Had to split the report after exceeding the number of images !

Day 1
After eventually getting kids dropped off at various grandparents house we set off down the motorway from Blackpool to Heathrow. Flight wasn’t too early the next morning but past experience meant we decided to get a Travellodge the night before. Word to the wise – parking is a nightmare and they still charge you a tenner for it. Anyway , having eaten earlier it was off to bed ready for the travels of the next day.

Day 2

Nice relaxed morning as the flight wasn’t until 12:45 but travelling with a 2 year old is never easy and airport security less so ! Valet parking was booked so it was off to the terminal for 9 o’clock and handily into the short stay car park where the luggage was unloaded and the car taken away. Through bag-drop and security as painlessly as can be expected with a toddler and off to the BA lounge. Coffee and pastries for taking the rugrat off to the play room. There wasn’t that much for her really but she enjoyed making towers out of the big foam cushions.
We had to get over to the B gates so made our way over just as boarding was starting and headed to our seats.

Thanking Uncle Tesco for all the BA miles conversion that meant we were travelling in Club World as I took one of the offered glasses of champagne. After take off and drinks the flight attendant took the dinner order and I settled down to watch a film. Unfortunately the 777 I was on was one of the few that don’t have the BA AVOD system and it’s a old style 12 channel looped system. No problems with the flight and we landed in Philadelphia late afternoon. Car hire was already booked so we went and collected that and headed south down I95 to Baltimore.

We’d booked a perfectly pleasant Days Inn just round the corner from Camden Yards and the sat-nav did it’s job and we arrived trouble free. Having stopped for a quick bite at Denny’s on the way down (following a request from the rugrat for eggs) it was a case of get room sorted and get to sleep.

Day 3 – Friday 8th April

The day was spent in Baltimore – but without much to see and grotty weather , more of that later , it was mall shopping for the other half. Back to the hotel and then walk down to the Cheescake factory for a pre-game dinner and then walk back up to Camden Yards for what should have been the first ball game.

As we got into the ground it started to rain some more, the screens were saying there was going to be a delay to the game start time. Well past game time and the weather getting wetter and wetter , the GF and little one give in and head back to the hotel. A few minutes later the Texas Rangers players all come out and start using the tarp covering the diamond as a water slide and it’s announced the game is postponed. Queued up for ages at the ticket office and managed to negotiate a swap to the Sunday afternoon game. Back to the hotel in a grumpy mood so down to the bar for a beer whilst watching the Phillies game on the TV.

Day 4 – Saturday 9th April

Well after a small planning mistake back in the UK - it was this Saturday I realised I hadn’t book the hotel for. I had us checking out of Baltimore but not checking into Washington until Sunday night. A quick look at the map and fixture list followed by a “are we mad?” discussion meant that it was a 4 hour drive to Pittsburgh. Checked in at a really nice Radisson followed by dinner at Applebees and we were set for the game.

As an aside.. Pittsburgh is really nice. I imagined a really rough industrial town but it was really nice. PNC park also impressed. For what was a late decision to go , it turned out to be one of the best nights.














The game was Colorado Rockies @ Pittsburgh Pirates. It was a good entertaining game that was tight until a 3 run double in the 8th gave the Rockies a 6-3 lead and despite Pittsburgh pulling one run back in the bottom of the 8th it ended up a 6-4 win for the Rockies.

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?g...e=wrap&c_id=mlb

Day 5 – Sunday 10th April

Mad dash back across Pennsylvania and Maryland to get back to Baltimore for the rearranged afternoon game of Texas Rangers @ Baltimore Orioles.


A strong Rangers team was always too much for the O’s who never really got going. None of the 6 hits they got looked like getting a run scored. As a neutral I was again “supporting” the home team so my record moved to a rather dubious 0 for 2.



After the game it was down to the outskirts of Washington to a Holiday Inn via Smokey Bones for dinner. Can’t resists a Smokey bones when in the US.

Day 6 – Monday 11th April
A sight-seeing day of doing the Washington classics – White House , National Monument , Lincolm Memorial , the reflecting pool. Shame that the reflecting pool wasn’t reflecting as it was drained for repairs so I’ll have to go back.

Day 7 – Tuesday 12th April
A bit more sight-seeing as well as the strangest cup-cake buying experience I’ve ever participated in and a few failed attempts to buy a new iPad were followed by an attempt to park near one of the Smithsonian museum which failed miserably so we headed down to Nationals Park for that nights Philadelphia Phillies @ Washington Nationals game. As a Phillies fan this was one of the games I was looking forward to. There was a waitress service restaurant bar place inside the ground were we grabbed dinner but it got really busy. Other half and little on headed outside whilst I paid the bill. 20 minutes later after a great conversation with a couple of Phillies fan who were amazed at my trip , the bill was paid and their final words to me were “it sucks you got Blanton tonight”. They were right.
Werth’s first game against his old team and he goes 2 for 3 with a homer as part of 7-4 win for the Nationals.

** will insert images.. having a few problems **

For the first time I’m not supporting the home team so my record is now 0-3. Ho Hum.

Day 8 - Wednesday 13th April
Back on the road again and a long drive up to New York. Car Parking in manhattan being a non-starter we were staying out in Long Island – coincidentally fairly convenient for citifield .

It was a very very cold night – first time I’ve seen a game nearly called off for freezing fog !

