The day started out with Patty driving Bob and me to the Metro North Station in New Haven, CT. (Amtrak and Interurban Bus Lines use this station as well.) The trip went smoothly until we couldn't find the station! Thankfully, we found some construction workers who led us to our destination! An Insurance employee was also helpful in leading us from the parking garage to the Station itself! Miraculously, we made our train to Grand Central Terminal! Once again, we ate sandwiches on the train! Last year, Bob and I walked by the school that Kelly Ripa and Mark Consuelos' kids attend. This year, while on the train, we saw Cardinal Hayes High School, where Regis Philbin and Martin Scorsese attended. Otherwise, the ride was uneventful.
After we reached Grand Central Terminal, we walked to the Comfort Inn on West 44th St. (between Eighth and Ninth Avenues)! We left our luggage at the hotel. We almost took a bus tour! We then went to look for the Ranch 1 that we didn't see last year because I was careless with our research last year! (I was no better this year, but our phone book in the hotel room this year was better, so we were able to find it.) On the way back, we enjoyed a beverage at Crave/Chicken Bar (The former location of the Ranch 1 which was under renovation when we were last in New York City). We then checked into our room and rested until we went to dinner at the Ranch 1 on West 46th St, (Near Fifth Ave.). I had a chicken sandwich and fries! I also ate Patty's leftover salad! The food was delicious, but the facility needs some minor renovations to make the experience more enjoyable.
After dinner, we walked to Rockefeller Center to research availability for the NBC Studio Tour on Saturday! As it turned out, we ended up on the last tour that night! I had a minor meltdown because our two dollar off coupons were back at the hotel because it had been decided that we were going on
Saturday. Thankfully, it did not put a damper on my enjoyment of the tour! Before the tour, we took a picture with Matt Lauer! He was quite stiff, unlike his on-air persona. (It was a cardboard cutout.) At about 8:15 PM, our tour started. Our tour guides were Ola and Lauren. They were very informative and entertaining. The tour started with a brief video on the History of NBC that featured its many networks, such as Golf Channel and MSNBC. We then went through security! The backpack that Bob insisted on bringing made maneuverability a challenge! We saw Jimmy Fallon's Studio, Saturday Night Live 's set (with Ben Affleck and friends rehearsing in the background), the control room for NBC Nightly News and many other interesting areas! I was disappointed that I didn't see The Today Show set. (They were preparing it for Saturday's program.) The tour ended in the Gift Shop! Most of the merchandise was NBC related, but I was baffled by The Simpsons being represented, since they are affiliated with Fox. (The Mindy Project's merchandise was not a surprise because it is produced by NBC Universal, but it airs on Fox.)
Since I was out of cough drops, we went to Duane Reade (Owned by Walgreen's)! We also bought drinks and cookies for snacking. We also went to the Hershey Store because there was a coupon for a free candy bar with a purchase! As luck would have it, I had a coupon usable on a bag of Bliss candy. It took management approval, but both coupons were usable.
We then headed back to the hotel. We watched local news! One story became very important because it would have a great impact on us returning to New Haven. The next installment will give all the details.
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