Old Baseball Stadiums

As many of you know, I am a huge baseball fan.  I try to go to games at any city that I visit.  I have been known to drop plans with friends and family over important games.

I will be writing many posts throughout the season of the different stadiums that I have visited.  The first post will be about stadiums that are not in use by baseball teams any more.  They have been dropped for newer stadiums. 

Rickwood Field, Birmingham, Alabama

  
This stadium sits in a far corner of Birmingham.  It was the home of the Birmingham Barons and the Black Barons (back when the leagues were separated by color).  It is still used for a few league games each year, but mostly in movies and tv shows needing an older style stadium (it is the first stadium shown in the movie 42: The Jackie Robinson Story).  Free self guided tours are available.  You can even go out onto the playing field, if they aren't getting ready for an event.


RFK Stadium, Washington, DC

When Major League Baseball decided that they wanted to bring baseball back to our nation's capital, they decided to bring the team back to the previous home of the Washington Senators. It was the home of the Redskins and is now the home of the D. C. United MLS team.  The Washington Nationals called RFK home for a few years.  A subway stop is located nearby.  You walk around the National Guard Armory to arrive at the stadium.  It is an older stadium, with very few concession areas or restrooms.  A new stadium was built downtown in 2007.

Shea Stadium, Flushing, Queens, New York

Shea Stadium was the previous home of the New York Mets.  It was built in 1961.  I was not able to visit during baseball season so I just walked around the stadium to get some pictures.  Being a Braves fan, I know it as one that Chipper played in so well that the fans booed him every chance that they could.  It was demolished to make room for parking for the new Citi Field (built right behind Shea).  The number 7 subway stop is Mets/Williets Point.  The Arthur Ashe Stadium (home of the U. S. Open) is nearby, along with Flushing Meadows Park and the globe and towers leftover from the World's Fair.

Yankee Stadium, Bronx, New York

The House That Ruth Built was opened in 1923.  Ride the subway to 161St/ Yankee Stadium stop.  The old stadium was located right off the stop.  Since the line is elevated, you go down the stairs to get to the stadium.  Some restaurants, bars, and shops are under the line.  I was not able to see a game at this stadium either, so I only have a few pictures.  I was able to walk around and see the construction of the new stadium across the street.  It is also called Yankee Stadium.  Many of the statues and memorabilia have been transferred over.

 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I have been lucky enough to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in three major cities.  They all have parades in the morning and different festivities during the day.  Here are pictures from the three cities.

DUBLIN

I was in Dublin for St. Patrick's Day in 2000.  One of the places you must visit while there is the St. Patrick's Cathedral. It dates back to 1220.  
Here is a pic from the parade route along the O'Connell Bridge.

Boston
I was able to see the second largest parade in the U. S. when I visited Boston in 2006.  We set up off of W. Broadway Street in South Boston to watch the parade.

New York City
In 2007, I was able to see the largest parade, in New York City.  We set up across from St. Patrick's Cathedral to watch all the marchers.  I also got to see Michael Bloomberg and Rudy 
Guiliani. 

Selma to Montgomery March

In honor of Black History Month, I thought I would write a couple of things about some Civil Rights sites I have visited.

The first entry will be about the Selma to Montgomery March.  In March 1964, African-Americans were fighting for the right to vote.  The first march, on March 7, went from downtown Selma to the Edmund Pettus Bridge where the marchers were stopped by tear gas and policemen.  The second march, on March 9, was a symbolic one led by Martin Luther King, Jr.  The final march began on March 21 and ended on March 25.  The group walked 52 miles from Selma to downtown Montgomery.  This helped bring about the Voting Rights Act of 1965

The day that we visited happened to be a voting day, which made the visit even more special.  The buildings are still used as public building, so there are not tours that I know of.  There are brochures at the Selma Library with the significant sites of the town.  Here are some pictures of the sights in Selma and along U.S. 80.

 Bethel A.M.E. Church was where all three marches began.  It is right beside one of the now major voting precincts.  Services are still held here.

Dallas County Courthouse.  The marchers would stop here to let their concerns be known.  It was the voter registration office in the 1960s.

The Edmund Pettus Bridge is the only way out towards Montgomery.  The first march was stopped here by police.

 These three signs mark where the marches would camp each night.  They would cover about 12 miles per day.  The signs are along U.S. 80.  It is very moving to see how fast you can cover these places in a car while these people walked the whole way.

The Alabama State House in Montgomery.  This was the final destination of the marchers.  They reached it after 5 days.

