00 PM

Ticket#146 Philadelphia 76ers vs. Denver Nuggets Wachovia Center Fri. Nov. 10, 2006 7:00 PM

Ticket#147 Philadelphia Phantoms vs. Hershey Bears Wachovia Spectrum Fri. Dec. 15, 2006 7:05 PM

Ticket#148 Penn vs. Temple The Palestra Wed. Jan. 24, 2007 8:00 PM

Ticket#149 Penn vs. Princeton The Palestra Tue. Feb. 13, 2007 7:00 PM

Ticket#150 Philadelphia 76ers vs. Los Angeles Lakers Wachovia Center Fri. March 9, 2007 7:00 PM

Ticket#151 Philadelphia Phillies vs. New York Mets Citizens Bank Park Tue. April 17, 2007 7:05 PM

Ticket#152 Philadelphia Phillies vs. Florida Marlins Citizens Bank Park Sat. April 28, 2007 7:05 PM

Ticket#153 Philadelphia Phillies vs. Toronto Blue Jays Citizens Bank Park Sun. May 20, 2007 1:35 PM

Ticket#154 Philadelphia Phillies vs. Chicago White Sox Citizens Bank Park Wed. June 13, 2007 1:05 PM

Ticket#155 Philadelphia Phillies vs. Pittsburgh Pirates Citizens Bank Park Sat. July 28, 2007 7:05 PM

Ticket#156 Philadelphia Phillies vs. New York Mets Citizens Bank Park Tuesday August 28, 2007 7:05 PM

Ticket#157 Road trip#27 New York Mets vs. Philadelphia Phillies Shea Stadium Sat. Sept. 15, 2007 1:10 PM

Ticket#158 Philadelphia Phillies vs. Colorado Rockies Citizens Bank Park Wed. Oct. 3, 2007 3:07 PM

Ticket#159 Philadelphia Eagles vs Chicago Bears Lincoln Financial Field Sun. Oct. 21, 2007 4:15 PM

Ticket#160 Temple vs Penn State Lincoln Financial Field Sat. Nov. 10, 2007 1:00 PM

Ticket#161 Philadelphia Flyers vs Toronto Maple Leafs Wachovia Center

Thurs. Dec. 27, 2007 7:00 PM

Ticket#162 Penn vs LaSalle Palestra Tue. Jan. 15, 2008 7:00 PM

Ticket#163 LaSalle vs St. Joseph’s Palestra Mon. Feb. 18, 2008 8:00 PM

Ticket#164 Philadelphia 76ers vs New Jersey Nets Wachovia Center Sat. March 22, 2008 7:00 PM

Ticket#165 Philadelphia Phillies vs New York Mets Citizens Bank Park Fri. April 18, 2008 7:05 PM

Ticket#166 Philadelphia Phillies vs Toronto Blue Jays Citizens Bank Park Sat. May 17, 2008 7:05 PM

Ticket#167 Philadelphia Phillies vs Cincinnati Reds Citizens Bank Park Thurs. June 5, 2008 1:05 PM

Ticket#168 Philadelphia Phillies vs New York Mets Citizens Bank Park Mon. July 7, 2008 7:05 PM

Ticket#169 Philadelphia Phillies vs Los Angeles Dodgers Citizens Bank Park Sat. August 23, 2008 3:55 PM

Ticket#170 Jackson BrowneConcert#31 Tower Theater Thurs. Sept. 18, 2008 8:00 PM

Ticket#171 Philadelphia Flyers vs Philadelphia Phantoms Spectrum Tue. Oct. 7, 2008 7:30 PM

Ticket#172 World Series – Game 3 Philadelphia Phillies vs Tampa Bays Rays Citizens Bank Park Sat. Oct. 25, 2008 8:30 PM Phillies Parade Phillies Parade Broad St. Fri. Oct. 31, 2008 12:00 PM

INTRODUCTION

The year 1950 was right smack in the middle of the 20th century, which was the greatest one hundred years in modern history. At the turn of that century Henry Ford had not yet founded Ford Motor Company in Detroit (that was in 1903), and the Wright brothers had not yet taken flight in Kitty Hawk in North Carolina (that was also in 1903). Cy Young was the great pitcher at the time, and nobody had yet heard of Babe Ruth or Ty Cobb. William McKinley was in the White House and there was no such thing as the World Series (that also started in 1903 - the Boston Red Sox had defeated the Pittsburgh Pirates in the inaugural World Series). That must have been a big year. There was no such thing as the NFL, college football was popular, and the Ivy League had the best teams (Yale was the NCAA champion in 1900). Also the postage stamp cost only $.02 back then. By the middle of the century, things were very different, World War II had been over for five years and the Baby Boomer generation was being born.

