NYRA

[FrankD.]

Bob,

We used to do the Amtrak trek back in the 70\'s and 80\'s all the time into Grand Central with about 20 guys walking to Penn Station with stops at McAnn\'s, McCoy\'s and a couple of other hot spots along the way!

I remember 80,000 plus crowds for Affirmed, Bid, Pleasant Colony and being jammed in like sardines on LIRR coming back to Penn Station. I was a lot younger and much more tolerant back then, no thanks on the train although if not treated like cattle it is without a doubt the way to go.

Good luck,

Frank D.

[richiebee]

Interesting, and ironic that Louis Wolfson, master of Harbor View Farm, owner of
the last Triple Crown winner, also had some legal problems ie some SEC violations
which resulted in a short stint in Federal prison.

As to the original Joe Drape article documenting Zayat\'s problems, this further
proves to me that the most qualified racing writer employed by the Times is
affiliated with the Circulation department

[richiebee]

FrankD. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Bob,
>
> We used to do the Amtrak trek back in the 70\'s and
> 80\'s all the time into Grand Central with about 20
> guys walking to Penn Station with stops at
> McAnn\'s, McCoy\'s and a couple of other hot spots
> along the way!
 

What, you skipped Blarney Stone?

[Fairmount1]

Whether you agree with him or not, his last line explains why horse racing has faded and only succeeds with the mainstream fans on the big event days such as the Belmont.  


http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=12943179

[magicnight]

FrankD. Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
 I was a lot
> younger and much more tolerant back then, no
> thanks on the train although if not treated like
> cattle it is without a doubt the way to go.

You nailed the one drawback, Frank. The Amtrak part of it is not too bad but the LIRR stretch is preferable to an abattoir only because it eventually provides a somewhat happier ending. I\'ve probably lived in NYC too long and have become inured to being treated like cattle.

Good luck too!

Bob

[toppled]

Amtrak from Albany to Penn Station is the way I\'m going, same schedule you mentioned.  Cheapest seat is $42 each way, I got the AAA discount down to $37.80 for a round trip of $75.60.  I saw some reviews of the LIRR from prior Belmonts & decided against that. My main concern is making the 9:15 PM train. I was looking at alternative trains to NYC and any delays on long lines would end in me missing my train home. I\'m also getting too old to stand the whole way back on a LIRR train. I ended up paying more for the comfort and I\'m taking the Rally Bus from Manhattan to Belmont for $55. Total transportation $130, about $20 more than driving & avoiding all aggravation. The original ETA for the Bus back to NYC was 8:20 PM, giving me about 50 minutes extra for traffic.  Since they moved the Belmont about 15 minutes later, I still have over a half hour delay factored in to make the train.  If I miss it, I\'ll catch the 11:35 train home, but I don\'t want to wait that long so I\'m taking a shot the bus can get to Manhattan in less than an hour & a half.

[P-Dub]

It\'s amazing what you guys have to do, just to get to the track.

[toppled]

Yeah, but when Saratoga comes, we\'ve got it made.  Sleep in late, hop in the car up the Northway and we\'re there.  

I remember when I lived in LI in the 70s & 80s how easy Belmont day was.  All I had to do was drive there & it was like another day at the track.  The only difference was it was tougher getting my normal parking spot.  Also nice thing was after the race I could stop in at my parent\'s house 7 miles from the track & get a free dinner.

[moosepalm]

magicnight Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
 And
> if anyone wants a single seat in row A of the 2nd
> deck between the 1/16th and 1/8th poles for $500 I
> would have to be an idiot not to at least consider
> it.


Sorry, Bob, but you\'ll have to give me a $1000 to take it off your hands.

Last night, my wife and I were complaining that it takes us about 18 minutes to drive 10 minutes into the downtown area of a metropolitan area of slightly over a million people.  You live in the greatest city in the world, but I couldn\'t possibly drink enough coffee to sustain a day-to-day life of more than three days.

[belmont3]

Frank,
 
This will be Belmont #45 for me. Canonero was the first and I haven\'t missed since then.

 

This year, I am travelling with a foursome. (I\'m sure your twosome would out drink, out bet and out handicap my pals)
Accountant Ed is in charge of itinerary so not sure where we are sitting other than the Grandstand upper level. Accountant wanted to save $20 per/ticket .
Ed handicaps out loud, bets only on NYRA tracks and can provide a Durkinesque race call for every race he has seen --calls races from 25 years ago! (not kidding)
Chauffeur Jamie is a 14 franchise restaurant GM and provides refreshments. He is a \'player\' ....fearless...a great loser and gracious winner.
Client Bill is our third travelling companion who only takes Sunday off from the racetrack. Bill bets like he is on SS and fixed income which is the case.

And then myself- the Chief Investment Officer of the group who seeks order out of chaos and specializes in Bad Beats.

Departing Mohegan Pocono 7:30 am with ETA 10:15 depending on the Cross Bronx etc.

Last year, I was just about the only person with phone service in our section and only had trouble getting my 4 souvenir glass allotment. We also somehow escaped the post race card traffic as we hit the Cross Island North without a hitch.

Think you may have it but my cell is 570-417-6564.

BTW, my youngest daughter decided on Rensselaer so I should be a more frequent visitor to the region.

Bob

[FrankD.]

Bob,

RPI congrats and you had better start investing wisely at 50K plus a year!

Shirley Ann Jackson was America\'s highest paid university president, not sure if that is still true but she\'s in the 2 mil a year neighborhood. I had a small piece of her million dollar plus re-hab on her university provided home a few years back.

I\'ll give you a call and hopefully reception is a bit better at the track this year.

Take care,

Frank D.

[Dick Powell]

If you drive, do one of two things when you leave. If you can park on the backstretch, go out the back gate and go left on plainfield ave. It will take you up to exit 28 of the cross island and miss the bottleneck.

If you are in track parking, when you exit onto Hempstead Ave, the police will make you go to the right so you can\'t go left to Plainfield. But, instead of trying to get on the Cross Island at that part, go straight on Hempstead. It will end so make a left on Jamaica then make a right on the sign for route 24. That will take you to the Clearview Expressway (I295) which will take you to the Grand Central, the LIE and then the Throgs Neck Bridge.

[rhagood]

If you are taking the LIRR into Belmont, I do have one sure thing for the day.
I was there for the Big Brown fiasco and avoided the chaos on the platform by taking a right down Hempstead Ave. (cab will be quickest), passing over the Cross Island Parkway then 6 blocks down, a right onto Springfield .  That will take you after 5 blocks to the Queen\'s Village train depot.  We waited about 15 minutes and an almost empty train pulled up! The next day we learned of the horror stories of those stuck for hours and to add insult to injury they had turned off the water/bathrooms mid-day that year due to to record heat.

The map in case anyone needs it:

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7122258,-73.7285254,16z

[jbelfior]

But stop at King Umbertos first on Hempstead. Take it from an Italian-- this place has great food.

Good Luck,
Joe B

[Topcat]

richiebee Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Frank:
>
> I will be there the Friday before. Are you and
> Laura going the day of the race?
>
> I really haven\'t had a favorite band since Duane
> Allman died...
>
> I have thought about it a lot and if you are not
> going to take a bus down to
> Belmont, then best plan (based on last years
> fiasco, which the crash dummies in
> charge at NYRA have probably done nothing to
> improve) would be to take AMTRAK to
> Penn Station, LIRR to Belmont, but at the end of
> the day walk 2 or so miles to
> the nearest subway station and take the subway
> back to Manhattan.


For the audience\'s edification . . . what, pray tell, IS the nearest subway station?