…Attended a Phillies baseball game!

Sunday, August 8th, Reshica and I attended a Phillies professional baseball game!! We booked our tickets using http://www.stubhub.com/philadelphia-phillies-tickets/ a week prior to the game for about $20 a piece, Phillies vs. New York Mets!!

Reshica initially mentioned to me awhile back that one of the things on her to-do list was attend a Phillies baseball game. I was totally for this idea, since I have not stumbled upon many opportunities to attend professional baseball games! So after we booked our tickets, Reshica mentioned how she did not have much knowledge or experience with baseball. While I am not the biggest of baseball fans, but I did play softball in gradeschool and occasionally attend baseball games, I figured I would be able to provide enough education for her to understand the game.

The day before we went to the game, I found Reshica in the kitchen googling “How to learn baseball.” I then decided to start my explanation then, having her google image baseball diamond. So we started there, and I explained the bases, home plate and pitchers mound. The day of the game, I looked up directions on how to get to Citizens Bank Park using the subway system.

So with our directions and tickets and in hand, Reshica and I started off for our adventure! We were both unfamiliar with the certain subway route we took, so we figured it would be best to follow all the other people dressed in Red and White (as this was probably a good indication that they were traveling to the game too)! We arrived at our stop and followed the Red and White crowd to the Park. We passed a concert arena, the Flyers Hockey Arena and a football field as well.

Inside the park, we found our seats (AMAZING seats, especially for the price!!) and were amazed at the view!

We then ventured off before the first pitch to find some yummy ball park food. We found french fries and sodas. I vouched to get the souvenir cup (that was really less than a dollar more than the others) and headed back to our seat just in time for the national anthem.

And so the education began: It was best to explain baseball as it happened. So I informed her of strikes, foul balls, outs, bunts, homeruns, stealing the bases, innings, etc. This actually made the game pretty eventful, because we were each paying close attention to what was going on!

As the game continued, Reshica was catching up and learning the ongoings. She was even feeling bad for the Mets team because some Phillies fans were “booing” the Mets and she was upset that they did not have many fans there to support them.

Hey look – Go Physical Therapy!!!

So the final score was 6-5, and the Phillies won!! It was a very eventful game!

On our way back to the subway, there were people distributing Dr. Pepper drinks and energy drinks for promotion – so on our way to the subway, we picked up a few more drinks! It was a good end to the day!

So who would have thought that Id be teaching baseball, but Id like to say that I made a pretty good teacher :-)

…Been to South Street Philadelphia

So while this is a little bit later than when the event actually happened, I figured it was worthy of still mentioning (because after all, better late than never, right?!).

So Reshica, Kat and myself decided one Saturday night that we should go out on the town – Old City. So it was my responsibility to research good bars/clubs and Kat would take a train into the city to meet up with Reshica and myself. Needless to say, we are not timely individuals, so Kat arrived at our place and about an hour later, Reshica and I were ready about an hour later – oops.

I found that FLUID nightclub had free cover for ladies before 11pm and was located at 4th and South Street. So we decided to take the MFL (Market-Frankford Line) from 34th to 5th street. While we were there, we had to decide the directions ourselves to determine where 4th street was. Needless to say….we started going the wrong direction. At this point, it was shortly before 11 and we were determined to get to FLUID before free cover for ladies was over!!

We finally stumbled upon it, passing South Street. I wish we would have seen more of South Street, because this street has become a tourist landmark.

South Street is an east-west street in the Center City neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The stretch of South Street between Front Street and Seventh Street is known for its "bohemian" atmosphere and its diverse and urban mix of shops, bars, and eateries. It is one of Philadelphia's largest tourist attractions (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Street_%28Philadelphia%29)

So once we walked into FLUID (http://www.fluidnightclub.com/) we realized it was incredibly dark, minimal people on the dance floor – but we headed straight for the bar. We each ordered a drink (helping Reshica choose a drink that we thought she would enjoy), and were told $9. Initially, this is not a bad price for drinks in the city, but then the bartender told us it was $9 for all 3 drinks, or $3 a piece! Not only was it free cover for ladies, but discount on drinks till midnight!! So Kat and I reached for our debit cards, when the bartender tells us “$30 minimum on cards” !!! WHAT!! Now what were we to do, with $3 drinks and $30 minimum?!?!? Well, Kat decided she would just start a tab, and each of us would get 3 drinks and each owe her $10. So our night began.

