Monday morning, August 4, and it’s time to begin the inevitable return to reality. Much to her chagrin, Laura had to put up with my driving all the way home. While she is fully capable of driving a stick, it has been just a few years since she did (about 25). Of more immediate concern, however, was that, of the only two minor problems that have occurred with the car on the trip, one is that the driver’s seat motor seems to have stopped working and, with the seat in the fully-back position, she would have just a bit of trouble reaching the pedals! We left early, at the beginning of a rainstorm, but managed to get out of the city in reasonably good shape. An uneventful 10 hours later, we pulled into the driveway, unpacked the car and officially declared the Baseball, Beer and Hard Rock Road Trip completed. Whew!

Like the commercial says…

Road Trip Fuel - $392.43

Food and Adult Beverages - $849.08

Ten Days With My Son, Watching Games and Seeing Sights – Priceless

Since this is my blog, I get to close with anything I want, and I want to brag about my son (and his sister). We are not the first father-son duo to do something like this and, based on the feedback from many of my friends when talking about our adventures, not likely the last in my circle. I won’t say that we reached new, deeper levels of understanding, nor did we establish great new channels of communication. Matthew is his own guy, an excellent thinker and passionate about his beliefs. He is very well read and informed and, as much as he hates it when I say this, he likes to argue/debate, and he is very good at it. These aren’t new revelations to me – these characteristics have defined him since high school. We don’t always agree and, just sometimes, his adamant positions can be a tad annoying (partially because he is often [EDITOR'S NOTE: I'm always right...and even when I'm not my Dad is still wrong] right but, more often, because he rarely concedes a point). Regardless, we had a great time for 10 days, with no one else to keep company with except each other, and I love the person he is and has become. He is incredibly capable, when he puts his mind to something, and he goes deep. Just as he could speak fluently about every team and game we saw, we also got excited together about the scenery, sights, monuments and museums we visited, and that made the trip even better. I am so incredibly proud of him it is hard to put into words.

When we have children, it is a crap shoot for both parties – the kids don’t get to pick their parents, and the parents may or may not have a lot to say about how their kids turn out. To continue the Road Trip theme, Laura and I are humbly blessed to have hit home runs with both Matthew and Sarah. We have always been both parents and friends to our children, and it is a joy to watch them grow and become their own adults. It is even more rewarding to continue to be an important part of their lives; for them to be happy to see us and spend time with us. I take no credit for having knowingly passed along “critical life lessons” that shaped their lives, those that would make a great how-to book – Sarah often tells me that the most memorable quote she carries with her from me (and it isn’t even original) is “you can lead a horse, but a pencil must be lead”. That will come in valuable some day!

Regardless, I will forever be thankful for the opportunity Matthew and I had to take this trip, and for the friendship we share. I truly believe the most exciting part of the future for Laura and me is going to be watching Matthew and Sarah build their lives, and to be a part of that process. And the next time either of them wants to take a trip with us, the only question will be, “When do we leave?”

Thanks for reading this.

Final Stats

Distance – 2/10 of a mile short of 3,000 miles

Mileage for the entire trip – 26.2 mpg (not too bad for a muscle car!)

Weight Gained From Research of Local Brews – don’t go there

It seems fitting to have started our Road Trip in one “home town” and end it in another, however temporary it may prove to be for Matthew and Sarah. We pulled into Chicago around 6 p.m. on Saturday, August 2 and drove right through the middle of Lallapalooza, which filled Grant Park and the surrounding area. Fortunately, everyone going to the concerts had already arrived, and we breezed up Lake Shore to Sarah’s new apartment. We put the Vette away one more time in a parking garage and celebrated a small family reunion with Laura and Sarah.

Later that evening, Matthew and I had the opportunity to meet Brandon Moss, traded just the previous week from Boston to Pittsburgh, along with his wife Allie at their hotel for a brief visit. Brandon has been trying out PEAKS and has become a believer. They were both very gracious with their time and enjoyable to visit with. They seemed excited about the pending move to Pittsburgh and the opportunity for more playing time. Obviously, he was anticipating great things with his PEAKS!

