Philly, Day 3

Sunday was the first day in Philly I woke up and I could see the sun in all its glory without a cloud. And the heavy heat was already on. I began walking east towards the eastern edge of Chinatown into Franklin Square, where plans were being made to set up the Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival. The dragons, the pandas, they were all there. As I approached the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, which takes people into Camden NJ, I passed by the Bolt of Lightning display, which was much higher than I thought it would be. The 101 feet tall, 58-ton sculpture refers to the famous experiment in which Franklin flew his kite in an electrical storm.

The bridge walk was a little tougher than the Brooklyn Bridge walk, the incline seemed a little bit more extreme. I did run certain parts, particularly the downhill parts. I was hoping for something good to photograph, maybe a sign welcoming me into New Jersey. Maybe a good view of the cities. Not quite. I got into Camden and I was surrounded by grafitti and barbed wire. 

I figured it was time to turn around after a quick rest. Of course a cop saw me just kind of hanging around, standing in the shade created by a stop sign, and staring at my phone. All I was doing was checking my distance. He checked on me to make sure I wasn't lost. I assured him I wasn't lost, I just needed a minute. 

The total walk must have taken about 90 minutes, and the heat really added to the challenge. I was ready for breakfast, I even gave it and made a waffle. I may be the only one who likes those round egg patties, but I had 4 of them.

After cleaning up and packing, I was ready to check out. The front desk held my bag since I still had five hours to wait until my train departed for Virginia.

The eight block walk to the Benjamin Franklin Museum was really hard, maybe an after effect of the walk I had just done. I really wanted to get off my feet. The pain in both my big toes was especially sharp, I wish I had ibuprofen in my bag. The museum was ok, it gave a pretty detailed glimpse into the mind of Franklin, as well as his humor, his resilience, and his creativity. But it was so quick that I was out of there in less than 20 minutes. 

Onto lunch. And there was only one place to go, Angelo’s Pizza. They're well known for square shaped pizza as well as cheesesteak and hoagies. Unfortunately, you can't get a slice of pizza, so maybe I'll have to find some company to help me finish that off. So I went with hoagies, specifically the JYS, or junkyard special. Now this was a sandwich I had seen featured in the Food Network before. It was made at a deli in Philly called Sarcone's. They still have a bakery on the block, but the deli is now gone. I figured I'd never have it, so I've actually made it a couple of times at home to very good results. So Angelo's took that sandwich over and I was excited to try one in Philly. The sandwich is made of turkey, prosciutto, roasted peppers, sauteed spinach, fresh mozz, sharp provolone, fresh basil, and dry herbs on a crusty seeded Italian roll. I took a bite, and oh my goodness. The difference is the bread and the provolone. I can access the other components fine, but the crust on that bread and the unique taste of that provolone, you can't get those just anywhere. 

Man that was the best Italian sandwich I've had in maybe 10 years. JP Graziano in Chicago is great, but this may have been a little bit better. Oh and I ordered an Italian sub for later in the day. 

Needing a walk, I passed on the bus, and walked north. I made a stop in Mitchell & Ness. I never expected to buy anything, but I decided to check out their array of vintage sports wear. The cheapest thing I could find was a 1994 Rangers Stanley Cup t shirt for 40 bucks. For 20 or even 25, I'd have been in. Even basketball shorts were 85 bucks. Pass.

By now, I was desperate to sit down. But it would have taken as much time to take a train as it would have to walk. So I passed through City Hall and traveled east to a once again loaded Reading Terminal Market.

I picked up half a dozen cookies from 4th St Cookie Company for the trip home. I thought about having one right there, but they had no milk. So instead I decided to go next stall over to Old City Coffee for an iced chai tea latte. 6 bucks was a lot, even more than Starbucks, but it was fine. 

After walking the two blocks back to the hotel to get my bag, I collapsed on the lobby couch for about 20 minutes. I knew I was going to get back to the station early, but I didn't care. I didn't want to spend more money and I wanted to just rest. So I grabbed my bag and took the MSL train one last time to 30th St Station.

