How I did it: I will first preface this by saying I am a HUGE Conan O'Brien fan and have been since about the 3rd season of his show sometime when I was in middle school.  So this was a HUGE deal to me and I had wanted to do this for a VERY long time.

We drove up to NYC late Thursday night/early Friday morning and then took the subway into Manhattan at about 5:40am.  We got in the line for standby tickets (#4, 5, and 6 in line) around 6:10am and about 30-40 minutes later were told by a Late Night staff member that Conan had decided not to do a Friday show that week.  We were absolutely devastated, especially since on the website it said he would be doing a show every weekday Monday - Friday from Februrary 2 until the final taping on February 20.  After we got back to our friend's apartment we called the ticket line and the message noted that there would be no Friday show.

The three of us were determined not to let it get us down though and after driving that long and far that we would not leave New York without seeing Conan.  We stuck around until Monday (causing my brother and his friend to skip classes again) and did the whole thing over again, this time in line from about 6:15am or so until 9am when the standby tickets were distributed.  We were #6, 7, and 8 in line this time.  We returned at 3:55pm (the show tapes at 5:30) to check-in and at 4:30 got into the standby line.  We were kind of nervous, but based on a few people's stories I had found online, we were confident we would get in being so close to the front of the line and it being a Monday.  37 people were admitted in the end, so we could have slept a little longer, but it was worth the extra time in the cold knowing that we wouldn't be leaving the city without seeing Conan off.

It was kind of sad knowing that we wouldn't be able to come back and do it again in the future since Conan is leaving New York. (I mean, I like Jimmy Fallon alright, but I'm not gonna stand out in below freezing weather 3 hours for him, haha.) It really was so much fun though, and we were all very glad that we stuck around and got to see the show.

Lessons & tips: CALL AND CONFIRM THEY ARE TAPING BEFORE YOU WASTE YOUR TIME AND ENERGY GETTING THERE!

HURRY UP, THEY ARE ONLY TAPING UNTIL FEB. 20, 2009!!

If you are going to try and go, I would suggest getting there as close to 6am as possible, especially considering how few shows are left.

Dress warm since you will be in line a few hours outside.

Bring a book to read, a cellphone or friend to talk with, or a portable gaming device.  Also, food/snacks are good.

Resources: Honda automobile that drove us there

Gas to fuel car - $90 round trip

WikiAnswers responses regarding standby line - http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_are_the_chances_of_standby_tickets_to_Conan_O'brien's_show

http://www.nbc.com/Late_Night_with_Conan_O'Brien/about/tickets.shtml - Although their site still implies they were taping the Friday that we showed up and there was no taping

(212) 664-3056 - NBC Ticket Line

MTA NYC Transit Subways - A vital tool to getting around in the city unless you're loaded with cash or willing to walk forever  - $2 each way per person

Dunkin' Donuts at Rockefeller Plaza 47-50 Sts Station - Warm waffle sandwiches (lol) and OJ to keep us from freezing to death.  Mmmm... - $16 for 3 people

Conan O'Brien, Max Weinberg and the Max Weinberg 7, Joel Godard, and Late Night writing staff/cast/crew - Comedy gold and memories to last a lifetime  - Priceless.

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Feb 18, 2009, 02:33PM PST | 2 comments | 2 cheers