#OML Road Trip 2019

This is going to be one of my longest posts ever, so if you want to read it in one sitting, I recommend getting snacks and taking a potty break first.

I could go into the long, VERY LONG, story how this road trip came to be, but honestly that would take forever to explain, and I'm tired and just want to get this posted, so you are just going to have to accept that somehow my friend Lisa and I thought doing a road trip that started in Portland, OR and ended in Portland, ME was a great idea (and it was beyond great, it was amazing).

To be fair, the first few days involved flights between locations, and I've been told that's not technically a road trip, but you know what, I'm counting it. Over half of the trip was spent driving. 

The trip started this past May when Lisa and I flew to Portland, OR (mainly because I had never been to Oregon and I wanted to cross it off my states list). Our whole reason for going to that part of the country was to see a Mariners game in Seattle and I was like, hey, let's fly into Portland, spend a day there, and then go to Seattle. So that's what we did. And that is where this OML trip started. It's called OML, which stands for Oh My Lord, which was the response we got from most people when we told them what we were doing. Lol.

We flew first class to Portland (pinkies out).

So, we took an early flight (of course) to Portland and spent the day seeing as much of it as possible. And to our credit, we saw a lot for two people who spent less than 24 hours in the city. After we landed, we were able to check into our hotel early and headed out for lunch. We had tickets for a trolley tour of the city (which is honestly the best thing to take if you want to see the city and don't have a lot of time). What I liked about the trolley tour is that you could get off at any location, and 45 minutes later, another trolley would come pick you up. We only got off of it once, and that was to see Powells Books (because of course I go on vacation and go to a bookstore). After the tour, we went through the Saturday Market where I had to get some homemade ice cream. 

After the trolley tour, we took a tram to the top of the city, which gave us a fantastic view. I highly recommend it if you are in Portland. The trams run like every 15-20 minutes, and you can stay up there as long as you want and take whatever tram you want back. Since we were getting hungry, we only spent maybe 20 minutes up there. But the view was breathtaking. 

We were told we had to try VooDoo Donuts while we were in Portland, but the line was super long, and honestly, we weren't feeling up for it, so we went to a pizza place a few blocks away. It was a cute little hole in the wall pizza place, but the food was good and the server was super nice. After a very long day (and a two hour time change), we went back to the hotel and crashed early.

Originally we were going to rent a car to drive up to Seattle, but we found out that a train was cheaper, and I had never ridden a train before (not counting the one at Six Flags or the public transit train in Dallas). I have to say, I love traveling by train. I think next year we need to take a train the whole trip.

Both Lisa and I had already been to Seattle, so we didn't have much sight-seeing to do once we got there. We did go by the MoPop so Lisa could see the new Prince exhibit. I like the MoPop (last time I was in Seattle it was called the EMP). We spent about an hour there before we were off to T-Mobile Park to see the Rangers play the Mariners. Again, the whole reason we were on the west coast was to see a Mariners game.

We were able to get photos with some Rangers players before the game. We evidently distracted them because they played horribly that night. Oh well. T-Mobile Park was nice, and I was able to cross another ballpark off my list. And if you are new to my blog, I'm sorry I'm not a foodie- I stick to ballpark basics like hot dogs and nachos, so I can't review some amazing food to try out there. I did like that you got free refills on your soda though.

I will not confirm or deny that the photo of me and Mike Minor (center) is my phone wallpaper. Swoon. Lol.

The next morning we had a SUPER EARLY flight to Tampa. Yes, Tampa, Florida. Because it makes perfect sense to go from the west coast to east coast to see back to back games. I will leave out how the Seattle airport was packed and we had to stand in line for TSA for almost an hour and came close to missing our 5 hour flight. But we made it. Sadly we didn't have first class that time so we were back with the peasants in coach. 

By the time we landed, got a rental car, and grabbed a quick lunch, it was time to head to Tropicana Field for the Rays game. We had heard horror stories how awful The Trop was- and you know what- it wasn't that bad. It's not pretty by any means, but we had a great time. And we made history that night. We were part of the smallest crowd to attend a Rays game. And I think it also set a MLB record too. But the few fans that were there were nice. And the usher that was on the field during warm ups was nice and let us sit in seats that were way closer than the ones we had bought. We did take time to walk around. There are live stingrays in the outfield, and you are able to pet them. It took a while to work up the courage but I finally manage to do it.