I have to say I'm very surprised the train station didn't have a bar. So instead I did get an Arnold Palmer at Pret a Manger for 6 bucks, and it was only 16 pounces, which was absurd. 

The train was scheduled to depart at 2:45 pm, but we left about 15 minutes late. I took the first seat I could because I knew it would be packed. And it was right next to the club car, I had a feeling I was going I have a cocktail. 

And then we got delayed outside of Baltimore due to equipment inspection. Shouldn't inspection take place before the train leaves? Just asking for a friend. 

Ultimately we arrived into Williamsburg an hour late. 

Here's what I'd say about Philadelphia. The people were pretty cool, they were actually friendly,  and I didn't expect it.  I expected to get crap for wearing New York stuff, but it barely happened. Maybe with the Mets being such a disgrace, they don't care. Lot of yuppie types around too, in terms of fashion sense. 

What I didn't like was the abundance of garbage. It reminded me of some of the old neighborhoods in Queens, with full black bags filled with trash sitting on the sidewalk, waiting to get collected. 

A lot of people were smoking, both cigarettes and weed, which I did not need. Of course being that it is a certain month, that presented additional annoying propoganda.

Also I saw plenty of homelessness. People sleeping on the sidewalks, or shuffling around with torn clothes. It was sad. Quite a few times I was avoiding eye contact or walking away from them just to reduce the hassle. 

I wish I could have met a few more people, aside from my fellow Mets fans on Saturday afternoon. I can't say I'm looking forward to going back soon, aside from the food! But it was a fun getaway for a weekend, which I sorely needed, and I'm glad I did go 

Philly, Day 2

My first sleep wasn't easy, as they rarely are in hotels. The room was pretty clean, but I still sprayed it down with disinfectant, something I've learned from Mom from all the traveling she's had to do from work. 

So I woke up early, around 6:30 am. While there was no rain falling, a layer of fog had settled in over the city. But the first order of the day was to run to the Art Museum, ala Rocky Balboa. Now the museum is only about 1.7 miles from my hotel, which is more than reasonable. Though if I'm being frank, running seems to be wearing on my feet more and more. I really do wonder if l will run another race, or at least one more than 3 miles. 

The run was pretty straightforward, going west on Race St, before making a 45 degree right turn and running northeast on Benjamin Franklin Parkway. And of course I was playing music from the movie soundtrack on my way. And there were still some puddles to work around, including on the museum steps. 

Back to the hotel I went for breakfast. Their buffet includes a waffle iron, a little bit of cereal and fruit, a few generic pastries and breads. But the hot bar did have bacon and I hadn't had bacon in a little while, maybe 2 months? And they didn't have eggs, but they had generic tater tots that looked like they came from the local elementary school.

The shower felt pretty good. And I made it to the Faith & Liberty Discovery Center, right when they opened at 10 am. I actually arrived about 20 minutes before they opened and I took some to reflect on everything that had been going on in my life recently and that's been defined by a lot of torment and hurt.

In the reflection garden adjacent to the center, I realized even Jesus was betrayed by ones closest to him. And I realize more and more why he came to earth and voluntarily went through all of the pain, suffering, and anguish that he did. So he could sympathize and relate to all people go through. That was his choice. The commercials about Jesus getting us. I get that. And that's him showing true love, the truest love there is. Not the weak version that culture tries to talk about that's nothing more than an impulsive feeling. While I think I always knew that, it may have taken something like this to truly own it. I know my faith grew this week. I hope it will reflect in how I think, act, and live.

More people need to know about this museum!

I arrived when they opened on a Saturday and I was the only in the building for the first hour. The center focuses on six virtues: love, faith, justice, liberty, hope, and unity. It went into how America had been defined by these virtues in the past and how they've played roles in shaping the future of this country. Very interactive with music, theaters, testimonies, artifacts, and personality profiles, which is a big deal for me.

I probably spent over an hour there and it was one of the best museums I've been to. Unfortunately, it costs ten bucks to get in and with so many free attractions in the area, I have concerns that it will get overlooked. The museum has existed two years and I hope it will exist for a while longer. 

