So anyway, the other night I finally went to the new Barclays Center where the Brooklyn Nets play. (Soon Islanders too!)

Here’s what it looks like:

At first I thought the place looked kind of cool — but over time I think the design is going downhill in my eyeballs. It didn’t grow on me. It grew… not on me? Whatever. The whole outside is intentionally rusted which I found interesting– then didn’t. And the shape which seemed coolio now looks like a flat tire sticking out of a swamp or something. I don’t dig it. Whatever tho.

I decide to take my nephew to a Nets game for his birthday, right? I looked for tickets well in advance but they were all sold out via Barclays Box Office. But StubHub had thousands and thousands sitting there for double and triple and ten times face value. What the hell with fking ‘StubHub’? What kind of bullshit is this service?

Am I remembering stuff wrong or didn’t it used to be illegal to sell things at more than 10% or 15% face value? Where’d that law go? When did scalping turn so blatantly legal that it’s now the actually ticket buying process itself? When friggin Damone was scalping tickets to Van Halen at Ridgemont High he was like the shady guy with connections! Now the whole thing is shady with connections?! Whatever.

Anyway, the Barclays Center was a pretty impressive place on the inside. All fresh and new. Clean. Lots of concession stands and all that. The Brooklyn Nets was a cool team to see live. It seemed like they’ve been there for a while too with little traditions already built in. The crowd yelling, ‘Brooookk-lyyynnn! Brooook…lynnn!’ When a Brooklyn dude would dunk or whatever. Announcer was funny. Brooklynettes were appropriately Brooklynized. Susan Sarandon in the crowd.

Here’s the annoying part though…

At some point we go to get hotdogs, right? Stand in line ten-deep at this Brooklyn Bangers and Dogs, right?

And the line is taking foreverrr. Every time someone gets up to the front of the line there was like this confusion. People are staring up at the board like they’re seeing it for the first time and pointing at it. I’m like, ‘What the hell, people!? Be prepared! Decide what you want before you get up to the front! That’s how this works! That’s why they don’t hand you a menu when you get to the front!’

We get up to the front and order two hot dogs. The woman behind the counter tells me they’re out of hot dogs but she has some gross white cheddar sausage thing and some other italian thing. So there I go staring up at the board just like everyone else did. Stunned that the hot dog place at the friggin arena doesn’t have friggin hot dogs!

But more stunned that they’re not bothering to put up a sign or announce it or anything! There’s a Nathan’s in the there and other places to get hot dogs and everyone just wants a hot dog! You can’t tell us idiots on line that you don’t have what you’re selling?!

So as we walk away in search of Nathan’s I announce to the line, ‘They don’t have hot dogs!’ Like a proper citizen… although I think people thought I was joking or whatever.

THEN we get Nathan’s hot dogs (after another long line) — we go to the station for the kraut and mustard or whatever. My nephew wants ketchup. But there’s no ketchup in any of the squirters. We find out from some woman that the ENTIRE ARENA is out of ketchup! I’m like, ‘What?! How does that happen?! Nobody is in charge of ordering ketchup?! Nobody noticed when you got ‘low’? The stadium is out of ketchup?!’ Did they remember to bring friggin basketballs?

Out of ketchup.

Whatever. Turned out to be a good game. Fun time with nephew! Brooklyn stomped the “New Orleans Hornets” (a team I’d literally never even heard of before btw). And it was impressively smooth leaving the arena and stuff.

Anyway, I think they did a nice job with the stadium except for the ugly design and the forgetting basic stuff stuff.

ok bye!
tOdd

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