At the end of our week in that nation's capitol, Kristen and Emery flew back for obligations in DG while Miles and I stayed on the northeast corridor and used Amtrak to knock four more ballparks off our 'bucket list.' Our trip allowed for more than just baseball; we found ourselves expanding our study of history which we had begun in Washington D.C. the week prior. 
June 28: Baltimore
On Sunday morning we said good-bye to D.C. and bordered the Northeast Regional train for Baltimore. Quick trip! Once in Baltimore we dropped off our bags at a Holiday Inn Express, and headed for the ballpark.
Miles and I agreed that "Oriole Park at Camden Yards" was one of our favorites on this particular trip, coming in "second place" behind Boston's Fenway Park. There was a lot to see, hear, smell and taste at Oriole Park, and as fate would have it, we witnessed Baltimore's 5,000th regular season victory. 
At the end of the game, we happened upon the birthplace of Babe Ruth as we were walking back to the hotel.
June 29: Philadelphia
On Monday morning we said farewell to Baltimore, and continued up the coast to Philadelphia.
I had trouble finding a hotel room in downtown Philadelphia, even trying to book months in advance. There was a large technology convention happening in the city, and all the rooms were either already sold, or way out of our price range. I came upon a Bed and Breakfast on the west end of Philly called "Spruce Hill Manor." Set back just a few blocks from Drexel University, it was a good find for us. The Inn Keeper was a very nice woman who made us feel extraordinarily "at home," and provided some sight-seeing tips for our two days in Philly.
On our first afternoon Miles and I decided to try Philadelphia's new bike-rental stations. The museums were closed on Monday, so we ultimately decided to take in a movie together. Later that night we brought Greek food in from a place down the street. I thought a bottle (or several) of Victory's "Summer Love Ale" (brewed in Pennsylvania) would be a great way to top off our day.
June 30: Philadelphia
Tuesday was filled with many, many memorable moments. For starters, we walked over to the Philadelphia Art Museum. We actually didn't tour the museum, but rather recreated the scene from the movie "Rocky" where Sylvester Stallone runs up the steps and jumps up and down, looking back at the downtown center of Philadelphia. 
I had remembered a former teaching colleague, Bob Graham, telling be (once upon a time) about the world's largest pipe organ being housed in a department store in Philadelphia. So the previous night I did some hunting online and - sure enough - found volumes of information about the famed "Wanamaker Organ." Wanamaker's Department Store is now owned by Macy's ... but the organ is still played twice a day (12 noon and 5 PM), so we made sure to be at the store for the first performance of the day.
Here's a short video clip I took with my iPhone while we listened ...
Philadelphia is nicknamed the "City of Brotherly Love," and we found a living/breathing example of that spirit at Rosa's Fresh Pizza, just two blocks away from the Macy's department store where we had just been listening to music.
I had not heard about Rosa's until we landed in Philly. Through a stroke of good-luck, I had seen a post on Facebook (shared by an old college friend) about the owner, and what he was doing to try and help eradicate homelessness in Philadelphia. Here's the story ...
Miles and I visited and ate lunch at Rosa's that day. It's hard to articulate how much love you feel when you walk in the door and see Mason Wartman ministering to the homeless through his pizza place. Or the emotion that comes over you when you buy slices of pizza for the homeless, then realize that the guy standing a few people behind you in line is holding one of the post-it-notes, and IS homeless, and he's one of about 50 people Rosa's will fee that day. Or how humbling it is to be served by someone who was formerly homeless, but is now employed serving others. It took no prodding whatsoever to encourage Miles to pitch-in. He was immediately offering to spend his own money to help others. I've been lucky to eat at some very nice restaurants in my lifetime; I'm confident our lunch on June 30th in Philadelphia will imprint on my memory as one the most meaningful, and one of the most memorable.
After lunch it was on to Independence Hall to see where it all started for our country. It was really fun to visit the birthplace of our Declaration of Independence - and the Liberty Bell - during the July 4th week.
And of course there was the baseball game. Park number 17. The Phillies are currently the worst team in baseball. They were playing the Brewers who are the second to worst team in baseball this year. The stadium was pretty empty ...
July 1: New York
On Wednesday morning we were up early and ready to head for New York. After our second and final breakfast at the B&B, we walked the 3/4 mile back to the Amtrak station.
Miles and I would typically take a photo outside a train station on the morning of our departure (like the one above in Philly). However when we got to New York's Penn Station at about 12 noon on Wednesday, we decided to take our picture right away.