Lunch was much needed and I headed to Old City at the eastern end of Market Street, not far from Franklin Fountain. I wanted a cheesesteak and I opted for a joint that isn't well known, called Oh Brother Philly. I got the cheesesteak on a seeded roll with mushrooms, onions, and provolone. It did take 15 minutes to come out, but that's fine with me since you know it's being made fresh. Awesome sandwich, I love the seeded bread, first of all. The steak was decently seasoned, I'd say my one complaint was the cheese was placed on top of the meat, when it should be in between the bread and the steak. 

Then it was time to head down to South Philly for the tailgate. I took the MFL to 15^th, transferred to the BSL, and traveled south to nrg.

Inside Xfinity Live, Mets fans were already gathering. We had a special, $4.50 for Bud, Woke Light, and Michelob Ultra. Truthfully, I'm fine with regular Bud, but I'd rather spend twice that much for a good quality beer with a little more flavor. 

And the Cloud Walker IPA from Victory Beer Hall hit the spot. It was one of the most balanced enjoyable IPAs I've tasted in a long time, it was certainly my favorite beer from the weekend. I would up getting a second one of those. 

I also tried a Stateside peach vodka and iced tea, a lot of folks were trying their drinks. It was decent, but 13 bucks for that can was way too much. I rather would have had an orange crush inside or maybe another beer. 

I finally tried crabfries from Chickie and Pete's, a true staple of Philadelphia. The bucket was pretty huge so I decided to pass a few out and make some friends. The Old Bay style seasoning adhered so well to the crispy crinkle cut spuds. And the rich white cheese sauce was the perfect dipping complement. I don't know about 12 bucks a bucket, but yes, they were delicious. 

Most of us assembled inside PBR, a country themed bar with a mechanical bull right in the middle. More than a few of us tried to ride it, some better than others. I was not one of them. But between 12 and 3, we went from maybe 50 Mets fans to maybe 1,000, and I know 1,500 tickets were sold. 

It wasn't until 3:30 that we headed into the stadium. Mets actually played a good game and won 4-2.

I did want to try a sandwich at Tony Luke's or Campo's in the outfield concourse, but the lines were way too long. And I thought about photographing the Phillies Hall of Fame, but after seeing such wretched names like Juan Samuel and Pat Burrell, mediocre players who killed the Mets in unique ways, I wanted to go vomit. 

I left in the 8th inning, I wanted to go back to the hotel and clean up. I didn't care about leaving before a win, I saw what I needed to see. So I caught the 47 bus from 9th and Market, literally as it pulled up to the stop. I took the bus down to Catharine St and walked two blocks to Ralph’s, the oldest Italian restaurant in America, founded in 1900.

I rarely eat Italian food out, about the only time is if I'm in New York or in a legit Italian neighborhood, such as the North End in Boston or Federal Hill in Providence. The Hill in St. Louis, pass.

They had one small dining room, they probably can't get more than 60 people in at a time. To start off, I got an order of roasted peppers and homemade mozzarella. I was leaning towards one of their salads, but I was told they'd be too much for just me. Clearly this waiter didn't know who he was dealing with. But nevertheless, they do make their own mozz in house, so it seemed like a good start. Several times I would lay a slice of mozzarella on their squishy Italian bread, spoon on some peppers, and just eat that. Maybe a little more olive oil or even some fresh basil would've helped, but it was really good. 

I knew I had to get the meatballs, it's one of the dishes they're famous for. I got two large ones smothered in their homemade red sauce with a dollop of ricotta. I've never been a ricotta eater, but I figured I could sneak a little bit in. These ground beef and pork meatballs were excellent, super tender and meaty. And I loved the depth of that sauce, I'm pretty sure some meat bones were simmered in that pot!

