The City of Brotherly Love. After surviving the night at the Motel 6, we were ready to get going pretty early. We drove into the city and found the Philadelphia Sports Complex. I have to give credit to Philadelphia for their city planning. Every major sports team's home facilities are right there in the same area and there is adequate parking for each. Since we arrived so early the parking attendant said she was not charging yet so we didn't have to pay to park. Score! There was a subway station at the Sports Complex which was at the south side of the city. We decided to ride up into the city to see the sights. After all, the Social Studies teacher in me had to go show the boys the areas where our country was founded.
We exited the subway in the heart of the historic district. The Liberty Bell and Independence Hall were in plain sight. We saw the Bell and then took the tour of Independence Hall. What a moving experience for me. To be right there where the founding fathers were deciding on the course for our great nation. Wow! I was reminded of Nicholas Cage running through there in National Treasure, proof that I watch too many movies I guess.
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| Independence Hall where the Declaration was discussed and signed. |
Then back on the subway to Citizens Bank Park, home of the Phillies. As a Braves fan, I wasn't too excited about seeing the Phils but it was our first ballpark on the big baseball trip so we were ready. We grabbed some lunch and of course, what do you eat while in Philadelphia - a Philly Cheesesteak! Tate and I were very impressed with the meal.
Citizens Bank is a very nice stadium full of the rich Phillies history and in some ways it reminded me of Turner Field. We got our tickets in the upper deck and got ready for the 1:05 game where Cole Hamels would be pitching against former Brave Tim Hudson of the Giants. It was great to see "Huddy" although it was hard to see him in that Giants uniform. The temperature was hot as you would expect for an afternoon game in July. The game was a pitchers' dual. Both starters were sharp. The Phillies won the game 2-1. We didn't see the end as we headed down with the boys to line up for the Kids Run the Bases activity at the conclusion of the game. We couldn't miss an opportunity for the boys to run around the bases at Citizens Bank.
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First Ballpark, Citizens Bank Park in Philly.
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Tate and Trey running the bases as seen on the Big Screen!
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Our time in Philly was enjoyable for the most part. We got to combine some history with some baseball and got the first stadium checked off. On to New Jersey to find a room for the next two nights. Again using our handy dandy Hotels.com app we were able to find a room in Secaucus at the Holiday Inn Express. It turned out to be a really nice place with easy access to the NYC.
