Charm City Cavalcade Day 1

Yesterday – so much fun and so loooong!  Which was a very good thing!  My wife and I awoke at home with a house full of our son and MEF family from the memorable birthday dinner on Friday.  We snuck out of the house early leaving the breakfast fate of our guests in the hands of our son (feel bad for that).  We had to load Buddy and head to Rhode Island to join my sister and her husband for a weekend dash to Baltimore to watch not one but two Red Sox games!

Wife, Sister, and Bro in Law at Providence Airport

Upon arriving at their house Buddy promptly assumed control of all dog bones while we jumped back into our car and were off to the airport.  We were flying out of Providence using Southwest Airlines which I hadn’t flown in a long time.   They’ve made some improvements to their line up and it has to be the smoothest process in all the airline industry. 

Surrounded by my Wife and Sister Waiting for the Train at BWI

We arrived in Baltimore-Washington Airport with no plan on how to get into Baltimore.  We followed signs to the light rail station at the airport which took so long to walk to it seemed like we were already halfway to the city.  There wasn’t a lot of info posted but we bought tickets – only $1.60!  The train ride into Baltimore was uneventful except for meeting some really nice Ravens fans (who knew they even existed!). We got off the train right outside the Orioles ball park and now faced the task of finding our hotel.

Off the Train While My Bro in Law Tries to Pinpoint our Hotel Location

It was located adjacent to the Inner Harbor which is the tourist center of Baltimore.  My brother in law had his I-phone out and we were shortly hiking our way to the hotel.  It turned out to be a little over a mile which was a long way on a very hot day but the company was great so the mile flew by, well almost flew.  My sister has some knee issues and she fell back a couple times which exposed her to leonine attacks trying to cull our herd (inside joke – you had to be there).

The Gang Crossing at Bridge Near the National Aquarium

We reached the hotel which was an ancient brewery where the Star Spangled Banner flag was sewn.  Our rooms weren’t ready so we set out walking again to find some lunch at the nearby Inner Harbor.  The place was mobbed and every restaurant had a long waiting line.  After our long hike we weren’t looking to donate any more shoe leather so we declared victory and headed back to the hotel and it’s resident sports bar. 

Wife at the Inner Harbor

The bar tender was by himself as the hotel was trying to accommodate the massive influx of Red Sox fans and everybody else was upstairs cleaning rooms – hopefully ours.  We settled in for a simple lunch accompanied by several adult beverages (actually more than several).  We spent a very entertaining afternoon and my resourceful sister discovered there was a free bus shuttle between the street outside our hotel and the ball park.  In other words – our earlier hike was unnecessary.

Hotel Courtyard

Our rooms were finally ready and a short nap was called for before game time.  We jumped on the free bus and made our way to Camden Yards – the most fabulous baseball stadium in the US.  The Orioles are finally good again so there was some real competition between the Baltimore fans and the rabid Sox legions.  We were waiting in line to get in and it the heavens opened up and poured.

Waiting for our Free Bus Ride (wife, Bro in Law and Sister)

Everyone was soaked except my wife who has a sense about these things and was safely encased in a hasty rain coat.  That rain turned out to be the only rain we had for the entire game and the only time we were exposed to the elements, kismet.

My Soaked Sister on Eutaw Street Prior to the Game

We had the best seats I’ve ever had for a professional baseball game and were surrounded by that mix of fans which spent the whole game yelling at each other.  A foul ball was hit just a couple feet away – the closest that’s ever happened to me.  The game was memorable for a great Sox win and a Big Papi meltdown where he destroyed a dugout phone after being thrown out of the game.

Nervously Waiting for Tarp to be Removed

View from Our Awesome Seats - Big Papi Batting While Still in the Game

We Felt So Close to the Action

After the game we jumped back on our free bus and were shortly back at the hotel sports bar.  But not before my sister became acquainted with the single most pungent Baltimorean bus rider.  My sister left the bus with a whole new level of appreciation of public transit.  At the bar, we were surrounded by other Red Sox fans celebrating the Sox finally figuring out how to beat the Orioles.  Before we knew it the bartender declared last call and we were summarily escorted out of the bar.  Not to admit defeat we took up residence in the hotel lobby with our drinks now in plastic cups.  Such a fun day, lots of travel, great companions, and a Sox win, what’s not to like!!!!

The Crew at the Hotel Bar Ending a Fantastic Day in Charm City