Seattle, Washington

I recently visited Seattle for a conference but was able to do a little sightseeing.  The first thing about Seattle is that it is a very walkable city.  Everything is close by, especially if you are staying Downtown, requiring walking only a few blocks.  It is also a very eco-friendly city.  You ride in Prius taxis.  Some of the hotels even have sections in the trash cans for recyclables.  The conference center had three sections, trash, recyclables, and compost.  Everyone thinks it rains all the time in Seattle.  There is rain, but not heavy showers.  You can walk around with just a hood on.

Of course, the first place to visit is Pike's Market.  You can find anything there.  Walk the stalls for fresh vegetables, flowers, and many homemade items.  The big draw are the fish stalls where the workers throw the fish.

The other place you have to visit is the Space Needle.  You can take the Monorail from Westlake Center (for $2.25 each way) which only stops at the Needle.  At the top of the Space Needle is a cafe and an open air area with great views.  You can stay all day and get great pictures of Puget Sound, the city, and sometimes Mount Rainier.  Many other sights are nearby.  The Chihuly Garden and Glass showcases many pieces made entirely out of glass along with trees, flowers, and other plants.  You actually ride the monorail through the Experience Music Project.  There are exhibits, oral histories, and other displays from many musicians and other artists.

A less known area is Pioneer Square.  It is the original area of Seattle.  There are some original buildings, a Pagoda, and a (not original) totem pole dedicated to Chief Seattle.  The Underground Tour that will take you to see all the tunnels and underground areas of the city starts here.  Take a bus (they run in a tunnel under the city) to Yesler Way and walk down to the square.  Yesler Way is the orginial Skid Row (called that because loggers would skid the logs down the road to the harbor). Do visit this area during the day time.  There are a lot of bars and shelters nearby.

Near Pioneer Square is the Smith Building.  When it was built in the early 1900s, it was one of the tallest buildings west of the Mississippi at 45 stories.  Now you can ride up the (original) elevator to the top to also get great views of the city, including the Space Needle.  ***Tip-This is a cheaper alternative to the Needle.  It costs $7.50 for the Smith Building while the Needle is $19.  You do not get up as high as the needle though***

Martin Luther King Jr. Historical Site

Today is the day that we celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday.  I thought I would talk a little about the site in Atlanta.  The historical site hosts displays about all parts of the Civil Rights Movement but especially that in Atlanta.  The wagon that carried his casket is the first thing that you see as you go in.  There is an added section that shows Coretta Scott King's work after the death of her husband.  You can tour Ebenezer Baptist Church where he preached.  Both have tombstones at the center.  MLK Jr.'s is on an island in a waterfall memorial.  Coretta is nearby.  When I visited, it was very quiet and still, which added greatly to the serenity of the scene.  As we were leaving, a group of intercity middle schoolers arrived.  They couldn't understand why others, like my mom who lived in that time period, were so moved by seeing these pieces of history.  I hope that they now can learn about this great historical figure who helped bring so much change to our country.  I highly recommend visiting the site when you visit Atlanta.

Washington, DC part 3

Final post about Washington.  Here are random other things that you can do.

One big adventure is to visit Arlington Cemetery.  Any person who has served in the Armed Forces can request to be buried there.  This is also the place where JFK, Jackie Kennedy, and Robert Kennedy are buried.  The eternal flame goes on at the grave site.  You can also see the ceremony at the tomb of the unknown soldier.  It is a very solemn experience, but not one to miss.

  Two other places that you should tour are the White House and the Captiol.  Both tours are free, but you have to schedule them in advance.  You schedule both through your Congressman.  When we went, we got our passes through Rep. Henry Brown (for Horry County).  One of his interns gave us a tour of all the back offices, the rotunda, and the House of Representatives chamber.  We even got to watch a couple of the Representatives speak about topics.  The White House tour is self guided.  You must request the tickets very early in advance.  When you get there, you can only bring your ID (which you must have) and your keys.  No bags, cell phones, cameras, etc.  You get to walk through a few of the rooms and tour guides/secret service agents are there to answer questions.  You must go through security screenings for both.

 The final place is the U.S. Marine Corps (Iowa Jima) Memorial.  It is not around the same area as the Mall, Capitol, and White House.  You must take the subway to the Rosslyn Station and walk to the memorial.  There is a small park with the memorial in the middle.

I hope this has given you a little taste of what to see and do in Washington, DC.  Please feel free to ask questions in the comments and I will try my best to answer them.