Then, it was off to dinner with our friends the Hills (the Overland Park Hills, not the MTV Hills) at LuxBar, a noisy, trendy and pricey place on Rush Street. We celebrated Jamie Hill’s birthday as well as Matthew’s a day early and then called it a night before the last game of our trip – Cubs vs. Pirates.

What else is there to say? Along with Yankee Stadium, Wrigley was the only other “old school” facility we visited. Kaufman Stadium is older than all the others, with the exception of these two, but it is clearly not the same generation. I have to put Wrigley far ahead of New York, if only for the ambiance of the surrounding neighborhood. Credit the frenetic activity on the streets around the field, the great watering holes surrounding it, or the creative integration of bleachers on every building surrounding the outfield, Wrigley is a great place to watch a game. Our friend Jeff came through one more time with outstanding seats behind home plate, so we had a great, shaded view for the entire game. Of course, everything at Wrigley shows its age, but at least the concourses were open to the outside and didn’t feel claustrophobic.

We couldn’t ask for a better day and a better way to celebrate Matthew’s 25^th b-day than a beautiful day at Wrigley Field. While our loyalties, for the day, anyway, were firmly with the Cubs, it was exciting to see our new acquaintance Brandon Moss hit a home run in his first at bat. After that, the game remained pretty exciting, with the Pirates tying the game in the top of the 8^th, only to see the Cubs rally in their half with 3 runs. Final result – Cubs, 8, Pirates 5.

Matthew had one more “major event” in store for us, as the capstone to the birthday bonanza weekend – dinner at Kuma Burger. He has described this unique heavy metal hamburger restaurant/biker bar/tattoo parlor elsewhere – let’s just say it was an interesting place, with really good food and beer. I can’t say I heard a lot of music that was already on my iPod, but it was definitely a dine-again kind of place.

The Wrigley Field Experience

Home Runs

The Weather

The City

The Crowd – attendance was 41,200, always outstanding at Wrigley, and always into the game

The Seats – excellent, although I was disappointed that there was not one foul ball within three sections of us – this should have been souvenir territory

The Company – having the whole family together is always great – a perfect end to a perfect trip

The Passed Balls

Hey, with a glow like this, what could I say that would be negative?

OK, Wrigley is showing its age, but a beautiful day in Chicago makes even old facilities enjoyable.

Oh, and we didn’t really eat or drink anything memorable here – tried a “true” Chicago hot dog and I still don’t get green relish and all the other stuff. With apologies to aficionados everywhere

Chicago is my favorite place on the planet. I loved growing up in Overland Park, DC is a great place, and I live in (ish) South Bend presently, but Chicago is my home. There is just so much to like about this place. It has a huge amount of business, so you can get pretty much any job you want here. It’s got a very unique and beautiful architectural design, with tons of skyscrapers located in the downtown area. It has a comfortable living area less than 5 miles from the center of the action where you can live on a street lined with trees and very safe street parking. There is no arrogant attitude. Chicago doesn’t need to go around telling other cities how important it is, it just IS important and feels like home. It has Lake Michigan where people can get a break from the hot summers. There is just too much to like about this place. One of the best things is the Chicago Cubs.

The night before the game, we had the pleasure of meeting brothers Adam and Andy LaRoche, 1B and 3B, respectively, of the Pirates and Brandon Moss, recently acquired right fielder. We gave them some Peaks to wear during the game and I am pretty certain that’s the reason Brandon hit a home run the next day.

Wrigley Field, a place I’ve been many many times, is one of the most unique stadiums in all of baseball. Many will say it’s a run-down dump (including many players who cite the lack of uberluxurious clubhouses) that needs to be replaced, but to those looking for an authentic baseball experience with rabid fans then there is no better place. The Cubs manage to sell out every game, even during the years in which they were pretty terrible. Here the haters will say that the Cubs fans are just stupid and the team never had to get better because they still got plenty of gate revenue but this viewpoint is shortsighted. People kept turning out for games (even while losing) because going to Cubs games is FUN. A Cubs game is an experience – to take in the ivy, listen to a celebrity sing the 7th inning stretch, watch a HR ball by an opposing team be thrown back. It’s also perfectly situated in Wrigleyville (clever) on the corner of Clark and Addison. Here you can step outside the stadium, cross the street, and continue celebrating at 3 blocks worth of bars.

