Fillin up in Philly!

Washington D.C. The nation’s capital. The plethora of tourists, national monuments, and politicians. Well, there’s also a ballpark in town, and believe it or not. I attended a game there. It was great. The fans were great, the players were great, and so much more.

The Nationals really rolled out the red carpet. Is there such a thing as a gold carpet? Cause they rolled that out too. Seriously, the Half St. Irregulars and Erica Scherzer (wife of Max Scherzer) went above and beyond during my stay. They put on a huge event for me before the game in which dozens of people came out to support the cause. Are you kidding me! These are strangers, complete strangers, who are going out of their way to meet me. Wish me luck. Donate towards the cause, and support the ride. It really makes me emotional. This type of hospitality is unreal. Unfathomable. I cannot believe it. Time afer time I’m blown away by the strangers I meet along this trip. The fans of the Nats even presented me with a few gifts, that they shipped home (they know that every ounce matters). From a bobblehouse to put your bobbleheads in, to a sign Max Scherzer jersey they really spoiled me! Thanks so much to both the Scherzer’s, Half St. Irregulars, hotel staff, or any other Nats fans who showed up!

Of course, there was also a ballgame to check out! I got some on field recogniton prior to the game, which is always fun because it really gets some great publicity for the cause and for the kids. Of course, I had to check out the local ballpark food, and even spotted a beer vendor who had tweeted me prior to the game. Yes, the beer vendors in DC are on twitter. He was inspired by the trip and even donated 50 bucks! Woah! Way to go! Support your local beer vendor!

Venturing back to my seats, I enjoyed the ballgame in the company of my uncle and other National faithful fans. Unfortunately, I wasn’t much luck as the Nationals fell to visiting Diamondbacks despite a late 9th inning rally. However, despite the losing score, the Nationals and their fans gave quite the winning experience!

In the next morning, I ventured off for Philadelphia. The east coast has been friendly in the sense that these ballparks are so close together. Way better than the long, desolate stretches that dominated the first few thousand miles of the trip.

The ride into Philly actually took my back through Baltimore and back through Camden Yards. So does that count as ballpark 21? Nah. Won’t cut it. I weaved and meandered through Maryland with a night of stealth camping in North East, MD. Unfortunately, the past few nights I’ve been getting my butt kicked by a bad case of poison ivy that’s been spreading around my body. It’s not incapacitating, but it’s awfully annoying. Nothin that’ll stop me. That’s for sure.

The next day, I headed out for a short ride into Philly. Only 56 miles. Is this what the trip has come to? I’m calling 56 miles a short ride. Good gracious. I guess I really am crazy! Either way, it was about mid afternoon when I rode up to my 21st ballpark. 21 down, 9 to go. Crazy. Welome to Citizens Bank Park!

I rode over to my hosts place though downtown Philly, which was actually a lot of fun to bike through. The traffic, the chaos, the people was kind of exhilerating to bike through. For the most part, cars are used to seeing cyclists so I feel awfully comfortable biking.

My host Brad has an amazing condo with a great view of the skyline of Philly. It’s incredible, and a sweet place to crash for a night or two. On top of that, Brad showed me all around Philadelphia. Thanks so much! From old bars, to the Ben Franklin bridge, he really showed me the town. Thanks!

The ballgame at Citizens Bank Park really was something. Greinke took the mound for the Dodgers and eventually got walloped in the first for five runs. The day game brought lots of kids to the ballpark, and the Phillies ultimately lost 10-8. However, a big thanks to the fans of Philadelphia who showed me a great time. Especially Michael, who works in the Phillies front office, and gave me a personal tour after the game. It really was great! But he also scored me a Philly Cheesesteak. In Philly. Dreams do come true. It was as delicious as you could imagine, and I devoured it.

 

Tomorrow, I hop on the bike for NYC. It’ll be a nice ride, and I’ll be able to check off a few more states. Both of which I’ve never been to. Counting Washington D.C. that’ll bring my trip to 25 states. Pretty impressive wouldn’t you say? But I should hit the bed. I’ll write anothe blogpost from NYC!