My second sight of the Rockies in the week as it was Colorado Rockies @ New York Mets

With the weather so bad , other half had dropped out of this one but I still wanted to get the ground in so headed down to Citifield.

After getting past the metal detectors and security searches .. by far the most stringent at any ground I’ve been to I bought a programme and got the usual “Where are you from question?” When I said Blackpol the seller commented that he’d been talking about Blackpool earlier that day to his Grandmother who lived in Manchester . Really is a small world.

It was freezing – the first time I’ve ever wondered if a game was going to be called off due to freezing fog.


Rockies go on to win 5-4 with my record for the road trip being 0-4. I’m starting to think of touting myself as a bad-luck mascot for away teams to ensure a win.

Day 9 – Thursday 14th April

After spending the day doing the Manhattan tourist stuff of Times Square , 5th Avenue, FAO Schwarz (including the big piano from Big) Tiffany’s (hey I had to make this up to her somehow!!!) and Central Park we headed to the Subway and up to Yankee Stadium to see them host the Orioles.
I’ll throw a tip in here... never leave a ball game too early
We were at the ground fairly so had a wander around the shops and ate at the ground. The first time on this trip that a ground was anywhere near full. There was still plenty of odd seats but not whole sections like the other grounds.
The Yankees just never got going and by the middle of the 5th the O’s were 5-0 up. Alex Rodriguez gets a double and manages to score . Yankees get a couple more in the 6th but the O’s still looked more likely to win.
After the 7th inning stretch with no car , other half and 2 year old daughter and Yankee Stadium being in the middle of the Bronx I decided to do the decent thing and get ahead of the crowd and head to the subway. There’s a whole non-baseball related tale about how we nearly ended up stranded there owing to a phobia of heights and open staircases but that’s a different story.
We made it back to the hotel and flicking on ESPN discovered that it had been an amazing turnaround and the NYY had won 6-5 with a walkoff in the bottom of the 10th that I’d missed.

Bugger.

I reckon it has to go down as a loss for me with the early departure so it’s 0-5

Day 10 – Friday 15th April.

Down the New Jersey turnpike to Philadelphia. As a Phillies fan this was the homecoming and the big finale to the trip for me. The NJ turnpike is a very very strange road. 12 lane highway for several hundred miles just full of traffic. We stayed on the outskirts of Philadelphia at a very nice Hyatt Place near a shopping mall.

During all the booking of this trip I’d made a slight mistake and got the dates wrong so had Yankees tickets for the wrong day.. got them for the right day but ended up with a store credit at Stubhub. Being in Philadelphia nice and early she suggested that I use the credit to get an extra game in and go that night with us all going on the Saturday as well. Few clicks on the computer and I was off to another game.

The traffic in Philly was a nightmare. Ended up parking up and running across the car park having missed just the one inning - the cheers of the crowd as I made my way through the gate confirmed that the Phillies were 2 up at the bottom of the first.

During the game I managed to get to the store to make sure we were all kitted out for the game the next day.. T-shirts , jackets and dress for the daughter.
The rest of the game didn’t go so well and we ended up losing 4-3 to the Marlins. My track record continues and it’s 0 for 6. I swear I’m considering a name change to Jonah.

Day 11 – Saturday 16th April.

The grand finale. The game I’d been looking forward to the most. All Phillies home game are all but sold out. The second tickets went on sell the 2 of us were trying to get a purchase complete. I can’t remember the stats but I know the Phillies sold several hundred thousand tickets on the first day of genera l sale and I’d managed to get 2

Then it started raining.

And I mean RAIN..

Storm drains couldn’t keep up.

You didn’t walk to the car you swam to it.

The locals were starting build arks..

Just after lunchtime , for an evening game , the decision was made to cancel the game. It was that wet.

Words can’t describe how bad I felt.

The later outbound BA flight to London couldn’t make it back to London has it had been hit by lightning on the way in.

Shopping , dinner and depression consumed the rest of the day.

Day 12 – Sunday 17th April.
I’m in Philadelphia - The sun was shining – it was a glorious day – the Phillies had a home game.... and I was flying home

But as a final twist I’d noticed the ball ground was within a couple of miles of the ground and I still had some storehub credit.. afternoon game but I had to check in about 3. We decided what the heck and the other half should at least see the stadium so despite only staying for 3 innings we went to the game , bought a cheesesteak and saw the Phillies score a couple of runs.

Back to the car , returned to the rental agency and the guy driving the shuttle bus put the game on the radio after hearing of out trip. As the bags were unloaded he turned round and said I’d have to go back for the post-season games. With the Phillies record in the first half of the season he could just have an idea......

After hitting the maximum number of images several times and whatever links I copied in always getting the Pittsburgh photos I gave up.

All of the photos should be here

http://profile.imageshack.us/user/basset72/

Nice work, whenever i get balls to drive abroad i'll do something like that.

Cheese Steaks are awesome, i can only imagine what they are like in Philly.

Never be afraid of driving abroad.. It's actually possible I'll drive more miles in the States this year than in the UK :D

I would have liked to find a really good cheasesteak restaurant in Philly somewhere the one in the ground is pretty good.

As the quote goes "A hot dog at the ballgame beats roast beef at the Ritz. ~Humphrey Bogart"

Sounds a great trip and a great write up Basset

seems you had a lot of fun