Admittedly I struggled with what to order next. I thought about clams casino or some broiled sausage with long hot peppers, but I was all peppered out. Finally, with some input, I chose the chicken capriccioso, which had two chicken breast filets topped with eggplant, prosciutto, white wine, tomato sauce, and mozzarella. Unbelievably good, the wine added a nice tanginess to the dish. Cheese was well melted, chicken was moist, eggplant wasn't rubbery. 

Dessert wasn't even a thought by this point, I was loaded. I think one more bite and I would have been in some pain.

With two glasses of Chianti, and the tip, it came to $75. Well worth it, I would definitely return, just hopefully not alone. 

Once again, I caught the bus right as it pulled up, that's twice in one night! And for the second straight night, I collapsed on the bed. 

Philly, Day 1

The trip started on a Friday. Early. I was up at 3:30 am, for whatever reason, I decided to do 15 minutes of lifting weights in the gym. The train left Williamsburg right on time, we got into Philly at 12 noon, so it took 6 hours to go from Williamsburg to Philadelphia. Still happy that parking is free in Williamsburg, I know that's not the case at most Amtrak stations.

Sadly, the people running these train stations haven't figured out yet that escalators might be a wise investment. So I had to lug my fully packed Samsonite up and down slippery staircases.

The first challenge came at the SEPTA station. The vending machine wouldn't accept my debit card, and after all the shit I've dealt with financially in the last 2 months, I was worried what might be happening with my account. So I had to pay cash. And as I found out later from others, they were having issues getting cards from vending machines as well.

So I collected my transit card, loaded it with a 3 day pass, and headed to the Market Street Line eastbound to Reading Terminal Market. Hey, if I'm in Philly, first thing I'm doing is eating. 

And the first spot was Tommy Dinic’s for a roast pork sandwich. Talk about a smooth running operation. Two people handled the orders and payments. One guy handles the sandwich assembly. They probably have another couple of guys preparing each component of the sandwiches. 

Soft roll with a little crustiness, thinly sliced juicy pork, chopped broccoli rabe, and shaved sharp provolone. Simple, but sensational. Frigging amazing and that provolone absolutely made it. Well worth the hype. 

As for Hershel’s east side deli, well, I guess I wanted some pastrami since I can't get any authentic in southeast Virginia anymore since Route 58 Deli closed. The sandwich with Swiss and brown mustard was ok, the pastrami was a little fatty, very tender. But I didn't care for the seeded rye bread, it tasted a day or two old. I would up eating the pastrami and Swiss with a fork instead. I wish I would have had another Dinic's sandwich. 

I couldn't yet check in at the Sleep Inn hotel in Chinatown on Cherry St. I will say this, it's in the middle of a lot of Chinese markets and restaurants, and the smell of Asian sauces and garbage dumpsters permeated the air my entire stay. 

The cost to check in early would have been $35. I gave the front desk both my bags and I had to change clothes in the hotel restroom. I knew rain was in the forecast for the afternoon, so I wanted to put on my jeans and grab my green Jets rain slicker. 

My first stop was the US Mint, one of the two or three in the country where coins are still made. I enjoyed seeing the actually factory with the coin presses, the 1600 degree furnace, etc. There were no photos allowed, so I couldn't record anything. But it was a fun free hour of my time. I did get stuck behind an elementary school field trip, that delayed security a little bit. 

Anyway, as the rain started to pick up, I walked about ten minutes north to Yards brewery. It was a kind of younger, yuppie sort of clientele. I did try the 8 bit flight, which was 4 IPAs. They were ok, but on a mild rainy day, I wasn't looking for a tropical hazy beer. In total, I think I sampled 7 beers. The favorite was probably the brawler, a mild English ale and for Happy Hour, I got a 20 ounce for five bucks. I did get a $6 order of wings with peach habanero sauce. They had a nice spicy punch to them, nothing really special though. Nice staff too, quite friendly.

Oh and on one of the TVs at the bar, they replayed Rangers vs Devils Game 4 from this past year's NHL playoffs. Like I really needed a reminder of that disastrous series...

