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Baseball Fan?
When I came out to New York, it was pretty much a certainty that I would be returning to California at some point. And, as I've always wanted to make the cross-country drive, I told myself that my return trip would be the opportune time. So now that the return trip is coming up, I'm starting to give some thought to what I want to see during as I make the 3500+ mile trip.
Some friends who have made the trek before me have given me some great recommendations:
hop from National Park to National Park,
drive some scenic routes, and of course visit good friends along the way that might house and feed you. However, one idea that's come from a couple of different sources is to stop by ballparks along the way and catch as many baseball games as you can. Doing a quick
Google search returns a number of websites, books, and even tours you a can take. However, it seems that I missing one big requirement for this kind of trip - I'm actually not a big baseball fan. I mean, I've been to games, I generally like being at ballparks, and I like the notion of drinking a cold beer on a warm summer day. But, I don't follow baseball, I couldn't tell you who plays on the Reds or the Indians or even the Twins for that matter.
So along with spending time with the friends I've made out here in New York, packing my apartment up, and trying to get around to the touristy stuff that I haven't done here yet, I'm adding "becoming a baseball fan" to my list of things to get to in the 5 weeks that I have left here.
Morning
Lone Tree
Originally uploaded by crazypete04.I'm not now, nor have I ever been a morning person. However, there's nothing quite like being out on a weekend morning, just before dawn, to catch New York City at its most tranquil and serene. For an hour or so, other than a sporadic couple stretching the last few minutes of their night out, or the lone driver making his rounds to stock the morning papers, you've got arguably one of the loudest, fastest paced, and most chaotic cities in the world resting peacefully while nobody's watching.
Countdown
As much as I've enjoyed New York over the past 2 years, my days here are now numbered. At the end of May, I'll be returning to California. That leaves me with just under 7 weeks to do everything that someone who's lived in New York and the East Coast should have done. The problem is, I haven't actually figured out what those things are. So far, I've come up with going to the Empire State Building and riding the Staten Island Ferry. And to be honest, I wouldn't be too disappointed if the Empire State Building trip never happens.
So any recommendations of things to do, sights to see, places to eat, and the like would be appreciated. In the meantime, I'll continue to work on the goal I've had since moving here: seeing every subway station in NYC. I might have to scale that down to just Manhattan since I've only got about 45 days left.
Wasting Time
Hayden Planetarium (Autographed!)
Originally uploaded by crazypete04.
I have a couple friends visiting this week. On Sunday night, while one was out meeting with some of her old college friends, the best I could come up with for my other friend and I after a long day of walking and bellies still full of Sylvia's fried chicken was to snap a couple of shots around my neighborhood. If the walk didn't burn off that juicy (read: fatty) chicken, I think this name writing silliness did.
Curse this old man brain!
Lately I've begun to notice early signs of my aging body. On a trip into the
Hayden Planetarium at the Museum of Natural History, a friend laughed at my old man eyes that needed more time to adjust from the bright daylight of the glass-walled hall to the darkness inside the Hayden Sphere. On my 29th birthday, my leg decided to give the rest of me the gift of a "slightly arthritic" knee (according to the doctor). And I've begun to notice that I have to ask people to repeat themselves more often than I used to - normally with a nice polite "huh???"
But possibly the most disturbing sign of deterioration is my growing inability to remember things. As a kid, I could tell you what was on what channel at what time (granted this was pre-cable so there were a whopping 5 channels to choose from). Likewise, appointments, assignments, phone numbers, exactly where I'd buried my GI Joe man...all easily remembered without notes, Post-Its, Outlook reminders, or the like. But now, I'm lucky if I remember to zip my fly up in the morning. (I usually remember to check...oh....about half a block down from my house as I'm walking to the train.)
So, as an effort to replace my natural brain functions with technology, I've finally succumbed to what I've always said I'd never use - Friendster. Friendster is now my crutch (or cane if you will) to remember names of friends, friends of friends, and friends of friends of friends. Now if only there was a field for "Where We Met" and "What We Talked About", I'd be set.
