Magical Food Eating Tour - Cheers to Boston

Rule #51 – Make pilgrimages.

     Brace yourselves… this may come as a complete shock.

     Ted Danson had a life before his D.B. Russell character on “C.S.I.”. So did Woody Harrelson (“True Detective” and “Hunger Games”), Kelsey Grammer (Mayor Tom Kane in “Boss”) and John Ratzenberger (pick a Pixar character – Hamm, Mack, Harland – he’s a Pixar fixture).

      They – and many others – were on a series called “Cheers”, based on a Boston neighborhood bar where “everybody knows your name”. Each week these characters graced our lives and gave us plenty of laughs. Then the bar closed down in 1993… or did it?

     Anyone who has been to Boston – 84 Beacon Street, to be exact – knows that Cheers lives on. But it doesn’t live the way it lives in our memories. 

One crazy tourist at 84 Beacon St., Boston... home of "Cheers" bar

      The exterior is just like what we see in the opening credits and the many “location” shots during the show. The sign points down to the bar. But when you get to the lower bar, it looks nothing like the set. Well, that’s because the interior was modeled after the Bull and Finch Tavern on the first floor (upstairs). 

Upstairs bar - originally the Bull and Finch Tavern - photo by Joe Knipp, used with permission

      The heck with downstairs – we wanted to eat at Cheers. It was a one hour wait for a table in the lower bar. So we wove our way upstairs and took seats at the bar itself, complete with a seating chart (teacher speak for plaques identifying the places where specific characters sat). My brother took his seat where Tommy the Lawyer sat. My nephew took Norm’s corner of the bar seat. In the show, there was booth and table seating around the bar itself. In the real bar, there’s no room for large tables. There are a few pub tables around, but nothing where you can sit down and relax. If you want table seating, you need to go to Cheers Faneuil Hall/ Quincy Market location. 

Name plate on the bar top where Tommy the Lawyer sat and made Cliff and Norm crazy

      The menu was standard pub fare, with sandwiches named after the various characters on the show. You have Sam’s Starters, Ma Clavin’s soups, Norm’s Sandwiches, and so forth. Both locations serve the same menu.

      We ordered lunch from the bar. It was 100 degrees outside so we just had a burger and fries. The burgers came with lettuce, tomato, and onion, but all on the side, so you could choose to add or not to add. Portion size was generous, but not ridiculous. After drinking about a quart of water, I was able to eat and actually felt hungry. We kept the water coming and the burger and fries disappeared.

      Cheers also had a great assortment of drinks and beers. Sam Adams – any variety out – was the showcase beer. Prices were competitive with other establishments.

      As with any landmark, there’s the requisite gift shop. It’s stocked with bar items, memorabilia, and plenty of “I was there!” tee shirts and sweat shirts. 

Quincy Market - location of the other "Cheers" bar

Faneuil Hall - follow the cobblestone walk between here and Quincy Market and there is "Cheers"

...and I wasn't kidding about cobblestone walk ways....

     We got our chance to compare the Beacon Street location with the Faneuil Hall location on this trip. The atmosphere was just a bit different. Beacon Street has a smaller location. Faneuil Hall has a look that really resembles the set from the show. The bar is larger and is laid out in a similar way to Beacon Street’s. But there is no “seating chart” for fans to enjoy. There is downstairs seating, which is a bit quieter and off the street. The downstairs area looks just like Sam’s “back room”, complete with TV, dart board and smaller bar.

      This is – without a doubt – a must-do pilgrimage for any fan of the TV show, “Cheers”. We got to go to more landmarks in town, and did it on the MTA, which is another story for another time (and soon, too). In the meantime, check your local listings for reruns of “Cheers”, so you can get to know the characters again. And check out the website, http://www.cheersboston.com/main_locations.html for more information and some of the history of the show.

      When you visit either location, don’t worry if nobody knows your name when you walk in. They will know you by the time you leave – it’s that much fun.

All photographs are the property of Marge McGugan, unless noted otherwise. No use or reproduction without written permission.

Magical Food Eating Tour - Stockbridge Story

Rule #3 – Experience everything.

You might have heard this before.

I know I have.