Here is a sample of some of the events that took place in 1950:

Harry Truman was in the White House.

The Korean War began.

The era of McCarthyism began.

The Oscar for best movie went to All About Eve.

Middleground won the Kentucky Derby.

Ben Hogan won the U.S. Open at Merion, PA.

Neil McKee was born on September 18th.

The New York Yankees defeated the Philadelphia Phillies (a four game sweep) in the World Series.

Vic Janowic of Ohio State won the Heisman Trophy.

The Minneapolis Lakers defeated the Syracuse Nationals (4-3) in the NBA Finals.

The University of Oklahoma was the NCAA football champions.

The Detroit Red Wings defeated the New York Rangers (4-3) for the Stanley Cup.

The Cleveland Browns defeated the Los Angeles Rams (30-28) for the NFL Championship.

It was a very different time back then, there was no such thing as rock & roll, there were no such things as astronauts and space travel, TV was in its infancy, and computers were unheard of.

I grew up in the western suburbs of Philadelphia and was a huge fan of the Eagles and the Phillies at a very young age. I attended my first Phillies game in 1958; it was an amazing experience because I had always watched the games on a black and white TV. It was a night game, as I entered Connie Mack Stadium in North Philadelphia (which looked like a warehouse from the outside) I was mesmerized by the lights and the color of the green grass, the red uniforms, and the red seats in the stands. A lot of men my age have reported this visual image (sportscaster Bob Costas comes to mind); I had never before witnessed anything like it. I attended my first Eagles game in 1962, my father (Bill McKee who said that he wanted to make it to the year 2000, but sadly he passed away on Christmas morning of 1990, three weeks shy of his 80th birthday) was lucky enough to obtain free Eagles tickets from work, he probably got them because the Eagles were playing the last place expansion team Dallas Cowboys at Franklin Field in West Philadelphia. I was so excited about attending my first Eagles game that I got an upset stomach on that morning and my mother almost didn’t let me go.

A few years later the Syracuse Nationals of the NBA moved to Philadelphia and changed their name to the 76ers, and the Flyers were an NHL expansion team. Back in those days there were just three networks (channels) on TV (ABC, NBC, CBS), but a new thing came out called UHF (channels 17,29, and 48) that telecasted some of the 76ers and Flyers games (it also had sports like bull fighting, professional wrestling, and roller derby), plus they had local college basketball games broadcasted from the Palestra.

I also used to watch ABC’s Wide World of Sports hosted by Jim McKay who every Saturday said the famous line The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat with the image of a soccer player exalting and a ski jumper crashing on the screen. The show featured all kinds of sports, anything from boxing, the Olympics (Winter and Summer), horseracing, college football, soccer, tennis, golf, anything. I guess that sparked my interest in other sports.

I also became interested in rock and roll music, I think that started on February 9, 1964 when the Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show which I saw telecast on a black and white TV. In my life up to that point I had never seen anything like that before. Plus, my best friend at the time, David Fillippo, had an older brother named Johnny who had an extensive record collection (Dylan, Beatles, Stones, Beach Boys etc.). David and I would listen to those records while Johnny wasn’t around. After that I started buying record albums.

I want to mention my love of horseracing - that started a few years later when I attended races at Brandywine Park a harness track (trotters) on Route 202 just south of the Pennsylvania border in Delaware. Those days were before gambling in Atlantic City, it was the only legalized gambling in the area, and so that was my first exposure to gambling.

When I was growing up the only sports available for kids to participate in was Little League baseball and Pop Warner football. I would have loved to have played on the Paoli Bulldogs football team, but that would have cost my father $75.00 which may as well have been $75 million, that didn’t happen. Little League baseball was more affordable because it was free, but we did have to sell boxes of candy or schedules door to door. I actually became pretty good at baseball, the three highest levels that I attained were high school (Conestoga High School, Berwyn, PA), American Legion (Paoli, PA), and junior college (Brandywine Junior College, Wilmington, DE). At all those levels the position that I played was leftfield, back then it was like being a goalie in a hockey game because everyone was right handed and pulled everything hard to leftfield.

When I was a kid in the late 1950’s while I was a student at Paoli Elementary School I read the famous children’s book The Kid from Leftfield by Jack Sher in the library. Also around that timeI always said to myself, What is it going to be like in the year 2000? I’ll be fifty years old! I couldn’t comprehend being that old, the thought of it scared me, and I’d probably be in a wheel chair or something worse. I bet a lot of people my age thought the same thing.

