Traditional Baseball Roadtrip #5: Mid-Atlantic States-Part 2: The Washington-Pittsburgh Long Weekend

Date: May 9, 2008 through May 11, 2008
Primary Destinations: MLB Cities of Washington and Pittsburgh

Games Attended:
Game 1: Florida Marlins vs. Washington Nationals, May 9th, 7:35PM EDT, Nationals Park, Washington, D.C.
Game 2: Atlanta Braves vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, May 10th, 7:05PM EDT, PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA
Game 3: Atlanta Braves vs. Pittsburgh Pirates, May 11th, 1:35PM EDT, PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA

Roadtrip Summary:

Our first Mid-Atlantic States roadtrip took us to see the Washington Nationals at their old home stadium, RFK Memorial Park, and the Philadelphia Phillies at their new stadium Citizens Bank Park. For this baseball trip, we decided to return to Washington D.C. to see the Nationals play at their new stadium Nationals Park and then travel back to Philadelphia to catch a flight to Pittsburgh to attend Pirates games. We planned two games in Pittsburgh because it is the only Mid-Atlantic States team location that is quite a long drive for us and we did not anticipate returning. I have titled this three game road trip the “Mid-Atlantic States-Part 2: The Washington-Pittsburgh Long Weekend.”

My brother Bob and I chose the Philadelphia departure for our flight to Pittsburgh because of the opportunity to get a lower price airfare and so that our drive upon return would be shorter. Philadelphia is located on our route between Northern New Jersey and Washington, D.C. Our drive home from Philadelphia (upon return from Pittsburg) was about one-half the distance as compared with Baltimore/Washington International Airport. After this trip was complete, we had seen all of the Major League Baseball teams located in the Mid-Atlantic Region play at their home stadiums, except the Baltimore Orioles.

After the National’s game, we traveled back about two-thirds of the way to the airport in Philadelphia and stayed over night at a town in Maryland that left us only a short trip in the morning to the airport. Our early morning flight got us to Pittsburgh by mid-morning. Convenient public transportation-the Airport Flyer (Route28X) Bus Service-is available from the airport to downtown Pittsburgh. We chose to stay at the Hilton Hotel, which is located just a short walk from PNC Park.

This was a pure baseball roadtrip with no additional time spent in Washington or Philadelphia and in Pittsburgh. Our non-baseball activities were limited to eating at restaurants and sight seeing around the stadium. We found PNC Park to be a very interesting stadium with an attractive setting on the north bank of the Allegheny River. The views from behind home plate and the third base line overlook the skyline of the city and the river

The Roberto Clemente Bridge that crosses the Allegheny River to the stadium entrance was closed to traffic prior to game time and turned the area into a pedestrian mall for fans to congregate before the game. Around the stadium, there are a number of statues for Pirate greats, such as Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell. An outdoor museum (within the stadium) offers information on other Pirate stars and all time favorites, including Bill Mazeroski and Andy Van Slyke.

Pittsburgh is famous for being located at the confluence of three great rivers: the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers. The city of Pittsburgh sits between the south shore of the Allegheny River and Northern shore of the Monongahela Rivers at the spot where they flow together to form the Ohio River. From either Point State Park, which is within walking distance of the PNC Park, or Mt. Washington, which on located on the south shore of the Ohio River, you can view the creation of the Ohio River from the joining of these two tributaries.

Listed in the “Suggestions for Additional Roadtrip Attractions” are a number of interesting sites and attractions in the city of Pittsburgh. Finally, a number of other baseball teams that are conveniently located on the route between Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. are identified in the section titled “Some Suggested Alternatives” and websites links for them are given in the “Roadtrip Planning Resources” section. This information may be used to add a vacation flavor to the baseball roadtrip or extend the duration of the trip by seeing more games.

