We Love Baseball!

#4stadiums7days

Beginning June 30, 2018, we started on a journey to see four Major League Baseball stadiums in 7 days.  I have family that lives in the Northeast, and they were more than gracious to host us in their homes 5 of the 7 nights. 


We flew into Baltimore Saturday, June 30 and checked into our hotel 2 blocks from the stadium.  We went to eat brunch at a restaurant featured on the Food Network, Miss Shirley's. The food was fabulous! 

Later, we stopped by Babe Ruth's birthplace and museum.

Pretending to hold Babe Ruth's bat!

For the game in Camden Yards, the temperature was 95 with a heat index over 100 degrees. It was HOT!  We arrived two hours before the game because we wanted to make sure we received the promotional giveaway - an Orioles Hawaiian shirt. :)


Because of the intensity of the heat that day, we only made it through the 4th inning.


We woke up the next morning and drove to my Aunt June's house in Collegeville, PA.  It was about a 1.5 hour ride, and very enjoyable in our rental car - a cherry red Jeep Wrangler.

My cousin Michelle and her husband Garrett and their children were along for the ride, and we traveled to the Philadelphia Phillies stadium via train and subway.

My cousin Kim and her husband and kiddos met us a Citizens Bank Park and again, it was HOT!  The Phillies had a giveaway as well, and this time, the kids got a solar powered Liberty Bell.


Kim and I got to meet Greg "the Bull" Luzinski, a famous former Phillies player.

The game was outstanding (again we did not stay the entire game b/c of the heat), and the Phillies won in the 13th inning with a walk-off homerun.

The following day, we spent quality time with my dad's sister, Aunt June.  We went to a children's museum, which Daniel thoroughly enjoyed. Aunt June took us to a local Italian bakery, and Welles had the opportunity to have a genuine Philly Cheesesteak. (I had a chicken parm sandwich 😏). We went mini-golfing and for homemade ice cream.  Leaving the next day was sad, and we are so thankful to Aunt June for her kind and generous hospitality.

My dad's youngest sister, Aunt June

Tuesday, July 3 we drove about 1.5 hours east to my cousin Dawn and her husband Joe's home in Spotswood, NJ. My dad's sister, Aunt Janet and her husband Uncle Jack came over and we had a wonderful dinner prepared by Dawn and Joe! Afterwards, we played poker.  Spending this quality time with family was undoubtedly one of the best perks of the trip. It allowed Daniel to get to know my father's family better, and he loved every minute!

My dad's sister, Aunt Janet

The next morning, we woke up bright and early and drove the Jeep to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.  We left so early, and I think the fact that it was the 4th of July allowed us to get there in less than an hour with ample time to explore. 


Although Yankee Stadium was not my favorite, I can appreciate the history and have great respect for the Yankees.  There were no giveaways at this game, but we did purchase an American flag from a veteran.

The food was very good - I had barbecue, Daniel had a chicken sandwich and Welles had a gourmet turkey burger.  YES! Daniel wore a Braves shirt. I was neutral (wore an Alabama hat and a Life is Good American Flag shirt), and Welles wore a Yankees hat.


My favorite part of the stadium was Monument Park - where you can walk through and see the history of the Yankees. Such rich tradition and incredible players have been part of this team.


We stayed until about the 7th inning - long enough to see the Yankees whoop up on the Braves. We saw at least two homeruns and participated in a stadium WAVE.


We got back to Spotswood in time to spend some time with my cousins and their family friends at a neighborhood picnic/pool party. 

My cousin Dawn's oldest son, Jonathan

The next morning, Dawn and Joe were our tour guides in NYC!!!  We took a 1.5 hour cruise around the Statue of Liberty.  We ate lunch at a trendy market, and the took off for Central Park.

Daniel had his first NY Subway experience. 😊

Dawn and Daniel on the Carousel in Central Park

 

Joe and Jason had researched the movie Elf for us to find out where the scenes from the movie were filmed.  It was so much fun to get our picture made at the bridge where Buddy and his brother got into a snowball fight.

the "Elf" snowball fight bridge

Central Park is absolutely beautiful and amazing.  It's unbelievable that this beautiful landscape is right in the middle of the Big Apple.


We took the subway from Central Park to the Brooklyn Bridge.  We had the amazing opportunity to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge.  Daniel signed the bridge.

Once we got across the bridge, we went to Juliana's Pizzeria.  The pizza was outstanding!  Juliana's was founded by Patsy Grimaldi.  The pizzeria next door to Juliana's is named Grimaldi's (named for the Grimaldi family, but sold several years ago). I'm taking my cousin's word for it that the pizza at Juliana's is heads above Grimaldi's. 

Walking across the Brooklyn Bridge

Daniel signing the Brooklyn Bridge

Cruise to Liberty

Pepperoni pizza with garlic and extra cheese

Prosciutto and arugula pizza

The next morning, we woke up and drove to Queens.  We checked into our hotel and met Meghan and Craig for dinner at a fabulous Italian restaurant, Parkside.  We saw a bocce ball tournament after dinner and Daniel and Welles had Italian ice from the place that is featured in the beginning trailer for The King of Queens.

Dawn, Joe, Jason, Welles, Daniel and I took an uber to Citifield.  The stadium is pretty new, and when you walk into the main entrance, you feel like you are walking into a building.  It's truly beautiful.  We made it to our seats and enjoyed pregame festivities.



Me and Daniel

Citifield - Mets Stadium

Dawn's son Jason and Daniel

Wowfulls ice cream!

We enjoyed Wowfuls - homemade waffle cones and ice cream sundaes.

Joe, Welles, Daniel, Sherry and Jason

The game was tied until the 9th inning. With bases loaded and two outs, Jose Bautista came up to bat and hit a walk-off grand slam to win the game 5-1.  What an incredible end to our week of baseball adventures! We are so thankful to family and friends that helped us celebrate such a fun week!  We are looking forward to the next set of stadiums and another baseball tour!