On a normal year I spend the first weekend of the NCAA Basketball Tournament in Las Vegas. I traditionally travel alone but upon landing west, am greeted by a group of guys that I grew up with in Niagara Falls, NY. Now what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, but specifics withheld, the three days… Read more »
It was a Sunday Funday for the books. First stop: The World’s Most Famous Arena. I’ve been to countless Knicks games, Syracuse University basketball matchups, concerts and press opportunities at Madison Square Garden. But from my earliest visit (1998, WWE Summerslam) to this weekend, I had never attended a Rangers game. On Friday night, I… Read more »
A weird combination of events led to a string of nights out for me. In perhaps the most evident sign that a good time was had: the amount of photos I have from the weekend is scarce. But regardless, here are a few with context. So when I signed off the air on Friday night,… Read more »
There were a lot of “firsts” on my latest trip to Los Angeles: my first time running 14 miles while on the west coast, my first time leaving an item behind at the dry cleaners, my first time covering an award show weekend without attending said award show and my first time flying back and… Read more »
Day 2 of the broadcast Backstage at The 58th GRAMMYs is always more hectic but also a lot of fun: you’re set up, in a groove and a lot of artists are coming by – usually more so than the previous day. It was great meeting ‘Idol’ winner Nick Fradiani, BØRNS and actress/singer Hailee Steinfeld…. Read more »
For my fourth consecutive year, I broadcasted from backstage at music’s biggest night, inside the Staples Center in downtown Los Angeles. Day 1 is always the more difficult day because you’ve just arrived on site, you’re setting everything up and you’re trying to work your way in to a flow as artists move in and… Read more »
This story begins the way most good ones do: with a bottomless brunch. My buddy Danny and I were down in the West Village partaking two weekends ago on a Saturday. I opted for the meatless version of Benedict: Eggs Florentine. I think he went with waffles or French Toast. Regardless, the dishes and the… Read more »
Did Winter Storm Jonas slow me down last weekend? You’re talking to someone who grew up in Western New York and went to school at Syracuse University. A few scenes from Saturday, Sunday and Monday. A photo posted by Ralphie Aversa (@ralphieaversa) on Jan 23, 2016 at 10:39am PST And the snow was far from… Read more »
A goal for 2016 is to continue something I’ve been trying since 2014 – exploring, creating and experiencing more while finding ways to push myself out of my comfort zone. Specific to this year though, I’m making a conscious effort to share those moments on my social networks whenever possible. So on Sunday morning, when… Read more »
There are a number of goals I’ve set for 2016; two include writing more for this blog and posting higher quality and quantity to social media, specifically Instagram. So Friday night, when I was in the studio I decided to take a second and enjoy the view. A photo posted by Ralphie Aversa (@ralphieaversa) on… Read more »