REFLECTIONS FROM A WEEKEND TO REMEMBER IN PHILLY

I have fully recovered from a very enjoyable and relaxing weekend down in Philly. We arrived home yesterday afternoon, and after a night recovering from some jet lag, I figured I would make my triumphant return to the "Blog World", and reflect on the vacation that was. Before I Proceed, I must give much thanks to Smokin Steve for being the gracious host that he always is. I am sure it is not easy to lug around five loud mouths from Boston for an entire weekend,
but Steevo always makes the Philly experience fun and enjoyable for us. The man puts much love into planning the trip itinerary, and has done so for as long as I have been making visits to Southeastern Pennsylvania, which I have done on and off since about 1991. Here are some picked up pieces from our memorable weekend:

I don't believe I have ever seen a more ingenious bar creation then the "Beer Tower" which we expreienced at Chicky's and Peete's near downtown Philly on Friday night. The tower stands about four feet and serves three easily with beer to spare. We got about three full beers out of it, and when I tell you that brew flowed like tap water, I am not joking. Being a fan of a good bar atmosphere and good beer, I must say that the brew we had from the tower was the best I have ever drank.

Allow me to sing the praises of Citizen's Bank Park. Steve had told me that the Phillie's new ball yard was a sight to behold, but until I actually set foot inside I had no idea how incredible the place is. We had tickets in the 400 level, but we never sat in our seats. We spent the entire game concourse of the first level, and it was by far the best sight line I have ever had at an MLB game. Prior to the game we stood overlooking the Red Sox bullpen as Jason Varitek warmed up Josh Beckett, and the feeling I got (at the risk of sounding dumb) was as if I was back 50 or 60 years ago with the "knot hole gang" as the groups of kids were known in big cities such as New York, that would peek through the front gate to get an up-close view of the game. This is the type of thing that you just don't get at Fenway Park. Yes, Fenway is very intimate and has some very good sight lines in its own right, but there are also a number of seats (especially the first and third base Grandstands) that are just uncomfortable. At Citizen's Bank Park the consourses are wide and some of the views are breathtaking.

While on the subject of food, sports, and beer I must give a shout out to Philly local "Smokin Dave" and the excellent tail gate party that he organized prior to the Sox/Phillies game on Saturday. Much beer, pork, chicken, and beef briscuit was consumed throughout the afternoon. Although lightly attended, I and my travelling companions had a great time. The party will be among many stories that I will be sharing with my friends and co-workers here in Boston. There are ways to do pre-game activities, and THERE ARE WAYS TO DO PRE-GAME ACTIVITIES. Smokin' Dave's throw-down deserves its proper place in the latter, BOLD FACE category.

I must commend the city of Philadelphia for its hospitality during the weekend. Despite the efforts of my friend's and I to gloat over the Patriots Superbowl XXXVIIII victory by wearing our Brady and Bruschi shirts, everyone we met in Philly was very nice. We spent most of the game Saturday talking to the locals at the park, and the people we met had nothing but good things to say about the Red Sox. Most said that they were rooting for the Sox in the 2004 World Series, and some stated that they have always wanted to visit Fenway Park. The whole experience made for a nice little "cultural exchange", much like the trips that I have made to Canada for Bruins games in the past. Despite the obvious geographical differences, sports fans really are the same no matter where you go.