Well,
today was my last full day in New York, and I definitely made it count. We got
up early, spent a lot of time in Cooperstown, and then headed to Buffalo, where
we’re staying by the airport.
After
some research last night, I found out that there was a game at Doubleday Field
at 10:00 this morning, so I made it a point to go. I had no idea who was
playing, but I love baseball and would have watched it no matter what. It ended
up being a Men’s Summer League Baseball game. You can read all about my
experience at Doubleday Field by coming back tomorrow when I post an article
about the game and the nuances of the stadium.
The
rest of the time in Cooperstown was spent shopping. Every store was a treasure
trove of baseball (all sports really) cards, books, or other memorabilia. It is
truly a sports fan’s heaven. I probably spent $100 on stuff, and could have
easily spent $10,000.
I’d
say my proudest moment of the trip happened today, too. While going through the
Baseball Hall of Fame yesterday, I realized that there was a mistake in one of
the exhibits. The 2011 World Series exhibit claimed that the St. Louis
Cardinals (my favorite team) have won 12 World Championships, when I know that
they have only won 11. I didn’t have time yesterday, so I went back today and
informed them of the error. They left a note for the manager, took my email
address, and said they would contact me. I am hoping and praying I get an email
from the Hall of Fame that says, “You are right, and we are wrong.” That would
be awesome!
We
ate lunch in Cooperstown at a place called Alex and Ika, which is apparently a
big deal. Rachel Ray ate there. I wasn’t impressed though. The food was too
fancy for me. I ordered a burger, and they found a way to make it fancy. The cornichons
(that’s “pickles” for you normal folk like me) were tiny and you couldn’t
really put them on the burger. The lettuce wasn’t normal lettuce; it was
spinach leaves (that looked like leaves they went out back and picked off a
tree). It’s safe to say that I won’t be eating there again.
Finally,
we left the baseball Mecca and headed toward Buffalo, where we’re staying
tonight. Instead of taking the boring interstate, we opted for the scenic route.
We went down highway 20 most of the way, passing through many small, historic New
York cities and villages.
One
of the cities we passed through was Auburn, New York. A quick Wikipedia search
found that it was home to the Willard Memorial Chapel, which has stained-glass
and interior decoration by Louis Comfort Tiffany, “the last surviving complete
installation by Tiffany in its original location.” Further research revealed
that the famous Tiffany & Co. (famous for jewelry) is the company that
makes the Super Bowl trophies every year. Also in Auburn was Falcon Park, home
of the short-season single-A Auburn Doubledays. The park was small, but had a
cool Minor League feel to it.
When
we hit the interstate, it was a straight shot to Buffalo and we made it to our
hotel. It’s been a fun five days, but I am ready to be back home!
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