This is the story of what that kid did when he reached the age of fifty.

Fast forward the calendar and the clock to

December 31, 1999.

Road trip#1 The Daily New York City - 12/31/99 Double Philadelphia - 1/1/00

Participants:   Rich Keyes

   Rocky Billela

   Neil

The first big question of the 21st Century was: will the computers crash when the clock strikes 12:00AM on December 31st 1999? Will they accept the four-digit change in the year? If it doesn’t, that will screw everything up. We’ll find out.

I can’t think of a better place to go than New York City at Times Square to witness what happens. I can’t miss this, but if I go, it won’t be easy.

I had been to many New Years eves watching the ball come down at midnight in New York at Times Square, but none bigger than this one, the year 2000 the millennium party. Yes, I was going.

Plan A: Get hotel reservations and take the train to New York. That was not possible. I had tried for months to get hotel reservations, but they kept telling me to call back later. I kept calling until one week before New Years Eve; they told me that I would have to stay for three days if I wanted a reservation. God knows how much money they wanted for that. It would also be impossible to get a train. So much for plans A. So I went with B. This plan involves two other participants, Richie Keyes and Rocky Billela. Richie is my cousin and has a van and he loves to drive it, Rocky I’ve known many years, mainly as a neighbor at my apartment.

Plan B: We would drive up to Staten Island in Richie’s van, park it, then take the Staten Island ferry across New York harbor to Manhattan, then take the subway to Times Square.

At 4:30 PM on Friday December. 31st, Richie and Rocky picked me up at my apartment in Strafford for the ride to New York. We got on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, drove west to the New Jersey Turnpike, drove north, and then took the Staten Island exit. We crossed the Goethels Bridge, then drove north on Victory Blvd to St. George, home of the Staten Island ferry. After much trouble finding a free parking place, we found one on the street between the police station and the ferry parking lot. That parking space would be our hotel. We walked down to the ferry (the best bargain in New York, its free) where we caught the next boat to Manhattan. We arrived at South Ferry then walked to the #9 subway station at South Ferry Terminal, boarded the train, then we got off at 42nd St. Station a short time later. We popped up on the street and we were right smack in the middle of Times Square. But there was one problem, it was only 9:30 PM. Decision time: do we want to stay in this insane crowd? or do we get out of Times Square and try to get back in later. We chose the latter.

Richie, Rocky, and I exited Times Square then walked north on 8th Ave. We stopped into a Japanese restaurant where we sat at the bar just to relax, have a few beers, and to kill some time. We exited the bar, then tried to get back into Times Square, but the cops wouldn’t let us in. So now the search was on to get a view of the Ball coming down at midnight.

While we were on 8th Ave., on every side street we would turn right and try to get on 7th Ave., but the cops would always stop us. Finally at 59th St., right at Central Park South, we got to 7th Ave. from where we had a clear view of Times Square and the ball. The only problem was that we were 17 blocks away from the action in Times Square, but we could see the ball clearly, we did maneuver into a nice location. I’m not ashamed to be in the cheap seats.

Back in the old days for a couple of years they had a red apple instead of a ball dropping. Also back then security wasn’t so tight, you could walk around Time Square with an open bottle of booze in your hand. But times have changed there were no terrorists then.

There was a huge crowd there at 59th St. and 7th Ave. where there was a very festive party going on. The clock was starting to get close to midnight. While we were standing there we were talking to a guy and we told him that we were in Times Square but left and we couldn’t get back in. The guy said, Its better here because in Times Square there are $25.00 cover charges in the bars and the beers are $8.00. If we did that we’d have been out of money before midnight.

Finally the clock struck 12:00, the ball came down then all hell broke loose. Fireworks went off in the park; streamers and confetti were raining down from people in the trees. I know we weren’t in Times Square like we were a few hours earlier; it was good enough for us, especially after hearing about those cover charges. Richie got a picture of us all just as the ball was coming down. I guess the computers didn’t crash because the lights in the city were still on.

We did see the ball come down to start the new century, so it was worth the trip.

Shortly after the ball came down the party was over. Richie, Rocky, and I walked south straight down the middle of 7th Ave. to Times Square, no problem getting in there now. The weather was great, it was probably about 40 degrees, which is downright balmy for New York in January. As we were walking we agreed that Plan B was working out well than Plan A. If we had a hotel we probably would not have gotten into Times Square, I think that the only way in was from the 42nd St. subway station. the Plan B way. Yes, I think Plan B was the way to go, it was certainly a lot cheaper.