MLB Final Scores and Box Scores

Game 1: Final Score: FLA 5 WSN 4 Box Score:

:http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WAS/WAS200805110.shtml

Game 2: Final Score: PIT 5 ATL 2 Box Score

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PIT/PIT200805100.shtml

Game 3: Final Score: ATL 0 PIT 0 Rain out

Travel Method, Route, and Distances:

May 9th

• Drive: 236 mi to Washington D.C.
• Drive: 100 mi to town in northern Maryland

May 10th

• Drive: 29 mi to Philadelphia International Airport, Philadelphia, PA
• Fly: Philadelphia International Airport to Pittsburgh International Airport, Pittsburgh, PA
• Bus: Airport Flyer (Route 28X) $2.75 fare airport to downtown
  

May 11th

• Bus: Airport Flyer (Route 28X) $2.75 fare downtown to airport
• Fly: Pittsburgh International Airport, Pittsburgh, PA to Philadelphia International Airport, Philadelphia, PA
• Drive: 107 mi to Wayne, NJ
  

Approx. Total Drive Miles: 472 mi

En-route Attractions Visited:

• None

Suggestions for Additional Roadtrip Attractions:

1. Guide for Self-Guided Walking Tour of Downtown Pittsburgh http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06121/689535-37.stm
   
2. The Strip District, Pittsburgh, PA http://www.neighborsinthestrip.com/thestrip/thestrip.html (a) Primanti Brothers Restaurant, 46 18th St. Pittsburgh, PA 15222 http://www.primantibrothers.com/ (b) DeLuca’s Restaurant, 2015 Penn Ave. Pittsburgh, PA 15222 http://www.allmenus.com/pa/pittsburgh/275793-delucas-restaurant/menu/
3. Brew Pubs and Microbreweries of Pittsburgh http://pittsburgh.about.com/od/beer/tp/microbreweries.htm
4. Point State Park: View the Confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers http://www.dcnr.state.pa.us/stateparks/Parks/point.aspx
5. Mt. Washington Overlook and Inclines http://pittsburgh.about.com/od/neighborhoods/p/mt_washington.htm (a) Duquesne Incline http://incline.pghfree.net/, http://www.portauthority.org/PAAC/CustomerInfo/Inclines/tabid/119/Default.aspx (b) Monangahela Incline http://www.portauthority.org/PAAC/CustomerInfo/Inclines/tabid/119/Default.aspx
6. Pittsburgh’s Three Rivers Cruise aboard the Gateway Clipper Fleet’s Riverboat http://www.gatewayclipper.com/cruises.asp
7. Guided Tour of PNC Park Home of the Pittsburgh Pirates http://pittsburgh.pirates.mlb.com/pit/ballpark/tours.jsp
8. Walk up Guided Tour of Heinz Stadium Home the Pittsburgh Steelers http://www.steelers.com/tickets-and-stadium/heinz-stadium-tours.html
9. Heinz History Center and Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum http://www.heinzhistorycenter.org/sportsMuseum.aspx
10. The National Aviary http://www.aviary.org/noflash.html
11. The Andy Warhol Museum http://www.warhol.org/
12. Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens http://phipps.conservatory.org/

Roadtrip Planning Tips:

1. Attend two games at PNC Park in Pittsburgh. The stadium is very interesting and offers very nice views of the Pittsburgh Skyline and Allegheny River.
   
2. If possible, do not have a car while staying in Pittsburgh. A convenient public bus service, the Airport Flyer (Route28X), is available for airport to downtown transportation. http://www.portauthority.org/PAAC/tabid/241/default.aspx
3. Stay in downtown Pittsburgh at a hotel that is walking distance of PNC Park.
   

Some Suggested Alternatives:

1. Expand the duration of the roadtrip by adding one or more extra days with an overnight stay and see additional baseball games by teams that play in towns/cities on the route between Washington D.C. and Philadelphia.
2. See a home game played by either the Philadelphia Phillies or Baltimore Orioles.
3. Attend a game at a stadium of an Affiliated Minor League Team. Two teams conveniently located just off this route are: (a) Wilmington Blue Rocks, Frawley Stadium, Wilmington, DE, Carolina League, Class A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals (b) Aberdeen IronBirds, Ripken Stadium, Aberdeen, MD, New York-Penn League, Class A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles
4. Visit the home stadium and see a game played by an Independent Baseball League Team, such as the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs, Atlantic League of Professional Baseball, Regency Furniture Stadium, Waldorf-St. Charles, MD.
   