This is about Alice’s Restaurant. It’s not really the name of the restaurant. Not now anyway. It’s now Theresa’s Stockbridge Café… formerly Alice’s Restaurant.

It’s about my visit to Stockbridge, Massachusetts and how we found Alice’s Restaurant.

One fine, hot summer day in July, we left our vacation home in the Berkshire Mountains. It was time for a day trip. So we all piled into the brand new, adorably blue Ford Es-ca-pe and drove due south to Stockbridge. We drove through some great looking towns on our way. Some towns had architecture that looks like it could be an old movie set. Some towns had a village green, and you could just imagine Jimmy Stewart running down the snowy center of town wishing everyone a Merry Christmas. Then, we see the dawn of technology in I-90, also known as the Massachusetts Turnpike. Well, we weren’t fixin’ to head east toward Boston or west toward Albany so we just road past the MassPike. We got a bit farther down the road and there it was, like a scene right out of a picture post card… or a drawing… or a Norman Rockwell portrait. It was the Red Lion Inn and Stockbridge General Store – hell; it WAS right out of a Norman Rockwell portrait. It makes sense since he lived here and all.

Stockbridge General Store

Downtown Stockbridge

 

We parked my brand new, adorably blue Ford Es-ca-pe on the street and started to wander around town. We tried not to get lost and that wasn’t too hard to do. The town center is only three blocks long. But there was so much back behind the stores. We wandered back down one of the small alleys off Main Street and found lots of boutique shops. My favorite was called Peace, Love and Chocolate – my three favorite things. It was tucked in around the back of the general store. We did get lost in the old Town Office building, which is now a Yankee Candle Store. It’s a good thing those candles don’t have contraband fragrances, because we were sniffing and snorting for at least a good half hour.

Peace, Love and Chocolate

Our wandering was starting to involve a search for food. Then we see this sign. It said “Cafe”. Where there’s a cafe, there’s food, usually. So we went around the back to the restaurant. And were we surprised to see Alice’s name still on the restaurant. And it was open. And it had people in it. So we walked right in and sat down.

The sign taking us around the back

We're open for business

The café had the look of the 1970’s with yellow walls and some hippie-type paintings hanging around. There were some great memories hanging up on those yellow walls, too. Arlo Guthrie’s guitar – signed and autographed – was up on the wall at the restaurant. So was a fantastic drawing of a VW microbus with trash stuffed in the back. So was Alice’s apron from the original restaurant. There were a few of the 27 8x10 color glossy pictures with circles and arrows… but we didn’t see the paragraphs on the back describing the details. We did see color glossy photographs of Arlo, and Alice, and Theresa, the new owner of Alice’s Restaurant.

Autographed album cover

Signed Guthrie Guitar

VW Microbus from the story

Alice's first apron, used at the restaurant

8x10 glossy color photograph of Arlo, Alice and Theresa

Now we sat down and placed our order. That day was a gorgeous, hot, summer day and the restaurant was a bit short handed. We waited for our food…and we waited for our food…and we waited…well, some people might have just walked out. Be we were hungry and finally our food was delivered. We had big sandwiches that had lots of fillings and plenty of chips and/or fries on the side. We had a mixed-greens salad delivered that was fresh, and looking better than Alice ever would be. I had a felafel! In beautiful, downtown Stockbridge Massachusetts on this bright, beautiful hot summer day, I had the best felafel I ever ate. It was stuffed with sprouts, tomato and lettuce. It had lots of tahini sauce over the top. And the felafel itself…it had just the right amount of garlic and spices, and not much mint at all. Wish I had an 8x10 color glossy photograph of my felafel so you could see just how delicious it was…before I scarffed it down.

Menu back tells the story of the Alice's Restaurant Massacre

We had one more stop to make before we left the restaurant. Yeah, that little room, you know about it. I went in and found some more of the 27 8x10 color glossy photographs hanging up in there. Guess the paragraphs on the back were in case you got stuck there for a bit.

Yep, we were there

Then it was time to hit the road. We double checked the sign on the front door of the restaurant. It says Theresa’s Stockbridge Café…formerly Alice’s Restaurant. Yeah, we were there. We are going back there too. How about you?