For me, nothing beats sitting in the Bleachers. Here, in free-for-all seating, you’ll find the most rowdy Cubs fans, with a beer in one hand and another waiting nearby. I understand this section isn’t for everyone – it’s the young adult section. Here we can enjoy ourselves and yell insults (ranging from the crude to the creative to the crudely creative) at the players in the outfield. (Side note: Players enjoy this. Brandon Moss told me so. Many funny stories can be told about these stories.) There is a more fraternal atmosphere that makes the game much more involved. It doesn’t hurt for entertainment value that there is pretty much always a fight of some sort nearby. I took the family here last year on my birthday, and…let’s just say this year we got regular tickets.

Thanks to our continually amazing hookup, we got to sit right behind homeplate, and take in a new view of Wrigley. The view was great and the weather was even better. Getting to the seats is a bit of a hastle, because while the corridors on the ground level are big enough, they are constantly crowded. The food options are standard baseball fare, and nothing particularly special (however, the brats, Chicago-style, in the bleachers are amazing). While new stadiums boast high-tech surroundings and the newest offerings around the stadium Wrigley field is a no-frills experience. If you came to be pampered, forget it here. There’s no jumbotron, no ballcap game or stupid kiddie areas. If you came for baseball, you’re home.

Cubs celebrate a go-ahead HR from Pinch Hitting Reed Johnson

The game went well, with the Cubs winning a thriller in honor of my 25th birthday. Despite more baseball games to come for me, this was the finale of an amazing trip. It was great to spend all this time with my dad and will certainly be a memory I’ll keep with me my whole life. It has put me in a good position in my quest to attend a game in every major league stadium. There are so many stadiums, in so many different models, and in so many different cities, but one thing remains constant – on the field, the same game is being played. It doesn’t matter where you’re at, it’s an amazing game that will always stay (mostly) the same.

Friday was our longest day on the road – NYC to Cleveland. All I can say is the Pennsylvania is both beautiful and remarkable desolate. I-80, which traverses the northern part of the state, is basically miles and miles of modestly mountainous, heavily wooded terrain, interrupted sporadically with rest stops and a few exits. Our objective was Canton and the Pro Football Hall of Fame, before closing time. We pulled into the parking lot around 4:30 and landed right in the middle preparations for the induction ceremonies for the class of 2008, which included Emmitt Thomas of the Chiefs. The Hall is distinctive an instantly recognizable but still small and unassuming. Our first question was, why Canton? While I don’t remember all the details, exhibits clearly indicate that professional football got it start in and around northeastern Ohio, and Canton makes perfect sense. The Hall is very well done, with excellent use of videos and a rotating theater that takes you from the training camp experience to the Super Bowl. The actual hall with the busts of the HOFers is really impressive – understated yet powerful. I got the feeling that Canton lives for this weekend.

We then ventured further west to Wooster, Ohio, to pay a long overdue visit to another Fiji, Greg Grambush. It’s been 10-15 years but, as Greg pointed out, the great thing about our faternity and college days is that, regardless how long the time apart is, you can easily fall back into these old friendships with so much in common and lots of memories to share. Wooster is a town of 25,000, and Greg and his partner Ann seem to know everyone there. We arrived in the midst of their bicentennial celebration, with the town square blocked off, every building hung with red, white and blue bunting, and music and food everywhere. We had a great dinner at the Elks Club (where Greg is a past president) and a good time catching up on old friends and lives in general. Matthew got a bit more Fiji history as well, and recognized, once again, that the old fiji motto, “not for college days alone”, really means something.

