Let me just open by admitting how absolutely, unbelievably fortunate I am to not only have a job at KNBR, but to have the chance to take an all-expenses paid trip to New York City to see the San Francisco Giants face the Mets at brand-new Citi Field.

I’m constantly aware of my good-fortune and I take nothing for granted. Even as I enjoyed the four-day extended vacation in NYC, I was acutely in-tune and self-aware at how lucky I am.

With that on the table, here is a 10-point recap of the festivities, in a descending order of general randomness.

10. Margaritas in Manhattan-I had a great lunch on my 41st birthday on the Upper West Side that included a couple of the coldest blended margs I’ve ever had. I had the chest-freeze so bad I almost called 911.

9. Central Park walkabout-Spent about 3 hours with the statuesqu wife strolling through NYC’s amazing park. Saw all kinds of people from this great world city and listened to a ton of street music. Just an amazing way to spend a summer day.

8. Subway system- Even though it’s now $2.25 for a ride on the underground train system, it’s the most convenient system in the world.  Everywhere you go, there’s a train that leads to another train and eventually to your destination, 24 hours a day.

7. Le Parker Meridian-  This is the hotel where we stayed and it’s very nice, located next door to Carnegie Hall. If I was paying there’d be no way I’d stay there (too expensive) but it was real nice nonetheless.

6. Recipe- My good friend is a co-owner of a new restaurant on 82nd and Amsterdam in Manhattan called Recipe. Reasonably priced and very good food, in case you’re in the neighborhood.

5. Krukow over breakfast-Mike hosted a breakfast for those travelling with Giants vacations and he was AWESOME. Told great stories and did a solid Q&A with Nate Schierholtz and Joe Martinez in front of 100 over eggs and coffee.

4. Citi Field-  While not as majestic as our beloved ballpark in SF, Citi Field is a very nice, modern place to catch a ballgame. Our seats down the left field were great (normally $50) and the crowd was large and knowing.

3. Virgin America-While they overcharge for beers ($6) and even charge for snacks, having a TV on the seatback in front of you is incredible. Really makes the time fly by (pun intended).

2. Giants post-game wrap-I was pegged to do the post-game show Friday night, live from Citi Field so I headed up to press row at the end of the 3-0 loss. I was able to stand in the background while Kruk, Kuip, Jon Miller, and Dave Flemming did their radio wrap and I cherished being able to see how they interract. Very cool moment for me.

1.  Manhattan- You’d be hard pressed to find another city in the world as diverse, electric, and totally fulfilling than NYC, specifically the island of Manhattan. I enjoyed the bustle of Times Square Friday at midnight, the quiet class of the upper West Side by day, the urban pride of Harlem, and much more. It’s a trip that never disappoints and this weekend was no different.

By the time this third day (August 2, 2009) rolled around it was really starting to fell as though I belonged. The “specialness” of the surroundings and the enormity of playing golf in Scotland was still present but I felt a bit more in control of the resulting emotions.

The golf culture is but a small part of the overall beauty of Scotland. Scenery, people, pace of life, all these things are interwoven in the way the Scottish people approach life. The general feeling is one not of disinterest but of casual acceptance of whatever life may bring. This relaxed attitude is far healthier (in my view) than the American “stress over everything” approach.

Mike drove us in the rental car through Dundee, across the North Sea and off to Carnoustie, where we would play the 4th round of golf in three days. I was sore but already sad about the prospect of the end of this golf journey.

This would be the toughest test we would have considering the wind was blowing about 30 mph and the course was very tough. My caddy was memorable; a 66 year old veteran named Pat who was just terrific.

I made a solid par on #5 to calm the nerves but followed it up with a disturbing triple bogey 8 at the famous Hogan’s Alley on #6. I started to find my groove and made the turn in 47 and made a great par on 10 to start the back.

My other bright spot was a par at the 449-yd. par 4 #14 Spectacles, hitting 4W persimmon and 5 iron to 50 feet and making a nice two-putt. The match with Mike was already won (3 and 2) when I made a triple bogey 7 on the #18 home hole, where Jean Van de Velde famously lost the Open cahmpionship from the Barry Burn.

I hit my presimmon a shade left off the tee and had a mixed, uphill lie from about 160 yds but downwind out of the right. I picked an 8 iron to clean and yanked it OB left, into the neighboring putting green. All in all, a very respectable 47-46=93 at a super tough track.

Pat is a member at the Carnoustie Golf Club across the tiny street and asked us across the way for a post-round pint. I enjoyed a Guinness and debated global warming (he denies its’ existence) and we headed back to St. Andrews for what would be our final night.

August 1 has always been a big day in my world as it’s the birthday of my eldest brother Mike, with whom I’m traveling on this Dream golf trip to Scotland.

