April 19, Philadelphia
I arrived in the city of brotherly love in mid-morning. On the train, I saw an article about walking tours in many northeastern cities that focus on food. Of course, this is right up my alley. Once settled in my hostel, I quickly called the Reading Terminal Market Tour. Unfortunately, the tour was offered on Saturday at 10AM and I was 30 minutes late. Nonetheless, I decided to walk to the market anyway just to check it out.On the way I walked past the Independence National Park. The banner announcing the Baseball in America traveling exhibition was on display at the National Constitutional Center at the north end of the park caught my attention. Given the theme of my trip, there was no way I would pass that up. A lot of historical artifacts like balls, mitts, bats, jersey and all kinds of prints, the display was captivating for any fan of the game. I spent a good two hours there and the late afternoon game between the Phillies and the Mets was fast approaching. I was able to quickly walk through the Reading Terminal Market, grabbed a quick lunch buffet plus a gigantic chocolate dipped chocolate cookie, and vowed to come back the next day for a more thorough inspection.
Oh, this was a glorious Saturday. Temperature was in the 80’s with blue sky and fluffy clouds. My excitement was only dampened by the giant sign outside the stadium the game was sold out. I knew that two weeks ago, but apparently standing-room only tickets had been sold out in two and half hours before the game. Insisting to hear the bad news from a real person, I walked up to a ticket window. Amazingly, there were single tickets. One of the players just returned a ticket behind home plate 10 minutes prior, and after oh five seconds of hesitation, I bit the bullet and paid $50 for that ticket, the most expensive of the trip so far. Citizens Bank Park was brand new, though comparing to Nationals Park in DC, it was undistinguished and unmemorable. But it was packed with people two hours before the game. I weathered the blistering sun and tried my luck at balls for batting practice again. Some of the Mets players actually interacted with the fans, which was refreshing. The game itself was uninspiring. The star shortstop, Rollins, last year’s MVP, did not start and only pinch-hit due to an injury. The star first baseman, Howard, struck out three times. The Mets pitcher Oliver Perez was dominating, and the Phillies would lose 4 to 2. The game ended on a sour note, as the drunk fans on both sides became in a lot of verbal and occasional physical scuffles.
When I went back to the hostel, I was finally happy to see a lot more young faces than the one in Baltimore. Though the 24 beds in my room did give me pause, I was just glad that the shower was clean and the water was hot. I looked forward to the snoring lullaby to put me into dream land.
posted by hedgehog @ 9:14 AM
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