• Home
  • About
  • PR and Advertising
  • Disclosure Policy

Sweet Tea & Day Dreams

August 3, 2007

our journey to baseball’s mecca: the ny trip, part 2

warning: long post with lots of pictures follows. read at your own risk. 🙂

Gift Guide

when we left our motel at 6 a.m. on sunday, we thought we were in good shape. it was early, we had directions and we were on our way.

we knew cooperstown was about 1.5 hours from albany, so we figured we had a ways to go on the interstate. but, when we started seeing the exit numbers completely change, we got a little worried. when we stopped at a toll booth (what IS it with toll booths up there??), we asked if we were headed the right way.

“you’re about an hour in the wrong direction,” the toll worker told us.

seriously? damn. so we turned around and headed back, passing the exit our motel was on. two exits past that, we got off onto a state highway.

despite that, we made it to cooperstown about 4 hours before the ceremony began. we found a really good parking spot, and walked the few blocks into the downtown area. the energy immediately engulfed us. there were so many people crowded onto the small-town street. it was awesome. there were *so* many orange and black shirts. it was great. i felt like i was back in baltimore again! we spent a while looking at all the memorabilia for sale in front of all the stores. we ended up buying a cal ripken kit that included a hat, a bobble head, keychains, pins from his milestones and a few other things.

me at hof induction crop

i look like a little kid in this picture, but that’s ok. i could have stayed there forever. it was just so much fun. after we picked up some souvenirs, we walked down to doubleday field, where baseball originated. every year, the hall of fame game is played there in may. i wish it was during induction weekend because i would have loved to have gone.

me and joe at doubleday field 2 crop

then it was time for the hall of fame. we didn’t go through the museum since there were so many people. the line for the gift shop was about 20 minutes long, so we felt like we didn’t have time to wait in an even longer line for the museum. that will be another trip for us in the next couple of years. but we did go, and it was so neat to be there in person at the place that baseball fans consider mecca. it was really cool.

me and joe at hof crop

after we saw the hof, we headed back to our seats. now, the induction wasn’t held at the hof but at the sports complex almost a mile away. an eighth of a mile to be precise. silly, silly me though, oh, an eighth of a mile, that’s not bad. however, when you walk it 4-5 times, it gets really tiring. on the last trip back we took the shuttle because my poor arthritic knees were hurting too much. boo hoo.

a crowd of about 50,000 was expected. that estimation turned out being closer to 100,000. so, when we arrived at the sports complex on our first trip to drop off our blanket, the huge field in front of the stage was packed. there wasn’t an empty spot anywhere. so, we claimed a spot on the other side of the road right up front. we figured it wouldn’t be too bad because there were large screens up and we would be able to hear.

that was before they allowed the buses to drive through during the ceremony. buses are loud, and with them driving through every few minutes, it was impossible to see or hear anything. a bunch of us moved over to other side and stood on the edge of the roadway and, when we’d had enough, we all stood in the middle of the road as a statement to the bus drivers. solidarity! unfortunately, our stand ended when the state troopers made us move.

it was a great ceremony though. i felt a great surge of pride when it got to the “oh say does that star spangled banner yet wave” line in the national anthem and all of us baltimorans shouted “o!” a woman standing in front of me said it was embarrassing. whatever. it’s fun, and it’s tradition. she obviously has never been to a game at camden yards.

me and joe at induction site crop

we booked it out of there as soon as cal ripken jr.’s speech was over to try to beat the crowds out, as we had a rental car to return and a train to catch. and, thanks to our rockstar parking lot, we were ahead of everyone. we were very worried about being caught on the one-lane road leading in and out of cooperstown with 99,999 other people.

the rest of our trip was rushed but fun. we stayed on staten island with one of joe’s cousins. on monday, we headed into new york city because i had never been there. we went to times square, madison square garden, ground zero and the financial district. that’s all we really had time for!

me and joe at nyse crop

me and joe at madison square garden 2 crop

one of the highlights for me was looking up and seeing the new york times right in front of us. i may sound like a dork, but for a journalist who’s always wanted to work there, seeing it was pretty damn awesome.

me at nyt crop

on tuesday, we opted not to go back into the city as we were tired of all the walking we’d been doing, and hung out with tommy and christina and the boys for the day. we really wanted to be able to spend more time with them, and we had a lot of fun swimming, laying out in the sun and just relaxing.

that evening, we headed into the bronx with tommy and the boys for a yankees game! joe and i were *so* excited about it. we’re such baseball nuts. his friends were jealous because they’re tearing down yankee stadium next year. we had a blast. we sat out on the bleachers in the outfield, which was so much fun. unfortunately, it wasn’t as much of a game as it was batting practice for the yankees, who beat the white sox 14-3. pretty much everyone on the yankees hit a home run except alex rodriguez, who was going for his 500th. we were really disappointed. it would have been awesome to have had a ticket from the game where he hit that!

me and joe at yankees game crop

it was also christopher and thomas’s first yankees game, and they had so much fun. they stayed up for the whole thing, and cheered and just had so much fun. it was a lot of fun watching them.

me with tommy's family crop

thomas at yankees game 2 crop

seriously, how cute are those kids??

now we’re home. yay. the trip was great, but it’s always nice to get back to reality.

0
In Baseball, Family, General, Life, Marriage, Memories
Previous sweet surprise
Next getting back in the groove

Related posts

the weekend

Lupron, Day 7

updates, snakes and a plane

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Joe says

    August 3, 2007 at 2:08 pm

    Fun game: Compare the photo of you in the orioles hat to the one of us at the Yankees game… you went from ghost white to lobster red in three days. 🙂

  2. Laura says

    August 3, 2007 at 2:24 pm

    Ewwwwww….. Yankees!!
    I wouldn’t mind seeing A Rod play, though. And I’d go to Yankee Stadium just because I’d go to ANY stadium!

