Monday August 18 2008 - 11:30pm Eastern
After this blog, it’ll be back to basketball on a full-time basis … but as I’ve done for the past few days … I’m talking a little bit about baseball … and my road trip with my Dad, Father-in-Law, and Grandfather-in-Law.
Here are some final bullet points and numbers from the 5-day tour/vacation:
- 2001.1 KM round-trip from Mississauga to Cooperstown; Cooperstown to New York City; New York City to Pittsburgh; Pittsburgh to Mississauga
- 4 tanks of gas in the Mazda Tribute … totalling about $190.00
- VERY affordable hotel rooms in New York and Pittsburgh courtesy of some savvy shopping on Hotwire.com — if you haven’t used that website before, you’re missing out
- Face-value tickets in the second deck - down the 3RD base line - at Yankee Stadium and a couple of $8.50 beers
- If Josh Blue (winner of this season’s “Last Comic Standing”) comes to Toronto (or whatever city you’re from) be sure to get tickets. The dude is hilarious and well worth the $50+ I spent to see him at ”Caroline’s” in NYC
- $20+ to get into the Guggenheim is a scam. I like art (well, actually, I’m really into photography) … but … 3-foot walnuts against a white wall or a sewing machine on a desk surrounded by doors … is NOT art. Nor is painting a canvass black and saying that the way the paint dries is art. No way. That’s NOT art. Guggenheim: I want my money back!
- 55 MPH is too slow. 65 or more would be best. Pennsylvania was a big fan of the double-nickels and it was killing me.
- Face-value tickets behind the plate - 25 rows up - at PNC Park in Pittsburgh for a 1/3 of the cost of Yankee Stadium ($27.00 to sit that close!) and a couple of $7.00 beers
- PNC Park is my new favourite stadium. 36,500 seats and the best ‘view’ from within a ballpark I’ve ever seen (the skyline, the water, the bridge(s) all look incredible).
- $20.00 Canadian or American for a case of 24 Bud Light TALL BOYS at the Duty Free store at the Peace Bridge. That’s a deal I couldn’t pass up … but it only proved, again, how much we’re getting scammed by at the Beer Store and the LCBO.
Finally, I’ve got to say that I’m SO glad I did this trip. I have too many friends that lost their Dads in their 50’s or early 60’s so it was good to do something with my Dad before it’s too late. Hopefully he’s around for 20 or 30 more years but you can never turn back time so it was great to do this trip while we’re both young and able, etc. Adding my Father-in-Law to the mix meant just as much because we’ve become very close over the years … and having Dick (”Coach”) there as well was the icing on the cake. He’s the youngest 78-year-old I’ve ever known. He’s in better shape then many men 10 - or even 20 - years younger.
All of us may have been getting on each others nerves by the end of the trip (4 grown men in a truck for 5 days) but any frustration or anxiety was short-lived and I’m sure we’ll all look back on this jaunt as a great success full of memories.
Tomorrow and in the days and weeks to come … it’s back to basketball on a full-time basis.
E. Smith
Eric you can moonlight on like a travel network. Just a thought. Anyway sounds like you had a great time good to here. Welcome back to the Basketball Beat.
- James Borbath