We looked around, and realized the atmosphere at this club was not one in which we were very familiar with. So we saw a lonely lit-table in the corner and sat down with our drinks. We enjoyed our time, chatting and sharing stories while we just observed the ongoings at the club. We noticed the DJ approaching the bar, carrying the mic while holding a bottle of vodka in the other hand (talent).

Kat had coworkers who were out at another place in Old City, and since our tab was complete, we decided to move on to the next place! We walked from 4th and South Street to 2nd and Church Street. We walked through a part of Old City with cobblestone streets and brick buildings. It was a beautiful walk.

Once we arrived at the new place, Sugar Mom’s, we met up with Kat’s coworker and some of his friends. One of the greatest things about this bar…they had DUM-DUM lollipops! Ive never seen a bar that served DUM-DUMs! I was so excited that I didnt care about the drinks, I just hung out with everyone and enjoyed the company. While we were out, Reshica had been talking about how she liked the “idea of being from the south” and “southern accents,” so she decided that since we were meeting new people, she would introduce herself as from Kentucky with a country accent. So picture an adorable girl, from Napal, speaking in a decent country accent, telling people she is from Kentucky, with two Kentucky girls (who do NOT have country accents, haha). We were a sight, it was precious.

This was another first for me: It became 2am, and the bar was closing. I have never been out at a bar when they close, because at home the bars do not close until 4am (and I am never out that late!). So the large group of us were gathered together, discussing what we were going to do next. I asked if anyone knew of a Taco Bell/Waffle House/White Castle in Old City, but the response was NO. Really?!? So first of all, the bars close early and second of all….NO food?!? What a difference this was from Louisville’s 4th Street or Bardstown road!

Since it was closing time, and no food was to be seen, Reshica and I decided to venture back to our place. And since the subway stops running after 1230am (go figure, the subway stops before the bars close….hmm..), we had to take the Night Owl bus that runs the same course of the MFL. This was not as predictable as the subway schedule, and we were standing at the bus stop with others for about 45 minutes until the bus arrived. Once it finally did, Reshica asked the driver if he could drop us off right by our place (and he agreed – since it was on the course but not a typical stop). So together we sat on the bus, and watched as more people got on at each stop. The Night Owl, on a Saturday night, at 3am – an ADVENTURE!

We finally made it home…safe and sound – and crashed into bed. We had such a busy night…but I would not have traded it for the world!! Whenever you put Reshica, Kat and myself together = GREAT TIMES!

…Experienced the wonders of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

The date of this should really be August 7, 2010…but since its a little less than a month late, I better tell you all about it!!

My suitemate, Reshica, and I have been saying that we wanted to go to the art museum, but we had yet to get around to it. So that Saturday, we decided to just go for it! So we got ourselves ready and ventured out into the beautiful day (although we totally under predicted the heat of the beautiful day and wore jeans…when we probably would have best with something with less coverage!). So we took the MFL (Market-Frankford Line) to 30th street station and walked the Schuylkill River Trail all the way towards the art museum. This was a wonderful walk along the Schuylkill River and is available for walkers, runners, bikers, and all those just experiencing the glories of the day by the river. This walk was a decent walk, but with the sites all around us, we did not notice how far we had really walked!

Once we actually arrived to the Art Museum, we found the bathroom and wiped off our faces from the heat of the day (shew…) and then went to purchase our tickets. Reshica is a pharmaceutical intern and had been told that with her ID badge, she received free admission to the Art Museum. So together we walked up to the counter, she presented her ID badge and the lady kindly told us, “With your ID, you and a guest receive FREE admission.” I was blown away! I was not too excited to pay the $16 admission, but figured the Art Museum would be worth it – but now that I did not have to pay at all…well this was EVEN BETTER! With your admission to the museum, you receive a quaint little tag to place on your clothing, so that all security members know that you are a “paying” customer. Such a cute little idea.

So we put our tags on, and ventured out into the LARGE museum to see what we can learn! We walked up the large marble staircase (and when we descended the staircase, I mentioned how it made me feel like the movie, Titanic, when Jack is awaiting Rose at the landing of the staircase in the boat – corny ??) to find large exhibit hall entrances. We essentially started with Asian/European 1500 and worked our way to more contemporary art.

