SEPTEMBER 1973

MY WIFE AND I ARRIVED IN NEW YORK TO ATTEND THE 1973 MR.UNIVERSE/MR.OLYMPIA CONTESTS THAT WERE TO BE HELD ON SEPT.8TH .WE HAD DONE MOST OF THE TOURIST STUFF TWO MONTHS PRIOR ON OUR FIRST VISIT THEREFORE THIS WAS MAINLY A BODYBUILDING WEEKEND FOR ME. I GOT TO WORKOUT AT BOTH THE MIDCITY GYM AND DAN LURIES GYM. I MET MANY WELL KNOWN BODYBUILDERS TRAINING AT THESE GYMS FOR THE WEIDER CONTEST AS WELL ONE DAN LURIE WAS HAVING ON THE SAME NIGHT FEATURING GUEST SPEAKER STEVE REEVES. AFTER A NICE MEAL AT TAD'S STEAKHOUSE WE STROLLED TOWARDS BROADWAY WHEN I SPOTTED TWO COUPLES WALKING IN FRONT OF ME. STEVE REEVES WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO MISS. HE AND HIS WIFE WERE ACCOMPANIED BY DAN LURIE AND HIS WIFE. WE APPROCHED THEM AND HAD A CHANCE TO HAVE A BRIEF CONVERSATION AS WELL AS GETTING AN AUTOGHRAPH FROM STEVE.
THAT NIGHT I GOT TO SEE LOU FERRIGNO AND ARNOLD FOR THE FIRST TIME. WHEN LOU CAME OUT FOR THE MR. UNIVERSE I THOUGHT THERE WAS NO ONE BIGGER .THEN CAME THE MR.OLYMPIA! ARNOLD THOUGH SHORTER THAN LOU(BUT STILL TALL) DWARFED EVERYBODY. THE CROWD WENT WILD.(LATER WHEN THESE CONTEST WERE PUBLISHED IN MUCLE BUILDER I WAS PLEASED TO BE ABLE TO PICK OUT MY WIFE AND MYSELF IN THE CROWD).
THE NEXT DAY AS MY WIFE WAS RESTING AT THE HOTEL I WANDERED OVER TOWN WHERE I FOUND A STORE THAT WAS SELLING BACK ISSUES OF MUSCLE MAGAZINE CHEAPLY AND WAS ABLE TO PICK UP SEVERAL FOR MY COLLECTION.
ATTENDING THE CONTEST,WORKING OUT THE GYMS,PICKING UP MAGAZINES ,MEETING STEVE REEVES AND NUMEROUS STEAK DINNERS WHO COULD ASK FOR A BETTER WEEKEND