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.

DC/Alexandria

I left home around 7:45. I've done this drive enough times now to know that the southern stretch is always easier than the northern part. Usually Fredericksburg is where traffic slows to a crawl. This time, the drive up took 2 hours and 45 minutes and the traffic didn't start until I got to around Woodbridge. 

My first stop was the Old Towne Farmer's Market. After the financial shit unloaded on me this past Wednesday, I wasn't intending to buy much. But I do enjoy farmer's markets and in a great little neighborhood like Old Towne, it seemed like a worthwhile pursuit. 

For produce, I got one poblano pepper and two heirloom tomatoes. The strange part was that the heirloom tomatoes and this one stand were only 50 cents more than the regular tomatoes. At $3.99/pound, it seemed like a good deal. I think the poblano will go into my baked penne. I also snagged a cinnamon morning muffin, basically a cinnamon sugar donut in the shape of a muffin. Had to get one pastry!

Then it was onto Frank Pepes pizza, for a taste of New Haven in DC. I did my usual: white clams, bacon, and roasted peppers, which surprised the waitstaff, they had never seen the combination. But it's so good: the sweetness of the peppers, the crunch and saltiness of the bacon, and the silkiness of the clams. 

I stayed at the Holiday Inn on Eisenhower St. What was so cool, besides the free parking, was that the hotel was literally right next to the King St station on the Yellow line of the DC Metro rail. I arrived at 12 and I wasn't surprised that my room wasn't quite ready yet. So I let my phone charge while I did some blogging. Of course, there was no working outlet in the business center so I had to plug my phone in across the lobby and keep a keen eye on it from a distance.

So I left for downtown DC, and it was so much faster taking the Yellow line instead of the blue. After getting off at the Navy Yard stop, the Bullpen bar was right across the street. Now the weather forecast had promised rain around late afternoon and the Mets Nationals game was scheduled to start at 4 pm. So I was going to the game not expecting to see the whole thing get played. But it didn't matter because I knew I would get to see some friends and meet a couple of former Mets. Howard Johnson and Ed Lynch, who played for the Mets during the 1980's. Both incredible guys, super engaging. Ed Lynch even opened up packs of 1989 baseball cards, and he'd tell stories about random players on the cards. We learned about everyone from Gary Pettis to Dwight Evans to Tim Crews to Claudell Washington.

Unfortunately, the rain delay did happen in the top of the 3rd inning, but the rain had been falling steadily since the first inning. Joey Lucchesi had no ability to grip the ball and his pitches were flying all over the place. I was terrified of ex-Met Trevor Williams, I figured seven shutout innings was the likely scenario. Now the rain was expected to go until about 7 or 8 pm. But I knew if that happened, the game wouldn't end until 9 or 10 pm and I wouldn't be able to get dinner in Alexandria. 

So with the front of my jeans soaked by the rain, my phone losing battery, and not wanting to wait 3-4 hours, I got on the Green line for two stops before transferring to the Yellow. And I really wanted to check in, take a hot shower, and change clothes. Unfortunately, that took a little longer than anticipated. When the front desk clerk asked me to insert my card for incidentals, I did a double take. My eyebrow raised as I noticed someone else's card was still in the reader. So we had to cancel the transaction, except the computer was now frozen because of the inserted card. Then, the front desk moved me over to other other machine and fill out the paperwork. It took about ten minutes to get the job done. But but but, they did give me a free breakfast for the trouble and I'm willing to bet I was far from the only one who received one of those paper slips.

My room was located on the 6th floor, about halfway up the building, with a view of the train station and the highway, And the double queen bed room was kept clean. Very comfortable and organized, I had no issues. It felt so good to jump in the hot shower and let my soaked hoodie and jeans dry overnight. I was so glad I packed an extra pair of tapered Levi's for the evening!

For dinner, I walked to Ted's Montana Grill, right across the street. I've always been a Ted's fan, but I hadn't been to one in many years, since the nearest one to me is about three hours away. But any restaurant that starts your meal with a bowl of thick cut dill pickle slices makes me happy. The staff was a little disorganized, I had three servers over the course of my meal. But they were certainly nice. I started with a cup of bison chili, I needed something hearty in my stomach after all that rain. And I definitely added the full package of oyster crackers, since those jalapeno slices were really hot! The bison bacon cheeseburger with grilled onions was excellent, along with the side of 50/50 fries and onion rings. I don't know why horseradish sauce works so well with onion rings, but it really does. Oh and I might have finished off a second bowl of pickles.

I didn't have a drink with dinner, but I was in the mood for one cocktail, so I walked about 6 quiet blocks east to Tacos & Tequila, obviously a Mexican restaurant. I would've been open to having dinner there too, I like that they have taco cards with about 15 options or so, and you can just mark whichever ones you want. I ordered a smoky margarita which was made not only with tequila, but mezcal as well. Now I had heard of mezcal, but I admit, I didn't know much about it. Well, it definitely was the dominant flavor in this margarita. And it's more than 50% ABV, so it's quite a bit stronger than tequila. I drank it, but I'm really not sure I would ever order a mezcal drink again, it went right to the sides of my throat with a touch of burn. The neighborhood was a little strange, just a quiet part of Alexandria, mostly made of office buildings but it feels like the area has a lot of potential for more commerce.

