On Monday, we did the ESPN tour. Of course, I had already been on the tour so most of this wasn’t exactly breaking news to me (I kept saying things right before the guide did accidently), but Katie’s camera did give me the opportunity to take some pictures and have visual documentation that, in fact, I have been on the campus all summer and not just hanging out in Hartford or something.
This is the lobby of my building, No. 4. It’s actually the second floor of the building, and I’m on the fourth. The security guard on this floor rotates among three or four people, and they’re all really friendly, especially if I’m not missing my badge that day.
Once you get past the first door — either with your ID or as a guest — the first thing you see is a set of approximately 40 photos. They’re part of a collection of many of the present and past’s top athletes and only so many exist. The photos are all black and white, too. (Maybe I wouldn’t be a great tour guide…)
This is the third floor of Building 4, where most of your news stories on ESPN.com come from. Along the back of this photo is the set of ESPN News. I always find it amusing that there’s a television set in the middle of the newsroom (although I guess it’s not that strange).
On Sunday, we decided to go to Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn. Admittedly, I really enjoy the casino; I certainly have at least a small gambler’s itch. Sadly, I can’t really afford to play much more than the slots, as least not on an intern’s salary. But I still like the atmosphere and just killing a little time at a casino once in a while.
Of course, the decorations at the casino were interesting. There were basically three main areas of the casino with a different theme for each. I think this one was outdoorsy or something. And yes, the wolf moved.
Each of the areas was connected by a shopping/restaurant section. There were a lot of cool shops and I’m 2-for-2 so far on finding good food.
I, sadly, left home empty-handed Sunday (although I’m still pretty sure I have more of the casino’s money at this point). Katie, on the other hand, left with more money than she arrived with, even after lunch and a little shopping.
I didn’t include this in yesterday’s post about New York City because I wanted to write about it on its own.
This is a photo that was taken of the construction site at Ground Zero. Maybe it’s just me, but the fact that rebuilding is now on its way at the site is … strange, for lack of a better term.
I remember seeing Ground Zero in 2003, and it was basically, well, nothing.
Now that there’s a construction site, it starts to feel like any of the hundreds of building being erected around that city.
I know it’s not the same thing as they build the new One World Trade Center along with the memorial sites that will be there, but it just felt different to me. I guess it was just a sensation of moving on. That we’re really putting the events of 2001 behind us — at least as much as possible. And I’m not saying that’s we shouldn’t be.
There were always be things at the site that will remind us of what happened. Seeing the statue across the street of the businessman with all the scrapes on it from 9/11 still elicited a small emotional reaction from me.
I’m not sure what exactly I will think once the new tower (scheduled for April 2013) is completed. I just know that on Saturday, it felt a little strange to see Ground Zero once again.
So, after surviving the parking debacle, we finally made it to New York City. The following is a collection of photos (a few taken by me but most taken by Katie) of Saturday’s adventure.
Grand Central Terminal really is a cool place. The bustle of all the people and the (usually) efficiency of the trains is enjoyable. During the trip, we took a few subway rides as well. I really came to enjoy using the subway as a means of navigating the city quickly.
Radio City Music Hall was one of the first major landmarks we saw as we trekked the city.
I took the NBC studio tour the last time I was in New York (2003) and really enjoyed it. There’s just something very cool about the Rockefeller Center. I was also greatly amused by the fact that each color of the NBC logo at the front of the store was composed of M&M’s.
Me standing with the Indiana flag at Rockefeller Center. The ice rink, which normally would be behind and below where I stood was filled with a bunch of food vendors or something.
So, Katie came to visit Connecticut for the weekend. I’ll be included some of our adventures over the next few blog posts. Also, since she has a camera (and I don’t), I’m able to attach some photographic evidence of our exploits.
But before I get to that, I have to tell the story of the parking lot debacle.