I had no idea what to expect once we walked in, but I never would have realized what I would learn that day! Together, Reshica and I made an interesting pair, because I was raised Roman Catholic in America and she was raised Hindu in Napal. So each of us were able to educate the other on significant pieces that represented our cultures. I provided information regarding Christ and Christianity, while she was aware of some of the history since she has been in America for 4 years now. But I spoke about the life of Jesus, importance of Saints, Stations of the Cross, the Crucifixion of Jesus and the importance of images regarding Mary. The exhibit halls were spectacular and seemed endless.

You would walk in, and feel as if you were actually in a French Cathedral, or feel as if you were stepping foot within a French flat with decorations from the chandeliers, to the window treatments, to the paintings to the furniture. You feel as if you are actually in the buildings, almost as if they took a crane and lofted the architecture and placed it into the museum!! Just look!

When we walked more into the Asian/European art, we startled stumbling across more Asian influence and Reshica was able to educate me on all the different gods and stories of the becoming of the gods. This was such a learning experience, that I know I would not have received had I gone with anyone else.

Just look at this fountain and architecture. The museum made it as if you are actually there with all the ambience. It was fantastic the way it was set up. And this doorway was enormous!! I could not even get the whole doorway in the shot!! All the stone and marble seemed seamlessly placed, as if it was built there.

Myself and Reshica in front of the LARGE marble staircase!!

A view to the outside, all the way to Center City. There were about 3 bridal parties taking their pictures out by the fountain.

We made our way through the museum, and ventured downstairs for the Contemporary Art exhibit…until…..a museum worker notified us that the museum was closing in 5 minutes and chances were that we were not going to see the rest of the exhibit. Mind you, we had only seen one room and the other two exhibits took us about an hour to get through each – So chances were that we were not going to see much contemporary art!

We left the museum and chose to walk through the rest of the city. While we were walking around the side, we saw a large line of people waiting…and then I realized….ROCKY!! We had to stop by the Rocky statue and get our picture!!

So the statue is sitting out front the museum, but it had its own line of people taking pictures with it, a man who deemed himself in charge of coordinating the line and even a man selling pretzels/water and ROCKY t-shirts!! It was its own tourist attraction!! So here we are!! GO ROCKY!

Overall, we had such a great day!! Who would have thought a simple Saturday, out at the Museum would become so educational!

So hope you enjoyed your tour of the museum….FREE OF CHARGE!

Been To New York City!

Saturday, July 24th, my suitemate, Reshica, and friend Kat, and I decided to head on up to New York City. We looked into the best way to travel to Manhattan, and we found the MegaBus which is a double decker bus that travels to many locations (one being Manhattan) for cheap rates. If you book your rate in far enough advance, you can purchase your tickets for $1! But sadly we did not purchase them in enough time and ours were about $12.

So Saturday morning, Reshica traveled to the bust stop…only to receive a phone call from Kat to say that the bus was LEAVING…without us!!! Kat was on the bus and we watched as she rode right past us. Fortunately, there was a bus in the next hour that Reshica and I could catch to then meet up with Kat (who would get into NYC an hour and half before us). So we wasted time at 30th Street Station until our bus arrived. We had to wait in line, almost as if we were on standby to make sure there were seats for us. Again, we were lucky enough to grab seats on this bus! We were now NYC bound!!

We arrived and met up with Kat about 1pm that afternoon at New York, 7th Ave & 28th St. At that point, Kat had already searched for food places and shopping so that once we arrived, we could grab some food. We ended up finding a delicious pizza place (my First NYC pizza), which had a large selection of pizzas. You searched for your option, told the workers and they placed your pieces in the oven to heat them up. I chose a chicken parmesan pizza and a broccoli/chicken pizza (which were both huge slices and very, very delicious)! Kat decided since she did not finish both pieces, that she would wrap up the second piece and give it to a homeless person (who we figured would graciously accept).

So we ventured out, into the city. With no real idea of what to do. Luckily, Reshica had a fellow intern that was living in NYC during the weekends who was willing to meet up with us. So we traveled from 7th Ave around town to meet her. I forgot to mention that the day we decided to go, was the hottest day NYC had seen this year (over 100), which was not entirely typical for them. So along the way, we found a 7-eleven store and bought Slurpies (Reshica’s first).

