<p>I’ve got tickets to see Jon Stewart in NYC next Wednesday and am looking for stories of anyone’s first hand experiences. I’m already concerned about the weather because apparently we have to wait in line from 3:30 until the “doors open” at 5:15. I’m wondering - do we really stand outside for almost two hours in February?? I booked this on a warmish day last fall and wasn’t really thinking that this might be pretty stupid - I was just excited about getting tickets. </p>
<p>I’m also picturing myself bundled up for the outside wait and looking like a little eskimo while waddling around downtown Manhattan before we go to the studio. Any suggestions on how not to look silly but still be warm?? Or, do they really mean waiting outside?</p>
<p>I went a few years ago. It was great fun! Things may have changed since then, but we did have to wait outside for a long time. We were eventually let into a holding room of sorts, but it wasn’t until after 5 pm, I’m sure. It was September so the weather was great and the wait was actually fun. We sat on the ground, so bring something to sit on.</p>
<p>I remember that the tickets were hard to come by. I had to sign up, then got an email and had to be one of the first 50 or so to reply. Congratulations for making it though!</p>
<p>kathiep- They absolutely mean waiting outside. My advice is to get there well before 3:30. I went last August. They overbook by several hundred people, and there is a special, separate VIP line (people who were shut out of earlier shows) of about 100 people who will definitely be let in ahead of you. We arrived at 3 :20, and about 100 people were ahead of us. They finally sent home the hundred or so people behind us at about 5:10, and we did not get in- they sent us home at about 5:30. It was hot , and they were very nice- the interns kept coming out with water and inviting people to use the bathroom, but a lot of people left disappointed.</p>
<p>Def. get their early. Bring snacks, and maybe a large hot drink to help keep warm. Standing for that long drives me nuts so I just sat on the sidewalk, you might not want to do that. Getting there early didn’t really help with seating choice for Jon Stewart, it did get me in the first row at the Colbert Report though and he touched my hand. It was only a little chilly when I went, couldn’t imagine going now.</p>
<p>I also went a few years ago. It was a really frigid January day. I know we got there very early, and froze for a long, long, time. But ended up in great seats, close to the front. We had a fabulous time. Go early and dress warm!</p>
<p>Boy, glad I asked! Getting tickets was just luck. My older son loves Jon Stewart so I looked on-line to see if by any chance they had tickets for his Spring break. They didn’t but they had them for two weeks prior so I snagged them. I’m going with my daughter (lives in Brooklyn), her roommate and her close friend. A week or so ago they had several openings in April and May. I managed to get older son a set of four for a week after his college graduation and a week before his birthday. He was tickled pink. </p>
<p>My kids were all in marching band so I do have warm clothes, just didn’t anticipate using them in NYC! Will pass that on to the girls too!</p>
<p>kathie–my D was also living in Brooklyn when we went. We met at the Port Authority and walked over. My sister came with us (she’s the genius who snagged the tickets.)</p>
<p>Had a great time–stopped at a tavern on the way back to warm up, and sis and I told D stories we probably shouldn’t have. As the kids say, good times!</p>
<p>My sons went the summer before last and came away pretty disappointed. They said the taping lasted only 20 minutes from start to finish. Hardly worth the trip there and the long wait in line, they said.</p>
<p>The taping is short, but they have a warm-up comedian that is pretty good. That plus it’s interesting to see how the show is actually put together. </p>
<p>We went in the summer- it was worth the wait to say we did it. IDK about winter.</p>
<p>Garland, That’s the plan we have, meeting at Port Authority and walking over. I’m not sure if all four of us will wait together the whole time, but today with 12" or so of snow outside and the wind blowing, I’m having second thoughts about the whole thing. :(</p>
<p>Maybe the cold will scare away others, improving your chances of entry. Do you have those little seat-umbrellas as they use for parades; or maybe standing and footstomping feels warmer. </p>
<p>Wind blowing? BIG scarf to cover your face doubly/triply against the windchill factor. Heads lose 80-90% of body heat</p>
