Hello there! I know that some of you are "Yes" and some are "Maybe", but just to tie up some loose ends here are the plans for Saturday.

If you plan on meeting us BEFORE the game. we'll be at Havana Central (catchy name, cool bar) on Broadway (west side of the street) between 113th and 114th around 12:15-12:30 or so. The best bet is to take the 1 Train to 116th Street.

If you plan on meeting us AT the game, we'll be at the main entrance of the Arena in the Dodge Fitness center. Join us at 1:45 PM to get your ticket ($10) to the big, big game. Again, your best bet so take the 1 Train to 116th Street, from there, walk through the Main Gate at Columbia. You may either consult the map, a friendly coed or walk to the main quad, take a left at the first set of stairs and head north past the lion statue and to the digital sign. Down those steps is the entrance to the fitness center. (whew)

Another scenario is that you may plan on meeting us at Grand Central Station. The station itself is quite grand and central, so we'll be sure to be in the main central hall at 5:00 PM (but likely wandering around the halls long before.)

Finally, we'll be at Maggie's (21 E 47th between Madison and Park) between 5:30 and 6:00 PM. From there, the sky is the limit. We're also working on an Inclement Weather Plan B if its too nasty out to walk up 5th Avenue to look at the window displays.

Hope to see you Saturday!

So, where are we going?

Click for the interactive Google Map of Brooke and Phil's Big Winter Adventure

Ah, yes, every journey (and big adventure) needs a guide:

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Brooke and Phil’s Big Winter Adventure

Saturday, December 8th

We hope that you’ll join us on Saturday, December 8^th for a one-of-a-kind New York, Winter Adventure. Join us for some of it or join us for all of it or don’t join us at all. The more the merrier, so feel free to invite whomever you would like (I just need to make sure I have an accurate ticket count for the basketball game).

12:30 PM or so – Pre-Game Drinks & Dreidels– Location TBD. At a fine Yet-To-Be-Named Tavern. Meet us there, get your ticket, spin your dreidel, win some gelt. This will be on the Upper West Side near Columbia. You can meet us there before…

2:00 PM College Basketball - Columbia University vs. Loyola!

You don't get a chance to witness true Division 1A College B-ball often without paying through the nose. Tickets are a mere $10. Cheer on the exciting Colubmia Lions and their mascot Roar-ee(sad) as they wage war against Loyalo at Francis Levien Gymnasium - Broadway & 120th at The Dodge Fitness Center. We'll meet outside the main box office at about 1:45 (Take the 1 Subway line to 116th Street).

From the game, we'll take the subway down to Midtown (bring your MetroCard) to Grand Central for..

Grand Central Kaleidoscope Light Show

How do you make practical use of the busiest and largest train station in America? By illuminating the walls with a spectacular Holiday light show throughout the concourse. This is quickly becoming one of the New York’s premiere holiday events. See it now so you can say, “I saw it way back in 2007.” Not quite as cool as these guys but still should be pretty neat.

Grand Central Model Train Display

For the kid in all of us. Mighty impressive what they can do with a bunch of model trains these days. When I was little, I could barely get mine to go around the track. In this year’s festive display, model trains start off in a living room on Christmas morning, shuttle through a miniature NYC and assorted pastoral tableaux before arriving at Santa’s workshop in the North Pole. Fun! Maybe there will be a NJ Transit train that stops and shuts down periodically with little angry passengers inside.

5:30 PMish - Delicious Holiday Drinks and Food at Maggie’s Place - Madison Avenue at 47^th Street– One of the best true Irish bars in New York, Maggie’s was voted as a top stop for holiday drinks which range from their Famous Irish Coffees that use rare whiskey to Hot Ciders and a legendary Peppermint Paddy -a flirty hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps that’s served with a candy cane. More Holiday treats abound.

New York Midtown Holiday Window Gazing – Finally, we’ll walk up 5^th Avenue to see the best holiday storefronts in the world from Saks Fifth Avenue to Henri Bendel to Bergdorf Goodman to Barney’s and more. We can try and guess just how much that 34 carat diamond in the window of Tiffany’s costs.

We’ll likely end in the early evening at FAO Schwartz where Brooke will reenact the scene from Big on the actual piano with Robert Logia in person. From there….who knows? The Subway Inn has always been a delightful haven for shady patrons tired after a day of walking.

So, we hope that you’ll don a warm jacket and holiday spirit and join our festive December Saturday adventure. E-mail Brooke or Phil if you have questions….