#Brocation2011 had high expectations. Park Ranger, MJ, the Senator and I had been planning our big vacation for months and the time had finally arrived to embark on the journey. To be honest, it wasn’t much of a journey for me as our first two stops were here in New York City. The theme of our trip was rooted in America’s Favorite Pastime, baseball. We were set to see three games and two cities over three days. The anticipation was building throughout the week with the guys arriving here early Thursday morning. Everything was shaping up beautifully until we learned that Hurricane Irene was expected to arrive on Saturday in NYC and affect Boston on Sunday. We knew that would put a crimp on our scheduled plans to travel by train from NYC to Boston on Saturday and catch a game at Fenway as well as traveling back to NYC/DC on Sunday.
I took a half day at the office, picked up the guys around the corner at the MegaBus stop and we set out for Yankee Stadium with a quick pit stop at the apartment to drop off luggage. Our first stop was at Stan’s– the only bar to visit if you’re early to a Yankee game as we were. It was a great call on our part as the rain showers started rolling in and the game fell victim to an hour rain delay. Meanwhile we stayed dry inside Stan’s and enjoyed some of the Rocky Mountain’s Banquet Beer. Our seats were in the infamous Bleacher Creatures section at Yankee Stadium. The game was great and despite the rain that continued to fall sporadically we huddled under umbrellas and stuck it out to see MLB history. The first game ever to have three grand slams as the Yankees beat the Athletics 22-9.
After countless minutes that probably added up to hours on the phone rescheduling or canceling reservations for travel and lodging, trying to get refunds or credits on tickets you might think Hurricane Irene would have gotten the best of our spirits. You’d be wrong. We set out for Citi Field and a marquee matchup between the Atlanta Braves and the New York Mets. Now while I’m not a Mets fan, the stadium is home to a Shake Shack (which I love) and it’s pretty fancy being new and all, but so is Yankee Stadium. The weather couldn’t have been more different than the rainy mess we sat through the day before. The evening turned out gorgeous with a beautiful sunset and comfortable temperatures throughout the game. The competition was hearty and we definitely got our money’s worth with seats in left field just 10 rows or so from the field.
Saturday sadly brought the abbreviated end to our trip with the guys heading off for Penn Station and trains back to their respective homes in Virginia. Fear not though as plans for #Brocation2012 will soon be commencing. I mean we’re still sitting on a pretty $250 credit with StubHub from our Red Sox tickets and the list of destinations for next year’s trip is steadily growing. In the meantime, check out these photos to keep you occupied.
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Until next time, Cheers!