After another long day, we headed back to our hotel because once again, we had an early flight to Miami the next day. Our flight to Miami was the only delay we had on our trip- and thankfully it was the one time we could afford to have a delay. We were only delayed about 90 minutes. Since it was originally an early flight, we still landed in Miami a little before 10am.

The only thing we cared about seeing in Miami was the Marlins game that night, so we opted to rest at the hotel instead of sight-seeing. After three straight days of going nonstop, we needed the break. I got a three hour nap and felt like a new person by the time we left for the Marlins game.

Marlins Park was another ballpark people warned me wasn't that great, but again, I enjoyed it. It was a small crowd (but not Tampa small). They had an amazing Bobblehead museum that made me insanely jealous. We found great seats on StubHub near the dugout. We even had our own server who waited on us all night. I would totally have those seats if I lived in Miami (and had money). 

Marlins Park is where I discovered the best hot dog in all of baseball- Nathan's Hot Dog. It was amazing. My life was changed. Lol. After the game, we had one more early morning flight until our flight home the following week.

We were able to bump up to first class on our flight to Philadelphia (yes, we are flying snobs now). Lol. We had a minor hiccup getting our rental car at the Philly airport, but we were still able to get over to Citizens Bank Park for the Phillies afternoon game without being late.

I'll admit- I was a little underwhelmed by Citizens Bank Park. It just didn't seem to have anything that stuck out as being spectacular. The fans were nice though- and I did meet two sweet older gentlemen who sat behind us- we talked baseball the whole time. 

We were worried because rain was in the forecast that day, but it didn't start raining until the last out. I'm not even kidding. The last out was caught, and then it started raining. Like it was on cue. We didn't even care at that point. We ate dinner and went back to relax at the hotel. It was the first night we didn't have to get up at an ungodly hour the next day to catch a flight. 

The next day we made a quick side trip to Delaware (because we were that close and I wanted to cross it off my states list). As soon as we crossed the border, we saw a sign for a ballpark. As it turned out, Wilmington, DE is home to the minor league team- the Blue Rocks. They were on the road, but the nice person in the ticket office radioed the guy in charge of the gift shop, and he let us in to buy souvenirs (because collecting minor league baseball shirts is now a thing for me). We got a quick tour of the ballpark, and got some cool souvenirs.

We had a few hours to spend in Philadelphia before heading to Trenton, NJ for a Thunder game. We made another stop at Citizens Bank Park to get something at the gift shop, and were able to get a few more photos we didn't get the day before. 

After that, we went to Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church. It was amazing- such a beautiful church with so much history (you can read about it here). The volunteers there were so nice- and they offered us bottled water and snacks (they were having an event and had some snacks left over). I know Philadelphia has a lot of tourist spots, but I highly recommend going by here if you are in town. This was probably my favorite stop in Philly.

After the church, we made a quick (and I mean quick) stop at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, famous for the scene in Rocky where he runs up the stairs. We took a photo at the statue and then ran (okay, walked) up the stairs. We were in a hurry to get to Trenton because the Thunder were giving out a bobblehead, and we know how crazy bobblehead games can get in Texas. We possibly decided to go to this game BECAUSE of the bobblehead. I know, I'm an addict.

Lisa and I both agree that the Thunder game was probably our favorite of the trip. I got to meet my Twitter friend Aaron (we have been Twitter friends for like 10 years). The ballpark was nice, and the game was good, but the people were fantastic. We made new friends who sat in front of us. They were so nice and wanted to hear all about our trip- I am Facebook friends with them now. I want to go back to New Jersey just to go to a game with them. At the end of the game they introduced us to their friend sitting at the end of our row- Mr. Ken Griffey, Sr. (yes, that Ken Griffey). He was super nice and took a photo with us.

The next day we took a 90 minute detour to New Rochelle so I could take a photo by the Dick Van Dyke Show street sign. No I'm not kidding. In the show, they lived on Bonnie Meadow Rd in New Rochelle (it's where Carl Reiner once lived, we went by his old house). They added an honorary street sign to it, and yes, I needed a photo by it. Lisa humors me a lot on our trips- she's a top notch friend.

We then made our way to Connecticut (I was determined to cross all of those northeast states off my list). We originally were just going to stop at the state capitol but we found out the Connecticut home of Mark Twain was also in the same town, we so made a quick stop there as well. Sadly we didn't have time to tour it, but we went to the little museum next door and took some photos outside. I will have to go back one day for a tour (because I'm a nerd).