With a quick trip up the road, we landed in Cleveland, made the pin run 10 minutes before closing, and got ready for the last leg back to Chicago. However, before heading west one last time, and with the Indians out of town, we did what everyone should do in Cleveland, now that they don’t light the Cuyahoga anymore, visit the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Cleveland, like Chicago, enjoys the benefits of a Great Lake. The Hall is on Lake Erie, adjacent to what looks like an excellent science museum and the home of the Cleveland Browns. It was a beautiful day for a lake cruise, with several options departing from the pier at the Hall, but we didn’t have time for that.

The facility that houses the Hall is an architectual wonder – sort of a glass pyramid with other shapes appended to it, centered in a large plaze, with music playing everywhere. Most of the exhibits are in a lower room that is dark and somewhat convoluted. However, the overall effect is excellent. The amount and variety of memorabilia is impressive, with handwritten lyrics, clothes, and tons of instruments. It is really a lot to take in, but really cool.

Then, it was a quick stop for Cleveland BBQ at Bubbas (still not KC) and on west to … South Bend. We had to make a detour to see Matthew’s new home, beginning next month. I’ve never been to Notre Dame, and I was very impressed. I think I expected a little more “hallowed halls” and ivy, but the overall impression for me was of a newer campus, still a lot of construction and new facilities, but also great looking architecture and history. Also, this is still the northern midwest and like northern Ohio, flat as a board. I think he’s going to enjoy it there.

Two more hours and – FAMILY REUNION IN CHICAGO!

Holy crap the state of Pennsylvania is HUGE.  That is all that can be said about the long, uneventful drive.

Warning: Distances may be longer than they appear

INTO THE BELLY OF THE BEAST

I have to say, the one place I did not want to drive was NYC. I don’t even like to ride in cabs in New York, so you can imagine my anxiety at driven my previously-unmarked red car there. To skip to the end of the story, all’s well that ends well, as far as driving is concerned. Beyond probably loosening a few suspension members, we made it out unscathed. Our journey took us to the heart of Times Square, where some lingering and aged Marriott points got us two nights at the recently-renovated Renaissance. Very contemporary, the room was great and the lobby small but nice. Being adventuresome travelers, we immediately hit the Hard Rock for the collection and then, in a burst of clarity, we went straight to the ESPN Zone. We were, of course, hungry and, when we were seated in the big Barcaloungers in front of the video wall, we were set for the afternoon. Later, in a moment of inspiration that still gives me goosebumps, Matthew went out to explore and returned with two tickets to see Young Frankenstein, his treat! The show featured Roger Bart, the pharmacist on Desperate Housewives and Megan Mullaly from Will & Grace. The show followed the movie faithfully and was very good – great sets, great seats and all the great lines.

Thursday was game day, but first a quick visit to the Hayden Planetarium, the lobby of the Empire State Building (we didn’t feel like waiting in line to go up) and lunch at the Heartland Brewery. I asked the server exactly which Heartland the name referred to, and he proudly told me they had five locations, all in NYC – sorta missed the point of the question. Decent beers and food. Then it was off to the trip down nostalgia lane which is Yankees Stadium. A relatively easy, but crowded subway ride on the D train and we were there. This is my first (and last, since this is the closing season for the old stadium) visit, and I have to say that, other than the history, this park should have come down long ago. Especially in comparison to every other park we have visited on this trip (Wrigley still to come), Yankee Stadium doesn’t offer much to the fan. Matthew bought these seats and they were breathtaking – primarily because they were so high up behind the first base line that we had to stop on the ramps and in the aisles several times before we arrived to catch our breath. The seats were cracked and faded, the rows narrow and the aisles steep. I can certainly appreciate the nostalgia and all the greats who played there, but it’s time. Also, getting our string back on track, the Yankees went down – Yankees 6, Angels 12. Long live the streak. We did get exterior views of the new stadium, right across the street, and I’m sure it is going to be outstanding – none too soon.

This is a blog, so it is, by definition, personal opinion, right? Therefore, I can’t put New York in the rear view mirror without a parting shot. I just don’t get this city. It is obviously vibrant, high energy, lots to do and clearly exciting. It is also, perpetual trash piled everywhere, the constant smell of urine and fetid water standing in puddles in the gutters, construction detours, scaffolding and blocked sidewalks, way too many people, way too many cabs and breathtaking prices. I can definitely have a great time there but, as I consider all the great cities we have visited on this trip, and our final destination, the Windy City, I have to put New York pretty far down the list in a lot of categories.

