14th Annual Brooklyn Reality Tour (BRT) - June 1, 2013 (last call, a few seats left!)
 

14th Annual Brooklyn Reality Tour (BRT) June 1, 2013

Seats still available.

Announcing the 14th annual dhammer53 Brooklyn Reality Tour aka BRT.

Date: June 1, 2013 Saturday
Time: 9:30, with pushback at 10:00.

Theme: Returning to our roots with a 25 passenger van.

Theme: We're going to anty up some money to the Captain Jason Dahl Foundation. http://dahlfund.org/ Details to follow.


The first 12 Brooklyn Tours were sellouts. BRT 4 - 7 I rented an airport type shuttle van. Two years ago, we had a 50 passenger coach bus. We split the cost. This year, the cost will be about $65. per person. A portion of your fee goes to the Captain Jason Dahl Foundation.

Paypal or you can mail me a check to reserve your seat today. I will not chase anyone down this year. Please PM me for my e mail address.

FYI, Catman will once again host the SoupDo on Friday night. Soup Do 10: Friday May 31, 2013

We'll have WineDo 6 on Sunday evening. I'll post a new thread when I have time.

Pick up 10:00 Saturday morning in the Grand Central Terminal neighborhood. Drop-off at 10:00pm. We have a tradition of departing ontime. :o

Besides touring Brooklyn (my home town), we eat, and eat, and eat. Can you say 'real' Brooklyn pizza? Can you say 'delicious' bakery goodies? Just ask any of the folks who have been on this tour. We drive. We tour. We eat.

If you're new to Flyertalk, the tour is a great way to make new friends.
At the end of the BRT tours 2 - 12, we went for dinner at an authentic Italian place in an authentic Italian neighborhood. Lots of jewelry showing. This may or may not happen this year. All depends on the number of attendees.

Figure about $25- $30 a person if we do a sit down lunch or dinner. This is less than what you would pay in Manhattan; and twice the portion. The show is better than the food. If we do lunch, the cost will be $15 - $20. Details to be worked out. Our pizza stop will set up back about $6.00 or 4.50 euros or 6.87 GBP or $5.91 AUD or $6.04 CAD :p

Last year, the sit down was dinner. 2013 plans will depend on how many riders come along.

The lunch/dinner will be open to everyone. If you're not on the Tour, you'll have to take the subway to the restaurant. It's about 40 minutes and $2.25 one way. Several years ago, we had a few hitch-hikers on the van back to Manhattan.

Start planning now. Springtime in New York is beautiful. Consider yourself invited.

If you've been on the tour before and want to go again, please sign up, and consider yourself waitlisted. If you're from New York, you're waitlisted too. Thinking about bringing a friend or relative? They have no status; so we'll have to wait and see if they clear the DM list. All of the above lists will clear by May 15. Don't wait to decide.
Truth be told everyone that confirms a spot using Paypal will get a confirmed seat.

Past tour highlights include:

2001...poor AnnaS having a cold.
2002...Lisamcgu making us stop for White castle hamburgers.
2003...mjm insisting on a Starbucks break. After I stopped laughing at him for thinking that Brooklyn would even have a Starbucks... we found one.
2004...gorging on food at marysunshine's house...and this was a snack!
2005...cawhite knocking on the door of my childhood home; while I ducked for cover. It was a priceless moment. Details towards the last page of the 2005 thread. Also, a Tony Soprano type sitting at the bar added some extra flavor to our experience.
2006...Our van squeezing past a doubleparked car on a side street. You can just imagine the typical Brooklyn swearing. Also, the tour getting its 15 minutes of fame on Cable television News 12 Brooklyn. Check it out http://news12.com/BK/topstories/article?id=175940# use name: dhammer53ft, password: flyertalk (may not work).
2007... When cawhites 'friend' Larry (the guy who always sits at the bar), checked us out!
2008... "I had no intention of stopping at my childhood home. As we approached, I told the driver to slow down, then stop. Seems the front door was wide open. I took this as a sign from above. I stopped the bus.
A couple of years back, cawhite knocked on the door. I ducked for cover. This year I was apprehensive as I approached. When I told the woman that she bought the house from my Mom, she said in typical Brooklyn fashion whats her name? When I responded, she had a big smile for me.
This may have been the moment on BRT 8. Every year, there's always one moment that's noteworthy".

2009... We were filmed throughout the day for a documentary. Maybe it'll even come out one of these days.
2011... the bus went MX (mechanical). 90 minute delay.
2012... Teena, from Teenas Bakery isn't exactly know for being customer friendly.