On Sunday, I woke up without an alarm around 7:45 am. I thought about going to the gym, but I didn't feel a physical workout was what I really needed. I decided to do some reading, specifically Tim Tebow's Shaken. After about 45 minutes of trying to build my mental life, I headed six floors downstairs to redeem my free breakfast. I had bought along my water bottle to fill it up...only to find out the hotel did not have a water fountain. Not even in the gym. That is a major knock. But the front desk did give me a free 16 ounce Dasani bottle, which I guess was the least they could have done.

OK, anyway back to breakfast. The dining area was quite crowded. There was even a group of 10 or 12 people from China right next to me. I swear I saw one guy with a hat that said "Make China Great Again." I'm not even sure if that was a serious hat or sarcasm. And I ordered a three egg omelet, and I'll say this, with the size of that omelet, these eggs must have come from an ostrich. I got it with bacon, cheddar cheese, spinach, mushrooms, and tomatoes, and it was great. I also really liked the potatoes o'Brien and a few dashes of Tabasco sauce made them even better. I could have done without the generic wheat toast, however.

And then the waitstaff tried to say the paper only was good for $15. I said ok, sure, and no problem, in about as dismissively as I possibly could. I wasn't going to pay a single cent. After all I've gone through in the last four days, there was no way in hell I was paying a dime. I discreetly placed the paper under the plate, walked to the elevator, and headed back to my room to clean up and pack. 

With some time to kill, I drove to the Del Ray neighborhood of Alexandria, which I think used to be the now defunct city of Potomac. It's a very plush area, with a little bit of commerce. I admit I wanted to stop in the coffee shop and get a chai. But right now I have to be careful with my spending. I have a savings goal in mind between now and December and every decision affects that.

I parked underground and walked over to Old Towne Community Church. I wanted to be in church on this day. It was a small congregation, maybe 50-60 people, but they were super friendly and receptive. And the pastor noticed my Mets shirt, and we talked baseball for a few minutes before the start of the service. Really a good experience.

If the choice were mine, I would have walked around Old Towne a little longer and had lunch before making my way home. There were several ideas I had, including Mia's Italian Kitchen, which serves an 18 ounce meatball. But I'll have to hold off on that. Instead, I stopped at Potbelly on the way home for a big Mediterranean sandwich. I got home at 4 pm, immediately ran the laundry, and headed out to play to straight volleyball matches. Always on the move.

Detroit

I woke up around 4:00 am to catch my first of four flights on that Thursday, from Norfolk to Washington DC. Of course I got there about an hour early, because the Norfolk security line is incredibly unpredictable. Pretty smooth flight, no drama with the boarding pass, it was emailed to me about 2 hours before the flight. 

In DC, I felt like breakfast, so I hit up a sit down tavern and had a great egg white and turkey sausage sandwich on an English muffin. I especially enjoyed the flavor of the turkey sausage, I wondered if I could somehow replicate it. I just drank iced tea, I've never been a big fan of bloody marys, coffee liquers, and other breakfast cocktails.

I boarded the flight to Detroit and was given seat 11A. Turns out I was upgraded to 1A in first class. And of course I had probably the gayest flight attendant crew I've ever seen. I won't get into details, but let's just the way they talked, and the type of humor couldn't be ignored. I'm not getting into a whole thing here, but these guys were at work and they should have been a little more considerate. I did order a screwdriver and it was pretty good while listening to a Dateline podcast. Something about true crime.

We landed 20 minutes sooner than expected. I was excited, I was thinking maybe I could snag an earlier bus to downtown. So our gate was on the far end of the terminal and I had to walk to the middle to exit, which took a good five minutes. I then had to go up three floors via escalator, walk over a jet bridge, then take an elevator three same three floors down to get to ground transportation. And as I walked over the bridge, I could see the 261 bus and it was ready to pull out. I got downstairs just in time to be too late. So i had to wait an extra 30 minutes to leave. But hey, I was the only passenger on the 11 am bus. I wish he could have just asked me where I needed to go and just taken me there. 

I got the next bus 30 minutes later and it took an hour to get to Woodward and Clifford, about two blocks away from Comerica Park. but I still arrived around 12, giving me about an hour before the game. The stadium does not appear high but the playing surface is a good amount of height below street level, I guess the thinking was to not overwhelm the skyline with a baseball stadium. 

I always appreciate a ballpark with statues to pay respect to the past and Detroit had 6 for players like Ty Cobb, Willie Horton, Hank Greenberg, and Al Kaline. When I entered the park in the right field corner, there was also a statue dedicated to the late Ernie Harwell, the long time broadcaster. 

For food, I went with a couple of steak tacos and an Atwater City Juice beer. Both excellent.

My seat was the front row of the upper deck behind home plate, which is usually my favorite. Justin Verlander was making his pitching debut for the Mets, and as he's a former Tiger, the crowd was pretty into it. And speaking of the crowd, it must have been field trip day. If it wasn't for those kids, the stadium would have sounded like a cemetery.

Verlander gave up back to back homers in the first inning and that's all the Tigers would need. The Mets had no offense again, they let Eduardo Rodriguez look like Sandy Koufax in his prime, getting shut out over eight innings. And I love Brandon Nimmo, but when you get caught stealing in the ninth innings, down two runs, with one out...that's a purely stupid baseball decision.