By now the rain was really picking up. I took the MFL from Spring Garden westbound to City Hall and 15^th St for Happy Hour. And I went right to the Village Whiskey. Not a big place, but I was very impressed with their menu. And it wasn't easy to decide, there were really 5 or 6 restaurants I was considering going into. But they had a great Nashville hot chicken slider, and for 5 bucks, it was fantastic. The fried pickles made me wish i had someone with me to split them; they were crispy and served with a nice Buffalo aioli sauce, but there were just so many of them. The fried shrimp slider, i could have done without, there was just too much bread. 

But probably the highlight for me was the Daisy Cutter beer from Half Acre in Chicago. I had not had one of these beers in maybe 8 or 9 years. And for 5 bucks, it was great to enjoy one again. They did have over 100 whiskeys, ranging from 8 dollar Irish Bushmill's to a Kinsey priced at 74 dollars. I can't think of any drink worth paying 74 bucks for... and that's not factoring in tax and tip. And the bar staff was super engaging and conversational, maybe the coolest staff I encountered over the weekend. 

6 pm was approaching, so happy hour was over. I was a little torn on where to go next. I'd been awake 16 hours and my stomach was filled with food and beer, so I was drained in multiple ways. I did decide to take the train on the Broad Street Line down to nrg, where the Sports Complex is. And that was one freaky train ride, it was like Halsted St in Chicago or Christopher St in Manhattan. I did not need to see some things I saw, let's leave it there. I didn't really have interest in entering the stadium anyway, so i went into Xfinity Live. After about 20 or 30 minutes, it just occurred to me I did not want to stand on my feet for hours watching a probable Mets loss, which is of course what happened. So I left immediately and walked the five minutes back to the nrg station. 

Sadly, the BSL train did not have a working air conditioner, and I felt my shirt repelling off my torso from all the sweat. 

I didn't want any more savory food, alcohol, nor did i want to hit up a club. So I connected to the MSL line and took it east to 2nd Street. I wanted to get ice cream at Franklin Fountain, and it's a place I've known about for 7 or 8 years. I liked the old school menu, it seemed like a step back in time with phosphates, ice cream sodas, and Hydrox, the precursor to Oreos.

I ordered a medium bowl, so I could select two flavors instead of just one. I went with vanilla as well as caramelized banana, a flavor I'd never heard of before. I desired a waffle bowl, but I thought it would be smarter to spend on the toppings. My choices were salted almonds and peanut butter sauce. Oh and I scored free sprinkles. I loved that peanut butter, it tasted so roasted and real, it had that really deep earthy peanut flavor. 18 bucks was a lot, and I couldn't justify doing this often. But for ice cream dishes, this is one of the best I've ever had. 

Finally, after one more train ride west to 11th St, it was time to check in. They told me the fitness room is out of order, and I planned to run outside anyway so I wasn't too bothered by that. But I was concerned about getting water.  I did have two 16 ounce bottles in my bag, but I knew I was going to need more than that. 

And the only solution was to use the hot water machine on the second floor in the breakfast area. I would have to fill my 32 ounce blender bottle, and let it cool in the fridge overnight. Except on the machine, there wasn't enough room under the spout to fit the bottle. So I had to fill paper cups of hot water and then pour them into the bottle! Took maybe 5 minutes for each bottle fill. 

Around 8:45 pm, exhausted and full, I settled in bed. 

WWE Hampton results

Bianca Belair* vs Asuka vs Bayley

KOD

Ricochet vs Omos*

Chokeslam

Rhea Ripley* vs Zelina Vega

Tapout 

Rey Mysterio and Santos Escobar* vs Damian Priest and Dominic Mysterio

619 and splash

OC* vs Imperium

Magic killer

Austin Theory* vs Sheamus

Missed Brogue, roll up

Matt Riddle vs Solo Sikoa*

Solo spike

Cody Rhodes* vs Finn Balor

Cross rhodes 

Scammed and Violated

It's taken me 4 weeks to where I felt I could write this story. I've told it over and over again now to the point where I'm tired of repeating the same details. Have you ever noticed that sometimes when you tell the same story, you might feel the urge to switch up a little detail just to keep it sounding fresh so you're not repeating the same thing over and over? Maybe by writing this down it can become a cathartic experience and hopefully it will help me.