We arrived at 7th Ave. and Broadway and it looked like the aftermath on a battlefield, there were piles of trash but nobody was around. It reminded me of Mardi gras, on Bourbon St. after 12:00PM on Fat Tuesday, the same thing.

Richie, Rocky, and I thought we’d get out of Times Square; we weren’t going to any of these expensive bars. We over to the west side, I think they call it Hell’s Kitchen, where we stopped into a nice Puerto Rican bar where we had beers and sampled the black sausage.

After that we thought we better start heading back to our hotel. We walked back to 42nd St. Station where we caught the next southbound #9 train to South Ferry. While we were riding the train, Richie was saying that this was not the real turn of the century, 2001 will be. Maybe he’s right but all I know is that all of the numbers in the date changed and that hasn’t happened in a thousand years. While this discussion was going on I guess we weren’t paying attention to where we were, we forgot to get off at South Ferry Station. There was no one else on the train but us, and then the train started going north. Oh shit. We got off at the next stop, which was Rector St. Station, then made the long walk south back to South Ferry Terminal.

The next ferryboat arrived at 3:00AM, so we had a little bit of time to kill. There was a small pizza place nearby where we got slices of pizza. In the terminal there was some live entertainment going on, some kids were putting on a great break dancing show.

The ferryboat arrived on time, then we boarded, it was pretty cold on the outside deck so we spent most of the 45-minute ride inside. The boat pulled into St. George dock at about 3:45, and then we walk from the Terminal through the parking lot then up a hill to our hotel.

We went into Richie’s van/hotel and I was a little worried about the police station across the street, I thought the cops might arrest us for vagrancy. We were treating the street like a campground.

In Richie’s van the accommodations weren’t bad, there was a bed in the back and two captains chairs that lean back. Rocky got the bed and Richie and I had the captain’s chairs. I didn’t sleep at all that night because of the light from the streetlights. We were lucky that night that we didn’t get arrested.

Richie, Rocky, and I had decided earlier that the next day, New Years Day, we were going to attend the Mummers Parade in Philadelphia.

At the crack of dawn Richie was in the drivers seat, he cracked open a beer, then started the van. We were off headed south for Philadelphia. We drove south on Victory Blvd., then crossed the Gothels Bridge and got on the Jersey Turnpike headed south.

As we were driving we started to run into fog. The farther we went the thicker it got. Visibility was at about 10 feet. Richie wasn’t going to let that stop him, he continued driving at about 70 mph. I was strapped into the captain’s seat in the back, and Rocky was still sleeping in the bed oblivious to the situation. At this point I was scared, we could die in a pileup. Now I’m reaching for a beer, I figured that if we’re all going to die, I’ve got to have one last beer. It will calm my nerves and maybe make the pain of being killed a little easier.

Somehow we made it through the fog without hitting anything. Richie was barreling toward Philadelphia. I think that Richie has a Mario Andretti complex. We dodged another bullet.

We arrived in Philadelphia at around 9:AM and found a parking space somewhere in Chinatown.

The Mummers Parade has been going in some form in Philadelphia for almost 200 years; it’s a New Years Day tradition. Being from around here for all these years its odd that this is only my second Mummers Parade. I guess I never wanted to get up in the morning after New Years Eve. In fact, the only other parade I went to was about 20 years ago, and that one was in April because the one in January got snowed out and they rescheduled it. That one was right up my alley, the weather is a lot better and New Years Eve wasn’t the night before. I had a really good time at that one. To quote Bob Dylan, Ah, but I was so much older then, I’m younger than that now.

The Mummers Parade is a big drinking party, and it starts in the morning. We couldn’t wake up Rocky, he looked so comfy back there in his bed. We gave him a pass because he was going to the Eagles/Rams game the next day, he’ll need the sleep.

Richie and I left Rocky in the van and we headed out in search of a deli for a six-pack. Mission accomplished.

In most years the parade runs north and south down Broad St., but this year for some reason, its on Market St. going east to west. We knew about it before that’s why we parked in Chinatown.

Richie and I walked to Market St. with our sixpack in hand and found a nice little viewing spot on the sidewalk. The cops don’t mind if you drink on the street, in fact I think its encouraged.

The fancy divisions were in the street in front of us, they’re a bunch of clowns dancing around waving umbrellas. The more famous string bands will be coming up the street later. I didn’t think we’d still here for that; I was starting to get tired.

It was getting close to 11:00AM, bar opening time. Richie and I went to the Hard Rock Café at 10th and Market. It was nice to get off our feet and relax and have a beer. The only problem was that the beers weren’t going down very well, in fact it was like drinking razor blades. I said to Richie, Let’s get the hell out of here, I’m beat. He agreed, we walked back to the van and Rocky was still sound asleep in the back. That must be one comfortable bed.