Washington, DC part 2

My second post is about the two buildings I love the most in DC, the National Archives and the Library of Congress.

The National Archives houses all the important and meaningful document.  There is a main hallway with the Declaration of Independence and Constitution.  There are other rooms with many displays of other documents.  Admission is FREE.

Declaration of Independence

United State Constitution

My other favorite building is the Library of Congress. It houses every book published ever.  There is also a beautiful research room.  You must have a topic to research to see that room.  Free tours are given of parts of the building.

Washington, DC

Monday will be the inauguration for the second term for President Obama.  In honor of that moment, I decided to do a blog or two or three on Washington, DC, our nation's capital.

Even though I have loved history my whole life, it was only a few years ago that I actually went to Washington.  There are two major airports, Dulles and Reagan, but I can't tell you about either of those because I took the train.  My first view of the city was the beautiful Union Station.  It has beautiful marble floors, columns, etc.  Some restaurants are open late for those whose trains have delays. 






The main place to see it the National Mall which runs from the Capital to the Lincoln Memorial.  You can spend a whole day just walking down the Mall.  If it's good weather, bring a picnic for lunch. 

Along the Mall are the many museums of the Smithsonian.  It is actually many buildings, all with their own names but under the giant heading of the Smithsonian.  The best thing is that all those museums are FREE to visit.  My two favorite are the Museum of American History and the Air & Space Museum.

The American History Museum has historical and pop cultural artifacts.  Some of the biggest draws are Dorothy's ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz and dresses from many of the First Ladies.  You can spend many hours looking at all the exhibits.

The Air & Space Museum houses things such as a lunar craft and the Wright Brothers' plane.  There is even a separate building farther off for some of the bigger objects.  Housed there are a space shuttle, the Concorde plane, and other fighter jets.  You just have to catch a shuttle bus to visit the annex.

Down the Mall is the Washington Monument.  It is free to visit this monument, although there is a fee if you reserve the tickets online.  ***Tip-Go about 8:00 in the morning to pick up your timed tickets.  There are not lines and you can see the other monuments on the Mall with relatively no crowds.***  

Walk down the Mall to visit the World War II, Korean War, Vietnam War, and other memorials.  Each help bring about the history of that time period and cannot be missed.

At the end of the Mall is the Lincoln Memorial.  You cannot fathom how huge the statue of Lincoln is unless you are there.  On the sides of the memorial are carved the Gettysburg Address and his inauguration speech.  It is a very moving tribute to a wonderful President.  Turn around at the top of the steps and get some great views of the whole Mall.

More to come. . .

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

From time to time, I have discussions with people about the best mode of transportation for travel.  Some are afraid of flying, some want control of which way they go, and other reasonings.  Here are my pros and cons of the modes of transportation.

Plane-Great for long distances, of course.  I would rather get to a place quickly so that I have time to visit the sites, especially if it is across the country.  I know that it is a pain to go through security and all the extra fees, but to me it is worth it to get there as fast as possible.  You do have to be stuck in a small tube in the air for hours, but (as many people have probably told you) it is much more likely for you to get into a car accident than have a plane crash or problem.  If I can fly with as many interesting situations that I have had with flying, then anyone can.

Trains-I actually love riding on trains if you aren't going too far.  Someone else is taking you to your destination, so you don't have to worry about that.  The seats are bigger than in planes and you can bring basically anything that you want on to the train.  I love riding through the day and seeing all the sights, such as the old train towns and houses.  That is one of the bad parts too, seeing all the towns that have fallen to ruin because the trains aren't as big anymore.  Trains do take all day and have habits of running behind schedule, but are great if you want to sit, relax, and enjoy the view while you get to your destination.

Cars-You have control with your car.  You decide where to go.  You can pack as much as will fit into the car so you can basically take what you want.  Cars can take longer than other modes of transportation because you have to follow speed limits and tend to make more stops along the way.  That can be a good thing also, stopping to look at things that are off the beaten path.  It can lead to great family time, but also stress when you've been in the car too long.  Road trips are a great way to get away for a weekend or longer.  The people in the passenger seats can also see a lot of scenery.

So these are random musings about the different modes of transportation.  Hope something sounds interesting and helps with your next trip.

My Many Trips

As many people know, I love to travel.  Get the word "go" out of your mouth and I am saying yes.  I am also a librarian, hence the name of the blog.  Some of my trips are for work while others are just for fun.  People have told me that they travel vicariously through my pictures and stories so I decided to start a blog about all my travels.  Hopefully this will help you out when you decide to visit some of the same places.