Live From New York, It's Saturday Night!!

Have you ever wanted to be in the audience at the longest running live late night show?  Here at Fordham many students take advantage of their extremely close proximity to the set of Saturday Night Live. I’ve only gone twice, but during those two trips, I made a “College Kids Survival Guide to the SNL line” that I feel is pretty universal. Here’s how it goes:

1) Plan on what time you want to get in line.

2) Pack warm clothes…extremely warm clothes.

3) Set up a comfy spot.

4) Meet your neighbors (you will be in line for over 12 hours with them).

5) Eat, talk, and sleep.

Step One: Plan on what time you want to get in line.

For my second time, I went on October 11 with my friend, Gianna. Since there are only stand-by tickets available, it runs on a first-come, first-served basis. So, you want to get in line as soon as possible. However, they do not give out the tickets until 7 a.m. Saturday morning.  Now, you have to plan according to how badly you want to see the show. Do you consider the host to be a god amongst men? Well, you better get there early. Thursday afternoon early. Is the host hugely popular, a SNL legend, and your favorite person on the face of the planet? Then you better get there Wednesday afternoon…at the latest. But don't worry, we got in line Friday at 6 p.m. and were about 40 people back.

Step 2: Pack warm clothes…extremely warm clothes.

This one may sound obvious (and it is), but people still don’t pack warmly enough. My first time going, I wore two pairs of pants, two sweatshirts under two jackets, two socks, and snow boots, and I still almost shivered my way to 7 a.m. At first, you’re fine and enjoying a night out on the streets (literally). But then 4 a.m. hits, and it hits faster than a speeding bullet.  However, if you pack warmly and bring blankets, you’ll be A-OK!

The line in front of us

Step 3: Set up a comfy spot.

This step is similar to packing warmly. If you have a nice campsite, you’ll enjoy the night!  Make sure to bring a blanket to put on the cold concrete and bags or pillows to lay on.  This, again, may sound obvious, but is a must to have a comfortable night.

Step 4: Meet your neighbors (you will be in line for over 12 hours with them).

One of the first things you should do is to meet your neighbors. You’ll be in line with them over 12 hours, so talking to them really makes the time go by faster. Throughout the night, you’ll learn a lot about them, sometimes even too much. But hey, when it's 5 a.m. some things slip the mind. No judging. This time, we all decided to order pizza to the sidewalk in front of 600 Fifth Ave. Over dinner, we talked about our favorite SNL skits, Lonely Island songs, and how much we hoped to get into the show!

Step 5: Eat, talk, and sleep*

Chock Full o' Nuts truck line around 7am

Pretty self-explanatory, but make sure you pack snacks or bring enough money to buy food. It’s a long night, so you most likely will get hungry around 2 or 3 a.m. Next, you have to talk and play cards to make the night go by faster. This is when you’ll learn a lot about people and yourself. Conversations on the street at 5 a.m. tend to be pretty entertaining when you think back on them. And finally, sleep. For some, sleeping on the streets may be difficult; however, you just have to snuggle up in your blankets and count past SNL hosts (works better than counting sheep!) It takes you back to Christmas Eve when you couldn’t sleep due to your excitement!!

*Repeat Step 5 (in no particular order) until 7 a.m.

Gianna and me with our tickets

The audience at SNL

My ticket

Katy Perry performing "Walking on Air"

And…1) if you do get into the show, make sure to have a Boy Dance Party in celebration!!!

2) the pictures inside the set aren't allowed so shhhh!