Come on and join us… with full orchestration and four-part harmony…

You can get anything that you want at Alice’s Restaurant… it’s now Theresa’s.

You can get anything you want at the Café Restaurant.

Walk right in, it’s around the back. Just a half a mile from the railroad tracks.

You can get anything that you want at Theresa’s Stockbridge Café.

 All photographs are the property of Marge McGugan. Copy or reuse not permitted without written permission.

 

Original "Alice's Restaurant", downloaded from YouTube

Magical Food Eating Tour - Nashville

Rule #37 – Everything is better with friends and family

Load uuuuuppppp!

Load up for the Food Eating Tour!

The Magical Food Eating Tour is ready to take you away… ready to take you away, take you today.

                                     (apologies to John Lennon and Paul McCartney)

     This may sound insensitive and criminal – to talk about food so close to the New Year and all those weight loss resolutions. We see commercial after commercial for diet products and gym memberships at this time of the year. Like it’s our time of atonement for the food sins of the past year… sorry, I don’t think so.

     Fact – Eating nourishes the body – and the soul and the interpersonal relationships and the mind and – well, I could go on.

     Last May, I got a chance to experience a total foodie experience aboard the General Jackson Steamboat in Nashville. It was during my pilgrimage to Music City with my daughter and my aunt. We decided to try something totally different on this trip. Now, I’ve been to big dinners before; been to dinner theaters and wine tasting parties, too. This was a trip back into time, back to a simpler era of travel.

General Jackson Steamboat Cruise

     The General Jackson moors on the Cumberland River, just outside of the Opryland Hotel. As we queued up, we listened to local musicians playing some hard-core country music. Some potential passengers even started dancing. That’s when I knew I was attending a spontaneous party.

Top deck party central

     As we boarded the boat for our evening cruise, we were greeted by a few costumed hosts. They encouraged us to move freely around the boat. We could head to the upper deck, where we found a bar – and another band. It was cocktail time, and, yes, we did indulge even though alcohol was not part of the event price. Soon the paddle wheel started turning, we slipped our mooring, and we were rollin’ (rollin’), rollin’ (rollin’), rollin’ on the river. Ah, a sunset cruise on the Cumberland!

Admission covers cruise, food and entertainment

      We were seated in the dining room shortly after we left the dock. There’s nothing like the feeling you just stepped onto the set of “Gone With The Wind” or “Showboat”. The master of ceremonies soon arrived on stage to greet us all, announce birthdays and anniversaries, recognize tour groups, and get us in the mood for a fun-filled, foodie experience.

Ready to go

      Our waiter and his assistant introduced themselves to our table and checked for food allergies. I made sure that my daughter’s onion allergy was noted when I booked the tickets. Our waiter discussed the particulars with her and took the information back to the kitchen. He showed us where the cash bar was located, in case anyone at our table wanted adult beverages. Then the feast began.

Salad for starters

      Course number one was your basic salad. Here we served ourselves the dressing of choice, in the amount we wanted. Breads were already available, as was water, tea and coffee, and soft drinks.

Main course of beef tenderloin and shrimp

Our main course was beef tenderloin in a red wine reduction, spiced shrimp, garlic mashed potatoes, and green beans.  The proteins were cooked to perfection. The beans were crisp, and not mushy at all. The potatoes – well- Yo Chef, how about sharing the recipe? The timing was perfect between the salad course and the main course. We had enough time as a table group to get to know each other. It also gave us time to swap tourist stories and get suggestions on what else to see in Nashville. No one felt rushed during the meal.

Sunset over Nashville in May

Home of the Tennessee Titans

Recycled roller coaster parts make interesting art

      After the main course, we had a long break in the food action. We all got a chance to get up and walk around the boat again. The sun was setting by then and we sailed into Nashville’s downtown area. We stood on the deck and got a glimpse of the Clubs at the waterfront. Yes, we found Coyote Ugly. We sailed past LG Stadium, home to the Tennessee Titans NFL team. We steamed on past a unique sculpture made from discarded amusement park rides. Along the way, we passed under a number of the bridges linking downtown with the eastern suburbs of the city. Lots of people stood on the bridges and waved as we went by.