The Yankees Stadium Experience

Home Runs

The history – just knowing all the greats who played here makes it memorable

The fans – baseball fans are baseball fans, and I have to admit that I expected a bit more hard core behavior than I saw. The fans were into the game and boisterous, but never out of control, even though there were quite a few Angels fans there too.

Passed Balls

Food - nothing notable

Beer - nothing special

Facilities – old (reminded me of my trips to Crosley Field in Cincinnati when I was in junior high and got to see the Reds by selling newspaper subscriptions)

Environs – urban, nothing spectacular

In disagreement with Andrew WK and t-shirts everywhere, I hate New York City.  I hate it more than I hate the White Sox, mushrooms, and people that wear non-participating team’s jerseys combined.  It makes me angry thinking about it, so let’s make this brief:

- Driving there is dumb.  While technically in New Jersey, the tolls through this small and pointless state cost more than tickets to the Yankees (not free) game.  I can only imagine

- Getting IN to the city is impossible.  The Lincoln tunnel is dumb. (Quite amazingly, it was faster going, which seems like the flow is quite wrong)

- Driving in the city is impossible.  It is not a special skill to be able to drive in New York.  You have to drive like a New Yorker – in other words, like a total ass.

- Pedestrians are idiots.  Not only is literally every street corner overfilled with people, but they are all idiots.  Locals will tell you it’s all the dumb tourists taking pictures and milling about, and they are right.  What they don’t admit is they are just as big of a problem because it appears that living there entitles one to cross the street whenever they damn well please.

- It’s pretentious as hell.  In NYC, it’s always $10 beer night.  Being the starting point for trends and style creates a holier-than-thou attitude that permeates social existence.  (Note: this is a general claim about the vibe of NYC, and clearly not applicable to any or all residents specifically.  Many people I love live there.)

- It smells.  Terrible.  Everywhere.  Always.  Trash in the streets will do that.

- Most of all, it’s not Chicago.  Everything good about NYC, Chicago has, minus the smell and pretension.

Given all this, being the good tourists from the Midwest we are, we made a beeline for the ESPN Zone to relax in the huge comfy chairs and watch baseball.  Mmm the Big Apple.

One great thing about NYC is the opportunity to see Broadway shows.  As thanks for my dad paying for most of the trip (poor student defense) I got tickets for us to see the stage adaptation of Young Frankenstein.  It is a hilarious musical rendition of the classic Mel Brooks movie.  It was a bit weird knowing the jokes in advance, but it was still hilarious, thanks in part to great performances by Roger Bart (who I am not ashamed to admit I knew from Desperate Housewives) and Meghan Mullaly (the loud one from Will and Grace). [Nice Matt Done] [Angry Matt returns] Some locals would frown upon such a tourist enjoyment of Broadway, so to them I say phooey. [Angry Matt Done].

The stadium is easy to get to by the Subway – a quick ride north on the D train and we were there.  This being the last year of the “House that Ruth Built,” it was a great opportunity to see a piece of history before gives way to a new bazillion dollar stadium.  History is definitely the most appealing aspect of the stadium.  It lacks the exterior visual appeal of the other stadiums we visited and the corridors/walk ways are just atrocious.  It feels like one is walking through the halls of a prison – where cells would be there are stands serving $9.50 Bug Light (!) and hot dogs.  Even the “unique” Beers around the World section is lacking, featuring such foreign brews as Heineken and Labatt.

Our seats were in Tier Reserved MVP, which is where those climbing Everest train.  Quite impressively, the view from the seats ($39 from Stubhub) was excellent.  We hovered right over homeplate and had a clear view of the action.  Despite the light air, it was a great view.

