Xpression.v2

So, this past weekend Joe and I took a trip down to Maryland to see Oriole Park at Camden Yards. This is now the second out of town stadium on our planned stadium tour.

Saturday morning, after grabbing breakfast at the Vegas Diner, we started the long 4+ hour drive down to our hotel in Catonsville, which is just outside of Baltimore. About an hour and a half into the trip, I briefly mentioned how I hoped my MP3 player would die soon so I could use my Best Buy warranty to get a replacement. Literally, as soon as I said it, the damn thing died. This meant we were stuck trying to find local rock stations along the way. For the record, WMMR, in Delaware, is awesome and WIYY, in Maryland, sucks. Someone needs to let WIYY know what actually constitutes “rock” music.

Anyway, we finally got to the hotel and checked in. The room was pretty nice. It was a two star hotel, so one doesn’t expect much going in. The bathroom was a bit tight and my sheets were, well, I didn’t sleep on the sheets, I slept on top of the blankets, but that may have been my paranoia more than anything else. The beds were comfortable and that’s what mattered in the end.

After checking in and realizing we had some time to kill, we decided to go to a nearby theater and catch The Simpsons Movie. It was pretty good and the ticket prices were nuts. We only paid $6.75 for a full ticket. Daaaaaaaaamn. I’m being ripped off in NYC, for sure.

Finally, we headed to Oriole Park. Parking is a disaster there. The lots are spread out over a good ten locations. The lot we parked in, Lot NN, was some little fenced off area in the middle of a city block. If there wasn’t a guy standing in front with an Orioles staff shirt on, I would have never known it was a legit parking lot. After walking 5 blocks, or so, we finally arrived at the park (forgive the poor picture quality). The stadium is beautiful on the exterior and the scenery, especially the warehouse behind right field, really make for a beautiful site. It’s not as amazing as Citizen’s Bank in Philly, but it’s a very nice stadium, nonetheless.

After the game, we headed to Applebee’s, which was only a block away from the hotel. The food was good, but it would have been a lot better if Joe didn’t play on my retarded homophobia and convince me not to get the salad I really wanted. I hate you.

With our stomachs full, we called it a night. There were some crazy thunderstorms over night and they continued into the morning, making for a rather interesting drive home. Before we left Catonsville, though, we stopped for some breakfast at Double T’s Diner. Great decision. The people there were very nice and the food was amazing. My breakfast actually held me for the rest of the day. I snacked on a bagel last night, but otherwise that was all I ate.

All in all, it was a great trip. It felt nice to get away from Brooklyn and just not have any concerns for a day. It’s a freedom that reiterates the growing desire for Joe and I to find an apartment and start our lives away from home. Let’s hope that happens sooner than later.

Filed under: Journal