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Philly-NYC Trip, Day 4
Sep. 7th, 2022 11:59 pmWEDNESDAY
Woke up about quarter after six to use the bathroom and returned to bed about seven. Slept in until my alarm at 8:15, then rolled over while Gary showered and took medication. I texted with Harry, and Gary arranged to transfer our tickets to our phone apps so we could meet up at our seats instead of outside the stadium. We got dressed, filled out postcards, and headed downstairs for breakfast around quarter to ten. I had the Fourth Street Skillet with potatoes, scrambled egg whites, and turkey sausage; Gary had French toast again.
We walked from the hotel to the historic post office in the Franklin print shop building and mailed our postcards there, where the clerk hand-cancelled the stamps. From there it was a quick walk (at least, as quick as my bum knee and hip allowed) to the pier for the River Link passenger ferry from which we intended to visit the Battleship New Jersey. Unfortunately, while Washington was famous for crossing the Delaware, we could not: the ferry ceased operating on weekdays after Labor Day, only running on Saturdays and Sundays. So we settled down on a bench and took pictures from there of the Battleship, the Walt Whitman Bridge, and the Jersey shore of the river generally. After a few minutes we headed north along the waterfront walk to get pictures of the Ben Franklin Bridge and watch the crew dismantling a party tent in the nearby park. We continued north to Penn Landing, passing an empty dog park with several signs warning people not to sleep there, and encountering a few joggers. There was a choice of a long switchback ramp and a stairway to the bridge across I-95 to Market Street, so we took the ramp for the first flight and split up for the rest; I took the stairs and Gary stayed on the ramp.
We crossed the bridge and immediately descended into the 2nd Street Station. My leg made it difficult to navigate the stairs down so we waited for a second train. Aboard the train we stood behind a bald dude in a black T-shirt with ink all up and down the back of his head and neck. When we arrived at 5th Street Station, as happened often this trip, we took the elevator and launched into a chorus of "That Smell" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. As we crossed the street we saw the waitresses from the hotel restaurant on their way out after work (the restaurant is closed for lunch and reopens at five for dinner). We returned to the room to chill out for a bit, arriving just before noon. I caught up on my journal while Gary snoozed, then we reversed roles. I woke slightly after the alarm I'd set for 3 PM and we got dressed for the ballpark.
We left the hotel around 3:30 and had a late lunch at Big Ass Slices around the corner on Market Street. We were served by a cute cub with short dark hair and matching beard, with ink on both forearms, and who rather resembled Alan Van Camp but far younger. I had two Half-Ass Slices: a meat lover's and Julio's Special (white pizza with spinach, garlic, and tomato slices). Gary had a Big Ass Slice of sausage. From there we walked the short distance to 2nd Street Station and descended to the platform. Across the way on the other platform, a black dude in shorts snoozed on a bench. 🎶 He got legs... 🎶 Later, a dude who reminded me of Denzel Washington boarded wearing an Eagles cap and chewing on an unlit cigarillo. He ended up transferring to the Broad Street train at City Hall with us. The train stock for the two lines is different, with the Broad Street trains looking a little older and taller.
We left at the end of the line at NRG Station and proceeded to the First Base Gate. An announcement over the loudspeaker said gates would open at 5:35, about 20 minutes later than expected. We entered the stadium soon after and found our seats under cover from the next level, which was helpful as it had begun to rain steadily though not heavily. Harry arrived just as the rain eased off and the tarp was removed from the field. When the umpires were introduced, Harry had a noticeable reaction to the assignment of Angel Hernandez at second base; apparently he has a reputation. We spent the first inning or two catching up and introducing Gary since he and Harry hadn't previously met. There were a couple of loud ladies seated at the bar rail behind us, shouting love and encouragement to Rhys Hoskins and Bryce Harper. When the second-base umpire made a questionable call, one of them said loud enough to be overheard, "... that dickhead Angel Hernandez..." which got me laughing out loud. After a slightly hair-raising ninth inning involving a run immediately followed by a single for the Marlins, the game ended in a 4-3 win for the Phillies.
We parted company with Harry and headed for the NRG subway station. People were having difficulty getting in and had to be reminded to buy fares before trying to enter. We sat on the platform waiting for a local train, thinking the express would bypass City Hall station (we later discovered that wasn't the case). When the local train arrived, we were among the very few passengers in the lead car of the train. The station just north of NRG Station is named Oregon and pronounced "OR-uh-gone". When we arrived at City Hall, I managed to navigate to the eastbound platform at 15th Street. Gary spotted a small rat on the track bed and we watched it carefully cross the tracks. Suddenly a black dude on our platform hailed another across the tracks with the N word and the two carried on an animated conversation. As we boarded the train, a black dude wearing a funky hat rolled a shopping cart purloined from Target and loaded with bottled water and other stuff onto the train, perched on top of the cart with his feet up on the partition by the doors, and asked us how we enjoyed the Phillies game.
When we arrived at 5th Street Station I suggested we take the stairs in the opposite direction from the elevator to avoid a street crossing. We didn't run into the homeless dudes this time. I picked up some ice cream bars at the front desk and we returned to the room, watched news and the remaining West Coast ball game, and finally turned off the TV about 12:30. I finished the day's journaling and went to sleep about quarter to one.
