pcmforless wrote:Great pics. I have been in twice as well for auction items and have found the staff friendly about letting you check things out. When I went to pick up the locker I won they let my step-son and I walk out into the middle of the arena and look around. He and I were really just sort of solemnly awestruck by the feeling of standing at what would have been center ice thinking of all the neat events that had taken place there. You could look around and just picture the people in the stands, the goal lights going off, all the action... Really one of those moments you just don't forget.
For the most part, they were very relaxed about me doing whatever. When I was taken upstairs to my item, dude basically said "here ya go" and left. If I wanted to, I probably could have roamed the entire upper level, but I didn't.....but looking back in hindsight I wish I would have

. I bumped around a few suites and tried getting some better pics, but with the light being what it was, my flash could only do so much , not to mention it didn't help that I was using a 4 year old camera. (Note to self: upgrade camera, look for camera with nighttime settings.)
Even when I returned to the lower level, I asked one of the guys - not Ryan (the guy who is in charge of the auction inventory, but the other younger guy working - if I could step out for a few pics. He said to keep it within a walkway or two. Not that I was blowing him off, but I kinda drifted over one section....to another section....to eventually behind the nets......to the point where I was on the other side of the arena. There was one guy who yelled up to me asking if I was Mike. I told him no, that I was just taking pics, and he didn't say a word after that.
Oddly enough, the only issue I had with security was on the outside of the building. I was trying to get a pic of the Igloo with Consol in the background without going over the railing outside. I got very, very close, but before I could even think about going past, there was an older guy who was working inside that came outside to check up on me. Didn't say anything, but you could tell he didn't like me being that close to a barrier.
I have about 20-30 more pics that don't have my head in them that I'm gonna try brightening. If they turn out, I'll post them.