Roadtrip Planning Resources:

The following are the web resources used for planning “Mid-Atlantic States-Part 2: The Washington-Pittsburgh Long Weekend" MLB roadtrip:

Official Website of the Major League Baseball: http://mlb.mlb.com

• Click on “Team Sites” and then click on the appropriate AL or NL home team, for instance, “Pittsburgh Pirates” to get to a specific team’s website.
• On the specific team’s website click on “Schedule” and view the “Regular Season” schedule.
• Link to View Addresses of the Stadiums for each MLB Teams: http://mlb.mlb.com/team/

  
  

Official Website of the Carolina League:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/schedule/index.jsp?sid=l122

• Click on one of the “Logos” listed across the top to choose a team in the league, for instance, “Wilmington Blue Rocks” to get to their specific website.
• On the specific team’s website click on “Schedule” and view the “Regular Season” schedule.
• Click on “Ballpark Info” to view information about the home stadium.
• Determine the name of the stadium.
• Identify the address of the stadium (if the address is not given Google the name of the stadium).
  

Official Website of the New York-Penn League:
http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/schedule/index.jsp?sid=l127

• Select the appropriate team to transfer to its website, for instance, the “Aberdeen Ironbirds.”
• View the home games on the season schedule.
• Identify the name of the stadium and its address.

Official Website of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs: http://www.somdbluecrabs.com/index.cfm

Traditional Baseball Roadtrip #4: Mid-Atlantic States-Part 1: The Philadelphia/Washington Run

Date: May 11, 2007 through May 12, 2007
Primary Destinations: MLB Cities of Washington D.C. and Philadelphia

Games Attended:

Game 1: Florida Marlins vs. Washington Nationals, May 11th, 7:05PM EDT, RFK Stadium, Washington, DC http://www.ballparkreviews.com/washdc/rfk.htm

Game 2: Chicago Cubs vs. Philadelphia Phillies, May 12^th, 3:45PM EDT, Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, PA http://www.ballparkreviews.com/philly/cit.htm

Roadtrip Summary:

There is a very high concentration of Major League Baseball teams in the Mid-Atlantic States. The six teams located in this region are:

• New York: New York Yankees and New York Mets
• Pennsylvania: Philadelphia Phillies and Pittsburgh Pirates
• Maryland: Baltimore Orioles
• Washington D.C.: Washington Nationals
  

The stadiums of these teams, with the exception of the Pittsburgh Pirates, are within comfortable driving distance of our Northern New Jersey location.

We regularly attend games of both the New York Yankees and New York Mets. In fact, during one season, I saw the Yankees play every other American leave team. I was accompanied to most of those game by my daughter who was 9 years old at that time. For this reason, the objective of our Mid-Atlantic States Baseball Roadtrip is to visit the remaining teams that play in this region of the country at their home stadiums.

Since it is hard to plan a single trip for consecutive dates during with each of these teams play at home, our strategy is to visit them through a series of short weekend roadtrip. For instance, it is not normal that the Phillies, Nationals, and Orioles are at home during a short period, such as four days. This was our first Mid-Atlantic States Roadtrip and we choose to see a Philadelphia Phillies game at Citizens Bank Park and the Washington Nationals play at Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium (RFK Stadium). At this point in time, Citizens Bank Park was the newest stadium in this region, having become the new home of the Phillies in 2004. At the same time, the Nationals already announced plans to move to a new stadium; made the design plan for their new ballpark (eventually named Nationals Park) public on May 14, 2006; and confirmed that the 2007 baseball season would be their last at RFK.

Again, I was accompanied by my brother, Bob, on this Mid-Atlantic States Baseball Roadtip-Part 1, which is better know as “The Philadelphia/Washington Run.” The trip lasted just 2 days and we saw just one game in each city. We drove from Northern, NJ directly to Washington, D.C. and arrived in time to see an evening game, stayed overnight in accommodations near Annapolis, MD, and traveled back via Delaware the next day to attend a late afternoon game in Philadelphia. This trip included a one-night stay to visit our ailing Aunt Bert and her family near Dover, DE. We were joined at the Phillies game by our cousins Roger and Art.

Though a family visit was planned into our trip, the cities of Philadelphia and Washington D.C. as well as other destinations along the route through NJ, PA, MD, and D.C. offer a vast opportunity for family recreation or entertainment and a large number of historical sites. In addition, a number of minor league and independent baseball league teams are located in NJ, DE, and MD and permit additional stops for an expanded Mid-Atlantic Region Baseball Roadtrip. A list of suggested stops follows in the sections titled “Suggestions for Additional Roadtrip Attractions” and “Some Suggested Alternatives.” Also, information about a number of baseball teams conveniently located along the route between the Metropolitan New York City area and Washington D.C. is provided in the “Roadtrip Planning Resources” section.