    Your trip sounds awesome. ESPN said 70,000, I thought it looked like a TON of people. It really was!

  3. Chas says

    August 3, 2007 at 8:53 pm

    That trip doesn’t sound too relaxing, but it sounds like lots of fun.

  4. Lisanne says

    August 4, 2007 at 1:04 pm

    Yeah, there are toll booths *everywhere* here. That took some getting used to for us, as well! We’ve been thinking about just caving in and getting an EZpass. 🙂 I’m *so* sorry that you were headed in the wrong direction … if we’d gotten together, I would have been able to point you in the right direction. (I’m going to Sharon Springs next month; it’s on the way to Cooperstown, I believe!) Oh well ~ you got there, and that’s what matters! So what’s up with the “O” thing? Do you sing it at the end of that line of our national anthem? Never heard of that before. I’ve never been to a baseball game … we’re a basketball family. 🙂 My grandma used to love baseball, though ~ she rooted for the St. Louis Cardinals and the Cubs!

  5. Lisanne says

    August 4, 2007 at 1:04 pm

    Oh, and P.S. I like the Yankees just because they have cute uniforms. Is that bad? LOL! 🙂

  6. Laurel says

    August 6, 2007 at 9:23 am

    Yay! My homeland! (Well, Minnesota is really my homeland, but my current home anyway!) Glad you had a good time.

    We need to go to Cooperstown one of these days! AS is from Albany, so we ought to take advantage.

  7. Lisa says

    September 5, 2007 at 7:29 pm

    AWESOME! I didn;t know you went. It must have been right before I started reading your blog all the time. Isn’t Cal a hottie? I love him, I love what a good person he is. Pete gets imbarassed when I yell “O” too. LOL I do it whenever I sing the song. There are always a few people who do it too! Little League games, Raven’s Games, shoot even before the Monster Truck show. LOL

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Child of God. Wife. Mother. Daughter. Blogger. Freelance writer. Cat mom. Dog mom.
read more

Advertise Here!

The Bloggy Mommy is now accepting sponsors! Please go here for more information on various sponsor levels and to purchase!

Gymboree Children's Clothing

Daily Boutique Deals

Instagram

cadyschulman

Friend time is the best time. Friend time is the best time.
Cousins! Cousins!
Lucy has an arm! Lucy has an arm!
❤️❤️ ❤️❤️
Got in some good soccer practice this weekend! Got in some good soccer practice this weekend!
My ❤️. I am blessed. #nationaldaughtersday My ❤️. I am blessed. #nationaldaughtersday
🤸‍♀️ 🏖 🌊 🤸‍♀️ 🏖 🌊
Vacay on Tybee Island. Vacay on Tybee Island.
Not a bad way to wake up. Not a bad way to wake up.
Izzy enjoyed video chatting with cousin Charlotte. Izzy enjoyed video chatting with cousin Charlotte. And, Lucy did, too.
It’s been 15 years since we said “I do”, and It’s been 15 years since we said “I do”, and where do I even begin? We’ve had some amazing times, some not so great ones, and we really put the “in sickness and in health” part of our vows to the test this last year. This man is always willing to get my pain pills in the middle of the night, has helped me through Covid recovery and does everything I can’t without complaint. He’s also the funniest person I know and can always make me laugh, and he’s pretty hot, too. I am a lucky woman to call him my husband. Here’s to many more years of happily ever after. I love you! ❤️❤️
❤️❤️❤️ ❤️❤️❤️
Had a blast with these girlies in the mountains la Had a blast with these girlies in the mountains last weekend.
Ready to start 7th grade tomorrow! Ready to start 7th grade tomorrow!
4th of July fun! 4th of July fun!
Friends are good for the soul. Friends are good for the soul.
Happy Father’s Day to my favorite guy. I couldn’t have asked for a better Dad for Lucy! ❤️❤️
My llama-obsessed kid got to feed and walk a llama My llama-obsessed kid got to feed and walk a llama today.
Pool daze. Pool daze.
It was so good to get back to church in person tod It was so good to get back to church in person today!
Follow on Instagram
This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Latest Pins on Pinterest

  • Follow Me on Pinterest

Categories

Archives

Blogroll

  • Bio Girl
  • Breathe Gently
  • Far More than Rubies
  • Lamberts Lately
  • Live a Charmed Life
  • Pure Sugar
  • The Mommy Diaries
  • Tooptumber

Visitors


Popular Posts

Wal-Mart $25 Gift Card Gi...

August 13, 2010

Win a Kroger Gift Card!

March 1, 2011

Great Deals at Publix and...

May 13, 2011

Latest Posts

  • $50 Cash Giveaway! Ends 11/28

    Giveaways
  • Scrumptious Thanksgiving Desserts...

    Christmas, Holidays, Recipes, Thanksgiving
  • Personalized Large Keychain Ring...

    Jane, Online Shopping
  • Christmas Countdown Banner –...

    Christmas, Home Decor
  • Menu Plan Monday ~ Week of 11/1...

    General
Friend time is the best time. Friend time is the best time.
Cousins! Cousins!
Lucy has an arm! Lucy has an arm!
❤️❤️ ❤️❤️
Got in some good soccer practice this weekend! Got in some good soccer practice this weekend!
My ❤️. I am blessed. #nationaldaughtersday My ❤️. I am blessed. #nationaldaughtersday
🤸‍♀️ 🏖 🌊 🤸‍♀️ 🏖 🌊
This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Pages

  • #9040 (no title)
  • About
  • Disclosure Policy
  • PR and Advertising
  • Privacy Policy
Copyright © Sweet Tea & Day Dreams
Theme by SheShoppes