Dessert - before

      After that half hour break, and adult beverage refills, we sat down to the ultimate comfort dessert – cheesecake, with chocolate and strawberries. The add-ons were a choice each diner had – one, the other or both. Decisions… decisions…

Dessert - after.... happy tummy

Show - The Heart of Tennessee

      Once dessert was cleared, our show began. The cast took us on a musical tour through the Heart of Tennessee. The presentation divided the state into three sections, grouped around the three major cities. We visited the eastern part of the state, around Knoxville and the Appalachians, where we learned about the origins of bluegrass music. Next we musically stopped on the western side, around Memphis. Here we caught up with early rock and roll, rockabilly, and the blues. Lastly, we focused on the central part of the state, around Nashville, the center of country music. Audience members got involved with the cast on stage, dancing. Many of us (like me) didn’t wait for the invitation. We just danced near our tables. There’s some YouTube video floating somewhere of all of us free lance dancers.

Music from Memphis

      We left the dock at 6 pm and returned around 10 pm. None of us were ready to call an end to the evening.

      Next time you head to Nashville, check out the General Jackson Showboat. Shows change depending on the season, and so does the menu. Tickets can be purchased before your trip at http://www.generaljackson.com/ and prices vary depending on the boat and the meal you choose. Vegetarian and gluten free menus are also available, but you need to note any dietary issues when you book your tickets.

      Step back in time, set a spell, and relax with an evening on the General Jackson. You’ll make lots of new friends and enjoy the company you bring.

      And – like we were told as we left the showboat - y’all come back now, hear?

All photos are the property of Marge McGugan. No reuse or copying without written permission.

Another year older...

Rule #44 – Avoid acting your age

     I am torn between this Rule 44 and Rule 56, which is “It is what it is”. Rule 44 seems more appropriate for my musings at this time. Yet, why do I hear Tennessee Ernie Ford singing "Sixteen Tons" in my head right around now?

     Well, Happy New Year, Self - and to everyone else, too. Today is a day when everyone looks back at the year that was and generally says “Damn! Where did that year go? Who hit the fast forward button on Mr. Peabody’s time machine?” 

Follow me, Sherman...

     Most people use a variety of other words to describe the swift passage of time. I won’t use those words here. I will look at the past year and see how things have changed for me personally. The year of 2013 is, after all, the unplanned first year of a new me.

      Let’s see… what HAS changed…

      I am now a season ticket holder with the Baltimore Orioles. It is one of the best moves I made for my own sanity.

      I am – for this year anyway – a subscription holder at the Baltimore Hippodrome Theater. They bring Broadway tour productions to our town. And I finally saw “Jersey Boys”.

     I have my own investment portfolio… not that it means anything in this economy. But I plan on living through the next economic bubble when gains grow exponentially, not the losses.

     I am collecting my teacher pension.

     I vacationed in some great places and did the things I wanted to do while on vacation. Yes, those things included spending cash. But really, have you ever seen a Brinks truck follow a hearse to the cemetery? No, neither have I. So I am having some fun.

      I saw two great concerts this past year. In July, Paul McCartney played at Nationals Stadium. I was there and have the tee shirt to prove it. Ahhhhh…. My first love!!!! I remember sitting in front of the TV, watching Ed Sullivan introduce the Beatles… oh, crap… was it really FIFTY years ago? All of a sudden I feel “old”.

     Two nights ago I saw Jeff Dunham live in Baltimore. He had his buddies with him – Achmed, Walter, Jose, Peanut – and he brought in Little Jeff and a new character, Coffee Guy. I related to Coffee Guy, because I also drink too much caffeine. But to say I enjoyed a live comic show… well, is the Pope a cool Catholic? Of course!

     Last night I spent New Year’s Eve at church. Now don’t freak… I haven’t gone Holy Roller or anything. My parish hosted a New Year’s Party for adults. I decided to go. Dinner, dancing, champagne at midnight… it was all there. I sat at the singles table and all nine of us agreed we weren’t “singles”; we were Lone Foxes. If you check YouTube, there’s probably some great video of the goofy dance moves we all made. But I did have fun. I danced like I haven’t danced in years. And I came home and iced my knee… feeling a bit more “old”.