Pudge Ks in his Yankee Debut

The power of the curse was with us, as, despite the debut of new Yankee C Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez, the Angels throttled Andy Pettite, winning 12-6.  It was also cool that the person that threw out the first pitch was the Army officer (Lieutenant I think) of the group that found Saddam.

The train trip back was uneventful and after a good night sleep we bolted as fast as we could towards Ohio.

I call it "Subtlety"

In rare agreement with my dad, DC is one of my favorite cities to visit (a close second to Chicago).  This would be my 4th or 5th visit to the District, and I may try and get back there for the summer after my 1L year.  Being a huge nerd, Washington DC is incredibly exciting.  Everytime I go there I find myself excited because “everything is something.”  This may seem self-obvious and describes literally everywhere ever, but in DC its more true than anywhere else.  On every street corner is some pivotal or significant building or monument from America’s past and present.  On one corner may be the head office of a national organization and then turn and there’s the Capitol.  Awesome.  It doesn’t hurt that it’s a beautiful city.

One of the thing that has been described to me, and is a potential draw for future residencey consideration, is that it’s such a diverse city.  In other words, the city is such a big draw for employment, being the capitol and all, that the people my age come from all across the nation.  Being a big fan of diversity, that could be very cool.

Huh?

After we settled into our sweet, comped suite 3 blocks from the White House, we relaxed and showered off the dirt of Baltimore in preparation for a big day.  Having a full free day in DC was great, as there is so much to see there.  We spent the day walking around the major monuments, the National Gallery of Art (another thing my dad and I have in common – no understanding of modern art), and Capitol building.  I had been on a tour before, but it was so long ago all I remember was the vague memory of seeing the House in session.  During this tour, we stopped by the Hall of Statues which had statues of famous people from various US states.  Notable here, for my Northwestern friends, was Illinois’s Francis Willard, the biatch that led the Evanston-based temperance movement.  After a quick dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe and some father-son bonding over stories we probably didn’t need to share we called it a night.

BOOOOO

Before the evening game, we headed to Chantilly, Virginia to see the annex of the Smithsonian’s Air and Space museum.  My dad covered the details, but it was pretty awesome.  Seeing the Enola Gay, the plane that dropped the first atomic bomb and killed tens of thousands was particularly weird confrontation with destruction.  I quickly got over it.  Before the game we stopped by the Capitol City Brewery for some local beer.  Unfortunately, those that we tried were pretty mediocre, as were the appetizers.  Off to the stadium in good ole DC traffic…

Boring...

This was my second trip to the new Nationals stadium, and it rates very highly…on the inside.  One thing I didn’t really notice last time is that the outside of it is extremely boring.  There doesn’t seem to be a clearly defined entrance like most stadiums have, or even distinctive architecture to make it identifiable.  Maybe it was at a different part of the stadium, but we came from the main location where the train station is and walked around most of the stadium.   Nothing.

The inside, however, is very pretty.  Part of it is the fact that it is brand new, and has only been open a few months, but the seat layout and food options are well designed.  Because we continue to be lucky as hell, our seats were behind home plate, in the VIP area which you accessed through an air-conditioned bar, and had padded seats and waitresses.  It’s a rough life.  We were a few rows behind Nats Manager Manny Acta’s family (made obvious by the on-screen announcement of his daughter’s birthday and the intense amount of cheering that followed) and also in our section was professional wrestler Batista, who I first just thought was a ridiculous case study in the evils of steroids.

I really enjoyed the 4th inning President’s Race, in which live people with giant heads of Washington, Lincoln, Roosevelt and Jefferson race from center field to first base.  Roosevelt has never won, which always leads to a good time cheering (his losing streak has been chronicled in blog form).  The one thing that annoys me about the park was ESPN’s rantings about the amazing view of the Capitol during the home opener this season.  Yes, you can see the Capitol…only in the right field seats, and narrowly between two parking structures/buildings-in-construction.

The game was a good time (as I got to see my favorite player Chase Utley knock a 2 run dinger).  The Phillies won 2-0, and our home losing curse was back!  It was sad to leave DC for the sinkhole that is New York City (home of salsa), where I prayed the curse would rear its beautiful head again.