Miles and I had a VERY short turn around in New York to catch a Mets game at Citi Field (formerly Shea Stadium). Because we had both been to NY recently, and neither of us had been to Boston, I decided to skip a hotel overnight in NYC, which would give us an extra day in Boston. It didn't even occur to me, until we were on the train and about to pull into Penn Station just blocks from Times Square, that we might be able to find inexpensive day-of "rush" tickets to a Broadway show. Using my phone I quickly checked a website that listed all the shows currently running and I searched for Wednesday afternoon matinees. I found a few, and described them to Miles. We both agreed that if we could find tickets to the revival of "On The Town," it would be a fun show to see.
The train arrived at Penn at 12 noon. We checked our suitcases through to Boston so we wouldn't have to lug them around the city. By 12:15 we were walking north to 42nd Street. By 12:30 we were in line at the Lyric Theatre Box Office, and shortly after we were holding two half-price tickets for the 2 PM show! That gave us an hour to eat lunch and return to the theatre. Perfect!
The show was spectacular. I love Bernstein's music, and seeing the Jerome Robbins' inspired choreography - much of which is ballet - was tremendous. And, other than the sailors trying to find romance during a 24-hours shore-leave, the theme of a visit to NYC that lasts less than one day was very appropriate for our circumstances.
At this performance, three young people, all close to Miles in age, were performing as guest members of the cast through the "Make-A-Wish" foundation. Story here. It was moving to see the audience reaction to their participation during the curtain-call. What a thrill for those young actors who are each struggling with life-threatening medical conditions.
New York, New York, a helluva town.The Bronx is up, but the Battery's down.
The people ride in a hole in the groun'.
New York, New York, it's a helluva town!
When the show let out at 4:50 PM, it was just in time to "ride in a h ole in the groun'" out to the Mets game. We pushed our way down into the 42nd Street subway station and squeezed on to a Green Line train headed toward Brooklyn and Queens. I hadn't considered how crowded that train was going to be during rush hour, and with each stop Miles and I were both amazed at the number of people that thought they could keep pushing their way onto the train. We had both ridden crowded trains in London and D.C. But this situation was far more claustrophobic. Miles and I were essentially hugging one another and were both completely surrounded on all sides by other bodies. I could have lifted my feet off the ground, and I would have remained upright; that's how tightly we were packed. We commuted like this for 25 minutes, and were happy to finally make it to the ballpark.
Citi Field was a great park. Number 18 for us. Miles really liked the way the infield was mowed, and I liked the way the stadium design team incorporated a "bridge" theme throughout the park to honor the original Shea Bridge. Subtle things, like the lights being banked in a soft curve to mimic the curve of a steel bridge. And not-so-subtle things, like a bridge being constructed in Right field that one could walk across, or pause on to watch the game. 
The reverse train ride, after the game, was far less crowded. Dare I say comfortable? Switched to the Red Line at 42nd Street and made our way back to Penn Station where we waited for our 2:40 AM train to Boston. July 2: Boston
We woke up to some very pretty scenery outside our Amtrak window, as we passed through New Haven, CT.
Upon arrival in Boston, Miles spotted a Dunkin' Donuts in the train station, and asked if he could please have his favorite donut because he thought it would be cool to have a Boston Cream in Boston. I bought him two.
Our hotel in Boston was The Chandler Inn. This had been another tricky reservation to procure. I learned early that a hotel in Boston, during the days leading up to the Fourth of July, is expensive. There was just no way around it. Any standard hotel chain was running rooms at $300 - $400 / night minimum. Those were the prices for discount hotels. The Chandler Inn - an independent hotel - was a great find for the location/price. Being just a few blocks outside of the city center, and in an older (but nicely appointed) building, saved us big.
We went directly to The Chandler that morning, and they (fortunately) already had a room ready for us. We were both wiped out from the overnight train ride in coach. Miles slept some; I slept very little. So our first 4-5 hours in Boston were spent "dead to the world" in our hotel room. When we woke up that afternoon we headed over to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library. I remember taking Miles and Emery to the Reagan Library in California two years ago on the Fourth of July. It was a wonderful history lesson, and I hoped the JFK Library would be similarly inspiring. It was. We both really enjoyed touring the museum, and seeing some of the films presented about President Kennedy.
