New York City, Day Three

Day three of our visit was “Late Show with David Letterman” day. The guest for the evening…Presidential hopeful (Who Lost! Haa!) John McSamerrr..McCain.

Geri and I took it easy and chilled until we had to show up at the Ed Sullivan Theater to pick-up our tickets. We were guaranteed tickets because of Geri’s heartbreak story she emailed to the show. When we got to the theater there was already a line around the corner. So, Geri and I took our place in line and waited and waited and waited.  One of the Late Show employees walked by and handed us an ‘Undecided Voter’ questioner which we immediately handed back to him as already had decided. (Whom ever hadn’t decided by that time were tards.) As time passed we began to notice the number of men in black suits increase dramatically. This was coordinated with a rise in black unmarked sedans with tinted windows. The security for this event was serious. After waiting for about an hour we finally received our tickets and were instructed to come back at 4:30pm and wait in the ‘yellow’ line. So, we wondered about the city and took advantage of every bathroom that we could find because we were informed that once inside, no bathroom breaks.

After a few hours we made our way back to the Ed Sullivan Theater and stood in the ‘yellow’ line. Everyone was eager to see the show. Bags were checked, bodies were patted down and I had an armadillo moment when walking through the metal detector. Once inside we were instructed to be good sports and not boo. The set of the Late Show is small. Everything on the stage is set at an angle to give the appearance of depth.  The set looks huge on television, it was pretty amazing. Oh, it was as cold in there as everyone says it is. The entire audience is miked, so there could be no outbursts.  We looked around the audience and noticed that there were secret service scattered about in the seats.  It was pretty funny actually because they had to participate in the laughing and clapping.  Because of all the security, Letterman was not able to spend as much time talking to the crowd as he normally does.

The interview was very well done and I think Letterman’s questions were spot on.  I also think for the first few minutes McCain did a good job, after that he went downhill.  His answers to Lettermans were smoke and mirrors which the audience saw through.   An interesting note, during commercial breaks the two didn’t look or talk to each other. After seeing how the show is done and hearing the legitimate questions being asked of McCain, I have gained a new respect for Letterman.  Well, before we knew it the show was over and we were hurriedly shewed out the door.  Click here and here for some footage of the show.

Geri and I were starving as we hadn’t eaten all day.  We decided to try the famous Oyster Bar located in Grand Central Station.  The Oyster Bar has been in business since 1913, has great domed brick ceilings and sits below the terminal.  An odd place for an oyster bar.  We ordered clam chowder and a bisque soup, a shrimp cocktail, an assortment of oysters, and a Dupont Saison.  Beer note: It was obvious that the Saison isn’t ordered often because the server popped the cork and immediately poured straight into the glass.  Needless to say, the beer exploded into foam and got all over the place.  However, the food was excellent, the ambience great and the chowder was the best we had ever had.  The restaurant is well worth its reputation.

After a great dinner we strolled around the city and made our way to the Irish Rogue to end the evening.  As we are known to do, we had a few pints and then a few more and talked about our day.  The MLB playoffs were on the television with Boston taking on Tampa Bay.  Boston was getting the beatdown.  Boston made a slight comeback, but their deficit seemed to great and after the long day we were tired so we headed home.  The next morning we awoke to learn that Boston had made a legendary comeback and won the game.  Shit.

Click here for pictures of our third day in New York City…