May 10, 2023. 

That date will be forever tattooed into my memory. I was at my desk at work, about an hour into my day, just an other Wednesday. At around 10:15, my phone started to buzz. I looked down to my left and it was a text message from a number I did not recognize.

It said it was from Bank of America, and that a fraudulent transaction had been attempted from my account and I was given their fraud line to call. In my pivotal mistake, I called the provided phone number. I heard the opening jingle "Welcome to Bank of America."

As soon as I heard the Calcutta accent, I should have known I was being bullshitted. Anyway, this guy said an illegal wire transaction had been attempted from my account by a man named Jeffrey Green in Mexico. He asked if I knew him, and I said no. He then said this was an ongoing criminal case and I would be forwarded to a US Marshall in Eastern Texas named John Garrison. 

I checked the Marshall website and the name did match. So I talked with asshole #2 and he explained I had to leave work immediately and withdraw all money from my accounts. My accounts were prone to fraud and they had to be protected and put into a secured wallet as he phrased it. I drove 10 minutes to Bank of America in 90 degree heat and he stayed on the phone. I withdrew all the money in my checking as well as all the money from my football club's account. In total it was $10,540.

And the secure wallet turned out to be a local crypto machine. I felt weird about it. I asked if I would be able to access my money within 24 hours as he promised. He said yes. He lied.

I'm guessing you're reading this and thinking I'm the biggest sucker in the world. Well, that's how I basically felt.

But understand this. These bastards know exactly how to manipulate, how to create fear, how to create doubt, and even give the impression that they want to help.

I had scan my driver's license to create my account, which was in my name. Long story short, I went to 2 different convenient stores and my money was deposited, aka stolen.

When they then asked me to withdraw my retirement and savings credit union accounts, that's when I realized I was getting fucked. Because who are these people to know the status of my other accounts?

I called the real BOA bank fraud line and they told me nothing strange had been attempted. I can't remember the last time I felt that empty, that violated, that robbed; I felt financially and mentally raped.

And then I knew it was time to get buys. That night, I spoke to a police officer, I froze my credit. The next day, I visited the local bank branch and told them what happened, and I launched an investigation. A week later, I changed my driver's license, I was worried information from that had been stolen. 

After waiting for the weekend, I got tired of waiting for the cop to call me back and I filed an online police report. 

Hell, I even called the real Marshall's office in Texas to let the know the man was being impersonated. Anything to take these scammers down, I will do it.

I also submitted a fraud claim to bitcoin depot. But they let me know all transactions are irreversible. So I'm not getting it back from them. The best they can do is return the fees to me and I've submitted the report for that. I can't imagine it would be much at all, but every little bit does matter.

There's no guarantee any of the money will be restored. The problem is the money is all in crypto and I made the transaction, so even though I was being clearly manipulated, scammed, and mind-raped, it may not matter to the bank. I know about FDIC protection, but I'm approaching this like a sports team or a date. I expect nothing and hope for the best.

What really sucks is the payments for my rent, Roth IRA, and mutual funds were all scheduled to pay on the 10th. They all paid one day late. Had they paid as they should have, it would have saved me $2,200.

I am thinking a lot about why this happened, why God allowed it to happen, what have I done wrong that warranted this complete robbery and violation. I don't have the answers to any of those questions yet. I may never know. What I do know is what happened to me is as traumatic as anything I've dealt with in many many years. 

But just because these lowlifes stole thousands of dollars from me, it does not mean that they win. I beat them in the way I live my life, and not allowing myself to fall into bitterness. So now it's about getting back what was stolen. I have a goal to save $5,000 between now and December. I moved over $5,500 from my mutual funds into my checking account.

So I have put up a support page, a Gofundme, so I can stay on top of my bills, which aren't going to stop and also so I can replenish my savings.

If you would like to donate, please visit the following link:

https://www.gofundme.com/manage/scammed-by-hackers-for-10000

Thank you for reading.