<p>I’d hope you could take turns holding a place in line, while the other 3 go inside to a cafe and rotate, as your post above indicates. </p>
<p>I love Jon Stewart; if you go you’re not crazy. If you bag it, same thing.</p>
<p>According to the instructions on my e-mail it says that one person can indeed hold places for the other three people in their party up until 4:30 but at 4:31, if the other three people in the party do not join you in line, they will have to go to the back of the line, i.e., cannot get in. So a rotation might be the ticket from 3:00 to 4:30. I do have an umbrella seat thingy but it almost seems that standing with feet stomping would be warmer. I’ve got the warm hands and feet packs too. How bad could it be??</p>
<p>I thought I would report back… Yes, I went! My show was scheduled for Wednesday the 10th. Because the snow storm was supposed to start the night before the taping and then snow throughout the day I decided to go up on Tuesday afternoon. I got there around 4:30 and met my daughter at Port Authority. She has some sort of deal with her cable company where they get two free tickets every week for the movies at a certain movie chain so we decided to see “It’s Complicated” after having dinner out at a Chinese restaurant. Great food, funny movie! Took the subway back to Brooklyn. Wonderful daughter let me have her bedroom and she took the futon in the family room/kitchen/dining area.</p>
<p>The snow was just a couple of inches deep when we got up Wednesday morning but we dressed warmly in anticipation of worse weather later. I called the bus company to check on whether I would be able to get out or not and they said that there would be no bus service at all on Wednesday. That was good to know so we didn’t have to cart my bag all over.</p>
<p>A few years ago I had done a walking tour of the meatpacking district with friends and remembered a cool indoor market, [url=<a href=“http://chelseamarket.com/]chelseamarket[/url”>http://chelseamarket.com/]chelseamarket[/url</a>] that my daughter had not been too and I knew that she would like. Daughter has mastered the public transportation system and we took a couple of subways to get there. We spent a couple of enjoyable hours poking into the stores, window shopping and had lunch. When we left just after 2:00 the snow was really coming down and cars and buses were having a harder time getting around. Fortunately, two buses later we arrived just a few blocks from our destination. We found the studio without too much trouble but it’s in a weird location and not really near anything else of interest. We got in line behind 6 other people which later turned into 9 as the person in front of us was joined by three of his friends. My daughters friends joined us just before 4:00. There was a bathroom inside that people were allowed to use and a deli and a Subway (the sandwich chain, not the train!) next door so most people got a snack or something to eat while waiting. I can see how this would be much nicer in good weather.</p>
<p>Studio people came out periodically to praise our hardiness and to move the line back a couple of times while they did an outside shoot with Jamie Oliver. At 5:15 we were let inside after being screened for weapons. We got good seats, but really the people that came a half hour later got ones just as good. I’m sure weather plays a big part in how early you should get there. If I go up with my son in May I will probably suggest that we get there at 3:00 then too.</p>
<p>A warm up guy came out around 5:45 but frankly, he wasn’t all that funny. Jon Stewart was wonderful! The show taping went pretty quickly and the guest, Willie Mays was funny and warm. You could tell that Jon really admired him. One of the neatest parts was when Steve Colbert came on a close circuit tv and he and Jon had a casual conversation about previous guest Newt Gingrich and Jenny Sanford. </p>
<p>The whole thing ended promptly at 7:15 and we were quickly herded out. My only disappointment was that you were not allowed to take pictures in the studio at all and there were no souvenir options at all. </p>
<p>The weather was even worse when we walked out with lots of slushy grey snow. My BIL was waiting for us outside and we walked for few blocks and then got a taxi to a really nice restaurant he had picked out. We had a wonderful dinner while the snow continued to fall outside. After dinner we had a half block walk to the subway and were back in Brooklyn by 10:30 - just in time to see “our show”! Too bad they don’t show the audience!</p>
<p>I was able to get a bus out of the city yesterday afternoon at 12:30 and was home in PA by 2:30. A great adventure!</p>