I got the bus back to the airport, which was another hour. Not wanting to hang around downtown made that decision easy. I had three hours to kill so I went over to theairport's Atwater Brewery, plugged in, and had an amazing burger and a couple more brews. I even chatted with a guy named Chris, who was a really good dude. 

The gate for Charlotte was slammed. I figured they would email me my boarding pass, which is the standard operating procedure at most airports now. But I didn't get one, and after nearly all the passengers had boarded, I went to the desk. Much to my horror, they told me they had called my name several times but I had not responded. I never heard them! So they had given my seat away, but one woman for whatever reason, had to get off, I think due to a connection issue. So I got her seat! I was so lucky! Suffice to say on the connecting flight, my eyes were zoned in on the standby board. I eventually got home about 12:30 am. 

So let's recap the numbers. My travel day lasted 21 hours, the game lasted a shade over two hours. I took 4 plane rides...and my team got only 3 base hits. Such is the plight of the 2023 New York Mets.

I Backed Out

I haven't written here in so long. It seems all I write about faithfully is my travel. The sports writing has taken a backseat to my Youtube channel, which just got to 500 subscribers, I'm so proud of hitting that milestone. 

By the way, if you are interested, here is the link. Please like and subscribe...

https://youtube.com/@wa2k99

But I will get personal for a moment.  I was supposed to run the Shamrock 8k this morning in Virginia Beach. I had trained for six weeks. Waking up early, downing pre energy, pushing myself through difficulty, long distances, numerous miles. 

But all through the process, it never felt quite right. I mean that more mentally that physically. While training, I didn't feel I had my old burst from years before, especially before COVID screwed everything up. Maybe it's age, maybe it's time off, maybe it's the shoes, it could be all of them?

I don't know if I'm going to run another competitive race; not that anyone would notice outside of the few friends and family I have who know that I do this. I'll still work out, but I think about the 90 minutes it took to drive on Friday night to get my race packet, then the hour drive home. Then waking up at 5:45 to a steady rain and 45 degrees. But still I gulped down 2 Dave's English muffins topped with almond butter along with a banana and made the 45 minute drive to the oceanfront. 

The free parking had been relegated from a large open public lot to a little grammar school. I couldn't get a free spot, and somehow that fueled my disgust with the whole process. It wasn't the only reason I did what I did, it just pushed me over the cliff. So...I left. I never ran my race. 

Instead, I went and did a bunch of deliveries. After, I came home and did 4 miles on the treadmill. I know, it sounds ridiculous. I guess I did it out of spite to feel like I had some something. I tried to go fast, around 8 mph, but it was hard to get to 5 miles. Maybe I didn't even want to get to 5. Because that's what I was scheduled to run this morning. I did do 4 miles in 30 minutes, if that means anything. 

But other things just get to me now. There was a girl in Raleigh I tried to get to know from Facebook, she's an admin in a singles group I participate in. Native Hawaiian too. But when i asked for a phone call, she said she wasn't emotionally available and cut me off.

And there's the mysterious bitch at work who thinks I went to fast at work for her. She reported me and now I'm in trouble with my boss. I have absolutely no idea who it is or what I did wrong. Funny thing is I can do so many great things, no one will talk about them. But one person... one person. That is all it takes to jeopardize a life. 

So you know what? Fuck that bitch for trying to ruin my life. My business is personal and if someone tries to mess with my living, they are messing with my identity, my ability to live. Does that sound like too strong a statement? Think for a moment about my state. I'm a single guy,  41 years old, living in a middle to lower class area where I am a minority. 

It's even affecting church. Where I live, it's damn near impossible to find a church with people I can relate to. Mom has a good one now in Durham and I'm happy for her, really happy. On the peninsula of Virginia, you get the ghetto people, you get the rednecks, you get the military families. I would probably have to drive 45 minutes east or northeast to find relatable people. But... deep down, it's being around people who already know each other. They have their relationships established. And me, well I'd just be some pitiful charity case. I'm single so something must be wrong with me. I don't want pity. I just want to be useful and appreciated. 

So for the last few months, I've been watching online messages every Sunday just to recreate that church feeling. I was blessed to experience some of the greatest churches possible when I lived in Chicago. It's hard to have that again. And yeah, I shouldn't compare. But I can't forget those great days when I was in my 20s. Damn it, let me have old Willow Creek back if it means Bill can keep doing improper things,  even if they were never proven. 

I know now I don't want to be around people as much as I used to. I was always the person who was reliable to show up on time to every event. That's not the case anymore. As old singles groups dissolve due to marriages and bureaucracy, friends disappear. And as we get older, people have families and that understandably becomes their world. But where I am, it seems social media is most of my social life, aside from the Virginia Jets Fans group. And social media really can set me off because it truly exposes how stupid some people are. And God didn't give the ability to ignore stupidity.

I now am realizing I'll never get married or have kids, so there isn't anything more important than my ability to work and have a little enjoyment once in a blue moon. 

I may have become more self centered than I was. I can tell because of how much I work and forego a lot of social opportunities. And that was never my aspiration. But hey, people don't seem to be as social as they used be either. And I think long term. Once my parents are gone, there will be no one in my life. No siblings, no kids, no one. 