MLB Final Scores and Box Scores

Game 1: Final Score: WSN 6 FLA 0 Box Score:
http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/WAS/WAS200705110.shtml
Game 2: Final Score: PHI 11 CHC 7 Box Score:

http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/PHI/PHI200705120.shtml

Travel Method, Route, and Distances:

May 11th

• Drive: 235 mi to Washington D.C

May 12th

• Drive: 133 mi to Philadelphia, PA
• Drive: 107 mi to Wayne, NJ
  

Approx. Total Drive Miles: 475 mi

En-route Attractions Visited:

• None

Suggestions for Additional Roadtrip Attractions:

Washington D.C.

1. Three Houses of the U. S. Government: White House, U. S.Capitol Building, and U. S.Supreme Court Building http://dc.about.com/cs/walkingtours/a/ThreeHouses.htm
2. National Mall and Memorial Parks: Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, FDR Memorial, World War II Memorial, Korean War Veterans Memorial, and Vietnam War Veterans Memorial http://www.nps.gov/nama/index.htm
3. Smithsonian Institute Museums: Air and Space Museum, American History Museum, National Zoo, American Indian Museum, Portrait Gallery, National History Museum, and More http://www.si.edu/Museums/
4. Old Town Trolley of Washington D.C. Day Tour (Hop-On, Hop-Off Tour) http://www.trolleytours.com/washington-dc/union-station.asp
5. Washington D.C. Ducks Tour, http://www.trolleytours.com/washington-dc/dc-ducks.asp
6. Self-guided MP3 Audio Walking Tours of Washington D.C., The National Mall http://www.viator.com/tours/Washington-DC/Washington-DC-The-National-Mall-MP3-Audio-Walking-Tour/d657-3781WAS2
7. Self-guided MP3 Audio Walking Tours of Washington D.C., Historic District Georgetown http://www.viator.com/tours/Washington-DC/Washington-DC-Historic-Georgetown-MP3-Audio-Walking-Tour/d657-3781WAS1
8. Union Station: History http://www.unionstationdc.com/history.aspx
   
9. Union Station: Food court http://www.unionstationdc.com/dining.aspx
10. Place to Eat: Mr. Smith’s of Georgetown (Restaurant and Tavern with Garden Patio) http://mrsmiths.com/v1/index

Philadelphia, PA

1. Historic Sites Tour

   http://www.visitphilly.com/history/

2. Liberty Bell

   http://www.visitphilly.com/history/philadelphia/the-liberty-bell-center/

3. Independence Hall http://www.visitphilly.com/history/philadelphia/independence-hall/
4. The Betsy Ross House

   http://www.visitphilly.com/history/philadelphia/the-betsy-ross-house/

5. Independence Visitor Center http://webmail.aol.com/31423-111/aol-1/en-us/Suite.aspx
6. Self-guided Walking Tour of Historical Philadelphia. http://www.theconstitutional.com/selfguided/index.php
7. Ride the Ducks (Street and Water) City Tour http://www.phillyducks.com/
8. Philadelphia Museum of Art

   http://www.visitphilly.com/museums-attractions/philadelphia/philadelphia-museum-of-art/

9. Rodin Museum

   http://www.visitphilly.com/museums-attractions/philadelphia/rodin-museum/

10. Independence Seaport Museum

    http://www.phillyseaport.org/

11. Phillie Cheesesteaks and More: these famous landmark South Philly Cheesesteak Stands are arch rivals and located on opposite corners on 9th St.
    
12. Geno’s Steaks, 12195 9th St. Philladelphia, PA 19147

    http://www.genosteaks.com/about.html

13. Pat’s King of Steaks, 1237 East Passyunk Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19147 http://www.patskingofsteaks.com/
14. Bookbinder’s Seafood Restaurant

    http://www.bookbinders.biz/

15. National Mechanics Bar and Restaurant

    http://www.nationalmechanics.com/

16. South Street: Bohemian Atmosphere of Philadelphia

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Street_(Philadelphia)

17. Lights of Liberty: Sound and Light Show about the American Revolution

    http://www.visitphilly.com/history/philadelphia/lights-of-liberty

18. Tour Lincoln Financial Field Home of the Philadelphia Eagles

    http://www.lincolnfinancialfield.com/stadiuminfo/stadiumtours.asp

19. Yards Brewing Company Tour

    http://www.yardsbrewing.com/tours.asp

20. American Helicopter Museum, 1220 American Boulevard, Goshen Township, PA 19380

    http://www.visitphilly.com/museums-attractions/philadelphia/american-helicopter-museum/