We drove out of Philadelphia headed west on the Schuylkill Expressway (I- 76), and then Richie dropped me off at my apartment in Strafford at 1:30PM. I went straight to bed and didn’t wake up until Sunday morning.

Ticket#1 Philadelphia 76ers vs. Orlando Magic First Union Center Fri. Jan. 14, 2000 7:00PM

Participant:   Neil

I had not yet attended a 76ers game in the 1999-2000 season and I wanted to go to a game in January. I checked the Sixers schedule and saw that they were playing the Orlando Magic on Friday January 14th at 7:00PM at the First Union Center. I always like to see the 76ers play a team that I had never seen before and I hadn’t seen the Magic. I decided that I was going to attempt to attend that game.

It’s hard to get anyone to go with me to a 76ers game, especially if the tickets aren’t free, and this one’s not free. The NBA ticket prices are not cheap.

I was going to try to obtain one ticket for myself. I used what I call the one ticket method, you go for one ticket in the lower level, the $65.00 seats, and usually you get an excellent seat.

I got on my computer at work, went to Ticketmaster, and then using the one ticket method, I was lucky enough to purchase one primo seat in the lower level. It works every time.

The 76ers were a good team now under coach Larry Brown; they were now good enough to make the playoffs after a long drought. Their record was now 20-16, not great, but good enough, they seem to be moving in the right direction.

On Friday January 14th the weather had turned really cold, the temperature was probably in the single digits. The winter had finally arrived in Philadelphia in mid January. New Years Eve was downright balmy, but not now, it was stinking cold.

I got out of work a little early, drove to my apartment, parked the car, then caught the 4:40PM eastbound R5 train at Strafford Station which arrived at downtown Suburban Station at 5:20PM.

I surfaced from the station and found that there were a lot of people on the sidewalks this time of day on a Friday, so I hustled through the crowds to Oscar’s a bar on Sansom St. between 15th and 16th Sts., probably about a three an a half block walk from the station. I walked in and got a seat at the bar, it was nice to be in a warm place. The game was at 7:00PM, so I had time to relax and have a few beers. I ordered up a large Coors Light and they weren’t kidding about it being large, the glass was about a foot tall, and it cost only $2.50,it must have been happy hour.

I started talking to a guy named Kevin who was the cook at the bar. Kevin was a huge 76ers fan. I told him that I was going to the game and I showed him my ticket. I think he was jealous. After about three or four of those large beers I was ready to head down to South Philly.

I exited Oscar’s, walked to the Walnut/Locust Station which is a stop on the Broad St. subway line, it was about a two and one half block walk from the bar. I walked down the stairwell, walked east underground to the station where I caught the next southbound train, which made the ten-minute trip to the Broad/Pattison Station. This is the stop for the South Philly sports complex.

The South Philly sports complex consists of:

The Veterans Stadium where the Phillies won the 1980 World Series, the Eagles also play there.

The Spectrum where the Flyers won the 1975 and 1976 Stanley Cup and the 76ers won the 1983 NBA

Championship, in fact that’s the last championship Philadelphia’s had in any sport.

The First Union Center, its pretty new, nothing big has happened there yet.

The subway station is at the corner of Broad and Pattison Sts., right next to Veterans Stadium. I surfaced from the station, crossed Pattison Ave., and then walked south past the Spectrum through the parking lot to the First Union Center, the home of the 76ers and Flyers.

The First Union Center opened in 1996; it was built on the same site that old JFK Stadium was on. JFK Stadium is most famous for hosting Army/Navy games and also great concerts over the years. In fact I attended the last event ever there, a Grateful Dead concert on Fri. July 7th, 1989. The First Union Center was called the CoreStates Center when it first opened. The first event that I attended there was a Metallica concert on Sat. Mar. 8th, 1987. Sorry, just a brief history.

I entered the building and had time for a beer. I walked straight to the Red Bell Brewery; they make their own beer there. Behind that is a bar called Holt’s Cigar Club, I call it the Cigar Bar, and you can smoke in there, so that’s where I went.

I had one beer and a smoke in the Cigar Bar, stopped at a concession stand in the concourse where I purchased a beer and a hotdog, then headed to my seat. This place looks like a mall with a basketball court in the middle of it.

I went to my seat in section 115, which was excellent, it wasn’t courtside (God knows what they cost) but it was close. It was on row1, right up against the hockey boards but with no glass, I could put my beer right on top on the boards. I was in seat 2, right near the aisle. My seat was even with the baseline, a great view.