By the way, of course Edwin Diaz hurt his knee celebrating a stupid, meaningless World Baseball Classic win. Only the Mets, would that happen to. 3 or 4 bullpen guys already hurt, a starting pitcher will be out 4 months, Brandon Nimmo hurt his ankle sliding, he's out at least a month. This Mets season is already cursed. 85 wins. Maybe. Steve Cohen can inject money. Can't inject health.

As I write this, I'm sitting on my back porch for the first time in the 4 plus years I've been living in this apartment. The ledge actually comes up to my eye level, so I can't see much except blue sky,  barely leafed trees, and the triangular tops of other buildings. But somehow it feels like an escape from everything. From the hateful people, from the fighting, from the oppression, from the judgement, from the societal need to be perfect. 

Oak Ridge Boys setlist

Everyday

You're the One

Leaving Louisiana In the Broad Daylight

Dream On

Y'all Come Back Saloon

Calling Baton Rouge

Did I Make a Difference?

Sail Away

Fancy Free

Thank God For Kids

Elvira 

Bobbie Sue 

Jets-The Co-Pilots: Burgess Owens

Ask any Jets fan who the greatest players are in franchise history, and you'll get a lot of similar answers: Joe Namath, Don Maynard, Mark Gastineau, Joe Klecko, Curtis Martin, Wayne Chrebet, Darrelle Revis. There might even be a little love for the likes of Matt Snell, Marty Lyons, and Mo Lewis. Well that got me to thinking, is that all there is to our history? Do we only have about a dozen players who are worthy of celebrating? Conversely, are there Jets who played well for the team for a long period of time through the leaner years, but don't get the recognition they deserve, likely because they played on a lot of lousy teams? 

Well, I would argue we have many players who fit said description. And so in this series, titled the Co-Pilots, I will profile the careers of various New York Jets players who made notable positive contributions to this franchise but have flown under the radar in retrospect. And for my first profile, I have selected safety Burgess Owens.

Owens played college football at the University of Miami in the early 1970's, where he majored in Biology and Chemistry. He was the third of four black athletes recruited to play at the U and the third black student to earn a scholarship. He was named a First-Team All-American defensive back, Most Valuable Defensive Player of the North–South All Star Game, and MVP of the Coaches All-American Game. 

The Jets selected Owens with the 13th pick in the first round of the 1973 draft. He wasted no time in making impact plays. During his rookie season, he recorded his first career interception against Terry Bradshaw and the Steelers. In his next game in Denver, he returned a kickoff 82 yards for a touchdown. This turned out to be the Jets' only touchdown scored on a kickoff return during the 1970s. He earned the respect of his teammates to where he was named defensive team captain for three straight years. He led the Jets in interceptions five of his seven 7 years, amassing 21 total, and returning two for touchdowns. Only eight Jets have recorded more interceptions than Owens. We don't know his tackle stats as tackles did not become an official NFL stat until 2001.

Unfortunately, he never got to experience prosperity as a Jet, as Gang Green finished .500 or below during each of his 7 years with the Jets. Before the 1980 season, he was traded to the Oakland Raiders for a mere sixth round pick. The thinking at the time was Owens was the team's representative for the NFL player's union and the Jets had a tendency to appoint players to this position and quickly move on from them. It may have been management not trusting the players or vice versa or both, but the results were swift. Between 1980 and 1985, Owens, Clark Gaines, Kenny Schroy, Greg Buttle, and Marvin Powell were all gone within two years of taking the player rep position. 

 

In a 2019 interview on Thursday Night Tailgate, Owens reflected on how his time with the Jets prepared him for this run with the Raiders. 

"All the losing was well worth it to get there. I came out of high school losing in my last season, went to four years of University of Miami losing, seven years with the Jets losing. Twelve solid years of losing to get to that 13th."

That 13th season was his first with the Raiders and he played a big role in helping them win the 1980 Super Bowl, recording a game-high seven tackles. But even before the big game, he picked off Dan Fouts in the AFC Championship game in San Diego. 

In 1982, he led the Raiders in interceptions, recording four in just eight games during a strike-shortened season. He was selected as 1st Alternate to the NFL All Pro-Bowl. After 3 years with the Raiders, he retired following the 1982 season.

Owens ended his 10 year NFL career having played 137 games, recording 30 interceptions, 13 fumble recoveries, and four pick-6 touchdowns. He missed only 3 games due to injury. 

Today Owens is a Congressional representative in Utah, having won his election in November 2020.

Nashville, Day 4

It wasn't easy to wake up for check in at 5am for my expectant flight to DC the next morning. But it looked like my best option to get home. I think I dozed off for another 90 minutes. Our windows were closed, but mom sleepily opened her phone and said in stunned disbelief that it was snowing outside. I thought it was a joke until I raised the shade and sure enough, flakes were falling from the gray Music City skies. 

Well we knew what that meant. The trolley was being canceled yet again! So there is still so much of Nashville I haven't seen from the Parthenon to the State Capitol to Midtown to the Gulch. Maybe next trip. 