Roadtrip Planning Tips:

1. Attend two games at Citizens Bank Park. The stadium is architecturally interesting with an outfield that is open to view the skyline of the city.
2. Ashburn Alley, at Citizens Bank Park, is named after the Phillies legendary center fielder Richie Ashburn (who was also one of the original 1962 New York Mets). The promenade includes Allstar Walk, Memory Lane, and a Wall of Fame to honor former Phillies greats.
3. Statues at Citizens Bank Park honor Phillies stars Richie Ashburn, Robin Roberts, Steve Carlton, and Mike Schmidt.
   
4. The Cooperstown Gallery at Citizens Bank Park has paintings of former Philadelphia Phillies and Athletics players that were elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
5. Both Citizens Bank Park and the new National’s Park are easily accessible by car with good parking facilities. For this reason, we recommend driving to these stadiums.
   

Some Changes Since 2007:

• The Washington Nationals moved to their new home stadium Nationals Park for the start of the 2008 baseball season. .

Some Suggested Alternatives:

1. Expand the duration of the roadtrip by adding one or more extra days with an overnight stay and see additional games by teams that play in towns/cities on the route between southern New Jersey and Washington D.C.
2. Attend a home game played by the Baltimore Orioles
3. Visit the home stadium and see a game played by an Affiliated Minor League Team.
   
4. Two Affiliated Minor League teams conveniently located just off the route between Washington D.C. and Philadelphia, PA are the Wilmington Blue Rocks, Frawley Stadium, Wilmington, DE Carolina League, Class A affiliate of the Kansas City Royals and Aberdeen IronBirds, Ripken Stadium, Aberdeen, MD New York Penn League, Class A affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles
5. See a game played by an Independent Baseball League Team, such as the Camden Riversharks at Campbell’s Field, Camden, NJ or Southern Maryland Blue Crabs at Regency Furniture Stadium, Waldorf-St. Charles, MD. Both teams are members of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball.
6. AMTRAK’s Ascela Express train route services all of the cities with MLB teams in the Mid-Atlantic States, except Pittsburgh. This route has stops in New York City, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington D.C. In each of these cities, public transportation is available for transfer from the train station to the city downtown and where necessary to the stadium.

   http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer/AM_Route_C/1241245664867/1237405732511

Roadtrip Planning Resources:

The following are the web resources used for planning “Mid-Atlantic States-Part 1: The Philadelphia/Washington Run" MLB roadtrip:

Official Website of the Major League Baseball:

http://mlb.mlb.com

• Click on “Team Sites” and then click on the appropriate AL or NL home team, for instance, “Philadelphia Phillies” to get to a specific team’s website.
• On the specific team website click on “Schedule” and view the “Regular Season” schedule.
• Link to View Addresses of the Stadiums for each MLB Team:

  http://mlb.mlb.com/team/

Official Website of the Carolina League:

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/schedule/index.jsp?sid=l122

• Click on the “Logo” listed across the top to choose a team in the league, for instance, “Wilmington Blue Rocks” to get to that specific team’s website.
• On the specific team’s website click on “Schedule” and view the “Regular Season” schedule.
• Click on “Ballpark Info” to view information about the home stadium.
• Determine the name of the stadium.
• Identify the address of the stadium (if the address is not given Google the name of the stadium).
  

Official Website of the New York Penn League:

http://web.minorleaguebaseball.com/schedule/index.jsp?sid=l127

• Select the appropriate team to transfer to its website, for instance, the “Aberdeen Ironbirds.”
• View the home games on the season schedule.
• Identify the name of the stadium and its address.
  

Official Website of the Atlantic League of Professional Baseball: http://www.atlanticleague.com/

• Select the appropriate team to transfer to its website, for instance, the “Camden Riversharks.”
• Identify the name of the stadium and its address.
• Official Website of the Camden Riversharks: http://www.riversharks.com/index.cfm
• Click on “2010 Schedule” and select the appropriate month for which you would like to view the schedule of games.
• Official Website of the Southern Maryland Blue Crabs: http://www.somdbluecrabs.com/index.cfm
• Click on “2010 Schedule” and select the appropriate month for which you would like to view the schedule of games.