BRT 12 brought 24 customers to the store. Many of them bought black and white cookies (famous in New York City), rugelah, and lots of other assorted delicious bakery goodies. I think all she had available for sale was 6 black and whites. That wasn't enough for this crowd. After we were finished, we were hanging around outside enjoying our purchase. Teena comes running out yelling, DAN. I turn around and she tells me that next year I should call in advance and warn her that we're coming, so she can have enough black and whites ready. (Note) - Teena's closed on January 1, 2013. :eek:

Note:

We rotate seats on the bus. Seat 1A is reserved for a couple of long time attendees (yes, that means you).
We make plenty of stops.


No talking miles and points when I'm (ahem) lecturing on Brooklyn.

It takes a certain type of person to put up with other Flyertalkers for an entire day. If you're looking for an excuse to visit NY (Brooklyn) in June, the dhammer53 Brooklyn Reality Tour is it.

Please post below if you're interested. I've met a few of you along the road this past year and you have 'dibs' if you're interested in joining us for a fun day in Brooklyn.

If you're interested in coming along, I need you to pm me your:

-Handle and real name.
-Hotel you're staying at, when available.
-Cell #

The 2007 thread here... http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthrea...light=brooklyn

2008 Trip Report here... http://flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=839107

2009 thread ... 9th annual Brooklyn Reality Tour. June 13, 2009 Saturday

2010 thread 10th Annual Brooklyn Reality Tour. Saturday June 12, 2010 Post 346 has a brief report.
Photos in 317 by tom911.

BRT 12 link for first time riders >>> will give you a feel what to expect. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/commu...-2-2012-a.html We stopped at a Beer Garden last year.



Note to new riders... I would suggest reading the 2012 thread to get a peak at what you can expect. 12th Annual Brooklyn Reality Tour - June 2, 2012. Saturday.

What's not included: Lunch, dinner, bakery goodies.

Paypal is due on sign-up. No refunds, since we share the cost of the bus. If you can't make it, I'll try to find a replacement.

Are you in?


dhammer53
iluv2fly
cawhite *
fortfun
CMK10 * Can't make it.
silver springer +1 *
Middle_Seat * Can't make it.
skymanvan *
thewayofthefuture *
KathyWdrf *
Dinoscool3 +2 *
HPN-HRL *
FrugalTravelGuy *
pbloemendaal *
Getiton *
jjd477 *

So far: 17.


* Paid

I won't be back from Ozfest, so I guess I'm out.....again:(

You are the one person I would not expect to exhibit signs of triskaidekaphobia, fellow former Brooklynite...

...but then again, if it were a pure case of triskaidekaphobia, you would have skipped this year altogether.

Sincerely,

He who once lived off of Exit 13 on the Belt Parkway where the numbers of that postal code in which he lived added up to 13...

Here's what YEGcited said last year...

What an incredible day, eh!
Thanks to Dan and the rest of the BRT 12 gang for a thoroughly enjoyable and satisfying day!

I am extremely glad that I had not yet dined at the "Nathan's Famous" that have sprung up in Alberta in the past year and that I was able to down my first Nathan's Hot Dog at the original location on Coney Island! And what a delicious dog it is!

And then the pizza at L&B's, mamma mia, that was good!

At Fiorentino's, I was able to double indulge. After I finished my meal of Linguini with broccoli, I was able to dine on some Chicken Parmesana thanks to CMK10 and FortFun, and it was all molto bene!

Even the Starbucks stop was great for me. The cashier's till froze when she tried to process my iced coffee order so I got my drink comped

So So SOOOO much food and I haven't even included the pastry stops into my post yet lol. Dining on my first Black and White cookie was a real treat, so I can now cross that Seinfeld-ism off my list now!

Dan, I should have done this Do years ago, so thanks a tonne for an amazing day... although our waistlines may not be so thankful.

Info on WineDo 6. http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/commu...l#post20356693

I figured you would be first to respond. ;)
I skipped #13 for reasons only known to myself. I'm not one of those people.

I'm in!

Sadly, I cannot make that date ... :(

I will be around the weekend after that.

Will try to rearrange my schedule to see you guys at least
for food.

Another that sadly can't make that date. :(

Thanks to Middle_Seat for the head's up PM.

I'll be in MEL and/or HBA till June 7. But if for some reason I decide not to spend the last chunk of FF miles on SQ F and drop out of OzFest... there will probably be a long waitlist to get in on BRT XIV. #firstworldproblem

Please add me to the waitlist; hoping to make dinner even if I don't end up qualifying for BRT14.

I'm in! I'm going to go ahead and email my higher ups and let them know I need this weekend off. Can't wait!

Yes please! :D

Now it's a party!