I hit up the gym and ran 2 miles, which was kind of fun as I watched the snow falling on the other side of window. Honestly, it's getting tough to run. Maybe it's the shoes, maybe it's that the gym was hot as hell. But after 17 minutes, I had enough. After a few minutes of lifting, it was off to one last quality breakfast. Still can't believe how good that yogurt was with the berries and granola mixed in. 

The focus was finally getting to the Country Music Hall of Fame, my first time there in decades and I knew it had been fully renovated. Well I think this a museum where you really need the audio option to really appreciate the music. One thing I didn't understand is that there was a lot of space dedicated to temporary exhibits for people who aren't inducted yet. Martina McBride, Chris Stapleton, even Florida Georgia Line... for reasons nobody knows.

The current main temp exhibit is the Lis Angeles and West Coast influence on country music. The Byrds, Gram Parsons, Emmylou Harris, Linda Ronstadt, Flying Burrito Brothers, Poco, the Eagles, Dwight Yoakam, Dave Alvin, Desert Rose Band, Los Lobos, etc. That's simply some of the greatest music ever made. Maybe not the most popular or famous, but definitely among the most influential. 

They also had a large section dedicated to new artists, which I guess I didn't really mind since it gave a glimpse of where country music might be heading. Sadly there was some woke shit with Brothers Osborne. The sign said love is a terrible thing to hate? It's really sad how people use love as an excuse to sin. 

But probably the highlight for me was the recording studio. I sang Wagon Wheel and got to keep my recording. That said, I did have a few issues. First, how can there only be 4 songs? Second, how is one of those 4 songs by Queen?

There was even a place to make an electronic version of a Hall of Fame plaque. And that sounded awesome. But... after the machine took my picture, I could only select from eight pre-determined names for the plaque. How in the world can they not figure out how to customize our name on the plaque. What a letdown.

The rotunda with all the plaques was probably the other highlight. Hopefully the likes of Steve Wariner, Eddie Rabbitt, Earl Thomas Conley, Clint Black, and Restless Heart will get their day to be inducted.

We had a little time before our 5:48 flight and through a google search, we discovered a place called The Goat in Sobro. Whereas the other restaurants had been north of the hotel, towards Broadway, this one was south. 

It reminded me of a renovated warehouse with the high ceilings and open steel interiors. But it was still warmly decorated with vibrant colors and contemporary furniture. We started a baby kale salad; mom just wasn't going to not order that. I guess we hadn't eaten too healthy on the trip and she was making up for it. But I'm sorry, when then temperature is down to 20 degrees, I'm not in the mood for freaking baby kale. Ok I confess, it was a nice salad, the sugared pecans added some much needed texture.

For the main course, we split the sweet tea brined chicken, buttermilk biscuit, hot honey, and greens with a side of mac and cheese. We really didn't know what we would get, but it was basically divided on plates: 2 chicken tenders served over a biscuit with ahot honey/Asian glaze with some southern greens in between. Very well made, quite creative. Can't say I was full afterwards, but it was pretty satisfying. 

We took an Uber to the airport, and even though we were four hours early for the flight, it seemed to be necessary. The check in line was crazy. It was almost impossible to figure out ticket lines were for American, Alaska, Southwest and Allegiant. That airport is way too small for the amount of people that fly in and out. There was no doubt there would be issues with so many cancelled flights with the extreme cold. But what bothered us was the gate agents were not giving any information. We were at our gate C15 by 4:30 for the 5:48 flight. 5:30 came, no info. The Philly flight left instead. That one took priority over ours and thats fine, but they could have at least told us there would be a delay. Instead, we boarded an hour late and sat on the damn runway for another hour before departing. 

Now why was I even flying to Raleigh when I live in Norfolk? Because I couldn't get an open flight to Norfolk on Monday or Tuesday, everything was either booked or oversold both days. So we took the nonstop to Raleigh, and we were very thankful to get on. Think of the alternatives, it would've sucked to spend 300 bucks plus on a rental car or get a hotel room for overnight. Although they made us sit on the plane for an hour before we left. Couldn't they at least have served us drinks? I mean, I was in first class!

And then there was Emily in Row 3. Now for context, I'm in Row 4 and Mom is in Row 1. But Emily took all the attention. She kept yelling at the flight attendant about when we take off and how it wasn't fair because she was going to be late for work. Because clearly, the world revolved around her. The guy next to me, Emmanuel, he and I couldn't stop laughing. We didn't want to make fun of her, but after all the travel BS we had been through that day, we appreciated the entertainment Psycho Emily was putting on. And we know her name was Emily because she was on the phone with her grandma panicking over HER problems. And she was still on the fucking phone even as the plane was taking off. And the flight attendant wasn't doing a thing to stop it. I wanted to scream at her, "Bitch, turn the damn phone off!" 

But he and I had a good chat about everything from liquor to air travel to football to music. It was really freaking cool. And I got him into the greatness of whiskey gingers on airplanes.

Anyway, we landed, mom took an Uber to her place and I attempted to sleep in vain on the couch. The next morning, she drove me 3.5 hours to Norfolk and then drive the 3,5 hours back to Cary. If I haven't said it in the 15 years of writing this blog plainly enough, I will say it now. She is a good mother.

Nashville, Day 3

Breakfast time at the hotel on Christmas Day and the temperature was still below freezing but at least it was double digits. Most of the guests were dressed in their crazy pajamas, it's just never been something I've embraced.

