not so easy

The Red Sox game rained out. Fortunately, it was rescheduled for the following day at 12:35pm. My flight didn't leave until 5:30pm. This ended up being a tight squeeze. I had to take my luggage with me to the game so I could go directly to the airport afterwards since going back to the place I was staying to get my stuff would take too long. I was counting on a nearby hotel to hold my stuff for me for a tip, but they said they could no longer do that for security reasons. The ball park couldn't put it anywhere and it was too big to take inside, so the people taking tickets suggested I pay a concessions guy (on the outside of the stadium) to hold for me. They said that the concession guys were there every game and would keep it safe. As sketchy as that sounded to me, I had no choice. I ended up paying a guy selling Italian sausages $10 to keep my bag in his car (parked by his stand). I worked out fine. After an exciting 2-1 victory for the Sox, I faced the difficulty of getting myself, my large bag and my backpack into an overcrowded Metro train. This wasn't working at all. The trains were too full with Sox fans, and probably would be for another half and hour or so. Instead I took a taxi to the airport, checked my bag, got my boarding pass, and inched my way through security (with my shoes off), and made to my flight just after they started boarding. It cost me a few extra bucks, but I at least I got to see a game at Fenway Park.

no more driving

NYC was great. Here's a few highlights:
East village, Cafe Reggio, New York pizza, other excellent food, the observatory in the Empire State building, the beautiful parks all over the city, watching a Broadway musical (Spamalot), and a free ticket to Shea Stadium for the Mets vs. Brewers game (Brewers crushed them 12-3).
I am now in Boston which is my last stop before flying to Portland on Thursday. That means no more driving (as far as the road trip is concerned). Boston is also a great city. I walked the Freedom Trail today and explored the Harvard campus. Tomorrow however, will be the highlight of Boston for me. I'll be attending the Red Sox vs. Tigers game at Fenway Park to make it 3 MLB games in a week's time, all at great stadiums too. Then I will return to Walla Walla via Portland. It's been a great trip.

o's

I have been a Baltimore Orioles fan since I was a little kid. Last night I got to see them play at Camden Yards. It was amazing. The O's won 11-6 over the Devil Rays, sweeping the series. Kevin Millar hit a 3 run homer in the first help with a 5 run first inning. The Rays came back and got within 2 late, but a rally in the 8th pulled the O's ahead for good.
A highlight was when Melvin Mora stole 2nd, then stole 3rd on a wild throw. The throw to 3rd however was good and made it a close call at 3rd base. The ump called him safe which got the fans cheering, but caused the Rays 3rd baseman to throw a fit. After some jawing, the ump had enough and tossed him. The crowd cheered louder. As he left the game he threw his hat into the crowd. The crowd began to chant "Throw it back! Throw it back!". The fan with the hat was reluctant to throw it back,knowing this is a rare souvenier. Whether it was knowing that he would provide an emotional boost to the fans and players, or just simply peer pressure, he threw it back. The crowd cheered louder. Meanwhile, over near 1st base a crazy fan jumped onto the field and began running around (fortunately he was not naked). After about a minute the security guards caught him, handcuffed him, and took him off the field. The crowd was going wild. It was some good baseball.

the big easy and mega state day

There is too much to tell right now, so I'll move quickly.
New Orleans was excellent. The houses are beautiful and it's so much fun. I ate lots of good food and hung out on Bourbon St. for two nights which is just one giant party. We were going to go to the Jazz Fest on Friday, but a flashflood kept us from going anywhere. It poured for an hour or more, covering the main street we were by. The water came up to some of the store fronts and began flodding those too. Just getting from the car to the hostel got me soaked. Once it cleared up, things were nice again.
We left New Orleans to head up the east coast to Savannah. We drove through 5 states (Lousianna, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, and Georgia) in one day. Savannah was beautiful, as was our next stop in Charleston, SC. From there we moved on to our current location in Washington DC. Today we'll travel to Baltimore and see an Orioles game, then on to NYC.

cock of the walk

Chicago was amazing! Any city larger than Portland seemed too big for me, but Chicago proved me wrong. I loved it. It also helped that the weather turned beautiful after days of cold and some rain. We were shown around the city by a friend of Missi's named Chris that she met in New Zealand. We went with him to a function that his job was having on Friday evening. It included glorified karaoke (American Idol style), free beer (the best option was MGD), and free fried food (including cheese sticks with magical juice inside). The next day was spent walking around the downtown area, hanging out it Centennial Park, and eating amazing Mediterranean food. We stayed at Chris' with his family who is very quirky and hilarious.
We then headed to Cincinnati where we stayed with Douglas and Shena who Missi met in Boston. I had met Shena many years ago through the Pietila's, but that's another story. We hung out with them that evening, all the next day (my birthday), and some in the morning. My birthday was very relaxing and fun. Highlights included Indian food, ice cream and sitting on the front steps of the church with mugs of beer.
I am now in Nashville where we are staying with a lady (Cindy) who, along with her husband Jerry, were part of the community with Keith and Melody Green back in the 70's. Unfortunately her husband is out of town so we didn't get to meet him, but Cindy is great. Last night we ate delicious catfish at a place called Cock of the Walk. Good times.
We should be arriving in New Orleans in 2 or 3 days. All is well.