D.C. remains one probably the most beautiful city in the country, in my opinion.  One can’t come here without feeling a sense of pride and patriotism.  There are so many great structures here that you can spend an entire trip just admiring the architecture.  Driving into and around town was a breeze – a few wrong turns here and there, but nothing we couldn’t recover from easily.  We immediatey made for our digs for the stay, at the beautiful Capital Hilton.  Thanks to Laura’s cousin Myles, we were guests of the general manager for all three nights of out stay.  The hotel itself has a great history, having opened in 1943 just a few blocks from the White House.  (From the hotel brochure) Originally known as The Statler, the hotel has been visited by every president since FDR, and has hosted Winston Churchill, Fidel Castro, Queen Elizabeth and Charles Lindbergh… and now, the Reedy boys.  We had two full days and three nights here, and a lot of free time before the game on Tuesday.

Monday was a lot of walking – The World War II Memorial, the Mall, the National Museum of Art, West and East Wings, and the Capitol.  Things have definitely changed since the last time I visited here.  I remember Laura and I and the kids going to the Capitol and getting to sit in the Senate balcony to watch the proceedings.   We then decided we wanted to see the House, which was also in session.  We more or less found a hallway and scampered unimpeded from one chamber to the other and were able to get into the viewing area.  This time, no such access.  We lined up outside at a tent where we were assigned to the 2:45 group.  When our time came, we approached the south end of the building where we entered a temporary building where we went through security screening.  (I had to hide my trusty pocket knife in a tree on the grounds so that it didn’t get confiscated.)  After security, we got into another queue where we were matched with a very nice guide who have us a very nice tour of the Rotunda, the Hall of Statues and the crypt area below.  It’s sad that all the openness is gone.  Two more pins, beers and appetizers and we called it a day.

Tuesday, we went out to Dulles to see the Steven F. Uday-Hazy Air and Space Museum.  This is basically an annex to the main facility on the Mall, and it is excellent.  It is, essentially, a massive quonset hut with three main wings – planes are displayed on the floor and suspended from the ceiling.  The “big draws” are an SR-71 spy plane, the Enterprise space shuttle (never flew but used for testing), a Concorde, and the Enola Gay.  This is a great museum if you like planes, rockets and flight.  On the way back into town, we stopped by the Jefferson Memorial, arguably the most beautiful of the presidential monuments

Then, after brief stop at the Capital City Brewery (disappointing beers and food), it was off to Nationals park.  D.C. traffic was horrible (which is the norm, I think) but we cabbed it so we didn’t have to pay attention.  After waiting in the wrong line for ~10 minutes, we were re-directed to a different entrance, our tickets, and a private entrance to outstanding seats behind home plate.  The ballpark was great, the seat were excellent – they even had food service you could order from your seat – and we got back on track with our jinx – Nationals 1, Phillies 2.  A quick Metro ride got us out of the park and back to the hotel in no time.

THE NATIONALS PARK EXPERIENCE

I gotta say, we didn’t explore much here, so it probably isn’t fair to comment.  Overall, we liked the park – it is urban, and there are views into the surrounding neighborhood in the outfield, which makes it feel more open.  Rumor has it you can see the Capital from the park, but you definitely couldn’t from where we sat.  There was a good selection of beers to choose, and we didn’t partake of the food options.  If you’re sensing a theme here, it’s that my observations are diminishing as my brain gets more overloaded with ballparks and I take longer to write about them.  Of course, taking notes would solve that but, then, this would start feeling like home work.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect of Baltimore. It’s not really a city that gets a lot of press one way or another. I knew it was in Maryland and was home to the Orioles and Ravens and that’s about it. After having experienced it for a day, I can see why. There isn’t too much to be impressed with in this town. Now clearly my experience was limited, and there may be stuff I missed, but I doubt it. So despite an unimpressive city, Oriole Park at Camden Yards was a refreshingly attractive baseball stadium.