     Looks like I did a lot of things in 2013 that I normally wouldn’t have done for one reason or another. I tried a lot of things I wouldn’t have considered before now. Like auditioning for a female Barbershop Chorus… and I made it. I sing baritone in the chorus. I’ll work on feeling comfortable in a quartet set-up for the future.

     The biggest thing that has changed is my attitude toward myself. Yes, I still want to lose weight (like, who doesn’t?). But I’ve stopped even considering myself as “old”. I remember that Hub used to say, “Now we are getting older...” I always wanted to smack him after that phrase came out of his mouth. Chronologically, he was right; we all are getting older. But we don’t have to get “old”. I am not going to focus on what I don’t have or what I'm missing. It’s time to focus on what I CAN do. It’s time to respect the experiences I’ve had… time to feel wise enough to know better, but brave enough to do things and act foolishly anyway.

     Guess I have changed in a year. But I am so NOT old. I am full-bodied… well-seasoned… vintage. Yes, that’s it… I’m vintage.

Great stuff... with more to come

     Now it’s time for Rule #56 – It is what it is.

      So true.

Lighting my fire

Rule #20 – Draw inspiration from anything and everything.

     We turned the page on the calendar. It’s now the end of December. November flew by too quickly, but not without some productivity. Ok, so I haven’t really blogged in a while. November was rough for me emotionally with the first year of Hub’s passing under my belt. People keep reminding me to be good to myself, take care of myself. And I’ve been trying to do just that. It’s time to add a few things to the daily mix of stuff to do. To get my head back in the writing game a bit more, so to speak.

      I got a fantastic opportunity to do just that on October 27. My regional SCBWI chapter hosted a local event for authors to kick off PiBoIdMo and NaNoWriMo. We got together in Annapolis and psyched each other up for a 30-day romp through creativity. We practiced some exercises to change a POV of things, people and animals.

     Teacher-brain alert – define the acronyms. Self, you’ve hung out with military and federal workers way too long.

     PiBoIdMo is Picture Book Idea Month. It’s the brain-child of Tara Lazar, blogger of “Writing for Kids while Raising Them” and author of “The Monstore”. The challenge for authors is to come up with an idea a day for the thirty days of November, then spend the next eleven months developing these ideas into picture books. It’s a great chance to raise some of those ideas from the dust pile of my desk (or brain) and play with them. Just what could these ideas become?

     NaNoWriMo is National Novel Writing Month. The goal here is to write your novel’s first draft in thirty days. Then you are to spend the next eleven months polishing, editing, and pitching the novel for publication.

     SCBWI is the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators. This group is a professional organization for writers in the very broad children’s literature field. I say it’s a broad field because it covers everything from “Pat the Bunny” to “Twilight”, fiction and non-fiction, picture books, graphic novels, and some young adult work.

     POV is – here, at least – point of view. In some circles it’s also a privately owned vehicle. But for our purposes, a change in POV means to take our brains for a drive down different roads to see sights from another perspective. For instance, one exercise we did was to pull an item out of a box. We held it for a few minutes and imagined what we could do with it in a story. I pulled out a mustache… then imagined my 5-year old boy character and the people he could become if he put the magic muzzie on his mug or on his dog.

     I found out I have an imagination that maybe shouldn’t be allowed out in public without a chaperone.

     Thanks to Sarah Maynard and Lisa Perez for getting the creative juices flowing. Together they hosted a PiBoIdMo kickoff event at Annapolis Public Library. There were about twenty other children’s authors and illustrators on hand, all trying to get past the holidays and get into inspiration. Some are already published authors. Some of us are not. But we all tried to come up with ideas for picture books or novels for kids that could be morphed into manuscripts or illustrations…. That could morph into published works and money.

Sarah Maynard signing in participants for the Kickoff

Lisa Perez, ready to help NaNoWriMo participants

Lisa and Sarah get the Kickoff under way

     Both writers share their writer inspirations, from Corey Rosen Schwartz to Roald Dahl. We all participated in conversations, when, after a specific time period, we were asked to pull inspiration from what we discussed. It was amazing how many of us took the question “Where are you from?” and let it run wild with ideas.