The guy sitting next to me in seat 1said that he was a friend of one of the Magic’s players. He told me the player’s name but a never heard of him. In the seat on the other side of me was a kid about 15 years old; he was with his father and his little brother. The kid and I were checking out the chicks and there were a lot of them in that location.

It was a good game, really close throughout. Doliac of the Magic was his usual pain in the ass to the Sixers. The game was a real nail biter, it was decided in the final seconds, but the 76ers won the game 102 to 100. A good win for the Sixers. Allen Iverson of the Sixers was high scorer in the game with 35 points, and Theo Ratliff of the Sixers had 14 rebounds.

After the game I exited the First Union Center, then started walking north through the parking lot to the subway station but it was really cold so I started running. I arrived at the station and decided that I was going to stop at Oscar’s to celebrate this win with one of they’re large beers. I boarded the northbound train, which was packed with a lot of happy Sixers fans; it’s always a fun ride when the home team wins. I got off the train at Walnut/Locust Station, surfaced from the platform, and then made the short walk to Oscar’s. While I was walking down Sansom St., in the distance I could see Kevin, with his apron on, celebrating the Sixers win out in the street. I high fived him, then went into the bar for my one large beer. After that I was ready to hit the road.

I ran the 3 ½ blocks north on 16th St. to Suburban Station where I caught the10: 15 PM westbound R5 train which arrived at Strafford Station at 10:51 PM. I made the short walk west on Strafford Ave. back to my apartment.

Ticket#2 New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers Road trip#2   Madison Square Garden Sun. Feb. 27, 2000 12:30PM

Participants:   Rocky Billela

   Tony Billela

   Neil

I had always thought that Madison Square Garden was always sold out and that it was impossible to obtain a ticket for any event there. But just last year I figured out how to obtain tickets for Knicks and Rangers games. Here’s how I did it. First you have to find out when single game tickets go on sale, which is usually about a month before the season starts. It helps to have a computer but you can do it by phone. On the exact day and time the tickets go on sale you go to Ticketmaster then click on the game that you want. It usually works.

The first game that I went to at the Garden was the Rangers vs. the Flyers on Sunday February 1999 at 3:00PM. I like to get a weekend day game so you can go up to New York and come back in the same day, no hotel is needed. For that game I used the one ticket method and got an excellent seat.

Rocky and I were going to try the same thing for a Knicks/76ers game on Saturday April 17, ¹⁹⁹⁹ at 6:00, but before the tickets went on sale there was a labor dispute in the NBA that resulted in a lockout. When settled the dispute a new schedule came out there was a day on April 17th, but the Knicks were playing the Toronto Raptors and not the 76ers. Rocky and I decided to try for tickets for that game anyhow, also Rocky wanted to bring his son Tony with us. I did obtain three tickets to that game, the seats weren’t together but they were in the same section. After that game I said to Rocky and Tony, The next time the Knicks play the 76ers in a day game at the Garden we’re going.

When the 76ers 1999-2000 schedule came out I checked to see if they play the Knicks in New York on a weekend day game. There it was the 76ers were playing the Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Sunday February 27th at 12:30PM. Perfect. I called Rocky and asked him if he and Tony could go. Rocky said, Get the tickets.

On the day and time that the tickets went on sale, I was at my computer at work. I went to Ticketmaster then clicked on the game. I thought I’d try for three tickets first then if that didn’t work I’d try the one ticket method. Well, I purchased three tickets on the first try. They weren’t great seats, but no seat is bad in Madison Square Garden. I was happy to have three seats together. It was nice to know that you did what you said you were going to do.

Next I purchased three roundtrip Amtrak train tickets for February 27th. OK, we were set, almost. I later found out that because of TV scheduling the game time was changed from 12:30 to 4:00. That was even better.

I’ve been going to 76ers games since the 60’s. I’ve seen them play at Convention Hall, the Spectrum, and now the First Union Center all in Philadelphia. This will be my first 76ers road game ever, and it’s also Rocky and Tony’s first. To see the 76ers play in Madison Square Garden is a dream come true.

On the morning of Sunday Feb. 27th I put on my 1976 #20 Doug Collins jersey, then shortly after that Rocky and Tony arrived at my apartment at 10:30. Rocky’s son Tony is a senior at Downingtown High School and plays on the football team; he’s a cornerback and kick returner. I’ve known him since he was a baby.

Rocky, Tony, and I walked over to Strafford Station where we caught the 10:42AM eastbound R5 train, which arrived at 30th St. Station at 11:30AM. We walked down the ramp from the local platform to the main area of the station. While we were hanging around the station waiting for our New York Amtrak connection, Tony saw one of his coaches and told him that he was going to New York for the Sixers/Knicks game. Tony said the coach was impressed.