Woke up about quarter after six to use the bathroom and returned to bed about seven. Slept in until my alarm at 8:15, then rolled over while Gary showered and took medication. I texted with Harry, and Gary arranged to transfer our tickets to our phone apps so we could meet up at our seats instead of outside the stadium. We got dressed, filled out postcards, and headed downstairs for breakfast around quarter to ten. I had the Fourth Street Skillet with potatoes, scrambled egg whites, and turkey sausage; Gary had French toast again.
We walked from the hotel to the historic post office in the Franklin print shop building and mailed our postcards there, where the clerk hand-cancelled the stamps. From there it was a quick walk (at least, as quick as my bum knee and hip allowed) to the pier for the River Link passenger ferry from which we intended to visit the Battleship New Jersey. Unfortunately, while Washington was famous for crossing the Delaware, we could not: the ferry ceased operating on weekdays after Labor Day, only running on Saturdays and Sundays. So we settled down on a bench and took pictures from there of the Battleship, the Walt Whitman Bridge, and the Jersey shore of the river generally. After a few minutes we headed north along the waterfront walk to get pictures of the Ben Franklin Bridge and watch the crew dismantling a party tent in the nearby park. We continued north to Penn Landing, passing an empty dog park with several signs warning people not to sleep there, and encountering a few joggers. There was a choice of a long switchback ramp and a stairway to the bridge across I-95 to Market Street, so we took the ramp for the first flight and split up for the rest; I took the stairs and Gary stayed on the ramp.
We crossed the bridge and immediately descended into the 2nd Street Station. My leg made it difficult to navigate the stairs down so we waited for a second train. Aboard the train we stood behind a bald dude in a black T-shirt with ink all up and down the back of his head and neck. When we arrived at 5th Street Station, as happened often this trip, we took the elevator and launched into a chorus of "That Smell" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. As we crossed the street we saw the waitresses from the hotel restaurant on their way out after work (the restaurant is closed for lunch and reopens at five for dinner). We returned to the room to chill out for a bit, arriving just before noon. I caught up on my journal while Gary snoozed, then we reversed roles. I woke slightly after the alarm I'd set for 3 PM and we got dressed for the ballpark.
We left the hotel around 3:30 and had a late lunch at Big Ass Slices around the corner on Market Street. We were served by a cute cub with short dark hair and matching beard, with ink on both forearms, and who rather resembled Alan Van Camp but far younger. I had two Half-Ass Slices: a meat lover's and Julio's Special (white pizza with spinach, garlic, and tomato slices). Gary had a Big Ass Slice of sausage. From there we walked the short distance to 2nd Street Station and descended to the platform. Across the way on the other platform, a black dude in shorts snoozed on a bench. 🎶 He got legs... 🎶 Later, a dude who reminded me of Denzel Washington boarded wearing an Eagles cap and chewing on an unlit cigarillo. He ended up transferring to the Broad Street train at City Hall with us. The train stock for the two lines is different, with the Broad Street trains looking a little older and taller.
We left at the end of the line at NRG Station and proceeded to the First Base Gate. An announcement over the loudspeaker said gates would open at 5:35, about 20 minutes later than expected. We entered the stadium soon after and found our seats under cover from the next level, which was helpful as it had begun to rain steadily though not heavily. Harry arrived just as the rain eased off and the tarp was removed from the field. When the umpires were introduced, Harry had a noticeable reaction to the assignment of Angel Hernandez at second base; apparently he has a reputation. We spent the first inning or two catching up and introducing Gary since he and Harry hadn't previously met. There were a couple of loud ladies seated at the bar rail behind us, shouting love and encouragement to Rhys Hoskins and Bryce Harper. When the second-base umpire made a questionable call, one of them said loud enough to be overheard, "... that dickhead Angel Hernandez..." which got me laughing out loud. After a slightly hair-raising ninth inning involving a run immediately followed by a single for the Marlins, the game ended in a 4-3 win for the Phillies.
We parted company with Harry and headed for the NRG subway station. People were having difficulty getting in and had to be reminded to buy fares before trying to enter. We sat on the platform waiting for a local train, thinking the express would bypass City Hall station (we later discovered that wasn't the case). When the local train arrived, we were among the very few passengers in the lead car of the train. The station just north of NRG Station is named Oregon and pronounced "OR-uh-gone". When we arrived at City Hall, I managed to navigate to the eastbound platform at 15th Street. Gary spotted a small rat on the track bed and we watched it carefully cross the tracks. Suddenly a black dude on our platform hailed another across the tracks with the N word and the two carried on an animated conversation. As we boarded the train, a black dude wearing a funky hat rolled a shopping cart purloined from Target and loaded with bottled water and other stuff onto the train, perched on top of the cart with his feet up on the partition by the doors, and asked us how we enjoyed the Phillies game.
When we arrived at 5th Street Station I suggested we take the stairs in the opposite direction from the elevator to avoid a street crossing. We didn't run into the homeless dudes this time. I picked up some ice cream bars at the front desk and we returned to the room, watched news and the remaining West Coast ball game, and finally turned off the TV about 12:30. I finished the day's journaling and went to sleep about quarter to one.