Participants come up with ideas on the fly

     We also discussed a variety of organizations schemes for this project. Many of us have files, notebooks, notepads, and sketch books. But we were challenged on how accessible are our ideas. Can we reach an idea and let it take hold? Do we even open the file drawer? What gets us started? What do we do when writer’s block sets in? How long is too long to rest a draft? When is enough rewriting enough rewriting? How can we be inspired by the internet? So many questions - and so many different ways to answer those questions!

Time to share some inspiration

Items in the hand inspire creative ideas

       That’s when I made up my mind that this was the year. I was going to sign on to the Facebook page and join in the challenge. I found some index cards, thanks to my good buddy. The color coding fit my organizational scheme, too. If I pull out a yellow card, I am developing a character. Blue cards are story lines… and so forth.

What organizational style works for you?

     The crazy thing about this challenge is how successful it was. I have more than 30 ideas now. I got inspired by some unusual things. There was a YouTube video that gave me inspiration on how children feel safe in their environment. There were old character friends that I revisited and punched up their back stories. There was an idea a garden club buddy gave me about light and darkness. My little buddy, David, now has some more wild and wonderful adventures to enjoy. Plus my traveling… where can my beloved coffee mug rest this time?

     Sarah closed the event with a fantastic quote from Roald Dahl’s writings. The participants swapped business cards. We all committed to the month of ideas and seeing it through.

Sarah shares a closing quote

     But… the ideas are only the beginning. What we do with those ideas will be the payoff. We all have each other to help bounce ideas back and forth. We are our own support group. Add chocolate and it becomes a therapy session. We can do this. We know we can. We know we can.

     So now, on the brink of 2014, the commitment is made. Ideas will become manuscripts. Manuscripts will become books. Books will always be timeless and our personal gift to the future.

     Self, make it so.

 All photos are the property of Marge McGugan and may not be reused or copied without written permission.

Help! I've fallen off the face of the earth!

Rule #3 - Experience Everything

Wow! Does time fly!

There has been so much happening, I haven't had a chance to write it all down yet. Since the last post I've done a lot of traveling. I never once thought I'd get tired of packing myself up and taking off for parts unknown. But - believe it or not - I have. It's mid-December and I'm home. I'm tired. I need to get ready for the holidays.

But, I have been sticking to my rules. In the past month or so, I managed to do the PiBoIdMo (more later) and now I have an index card file of ideas, characters, character profiles, and story lines for kids' books. I drove by myself to Ohio. Got a chance to spend some serious q-time with my brother and his family. We found another winery (this should surprise NO one). Massachusetts played host to me for Thanksgiving. Then, it was back to Williamsburg for the Grand Illumination. More on all of this later.

In between all of this, my furnace decided it needed work. One new oil tank later - and a surprise greeting of 43 degrees in the house upon return from Virginia - I am back giving thanks and praise to the gods of central heating. With doors open and weather getting colder, guess which of the animal persuasion decided to bunk in for a while? You guessed right if you guessed mice. There was quite a lot of evidence of Mickey's presence in various areas of the house. Oh Mickey, it's not fine! You're in my house, which blows my mind. No, Mickey! Go, Mickey! Traps, baits, and poisons used - and now I hope he's gone to the Great Cheese Factory in the sky.

Add to this, all the events, meetings, discussions, and paperwork that goes with my church work. Our parish is in the process of consolidating with another local parish. There are deadlines set and they need to be met. I plan to do the best I can with this stuff. The timing stinks on all of these deadlines.

Guess all of this was Karma's way of keeping my mind busy through a rough anniversary. Yes, it's been a year since Hub passed. The professional pundits were right - the first year SUCKS! All the paperwork and decisions that need to be made - it all came crashing down around my head. Now, as I go into year two, I find myself trying to redefine myself as a newly minted single. It's now time to start actually cleaning out Hub's things. It's time to get back to work writing seriously. It's time to take a few more steps toward moving on. Ok, year two REALLY SUCKS!

Now I need to get some things taken care of around the house - like housework. My pet dust bunnies - Kevin, Stuart, Ted, and all their friends - took over parts of the house. I need to sweep them out. Time to finish Christmas shopping, then wrapping. Time to decorate for Christmas. There are some people who still don't know that Hub is gone, so I need to remedy that.