Rocky, Tony, and I boarded the New York bound Amtrak on time at 12:05PM. The ride to New York went fast, it took about an hour and a half. The train pulled into Penn Station at 1:40PM.

Madison Square Garden is right on top of Penn Station, and tip off was at 4:00PM, so we had some time to kill. The normal thing to do would be go to a bar, but we had a 17-year-old kid with us who’s not old enough to drink.

Rocky, Tony, and I surfaced from the station then walked up to 7th Ave. where took some pictures of ourselves in front of the Madison Square Garden marquee, then walked around the complex. I suggested that we take a walk over to 8th Ave. While we were walking I said to Rocky, I know an Irish bar on 8th Ave., maybe we can go there for a few beers. Rocky said, Good idea. Tony heard this and said, Go ahead, I’ll walk around and meet you there later.

Rocky and I went into the Irish Pub and sat at the bar. This is a hard-core Irish place; I asked the bartender for a light beer and was served a Budweiser. After a few of those Buds, Tony came in and it was getting close to game time, so it was bottoms up.

Rocky, Tony, and I exited the Irish Pub, and then while we were walking back to the Garden, Tony said he saw an actor from the TV show Hanging With Mr. Cooper. He told us his name but Rocky and I had never heard of him, and both of us had never seen the show.

We arrived at Madison Square Garden at about 3:30PM then entered the famous building. Rocky spotted Billy Hunter (the head of the NBA players union) standing in the lobby. We headed straight to Tower D and rode the escalator up to Gate 78 then went to our seats in sec. 345, row G.

These seats were pretty far back, I guess you could say they were lousy seats, but this is Madison Square Garden, there’s not a bad seat in the place. If you compared these seats to the bad seats in the First Union Center (nose bleed area) - there’s no comparison, Madison Square Garden is better. All the seats at the Garden are on one level, not like the First Union Center where there are two levels with club boxes in the middle. Plus Madison Square Garden is cheaper, $38.00 for a seat that is almost as good as the $65.00 lower level seats at the First Union Center. That’s a bargain at New York prices. Plus Madison Square Garden is old and has a vast history.

None of the Knicks fans bothered me about the Sixers jersey I was wearing. When you go into a hostile arena wearing the other teams jersey you can’t be arrogant, you are a guest in their house, if you go in with that attitude you’ll be OK. It certainly was different being in an arena where we were some of the few who were rooting for the 76ers.

The game was a good one, the 76ers were dominating the Knicks for most of the game, but the Knicks made a big comeback in the 4th quarter. The Knicks pulled off a one point win. Final score was: Knicks 89, 76ers 88.

The Knicks fans were real happy, we certainly weren’t. That was a tough road loss for the Sixers.

Allen Iverson of the 76ers was high scorer in the game with 26 points, and Tyrone Hill of the Sixers led in rebounds with 20.

After the game we had plenty of time, so we decided to take the nine-block walk up to Time Square. Rocky wanted to take Tony up there to see the big city lights. He had been there before but not a night.

Rocky, Tony, and I exited Madison Square Garden, then walked north on 7th. Ave. (To quote Mick Jagger, I can’t give it away on 7th Ave.), straight to Broadway. Here we were, 7th Ave. and Broadway, the crossroads of the universe, we were right smack in the middle of Times Square. It is a spectacular scene, the sight of lights everywhere, and the noise from the traffic, the crowds of people, and the smell of the food. It really tests your senses.

After taking all of this in, plus all the walking, Rocky and I thought we needed to sit down and relax and have a beer. We chose to go to the All Star Café, right in Times Square. The All Star Café is a big sports bar chain owned by such athletes such as Joe Montana, Tiger Woods, Wayne Gretsky, and Monica Seles, to name a few of them.

Rocky, Tony, and I entered the place where there was a lobby with framed jerseys and pictures of the owners on the walls. Then you walk up steps to get to a huge room with tables everywhere and a few large screen TV’s, and there is a big rectangular bar in the middle of it. Rocky and I got seats at the bar and Tony went and played video games. It was nice to get off our feet and relax with a couple of cold beers.

The trains back to Philadelphia run every hour, so we thought we’d head back to Penn Station and try to catch the 9:00PM train.

Rocky, Tony, and I exited the All Star Café then walked south down 7th Ave. to Penn Station where we still had time for a beer, so we went to Houlihan’s in the station for one of their expensive beers. We told Tony not to go too far away. Rocky and I downed the beers, then found Tony and caught the 9:05PM Amtrak train back to Philadelphia.

