Last Night's Adventure

I had the pleasure of having tickets, field box tickets mind you, to last night's Mets game. Wonderful! A nice little Pre-Father's Day present. So, after consulting sources as to the parking nightmare which has befallen Shea, we decided to leave our home in Western Suffolk county,south shore, and make the trek - at 4:30 PM. Of course, having three children, the chance of getting in the car by 5:00 is miraculous. Well, we got in the car, and drove to our local Subway. Got some food, because you need a home equity loan to feed a family of five at the ballpark.

We got on the road about 4:50 PM, and it was, note the key word, WAS, a beautiful, humid day.

When we got to the Queens border on the Grand Central PKWY, things weren't grand. The clouds crept in, and little droplets of rain started decorating the windshield. No matter, we got to my favorite parking area, the train yard across from Shea, only to find that area is for pre-paid parking. We were diverted to the Science Museum, where the rain started to come down rather heavy. We got on the shuttle bus, which was the best part, because my five year old daughter (our youngest) was so psyched to be on a school bus, that she forgot why we were there. That was the best part of her trip, and I'll have to admit, seeing her excitement, and the hell that followed, I must agree with her.

We got into Shea about 45 minutes before game time, when Thor started letting loose his mighty thunder bolts. Wasn't it sunny and beautiful only 30 minutes ago? We did our customary thing; I got my annual yearbook, which I have collected every year since 1974, as well as getting one each for my two boys, whose tradition started about five years ago. Thirty six bucks gone.

We were getting a little "Rumbly In The Tumbly" so we thought we would eat. Since drinks aren't allowed, and rightfully so, into the stadium, my wife went and got one water, three Pepsi's, and one beer, no the beer was for her. Nineteen bucks. Oh boy, I hope they get this game in...

I figured I'd venture to see exactly where our seats were. I walked out, and someone must have known I was feeling courageous, and the heavens absolutely opened up. I stood there for a second, getting rained on, wondering what I did to deserve this fate. I haven't been to Shea since last April (2007), so I was really looking forward to it.

I walked back to my family, positioned by the exit door of the Women's bathroom, to explain it was raining. Forgetting where I was, Shea Stadium. They were more wet on the inside, than I was on the outside. God I love this sewer we call home!

After waiting for another 45 minutes to an hour, we were well assured the game was going to be cancelled. But, we figured we would give it until 9:00 PM until making the excursion back to the shuttle bus.

WAIT! My five year old didn't get a souvenir. She needed a new pink Mets hat. The one that she had gotten a couple of years ago, emblazoned with Mr. Met is too small. So now, we got the larger pink Mets hat with Strawberry Shortcake...Scratch 'N' Sniff no less. No problem. Only $19. After using the Jaws Of Life to pry the $19 out of my pocket for Daddy's Little Girl, she had her hat.

Finally, at about 8:40 PM (I'm guessing), the game was cancelled. The shuttle! Lets bolt! Forgot, I had my beautiful five year old in tow, and rain is cool, lightening is pretty and scary, and thunder is loud, we had to get to the bus. After hustling to the pick-up for the shuttle, we were on a line that required three buses to come before we could get on.

When we arrived at my car, we figured we would wait a bit because the GCP eastbound was a mess. We waited about twenty minutes, and listening to Ed Coleman say the rain had stopped. It didn't. Ed should have peaked his head out the window. It wasn't raining hard, but Thor was in a mood, casting his lightening bolts from the heavens.

The excursion. It took us three hours to get to the Jackie Robinson (formerly Interboro PKWY) - approximately three miles from Shea. Flooding. My children, who had been wonderful, were getting antsy. I didn't blame them, I was too. "Dad, she's on my side!" "He hit me!" "Don't hit you sister" You get the story...

We finally arrived at our palatial estate at 1:13. Four hours and approximately 13 minutes to drive 40 miles.

Best part, my kids asked if we can go to tonight's make-up game. To which I lovingly responded, "Are you kidding, I just dropped $150 to get wet!"

Honestly though, we can't wait for our next trip, hopefully this summer, to see the team we love, Our NY Mets