Someone said that sleep was overrated. I will debate that issue, but right now I must buy into it. I really need to organize myself a bit better. Here's hoping it can happen.

I have to make it so... Christmas is coming!

Breathe, Self! Now pay the bills, and get cracking... Where's the coffee?

NOW it's the end of summer... and baseball

Rule # 53 – Keep an attitude of gratitude always.

     At this time period, October is over. Baseball just finished its second season with only two teams remaining in the end. Alas, not my Orioles or Phillies. Not this year. I sat back and watched Boston jump all over St. Louis for the World Series. 

     But keeping to the rule, with the O’s not in the postseason, what on earth do I have to be grateful for from this past year in baseball? So much… way too much is the answer. Let’s take a look at this past year from the perspective of the birds of an orange feather.

     The O’s are in the toughest division in all Major League Baseball, with the Yankees, Red Sox, Rays and Blue Jays. Out of all five teams, four of them were within 5 games of first place beyond the All Star Break in July and even into September. That’s a pretty tight race all season long. And it was any team’s division to win up until the last full week of play. Two division teams made it to the postseason, the Sox and Rays.

     In past years - as close as 5 years ago - many a year us Oriole fans watched in melancholy as our beloved birds of the orange feather were eliminated from any postseason hopes by the Fourth of July. This year, however, we were in it until almost the end. And even after elimination, the team continued to play their hearts out. After all, our last series was with the Red Sox. We had to beat those guys on general principles.

     It was a fantastic season to watch. Chris Davis set the club home run record. Manny Machado had fans lining up to buy him his first legal beer as he turned 21 during the All Star break. His play at third base was phenomenal. Brian Roberts came back from injury to share second base duties with Ryan Flaherty. Both fellows did the position proud, and both fellows earned their keep in the hitting department. Chris Tillman emerged as a class A starting pitcher. Don’t forget the best catcher in Matt Weiters. We sent Adam Jones, Chris Tillman, J.J. Hardy, Manny Machado, and Chris Davis to the All Star Game. With Davis nicknamed “Crush”, Baltimore became a historic site – Mt. Crushmore!

     And that’s just the start of it all.

     What really put the crabmeat on the mac-‘n-cheese hot dog was the season tickets. I sat behind one of the upper camera wells. The camera man was fun to watch when tight plays were called – or more likely, miscalled. We got to know the folks sitting around us – many teachers and retired teachers. We got to know our usher and his family. Getting to know names and faces, seeing the same people each Sunday – making some great new friends – that was the really great part of seeing an O’s game in person. Ok, I have to admit it was great hanging at the Irish Pub bar near the elevators and doing a celebrity watch. Several were on hand for a variety of Sunday games and they had the suites behind our seats.

     I did see the Phillies in action this year, at Nationals Park in D.C. and at Citizen’s Bank Park in Philadelphia. This was their struggle year and it wasn’t pretty at all. Manager Charlie Manual got bounced from the job in August. Ryne Sandberg took over and the team showed some promise. But that’s for next year. 

     So, thank you, Baseball, for a great season. I ticked three parks off my 32 Pilgrimage list. I am officially a Club Level Brat, since those seats get access to air conditioning, great food, a party atmosphere, and, oh yeah, air conditioning when needed. Can’t wait to see other parks and taste their signature food.

     Thank you, Richard Gere, for throwing out the first pitch on Father’s Day. You make grey look great (I’m still drooling).

     Thank you, Kevin Spacey, for spending several Sundays watching the O’s from the Club Level. I’m still kicking myself for missing the July 14 game when you threw out the first pitch.

     Thank you to our Irish Pub bartenders, who looked at us and didn’t say a word – they just pulled the Guinness. They knew… they just knew.

     Most of all, thank you Orioles. I saw the best games played in the best park, Oriole Park. Baltimore has some crazy cool fans who love the competition. That stadium can rock.

     And just in case you are counting…as of this writing, there are 104 days until pitchers and catchers report to spring training around the 12^th of February. There are only 151 days until Opening Day on March 31. 

     Guess who the Orioles open the season playing… you got it – the World Champion Boston Red Sox.

     It is so ON, Beantown! It is so ON!