We walked the Pedestrian Bridge from Symphony Drive in downtown in the east direction to Nissan Stadium. It wasn't a very pretty walking bridge like they have in Pittsburgh. There were a few weathered Titans flags hanging from the top and I thought it was pretty symbolic of their current standing after 4 straight losses. Torn, beat up, struggling to hang on. Ok, not much different than the Jets.

We headed back to the room and I watched the first half of the Packers vs Dolphins game in the hotel. It just wasn't a day be outside. I even jumped on YouTube with Jeremy for a few minutes. Now as far as Christmas dinner goes, about the only options are the super bougie places and the Waffle House and Cracker Barrels of the world. So we headed over to the Hard Rock Cafe on east Broadway where we watched the rest of the game from the bar. With the Jets really needing the Dolphins to lose, it was cool seeing a couple of Packers fans sitting next to us. We didn't eat, and I just had a subpar local beer from Yee Haw. The couple next to us mentioned how good Jason Aldean's bar is, and it opened at 4. So we hung out at HRC for another 90 minutes and then walked a block west. We found two seats at one of the 3 or 4 bars inside the establishment, and of course the barback is a John Deere tractor. Points for creativity. I ordered a mule made with apple whiskey just for something different; I really didn't want another beer at this point. 

For food, they only had 7 or 8 items available for Christmas. The redneck nachos were one heck of an app with potato chips queso PLUS cheddar, pork belly PLUS bacon, and bbq sauce. I'm impressed mom was able to eat as many of them as she did. They had live music with a really cute girl from Minnesota and it can't be ideal to perform on the holidays. But I guess that is part of the deal for trying to make it in the music business. I also liked the industrial feel of the establishment, it felt very welcoming and contemporary. Great bar to visit on Broadway.

I was feeling a little restless, just wanting some down time where I didn't need to make sure I was on my game to make sure mom and I were cool. But she stayed with me and we went another block west to Dierks Bentley Whiskey Row. It was a good deal darker and this wasn't an acoustic set, this was a loud 5 piece band. I was a little alarmed about 20 bucks per request as a suggested tip. So yeah, I kept my money to myself. But maybe I should have paid them 20 to not play any Underwood. 

For drinks, I had two spicy margheritas with Don Julio, and they impressed me. The rim looked like it had some cayenne pepper on it. For food, we just got sliders: I went with the cheeseburger and hot chicken. Nothing short of excellent, and usually sliders are pretty ordinary. But the chicken was crispy, the beef was thick and juicy, the rolls were fresh. Very impressed by these bar bites.

OK, let's fast forward. The next morning, I set a freaking alarm for 5 am so I could check in for my expectant flight to DC the next morning. It looked like my best option to get home. Our hotel windows were closed, but mom sleepily opened her phone and said it was snowing outside. I thought it was a joke until I raised the shade and flakes were falling from the gray Music City skies. Well we knew what that meant. The trolley was being canceled yet again! So there is still so much of Nashville I haven't seen from the Parthenon to the Opry to the State Capitol to Midtown to the Gulch. I may have to plan another trip for the rest of the city.

Nashville, Day 2

We woke up to the disappointing news that the trolley tours were still canceled. But at least the temperature is up into the twenties which is pretty much what I would call tanning whether right about now. I did 30 minutes in the gym and then got breakfast in the downstairs lobby. The breakfast spread is pretty impressive with seasoned scrambled eggs, sausage links, waffles, breakfast potatoes, vanilla yogurt, berry compote, varieties of fruit, breads cereals, and pastries. I guess if anything the orange juice could have been better but then again, I'm used to being disappointed by orange juice, kind of like I am women.

But anyway, that aside, we went to the African American music museum, and for $25, I was really impressed. It had separate halls for jazz, blues, R and B, gospel, and hip hop. And it was so interactive, there were multiple places to create your own hip hop groove, sing with a local choir, participate in a battle rap, produce a track. But one of the best things was going by different eras and being able to take songs and add them to an online playlist which was saved on a provided wristband. And then all those songs are getting emailed to me. So it's an amazing way to find new music and learn how one artist influenced another artist. We spent 2 hours there and I could have easily spent a 3rd discovering more music.

Getting hungry after 2 hours in the museum, we headed literally to the upstairs of the same building to Assembly food hall. I've always been a fan of food halls, at least the ones that are of good quality. And this is one of the best I've ever been to. We went to Prince's, which is the original Nashville hot fried chicken. 4 medium tenders and they were perfect for me but a little too hot for mom. Thank goodness for the white bread, pickles, blue cheese, and honey mustard. We even had a little bit of sushi afterwards, not my usual thing, but after all the barbecue and fried chicken I've had, I needed a come down. And they have a free refill coke station in the hall, although after my second cherry Coke, I was ready for a gallon of water. I still don't know why they didn't have any iced tea or lemonade at those stations. Excellent variety of food, clean floors, places to plug in your phone, a good amount of space to walk around, multiple TVs. What a cool addition to downtown Nashville.

One of my favorite things about downtown Nashville is how close so many things are together. The museum was downstairs from the food hall, which is right across the street from the Ryman Auditorium which is right behind the beginning of Honky Tonk highway, which is loaded with all kinds of great live music venues.

