Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Bucket List Item #1: Check!

A DREAM COME TRUE
 
Going to Yankee Stadium was Number One on my Bucket List. I was able to check it off. Mission Accomplished!

Thanks to Wells College friends, my dream of many, many decades finally came true.



I was born a Yankees fan. I inherited my passion from my father. Not only did he instill in me a love for the Yankees but also a love for the game of baseball. I don't believe there is another sport as interesting, as exciting, as intelligent as baseball. It is challenging and never boring.

My two friends Louise and Dotty organized the outing - studying the Yankees home schedule and then purchasing the tickets.

NEW YORK

I took Amtrak up to NYC on September 23 and was met at Penn Station by Dotty. We then returned to her house where I spent the night. I met her charming husband. Dotty and her husband are a wonderful couple. They have written over 100 books together. Very impressive!

Dotty and Tom have written a wonderful Samurai Detective series for young adults (and more mature adults like me) and a series of books on immigration (e.g. the Scandinavian American Family Album). 



That evening Dotty and I went out for dinner to Haru, a wonderful Japanese restaurant. I have never eaten such delicious sushi in all of my life. (I left my camera at Dotty's so I unfortunately missed a great photo op.)

YANKEE STADIUM

Then The Big Day arrived. Dotty and I took the subway to Yankee Stadium where we met Louise. There I stood - in front of the Yankee Stadium. What a feeling! What excitement I felt! Then we went inside. I felt even more excited!

Monument Park


Louise first led us down to Monument Park. So many of my favorite players are commemorated there.


           Phil Rizzuto, My First True Yankee Love 




                                   Phil Rizzuto



            Another Old Favorite: Mickey Mantle

 
A more recent favorite: Mariano Rivera

Seats in the Stands

Then we went up to our seats - great seats behind 3rd base.


                         Dotty, Chris, Louise

Jeter on the Field

What energy in the stadium! Overpowering! Of course, the focus was on Jeter. It was his next-to-the-last game. Je- ter! Je - ter! Je -ter!


       A photo of Jeter at the plate

The Yankees lost to the Orioles but it was exciting, thrilling, memorable in spite of the loss. I had seen Jeter before - at Camden Yards and at Target Field - but seeing him on his home turf, in his office (his shortstop territory) was priceless.

Dinner at Candlestick Vegan Restaurant
 
After the game we three took the subway back to Dotty's and we then went out to dinner. We met Noni and Cathy, two other Wells girls, at Candlestick, a vegan restaurant with interesting, excellent food.


               Sweet Wells Girls: Chris, Cathy, Noni, Louise, and Dotty


Desserts - carrot cake, chocolate cake, and sweet potato pie

Home Again
 
Then I went back home with Noni where I spent the night. The next morning she accompanied me to Penn Station to catch my train back to DC.

What a great adventure! I think I will put A Second Trip to Yankee Stadium on my Bucket List!

Thank you, Wells Girls!



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