Once we found Megan, she started talking about things we could do in the city. We decided to trust her, and let her take us all over! So we went down to the subway, grabbed a metro pass and jumped on! We were headed to Battery Park and the Staten Island Ferry. Once we arrived to the Ferry, we had to wait inside for the next arriving Ferry. This is a free ferry which takes you over to Staten Island, past Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. It didnt hurt either to take a boat on such a hot day! Once the Ferry arrived, everyone was hustling through the doorway to get onto the Ferry. I couldnt help but think that this seemed (to a minor degree) what Immigration was like. A large mass of people, trying to fit through a doorway to get onto the Ferry to take them to the new land. While on the Ferry, we stood up top to get a perfect view of the New York Harbor.

The ferry is the only non-vehicular mode of transportation between Staten Island and Manhattan. NYC DOT operates and maintains the nine vessel fleet as well as the St. George Ferry Terminal on Staten Island, Whitehall Ferry Terminal in Manhattan, the City Island and Hart Island Facilities, The Battery Maritime Building and all floating dock building equipment. The 5 mile, 25 minute ride also provides a majestic view of New York Harbor and a no-hassle, even romantic, boat ride, for free! One guide book calls it "One of the world's greatest (and shortest) water voyages." (http://www.siferry.com/)

Upon leaving the Ferry, we traveled over to Ground Zero. This was a definite adventure and I was so grateful for the opportunity. We walked the blocks around Ground Zero and it was at that point that I realized how extensive the site was. There was construction all over and security check points to enter into the sites. We walked on over to the World Financial Center, which was a fantastic building in and of itself.

The World Financial Center is a complex of buildings across West Street from the World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan in New York City, overlooking the Hudson River. This complex is home to offices of companies including Merrill Lynch, Nomura Group, the Wall Street Journal and American Express, as well as Dow Jones among others. The entire complex is owned by Brookfield Properties, except for the space occupied by American Express (which American Express owns). The complex also serves as the corporate headquarters for Brookfield Properties, which has its headquarters in Tower Three.

Designed by César Pelli, with Adamson Associates, the complex was built by Olympia and York between 1985 and 1988 on landfill used to build Battery Park City. The fill material came from dirt excavated during the building of the World Trade Center, as well as garbage, dirt and debris.

Portions of the complex, especially the Winter Garden, were severely damaged in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, but have since been reopened after significant repairs.

The complex has its own zip code, 10281. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Financial_Center)

”

This building was so large and beautiful, and provided a nice escape from the city life. There is one large wall that serves as a window to overlook Ground Zero. It was here that you are able to look at the surroundings and see how much work is being done. It is mind blowing to see numerous sky-scrapper building and right there is a large and massive hole in the ground. Together, we were recalling the events to Reshica (who is living in the US for college, originally from Napal), and the recollection of events made me stop and pause. Wow….September 11 happened here…It really happened…and this is what is left…

We stayed here for some time…just talking. It was serene to just walk around the wonderful building and reflect on what this was…

We decided to head out of the World Financial Center and head over to Rockafellar Center to visit the Top of the Rock, which we wanted to catch before total night fall!

We traveled through the subway and by foot to Rockafellar Center. This was a really interesting walk, with lots of sights to see.

Rockefeller Center or Rockefeller Plaza is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering 22 acres (89,000 m²) between 48th and 51st streets in New York City. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue. It was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rockefeller_Center)

The Top of the Rock allows you the opportunity to stand on top of the Rockafellar Center to observe all of NYC at its finest. You travel 70 stories up to be able to visit on multiple levels of the building to view NYC. This is a large tourist attraction and was a wonderful opportunity. I felt so much at peace just walking around and taking pictures.

Central Park The Hudson River

Times Square

Lovely View!!!

Empire State Building

After leaving the Top of the Rock, we had to hurry back to pick up our bus at Penn Station. We grabbed a taxi which took us through Times Square. So even though we didn’t officially see Times Square, at least I got to see a drive by view of it!!

We had already missed our scheduled return bus, but there was a bus that was an hour later than what we selected. So we had to wait in line, anxiously anticipating the bus and hoping that there were enough seats for the 3 of us!!! We sat, stood, hoped and prayed that there would be enough room….AND THERE WAS!! We were able to pick up the bus and head back home!! Overall, the bus was a fantastic way to travel, because the seats were similar to a Greyhound bus and provided a bathroom (which was handy after a long day in the city!).

We eventually made it home, traveling back to 30th street station where Kat took another train back to her place and Reshica and I grabbed a taxi to take us the rest of the way home.

Overall, we had a fantastic day and I felt so grateful for the opportunity. Thanks for riding along with me!

Coming soon…

- Trip to NYC

- The Girls out on the Town

- Phillies Game!

- Josh comes to visit Philly