There's also a lot of premium shopping at the site too. I went into an Ariat store and I actually bought a pair of boots. They're the most I've ever spent on shoes. But they're low cut with the look of a dark brown cowboy boot; I guess they're really weathered work boots. Mom called them haggard so I'm calling them my Merles. Oh and the store offered free phone charging, very cool!

We made one stop in Nudies to hear some music and have a drink. I tried the Bearded Iris homestyle IPA, a fantastic balanced IPA that I hope will be available near where I live.

I knew we were going to Church of the City for Christmas Even service since one of our old pastors at Willow Creek is with this church now, although at a different location. Pastor Smallbone had an excellent message about the relevancy of Christmas and why it's worth celebrating.

Then came dinner at Merchant's, a Nashville staple on Broadway. I liked the old school feeling with the black and white wall tiles and the waiters and bartenders dressed in bowties. We split a Caesar salad to start, which was fine, that Parmesan was very well aged and freshly shaved. But the jambalaya that mom had was too tomatoey and came to our table lukewarm. We actually sent it back and got the shrimp and grits instead, which were much better. The server was very apologetic, not that it was his fault or anything.

I made out a little better with my entree; I had the sweet tea brined pork chop with mashed Yukon gold potatoes. Well seasoned and nicely cooked. I wonder how good it would have been if had been served with sweet potatoes instead. And I still think there should have been a vegetable served like green beans or asparagus. And sadly no bread was served.

Back to the room, it had been a long day and it was cooold.

Nashville, Day 1

I woke up at 3:15 in the morning and stumbled my way out of the apartment around 4:15. I had just finished my 30 minute drive and parked my car in the Norfolk airport garage and had started to step away from my car. And I realized I was only dragging my suitcase, I didn't have my backpack. I went back to my car with this sinking feeling, and sure enough, I realized I had left my backpack on the sofa at home.

So that meant I was traveling for 4 days with no books, no printed itinerary, no pen and paper, no tablet, but worst of all, no phone chargers...and my Samsung Galaxy 9 is not exactly known for its battery life at this point in its existence. Thankfully, mom had not left Raleigh yet and was able to bring an extra charger. I made my flight to DC with no real drama, I didn't even have somebody in front of me in the security line. It was the 1st time I have ever connected through DC Reagan and I really like the great hall which opens into each of the 5 individual concourses. The American flag is large, and there were several enormous Christmas trees displayed. I had about a 2 hour layover so I decided to get away from the terminal and go over to the chapel, which I don't believe I've ever done before in an airport. I found a small daily devotional book and I began reading it. All of a sudden a brown skinned guy in basketball clothes, maybe early to mid twenties, comes in. He immediately takes off his shoes and I know exactly what he's going to do. He gets a blanket from the corner, unfolds it, and lays it down and does the whole Muslim kneeling prayer ritual. I would guess he was out of there in about 3 minutes. And I thought to myself I admire his dedication and discipline but does he do this because he wants to, or because he is supposed to? It has nothing to do with judging another faith, but I am curious how different faiths affect people's mindsets.

I did give in and buy a pair of wired headphones just to have a little bit of sanity. But I have to admit I felt a little bit hollow, a little bit naked with no backpack on because it's an absolute staple when I travel.

So I headed over to my gate and I was 5th on the standby list out of 5 people which immediately gave me a bad feeling because I knew they were only about 4 or 5 open seats. As they were boarding the flight, I immediately dropped to 7 of 7, and now I really had a negative vibe about making this flight. But I guess these other folks either didn't get through security, their connections didn't work out, or they upgraded. Because the only 2 standbys that I know of that got on were number 5 and me. Last seat in first class, and I can testify that the morning screwdriver went down well. 

As the plane descended through the dark gray clouds and began to see the greater Nashville area, it was pretty surprising to see it covered in a shallow blanket of white. It was 0ﾟ and very windy outside and there was so much bad weather going on that it took us 30 minutes to get from the runway to the gate. But mom's plane from Raleigh took over an hour to get from the runway to the gate so I guess we got a better deal. 

And the Nashville terminal is rather small but quite nice with multiple restaurants bars and live music options. There may not be a whole lot of places to sit, it definitely needs to be expanded but it's a good place if you're waiting on a delayed flight.

It took about a 1/2 hour for the luggage to come through, clearly this crew is not used to dealing with freezing weather. But there were no real issues aside from time, and then we got an Uber to drop our luggage off at the Hyatt house which is on the Southern part of downtown Nashville. And then we had the driver take us to lunch at Puckett's and we tipped the driver 15 bucks for it.

Puckett's is a pretty well known barbecue and Southern style restaurant located on Church St downtown. We ordered the whole farm which was a mixture of brisket, pulled pork, baby back ribs, a smoked half chicken, baked beans, skillet macaroni and cheese, and Cajun corn cake. That's not too bad for $35.

And then the Presley parfait with vanilla wafers, banana pudding, peanut butter mousse, and whipped cream. And it's served inside a Mason jar. Oh my goodness, was that ever indulgent. Definitely the best dessert I had on my trip.