So, Katie’s flight got into New Haven, Conn., at like 12:45 after several delays due to some questionable weather in the Northeast. After barely being able to find the airport (for which I blame Google Maps and its faulty directions), I pick her up and we drive back to Hartford, Conn.
Well, not after getting lost again trying to escape stupid New Haven. An adventure that included driving into one of those DUI checkpoints…
I digress at this point to ask how effective those checkpoints really are. I mean, all the cop did was ask if I had anything to drink tonight; I replied, “No”; and we were on our way. Yes, I know that part of it is to test how you respond to see if there are any signs of drinking. And yes, I totally support keeping drunken drivers off the streets (I have been a DD many times). But was it really necessary for there to be a minimum of five cop cars at that checkpoint? And this was an out-of-the-way place to put a checkpoint in the first place; I bet they saw a dozen cars an hour, max.
…but eventually we made it back to Hartford. Got into the apartment, went to bed and prepared to head to NYC the next morning.
Or so we thought.
I think one of the drawbacks of working at a specialized company like an ESPN is the level to which you can get just deluged with information and discussion of one topic.
To start on the positive side, I really have expanded my knowledge of sports through this internship. I never proclaimed to have a mastery of all sporting information or anything, and this has really let learn some of the more intricate details of the sporting world. (I know way more about college football and basketball recruiting than I ever thought I would. Whether that’s a benefit to my life … well, that’s another conversation.)
But the problem with being so inundated with just sports news means that I feel like I keep slipping behind on my awareness of the news on other topics.
I know, when I get home from work, that I should take some time to pick up in my room, do the laundry, make sure all the dishes are clean … you know, the “responsible” stuff.
But a lot of times — probably too much depending on who you ask — it’s straight to the things I want to do: watching TV, using the computer, talking with friends in the courtyard (which, despite the claims of the non-ESPN interns, is not as impressive as it apparently sounds).
Now, I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with this. Obviously, too much time doing tasks you don’t want to do can be a problem:
The summer weather in Connecticut is sort of predictable. It’s usually pretty hot, and there’s a strong chance of some rain at some point in the day.
Today’s weather continues to follow that pattern … sort of.
The whole 90-in-90 concept was Brad’s idea. Yet for some reason, I was foolish enough to think it wouldn’t be that bad. A lot of days, these posts can just flow out; you get inspired by a topic and just let your fingers flow.
I should have known better that he wouldn’t put himself in a situation that wouldn’t challenge him.
The idea of writing 90 posts in 90 days about, hopefully, differing and interesting topics. (For better or worse, my readership is nowhere near by predecessor, so I guess I don’t have the same audience to “let down.”) And eventually, you almost feel like you’ve run out of things to say.
One way or the other, I will get 90 post done in the near future. I can’t guarantee I’ll make the 90-day deadline, as it would require two posts per day from this point forward, and I know my weekend may not make that feasible. But I will complete this by the end of the internship at the worst.
So, I’m a big fan of listening to podcasts. They get me through long drives, work, cleaning, pretty much anything that takes a long period of time that I want a distraction for.
One podcast I listen to is “The Adam Carolla Show” or whatever its calling itself these days — for better or worse, it has changed names and formats a few times in its 12-plus months. Adam Carolla, more well-known from his days on “The Man Show” or “Dancing With the Stars,” covers a lot of topics on his show, and he is rather opinionated while he does it.
One topic he has spoken on several times is the rights of paparazzi and tabloids to take photos of celebrities and use those photos to turn a profit. He thinks it’s inappropriate for people to invade your privacy and make money off your likeness without that person’s permission.
And I see his point. These institutions — the TMZs, the Perez Hiltons, the OK! Magazine — profit because they buy and publish pictures of the Hollywood elite and the scandals (and sometimes the mundane) of their lives.
But this made me start to think, where’s the line? Is it appropriate for People magazine to publish photos of Sandra Bullock and her new child or whatever it is the cast of “Jersey Shore” is or isn’t doing (I guess they’re on strike, although I’m not sure how you can quit working when you never really started).
