The Darden at The Garden
How’s it going guys? It’s Mark Darden and I back with another blog post. I haven’t been posting blogs lately because I have been shipping out orders of my book (It’s in the shop, buy a copy) and figuring out the financial aspects of running a media company. For future blog posts, I intend on posting on Fridays to give some consistency on when I upload new content.
With this blog, I will give a quick recap of my day at Madison Square Garden for the Big Ten Super Saturday College Hoops & Hockey showcase. In the afternoon, the hardwood was out in the arena as the Illinois Fighting Illini took on the Maryland Terrapins in men’s basketball. Later that night, men’s hockey was on display as the Penn State Nittany Lions faced off against the Michigan Wolverines.
My day started off at 7 am as I woke up unusually early on a Saturday. I laid in my top bunk in the hostel and thought about the long, yet fun day I was going to have. After taking a shower and getting dressed, I took the E train down to the World Trade Center as a I had a 9 am ticket for the One World Observatory. It was cool seeing New York City come alive that morning. It was a clear day as the sun was shining and I was able to see for miles and I spotted famous landmarks such as the Empire State Building and the Brooklyn Bridge. After my time at observatory, I took the train to Penn Station and walked through the concourses to reach street level. I got my first glimpse of Madison Square Garden and I took a few pictures in front of the banners at the arena. I went to my seat and looked around the arena. I noticed how intimate the seating was and that there was no one in the upper bowl. To find out how the game went, check out the vlog below.
After the basketball game, I went over the Versa restaurant and got a late brunch. I got blueberry pancakes with home fries and a few glasses of water. I was at the restaurant for about 2 hours eating my food then I walked over to Madison Square Park. I walked around the park of 20 minutes looking at the statues and the architecture of the buildings surrounding the park. I walked back over to MSG around 5:45 pm and made my way to my seat. My seat was in a wheelchair section and I was right behind the Michigan band. I went to the concession before the start of the game and bought a beer and a bottled water for $19. I felt somewhat ashamed at buying the beer and water but I REALLY wanted beer. I got a Brooklyn Lager which was pretty good and I finished it before the first intermission. To find out how the game went, check out the vlog below.
After the game, I went back to the hostel and relaxed in the lobby for about two hours. I got some pizza and a drink at the bar then I went to my room and called it a night. It was a long day but a fun and memorable one and a good start to the many sports events that I will attend in 2019. My new book, IT’S GAME TIME FOLKS!: Quest for 30, is available in the shop right now. Thanks for reading!