Service was a little bit slow on a cold Friday afternoon when the restaurant was maybe 20 percent full, I didn't mind the food taking some time since it is BBQ. But the servers were a little slow on drink refills, and it took time just to get an extra glass of ice.

We then started walking down Broadway which is the Main Street in Nashville. I even went into a couple of boot shops to see if there was anything worth buying, but it's a little hard for me to imagine spending more than a $100 on a pair of shoes if they're not running shoes. I didn't wind up making a purchase, at least not yet.

Yet with the weather being so inclement, a lot of tourist attractions had already shut down for the day, which wasn't a good omen because we knew a lot of places would also be closed Christmas Eve as well as on Christmas Day. But the Johnny Cash museum was operating so we went there. I still remember the shivering cold walking through downtown Nashville on Christmas weekend, it was actually reminiscent of downtown Chicago. But it was a great museum, just because it was Cash and I give them credit for being open on a day when a lot of businesses shut down for the day. 

There were so many awesome artifacts such as guitars, family furniture, army discharge papers, Bibles, and plenty of Cash recordings to listen to. They even had a producer's exhibit where you can adjust the volume on different songs, messing with the vocals and the instruments to create the sound you want. Of course my headphones weren't working, which was pretty disappointing because I am a big fan of interactive museums. And I know nothing about producing music, but this is my opportunity to give it a try!

We headed out the door and back into the freezing cold; the wind was whipping in our faces and our cheeks were getting bright red. It was hard to walk more than five minutes without stepping inside for a reprieve. With the ice all over on the ground, it was not easy to make quick foot traction. I really tried to walk slow for mom, but I was dying to start running to escape the frigid atmosphere! But we got back to the hotel, huffing and puffing, and settled in. 

We made the choice to go to a Nashville Predators game since prices had been plummeting and I'm willing to bet the weather had something to do with it. Oh and the Bridgestone arena is only 3 or 4 blocks away from the hotel. The arena was really nice, very well laid out, very inviting. The one thing I didn't really like was they needed more escalators, I think they only have 2 in the whole building. I would also say the hot dog bun could have been a little fresher. But oh well. I did get my commemorative puck which I do for every single hockey game I go to. And the game was very tight and competitive, with the Colorado Avalanche winning in overtime 3 - 2.

As for the hotel room, it is nice but incredibly small, so much so that the way the lamp and night stands were set up in between mom's bed and my sofa bed, as I opened up the couch, I had to move the lamp out of the way and the nightstand all the way over next to her bed so there would be enough room for the sofa bed to fully open. We are incredibly tight on space, it almost feels like being in a hotel room in Europe or something. But at least we slept well.

New Jersey (from September)

I woke up at 4:15 AM to catch a 6 AM train from Williamsburg. Now I can't remember the last time I took this long of a trip on Amtrak so I figured I would get there about 45 minutes early to be on the safe side. I woke up at 4:15 AM to catch a 6 AM train from Williamsburg. Now I can't remember the last time I took this long of a trip on Amtrak so I figured I would get there about 45 minutes early to be on the safe side. I probably could have arrived 5 minutes before the train arrived and still would not have been a problem.

The total train ride took 7 hours. The sky changed from black to powder blue with not a cloud in sight. And it's amazing moving from the mid-Atlantic to the northeast. The smokestacks of Virginia to the small towns outside DC to the inlets of Delaware to Philly itself to industrial south Jersey. Not everything may have looked pretty, but I still admire how this country has so many distinct parts to it. 

Without a doubt, the last hour took the longest. But the ride was worth it to shock Jeremy. He never ever knew we were coming. Lots of hugs. Ten weeks of waiting was well worth it. 

 And the 1st place these 2 bozos took me to was a dispensary in Woodbridge. I know nothing about this stuff, I've never smoked a thing in my life.  Well aside from pork butt. And no I did not try anything. 

 We worked our way into downtown New Brunswick where there was a pep rally going on for a records football game on Saturday. Trying to find out a street parking space was next to impossible. But we settled in the deck and then walked down two blocks to the Tavern on George.

I really liked the Kane high head IPA. Very citrusy with a faint taste of hops. Eventually my father and his girlfriend showed up with their dog a shih tzu named Rummy. Very low maintenance and cool dog. Also Mark, Dom, and Pete joined as well. Gunny and his wife, unfortunately, got stranded in Chicago as their plane got delayed and they were rerouted from Newark to Laguardia.

 After 3 hours of eating drinking and laughing, I headed with my father over to the apartment where I immediately fell asleep for about an hour. We watched wrestling and a little bit of pathetic Mets baseball and I settled onto the sofa bed around 10 PM.

On Saturday morning, it was a 7 mile run on the treadmill followed by a lot of scrambled eggs, thick bacon and rye toast. Nick and Mark picked me up and we headed to Coney Island to meet up with the rest of the Jets gang.

Did my first roller coaster

Cyclone was a thrill, but I didn't have a burning desire to do it again

Nick got a parking ticket, I gave him some cash to help

L and b spumoni garden

Remarkable pizza

Vanilla and pistachio gelato

Shopping at Dicks for merch with Iowa

Tailgating Sunday 

Pork roll egg and cheese

The hangar club

Jets get beat by Baltimore

Rutts hutt

Deep fried hot dogs

Getting wasted 

430 am train back home