After about an hour and a half ride the train pulled into 30th St. Station at around 10:20PM. We had less than half hour to kill before our local train arrived, so we climbed up the stairwell and headed straight to the Bridgewater Pub in the station, but it was closed because it was a Sunday, so we walked across Market St. and went to Doyle’s Bar (this bar is always open) across Market St. from the station where we sat at the bar. Rocky and I each enjoyed beers while Tony had a coke.

After that, Rocky, Tony, and I exited Doyle’s then hustled back to 30th St. Station, walked up the ramp to the local platform where we caught the 10:45 PM westbound R5 train, which arrived at Strafford Station at 11:21 PM. We walked west on Strafford Ave.; I stood on the sidewalk and watched as Rocky and Tony got into the truck, then disappeared into the night. I went back to my apartment.

I think Rocky and Tony had a good time, I know I did. It was too bad the 76ers had to lose.

Ticket #3 The Pretenders Concert #1 Tower Theater Sat. Mar. 11, 2000 8:00PM

Participant:   Neil

I heard on the radio that Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders were coming to the Philadelphia area to play a concert at the Tower Theater on Saturday March 11th at 8:00PM. I’ve never been a big fan of The Pretenders, but I like them. I do like the concept of a female lead singer in a rock band. A couple famous one’s that come to mind are, Janis Joplin of Big Brother and the Holding Company, and Grace Slick of the Jefferson Airplane, I think that Chrissie Hynde ranks right up there with them. She’s been fronting the Pretenders for a long time. The Pretenders have a lot of classic songs. I’m always up for seeing a famous band in a small venue. It should be an interesting show. The concert was on a Saturday night, so was perfect for me. I decided that I was going to try to obtain tickets to this show.

I got on my computer at work, went Ticketmaster where using the one ticket method, I purchased one excellent lower level seat at the reasonable price of $37.50.

The Tower Theater is in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania on 69th St. that borders on the western edge of Philadelphia. The Tower is a great place to see a band; it’s an old movie theater that holds about 3500 people. The sound is excellent and the sight lines are good. In the past I’ve seen Bob Dylan, the Allman Brothers, and Neil Young there. It really is a good place to see a band. One problem with the Tower Theater is that it doesn’t have a liquor license and they don’t sell beer there. But there are some bars close to it; you have to get a little creative before the shows.

The concert was going to be broadcast live on WXPN radio.

I can get to the Tower Theater on the R100 trolley that ends at the 69th St. Terminal. There is a station at Radnor (the town where I work) that I can drive to. Hum, there might be a little drinking and driving after the concert. I’ll be OK; I could probably drive blindfolded back from Radnor.

On the late afternoon of March 11th at about 5:00, I made the ten-minute drive from my apartment to the Radnor R100 trolley station. The trolleys run by about every twenty minutes, you have to push a button to make sure the trolley stops at the station. I caught the next southbound trolley that arrived at 69th St. Terminal twenty minutes later. My plan was to load up on beers at some of the local taverns before the concert.

From 69th St. Terminal, I walked across the footbridge over Market St. My first stop was at a little bar on Market St., just east of 69th St. called Cheers. I always stop here first whenever I go to the Tower Theater. It’s sort of a dive bar, but a like it. The ladies behind the bar always remember me. I enjoyed a few beers there, and then I thought it was time to move on to the next bar.

My next stop was the Waterford Inn, which is a little more up scale than Cheers. The Waterford is on an alley right next to the Tower, I walked past the Pretenders tour bus on the way there. This is pretty much where everybody goes before a concert at the Tower. I knew that it would be crowded there and it was. When I went in the first thing I noticed was that there were more women than men there, I guess because of Chrissie Hynde. I managed to worm my way through the crowd and got a seat at the bar. I wound up sitting next to two really good-looking chicks. I started talking to them and all three of us agreed that Chrissie Hynde belongs in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I had lost my lighter and one of the girls dug a lighter out of her purse and gave it to me. After that it seemed that every guy in the place was hitting on those nice ladies. It sure makes an old guy, like myself; feel good when two good-looking chicks are nice to you. Also while I was at the Waterford I saw a guy I work with named John Sullivan, he lives in Upper Darby.

It was getting close to 8:00, and I had the proper amount of beer in me for a concert, so I took the short walk over to the Tower Theater then entered the building. I tried to find my seat, but every time I come to the Tower I can never figure out their seating system. Here’s what it said on the ticket: the section/aisle was R/C OR, the row/box was NN, and the seat was 125. What does that mean? I had to get an usher to translate that foreign language to me.