We entered from behind home plate at what was a fairly deserted entrance. Since we got four free seats behind home plate for this one, I invited debater/Phi Psi friend from NU and fantasy baseball archenemy Geoff and his roommate Mathias to come up from DC for the game. Once we all arrived, we went to sample Oriole great Boog Powell’s BBQ. It was situated behind the outfield on Eutaw street. I really liked this set up as it allows the fans to walk around and through the entire stadium without ever feeling cramped or funneled through narrow corridors. What’s interesting about Eutaw street is that is is a normal road through the city except for it dead ends and continues to run through the stadium grounds. This provided a very wide open gathering area in between the field proper and the warehouse which runs the length of the stadium. This area housed ample food and beverage options as well as bars and shopping in the warehouse.

The beef bbq was quite good, but as my dad pointed out, we're from Kansas, and nothing beats that.

The view around the stadium from all angles was very appealing. The ballpark definitely has an old timey feel to it, but didn’t lack the modern amenities you find at most of the newer ballparks. Additionally, it appeared that the seating was very compact, meaning that the arrangement of the seats gave the impression of a substantial mass of people. I don’t mean this to mean that there isn’t enough seating room or whatever, but just that it fostered a more intimate atmosphere.

One fun tidbit to look for if you visit the ballpark is the old outfield scoreboard in centerfield. It contains the words “THE SUN,” which is a Baltimore newspaper. Whenever the Orioles get a hit, the “H” flashes and similarly whenever an error is committed the “E” lights up. Kind of hard to see during the day time, but a unique feature that adds to the personality of the park.

Lots of "Hs" today for the Orioles

The most important part of the game came in the 7th inning. Of all the ballparks, the thing I had read about most was the crab cake sandwiches at Orioles Park. Maryland, known for it’s crab, was sure to offer a taste-bud enticing treat not typically found at a ballpark. Despite their $13 asking price AND despite already eating a hefty bbq sandwich, I got the crab. Holy hell, did it live up to it’s reputation. It’s a huge sandwich with large chunks of fresh crab. Each bite was better than the last, and I was kinda pissed I had to share it with my dad. Oh well, it was worth it and I would recommend it to anyone.

The ballgame was a relatively uneventful one, except for the hometeam finally won a game! The usually solid Ervin Santana started for the Angels, who had just acquired slugging first baseman Mark Tiexiera from the Braves, but was beat around by the usually bad Baltimore offense. It was sad to see our streak come to and end, but it did so in an interesting fashion. Prior to this Sunday game, the Orioles had not won at home, on a Sunday, in 15 weeks. So it’s only fitting that our streak ends the same time a more impressive one ends for the real players.

After the game we ventured to meet one of my best friends from high school, Wiener (known as Kate to most people), for dinner. Kate’s in med school at Johns Hopkins, after being at the top of our HS class as well as #1 at Notre Dame…I still am proud of myself to this day that I managed to have the nickname Wiener stick (the nickname came from a day of escalating insults to each other, and somehow that one was funny and stuck) and I can claim the honor of having gotten myself and her kicked out of Mr. House’s AP Psych class because we were joking around too much. I’m sure when she runs for Surgeon General or President, the opposing party will have many attack ads regarding that, the one blemish on her record. We met her at O’Brycki’s Crab House for even more delcious crab, as detailed in my dad’s post. Seeing her was definitely the highlight of the day in Baltimore.

Driving to meet her revealed more flaws in Baltimore. The street layout was quite confusing, with a random hodgepodge of one-way streets. Though getting from the stadium to the restaurant was quite easy, getting back to the highway was pretty tricky. The area of O’Brycki’s was pretty shady as well, and I would not wanted to have stayed long there. It seemed odd that it could get as sketchy as it did as close to the stadium as we were. The one area that was nice was the Inner Harbor. There were large ships to see, a submarine, and many family friendly restaurants like Hard Rock and ESPN Zone. While aesthetically pleasing, this impossble-to-park-near area reminded me of a slightly less annoying Navy Pier – an area desgined strictly for tourists, and one you would never visit if you were a native.

Fortunately our stay was brief, as its less than an hour to Washington, DC, my second favorite city in the US. Will it become number 1? STAY TUNED!