New York Giants Gameday Experience In 22 Pictures & 2 Videos

Have you ever had the kind of day when you take mental snapshots of the moment, the people, and the place because you know how rare these moments are? Events like a graduation, newborn's first day, Bar/Bat Mitzvah, and confirmation are to be remembered (except when my voice cracked during my Torah portion). They are all well and good, but I'm talking about non-scheduled events that surpass your wildest expectations. I had such a day with my dad last weekend.

Last Sunday, after the Father cracked the piggy bank for tickets, he and I went to the Giants/Cowboys game at the Meadowlands. After I drove the 3.5 hours from Maryland on Saturday, it was a 20-minute drive from my parents' home because they still live in a B and T Crowd zip code. We arrived early to soak-up the atmosphere and get a feel for what season ticket holders go through each game. After this experience, we certainly had had our fill.

As the following 22 (out of 120) pictures and 2 (out of 4) videos attest, we saw everything, did everything, and had the preeminent father-son day.

Now that's some serious beef!

This was the classiest tailgate spread we found...tablecloths, bottles of wine, martini glasses, rack of lamb, cheese, and crackers.

The new Giants Stadium; unnecessary, except that it's a guaranteed moneymaker with more luxury suites and $20,000 personal seat licenses.

Parking lots open five hours before kickoff, but gates don't open for another three hours, creating long porta-potty lines.

The Giants' practice bubble had some fan activities. It was nice to be out of the sun and feel some high-quality artificial turf.

So you're telling me if I want to kick field goals in my house, I need this much ceiling clearance? Note that this unit doesn't have the Baltimore Extension.

I will find every Guitar Hero experience and chicken out from playing because some kid gets 5 stars on the expert level just before me.

It was a beautiful fall day...until the sunset and temperatures dropped.

We may have walked over Jimmy Hoffa.

This is either an artsy picture of engineering or another sign of New Jersey's industrial complex.

No mezzanine escalator for us...lower tier all the way!

Another artsy photo or sad attempt at reminding you that we took the lower escalator?

I'm one year older than Eli, yet here I am writing a blog and he's a Super Bowl winning QB. Where did my parents go wrong?

The players are so much bigger up close.

How do NFL QBs throw the ball over 60 yards and hit the receiver in stride? Oh that's right, they've sacrificed their entire lives to make it this far. Thank you Eli.

It's a bird, it's a plane, no it's the hi-end zone cam!

Seats 13 and 14, also known as 49.5- and 50-yard line seats. It was a tight fit with everyone in their winter coats. Note the empty chicken wing baskets...the only non-fried food offered. You're allowed to bring food in, but that's not the true experience.

If you listen closely amid the poor quality video, you'll hear the voice of the greatest Father in the world.

Did I mention we were at the 50 and could see everything?

I made the mistake of getting my dad a cup of coffee during halftime only to battle a packed concourse that stood still. The new stadium should alleviate this problem, that is if you can afford tickets.

Bottles of soda and water are served cap-free so that caps don't become projectiles? I'd much rather throw a bottle than a cap anyway, to protest carbonation loss.

Yep, that's $10 for pulled pork or beef brisket from a stand in the stadium concourse. So classy.

Yep #2, that's $8 for a beer and $4.25 for water.

It's hard to complain when you see seven touchdowns, enjoy a convincing victory by the Giants, and experience it all with daddy.