July 20, 2011- New Meadowlands Stadium - East Rutherford - Part 2

[kassandra]

364 days to go.........

 

[lauramullen]

 

[one4u2]

 

[romi]

come on, people..... it's something TO LOOK FORWARD TO! The next year will go by sooo fast.

 

[lauramullen]

Heather

 

[JCOSTER]

I can't wait for next year!!!!! I never thought I would be so excited to turn 45! Its gonna be so awesome.

I hope this time I get to see my blue crack friends too!

 

[JCOSTER]

364 days to go.........

Just think of it like that song 364 bottles of beer on the wall 363 bottles ..........

 

[romi]

I can't wait for next year!!!!! I never thought I would be so excited to turn 45! Its gonna be so awesome.

I hope this time I get to see my blue crack friends too!

 

[Pop Artist]

I'm just glad they're wrapping this tour up while I'm still in my 40s.

 

[KEVIN051269]

The worlds greatest city and the worlds most unattainable stadium. Yes I know its not technically New york but what a shit of a place to get too. Oh and thanks to ticketmaster for not letting me get my tickets whilst here. Time for another beer in the village methinks

 

[one4u2]

Heather

 

[Pop Artist]

The worlds greatest city and the worlds most unattainable stadium. Yes I know its not technically New york but what a shit of a place to get too. Oh and thanks to ticketmaster for not letting me get my tickets whilst here. Time for another beer in the village methinks

It's not hard to get to at all (from NYC)...just that the transport is geared towards normal audiences and not U2 GA crazies.

 

[JCOSTER]

I'm just glad they're wrapping this tour up while I'm still in my 40s.

I agree w/u!

 

[U2Mama]

Thinking about trying to get tickets for this show...

 

[romi]

Thinking about trying to get tickets for this show...

in my most charming voice, "do it!"

 

[mirrorballman]

Not sure what I'm more excited about: U2 concert or finally going to NY again!

Really looking forward to next year, it's ridiculous.

 

[U2Mama]

in my most charming voice, "do it!"

 

[KEVIN051269]

It's not hard to get to at all (from NYC)...just that the transport is geared towards normal audiences and not U2 GA crazies.

Perhaps I did something wrong then?
I must admit I didn't really research how too get there as I didn't plan on going to the stadium. First went to MSG to see if I could pick up my tickets. I was told that I would have too go to TM at Macys or probably the stadium too get sorted. Macys TM outlet closed a while ago, nice one MSG ticket office
Next day me and my GF set off to Hoboken on the PATH. The dodderer at the stations info office looked at me as if I wanted too go to the moon and could possibly get a train but said I would be better off getting a $25 cab then the bus back to NYC.
Me and my GF decided she would spend a few hours in midtown and I would go and fetch the tickets on my own.
So headed back to 42nd st to get the bus as it was only 1 stop. Got my bus ticket (no 164 at door 224 anyone for future reference) and due to an unscheduled break managed to miss the bus by seconds. The buses only run every hour so I got the next one.
Now I'm 99.9% sure I got on the 164 and was pleased to see the stadium emerging on the horizon and then start disappearing on the horizon all too quickly. I asked the bus driver if the bus would stop at Meadowlands and again was looked at as if mad and mumbled at in some sort of Chinese dialect. I decided to get off the bus at the Fairfield(?) hotel, which I am not sure was actually a stop.
I then spent about 45mins walking up the side of a busy road (bear in mind it was a blazing hot 90+)
Got too the barren carpark wastelands of the Meadowlands and pretty soon realised that finding an open ticket office may be a problem
I walked as far round the stadium as I could and eventually found a security guard for the building site. I asked where I could pick up tickets? Again I was looked at as if I wanted too go to the moon but there is a chance the ticket office at the Izod Centre may be open? I couldn't actually work out how too get to the Izod as the lovely looking train station in between the stadium and Izod was closed and shut off. Nice one Hoboken dodderer
At this point I decided too give up my ticket quest. My uncertainty of the bus route, lack of people to ask advice and near death from heat exhaustion were leading me too panic a little. I had only $40 and not an atm in site - but no cabs around either.
Finally I found a lady who assured me she was waiting for the 164 back to Manhattan and could get a drink on the 2nd floor at the racetrack. The guy at the track kindly let me in to grab a drink.
45mins later, the bus turned up, hit the tunnel at rush hour, I hit times square at rush hour and eventually back to the East Village.

Sorry for rambling on but 7 hours in blazing heat, with no drink for a good while, combined with the uncertainity of waiting around was not much fun and could all have been avoided if the person at MSG had told me a) it was impossible to pick up tickets international will call not at the venue b) the venue would have no box office open.

For a country that, quite rightly, prides itselfs on customer services the lack of knowledge from the start was a bit puzzling to me.

Apart from possibly emailing TM beforehand and sorting something out? Possibly getting off the bus too early for fear of spending the afternoon driving around NJ? Pop Artist - Where did I go wrong?

 

[redhotswami]

I was just in Rutherford this past weekend, and I learned some important information that I felt the need to share:

Rutherford is a dry town. A DRY TOWN!!! None of the restaurants have a liquor license, so they don't serve alcohol. They do, however, highly encourage you to BYOB. That's something freakin' urbanspoon nor yelp told me. But, on the same hand, I went to a hole-in-the-wall for lunch that same day, and got a beer. So maybe it's just certain parts of the town? I've no idea.

Also, the liquor stores stop selling alcohol at 10pm. And, even when I showed up at 10:07pm, they refused to sell me wine.



So, plan accordingly.

 

[Mr. Millennium]

Also, the liquor stores stop selling alcohol at 10pm.

Ha. Try living in PA, where the liquor stores stop selling alcohol at 9PM. I've even seen places that close at 8PM.

 

[bonocomet]

you guys are all scaring me.

 

[romi]

I don't drink very often or much, so I'm a bit entertained reading about how some people are worried they won't have enough booze in the area

 

[lauramullen]

There is nothing to be scared of Comet.

 

[redhotswami]

Ha. Try living in PA, where the liquor stores stop selling alcohol at 9PM. I've even seen places that close at 8PM.

I know your pain. The ones here in CT close at 9pm as well, and don't sell on Sundays. At least the freaking restaurants still serve alcohol, unlike good ol' NJ. It's all very stupid. I'm glad I'm just a short train-ride to NYC, otherwise I wouldn't be here.

 

[kassandra]

you guys are all scaring me.

No worries, we will help you out!

 

[bonocomet]

I can't wait. I've never been to this side of the continent.

 

[secretly alone]

^That's exciting then! I'm assuming you'll be spending some time in the city?

The stadium is basically straight thru the tunnel out of Manhattan, but it's surrounded by highway ramps so what someone mentioned above is right...it isn't geared towards the people who spend all day outside

I live close enough that I don't need a hotel, but it's a little inconvenient for GA. I brought only a few things which I threw away when it was time to go in (old blankets, a tattered umbrella, etc)

 

[bonocomet]

It is exciting, I'm super excited yes! I don't know how much time I will have to see much of the city since I'll be headed to MN for the next show, but I hope to at least see a little bit one day, and I have some great friends here I'll be with so it's going to be fun no matter what.

 

[secretly alone]

That's great. At least you'll see it, if only for a bit. I'm headed to Minneapolis too, the next morning. So that should be interesting

 

[lauramullen]

Comet