On this day he would turn 47 and as we woke we realized how fortunate we were to be gazing out the window at the rising sun, glimmering through the clouds upon the hallowed ground of the 18th fairway at St. Andrews.

The first round of the day was to be played at Kingsbarns, with origins that date back to 1793 and situated on the very edge of Fife. Click the above link and take a look at the view of each hole. It’s just an incredible layout and a fair test of golf at the same time.

We arrived 90 minutes early for our tee time and had a proper Scottish breakfast in the clubhouse, including some vegetarian haggis (contents unknown). Word spread quickly about Mike’s birthday and we were treated as virtual VIP’s.

I met my caddy Taylor on the first tee, a college student at St. Andrews who hails from Philadelphia, and promptly split the first fairway with my persimmon.

the view from the tee at #1 at Kingsbarns

There was threatening rain that never fell but persistent winds blowing nearly 20 mph all morning. I nearly aced #8 but missed the two-foot putt for birdie en route to erasing an early deficit against Mike.

the pin on this 125yd par 3 was right over the hump on the left

I built a 3 up lead and was dormie with three to play but squandered it, including dumping two into burn on 18 to halve the match, finishing 47-49=96 on a tough course.

Played an uneven round on a blustery Scottish afternoon

Mike and I had eyed today as a possible 36-hole day and we made the move to St. Andrews to play the New Course, starting at 5:15pm and playing alongside our caddies from the round at Kingsbarns.

This classic track was the work of golf legend Old Tom Morris, who designed this virtually unchanged layout that opened in 1895. While lesser known than the Old Course, this course is laid out on adjacent land with constant reminders of  just where you are.

a look back toward St. Andrews from the New course

The front 9 goes out downwind and despite shooting 43 I was 3 down at the turn to Mike. Into the wind proved toughter and I fell 5 and 4, coming home in 52 for a decent 95.

Playing a team match with our caddies, Mike and his guy Neal beat us 3 and 2, adding a fitting feather to Mike’s cap on his special day.

Mike and his caddy Neal won the team match, a fitting end to my brother's 47th birthday

Off to sleep after 36 holes of wind-blown links golf and it was back to the Rusacks hotel for much-needed rest.

I got a lot of requests before I went to Scotland for a golfing odyssey that I “stay connected” by blogging, tweeting, and all the rest while I was abroad.

I eschewed, as I didn’t feel as though I could do the trip proper justice while I was over there attempting to immerse myself in the totality of the experience.

For those who have not heard, my eldest brother Mike and I spent a week in Scotland golfing, playing the most epic and historic courses on this fine planet. For golfers it was a dream itinerary and a stern test of the true ability of said golfer.

Without further ado and undeserved buildup, I present the postscript of Dream Trip; A Mid-handicapper’s Golf Journey to Links Mecca certain details omitted to protect the innocent.

Day 1: Travel and Castle

Mike and I left San Francisco in the a.m. on July 30 and had a brief layover in Philadelphia before taking an overnight flight to Glasgow. The plane was on-time and we were met by Nan, a local rep of Premier Golf , who helped us get our rental car. She even loaned us the use of her GPS, which would prove extremely helpful.

The reward after a day of flying is this view of the 18th at the Old Course at St. Andrews

It took about 2 hours to drive to St. Andrews but we found the Rusacks Hotel without incident. This 19th century dwelling overlooks the 18th green at the Old Course and immediately had us awestruck. We changed into golfing gear and headed right out to the St. Andrews Castle Course for our first round.

This would be one of our DC (Designated Caddy) rounds of the eight we would play on the trip and I drew Kenny, the former Caddy Master at the classic track Kingsbarns, so I knew I was in good shape.

My caddy Kenny and I at the Castle course with picturesque St. Andrews in the background

The weather was threatening rain and winds upward of 20 mph (wind would be a persistent factor) and I was nervous at the start. I made back-to-back pars on 6,7 and ultimately my 49-46=95 could have been worse playing this tough course for the first time.

The layout at the Castle course is exquisite, running adjacent to the North Sea about 2 miles outside of the idyllic town of St. Andrews. The only issue at this David Maclay Kidd design is the super-tricked out greens. The consensus is these will be altered before too long.

Mike and I agreed to a best of 8 Match Play Battle Royal for Scottish supremacy and after my double bogey at 12, I was 2 down with six to play. Even though I struggled home in +8, my par at 18 was enough to win it 2-up to take the first match.

After the long day of travel we were eager for sleep and also mindful of the long slew of golf yet to come. Looking out the window at the Old Course provided constant perspective and an ominous reminder of what lay ahead.

A view of the 18th fairway and the Old St. Andrews hotel in the distance