Remember when I said St.Louis was the highlight of my baseball life? Well, now it's a close second for just THIS SEASON.
My birthday is September 20th. I don't like to make a big deal out of it, so I don't really ask for gifts from my parents. If I need something, or had my eye on a certain thing, my parents will get it for me. Overall, it's usually pretty low key.
A couple weeks ago, my dad put a big box in front of me, and my mom started taking pictures. They told me this was a special gift for my 21st, and also a treat for doing so well in school. I honestly thought they were kidding. Even if it was September 20th, this would be more eventful than the past couple years. Not to mention July was barley half over. What was going on?!
I open the box, and unwrapped this book from lots of bubble wrap:
I was still skeptical, but I was really excited about the book. It's huge, I put the ball there just to show how big it is. But hang on a minute...this couldn't be it. I saw a slip of paper sticking out of the top, but I figured it was an order summary or packing slip of some sort.
I flipped through a few pages. It featured all the newest parks, and lots of team history to go along with each one. Just to make sure I saw everything and wasn't missing something, I quickly snatched the paper out and took a look.
Wait a minute, a plane ticket? MY name? TO NEW YORK?
I apparently ruined a surprise of some sort, because Dad seemed disappointed. I just stared at that ticket while he flipped through the book, looking for the pages he put the ticket in between.
I was shocked at first. I figured I would never even come close to going to the Big Apple anytime soon. I proposed the idea for family vacations before, but it didn't catch on with anyone else.
Well, I was going. That was for sure. I was still surprised, but moved past that fact.This obviously had to do with baseball, too!
The only reason Dad would even think about going there, or any other far away stadium, is if the Cubs were playing. I couldn't quite remember if they had visited the Mets at Citi Field yet this year. (They had actually, in April. But I convinced myself they hadn't, just because I saw that as the only possible destination). I pictured myself behind home plate in the upper deck there, looking around at the massiveness and seating levels, much like I pictured for my first game in St.Louis.
He found the page, and opened it up for me to see. This was it:
WHAT? I was thrown into a mass of confusion again. After seeing this, I immediately thought "Holy crap, how much money did they spend on this?". Dad had some obvious explaining to do.
In just two weeks, I would be taking in two games at one of the most legendary places in all of baseball. The Yankees were playing the Mariners in two day games on August 4th and 5th.
Once the basics were covered, Dad said this was all thanks to our old neighbor, Carl.
OF COURSE! He and his wife Hazel moved away almost 10 years ago to a house right on the Lake Michigan shore near Kenosha. A little while after, Carl got a contracting job in New York to manage the drilling and digging of tunnels to extend some subway lines. He's been there for a few years, and usually flies back home on weekends.
We would be staying with him in his apartment where he lives during the work week. Where is it exactly? A mere four blocks from Times Square.
I would be living in the heart of the city for three days. Each new detail was my favorite part of the trip.
Carl also took care of the tickets. His job is a pretty big thing there, so he gets the opportunity to go to a lot of games. Dad said Carl told him Saturday's seats were "outstanding...maybe the best seats you will sit in during your entire life" (with lots of emphasis on the outstanding part).
Holy shit. Would I be sitting in the famous seats that go for $1,000 a game? Hell, even if I'm not, I'm sure they would have cost at least $100. Beyond that, neither game will be seen from the top level. And this was all FREE thanks to our neighbor.
There was a little added bonus to this trip for me. The legendary Zack Hample lives in Manhattan, just a few miles from where I'll be. Unfortunately, he doesn't attend weekend games and hates Yankee Stadium. But I'm so close, I HAVE to try to meet him. (I am really excited for this part, but it doesn't make or break the trip. That's not the reason I'm going. But this guy is sort of my hero, so try to understand it from my viewpoint).
As I sit here, I leave in 8 days (and as I publish this, I now leave in 4 days). I don't even have a game plan yet, but no matter how this ends up, I know it's going to be the overall best experience I've had on a vacation.
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