We had to hurry on to Pawtucket, RI for a Pawtucket Red Sox game against the Syracuse Mets. It wasn't until we saw the starting lineup that we realized that Tim Tebow played for Syracuse- we both had somehow forgotten that. It got a little chilly (below 70) so I had to buy a sweatshirt (because I had left my hoodie in the car, which was blocks away). I have to say, that Pawtucket sweatshirt is the most comfortable thing ever- I've worn it many times this winter!

I love minor league baseball- the game was fun and there were fireworks afterward. It turns out the Red Sox are leaving Pawtucket next year, so I'm glad we got to see them there.

Before leaving Rhode Island the next day, we stopped at their state capitol, the first Baptist Church in America (my Baptist preacher father was pleased), and the Roger Williams National Memorial Visitor Center. We learned a little bit about Roger Williams and I definitely have some books about him on my to read list. He was a fascinating guy. No rest for the weary as we headed to Boston to visit the JFK Presidential Library. I had already been there but Lisa wanted to see it, and I didn't mind going back. I enjoyed some of the exhibits that weren't there in 2013. The JFK library is the one that made me want to see all the presidential libraries. 

After a quick dinner at Wahlburgers, we were off to Vermont to our AirBnb. Sadly I didn't see Mark or Donnie Wahlberg at the restaurant. A photo with the standee is as close as I got.

Vermont was beautiful and the owners of our AirBnb were so nice. They kept recommending local places for us to visit but we told them we were on a tight schedule and had to leave the next day. It was another night where we got to spend the evening just resting. 

We did take a recommendation for breakfast the next day at a little diner. I got pancakes and was told I had to have authentic Vermont maple syrup. Don't tell anyone from Vermont, but it tasted just like every other maple syrup I've ever had. But it was still good. 

We were on our way to Maine, but made a few stops in New Hampshire on our way. I found out that the childhood home of President Franklin Pierce was on our route, so of course we stopped. We couldn't take photos inside the house, but our tour guide was great. I think it was one of her first days because she seemed a little unsure of herself at first, but by the end, she was a natural. I also learned about President Pierce and his family- I have to say I knew pretty much nothing about him before the trip.

Another state, another state capitol. Turns out the New Hampshire capitol is the oldest state capitol where the legislature meets in the original chambers. They had a replica of the Liberty Bell on the grounds, and since we didn't have time to see that in Philly, I took a photo by it. No one could tell the difference if I showed them a photo. Lol.

Also along our route was another minor league baseball ballpark. Sadly they were not home, but of course, we stopped for souvenirs. And it turns out the girl in the gift shop once worked for the Wilmington Blue Rocks. Small world.

We FINALLY made it to Portland, Maine before nightfall (or Portland 2.0, as we called it). We went out to a ledge light (which is like a lighthouse, but it's not). Don't be fooled by the photos, it was a long walk out there, and it was super windy. And the rocks were not spaced close together. But it was fun- and we saw an amazing sunset.

The next day was the last full day of our trip. We took a ferry to Peaks Island, which is a little community, mainly for tourists. It reminded me of Cabot Cove in the show Murder, She Wrote. I kept expecting Jessica Fletcher to ride by on a bicycle. Lol.

Just like in Portland 1.0, we took a trolley tour of the city, just to see as much as we could in an afternoon. This tour didn't have a lot of stops like the one in Portland, Oregon, but it did have one stop at a lighthouse. It was a lighthouse that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow used to visit. I sat on a rock that is believed to be where he sat for inspiration for his poem The Lighthouse. 

After the tour, we hurried over to Hadlock Field for our last baseball game of the trip- the Portland Sea Dogs. Okay, so the whole reason we ended up in Portland, Maine is because when we first planned our trip to Portland, Oregon, we thought the Sea Dogs played there. When we found out they were in Maine, I joked that we needed to just go to Portland, Maine for a baseball game. When we added Philadelphia to our trip, we realized we could drive up to Maine and see a Sea Dogs game, so there. That is how we ended up going Portland to Portland. Yes we are crazy. Lol.

The Sea Dogs game was fun. Once again, I felt the need to buy a hoodie, just because it looked comfortable (and it is). The opposing manager got tossed from the game, but I can't remember why (it's been six months). Lol. The ballpark was cute and the fans were very nice. The concessions were reasonably priced too. I would go to games all the time if I lived there.

Well, that's the end of our insane OML Road Trip. We keep wondering how we are going to top that next year (because it's now a tradition that we take a baseball trip together every year). 

Thank you for reading (if anyone actually made it this far).

I did it- I got all my trips done before the new year (with 90 minutes to spare!)

Happy New Year.

XOXO!