July 3: Boston
On July 3rd we took the 'T' (Boston's subway) over to Cambridge and took a tour of Harvard. Because July 4th fell on a Saturday, the university admissions department was closed for a holiday, and therefore the "free" walking tours were not being offered. I had read this online in advance, and appreciated the fact that Harvard provided links to docent-led audio tours, with PDF maps, for your smartphone. What a great idea! 
When we got to the campus, it was very busy with many tourists having the same idea we had (tour Harvard). Most tourists were purchasing "tours" by independent contractors who were hawking the guided-tours for a hefty price about a block away from the gates to the campus. Maybe it was just wanting to feel smart around Harvard, but I kind of enjoyed "out-smarting" many others, and following our self-paced and more private audio tour, recorded by current students.
After Harvard we took the T back into Boston, and then transferred to a Bus that took us out to the Charleston Naval Ship Yard. There we toured "Old Ironsides" (The U.S.S. Constitution) and browsed the visitor museum there which is also a National Park.
Then back into Boston to visit the Hay Market area, and grab some pub food at America's oldest brewery. Miles loved the pretzels.
The highlight of the day was, unquestionably, attending the "dress rehearsal" of the Boston Pops at the Hatch Music Shell right on the river. The Boston Pops does a full run of their July 4th program on July 3rd, complete with lights, guest artists, and even limited pyrotechnics.
I had read that on July 4th you have to be in the security line by 6 AM to make it into the oval and find a seat on the lawn. Then you sit there and hold your place for over 12 hours! The line to get into the dress rehearsal was robust, but the queue didn't begin until about 4:30 PM. I had a small back-pack with me when we arrived. As we were whisked into the security line I heard someone telling a friend that back-packs were not allowed, and I saw that others were carrying all of their belongings in clear plastic bags. I paused and asked a State Police Officer if I would be allowed to bring in my back-pack, and showed it to him. "Ya, no problem. They'll search it and tag it, but you'll be fine." So we continued toward the security check point. As we got into a line that had at least 1,000 people in it, a man who was working the security lines informed me that, "No, sir, you cannot bring the back-pack in with you." Miles and I bolted away from the lines and jogged two blocks back toward the first open street where cars were being allowed to drive. Using the "Uber" app we hailed a ride back to the hotel to drop off the bag. I asked the driver to pull up and wait while I ran the bag to the front desk for safe keeping, and then hopped back in the car. Off we went back to the end of the ever-growing line of concert hopefuls. (I have to say, I loved the Uber app at that moment. Within 2 minutes we were in a car, and the total for the ride - to the hotel and back - was $6. Money well spent, as we got into the oval before the closed the gates behind the 10,000 onlookers. The concert was fabulous. I kept thinking, "10,000 people for a dress rehearsal? Really? Wow!"
July 4: Boston
The main event for Independence Day was MLB Park Number 19. The "Boston Cathedral" ... home of the "Green Monster" ... and the oldest park in Major League Baseball. We took the T down to Fenway Park at about 11 AM, and enjoyed walking around the area until we were admitted into the game. I had heard from others that you can't quite describe Fenway Park; you just "have to experience it." I understand that better now. It really is hard to articulate the aura of the park, and how you feel like you are completely transported in time to a bygone era. 
We loved singing the National Anthem at Fenway on July 4th, and seeing the entire Green Monster draped in one of the largest American flags I had ever seen in person.
Following the game we made our way, on foot, across the Charles River back to Cambridge, and had dinner at a "backyard BBQ" sponsored by the Hyatt Hotel. I had read online that it was a ticketed dinner/event open to non-guests who were waiting for the fireworks that night. It turned out to be a nice couple of hours of food and relaxing. Miles introduced himself to some other young people and played 'bags' and football with them on the lawn.
After dinner we made our way up the river to brave the crowds and find space to see the fireworks. We could hear the Boston Pops performing their "real concert" via speakers that were placed along the river. Boston certainly knows how to put on a fireworks show; they were spectacular. 
July 5: Boston - July 6: Chicago
On Sunday morning we packed our bags and headed for the Amtrak station. We boarded the "Lake Shore Limited" and made out way back toward Chicago.
It was a memorable journey, and I feel very blessed to have had the time and resources available to experience it with Miles. Miles, for his part, was extremely grateful and thankful through the entire week. I lost track of how many times he thanked me for a meal, or ballgame tickets, etc. And, for my part, I had the pleasure of witnessing my son's level of independence and confidence as a traveler expand exponentially. Planes ... trains ... and automobiles. We did it all on this trip, and by mid-week it was Miles who was telling his dad which track to line up on, or which direction we needed to walk as we came up out of a subway station.
