Well, we have returned from our 12 day long road trip that took us to Denver, Washington, D.C., and Miami/Fort Lauderdale. I can’t tell you how difficult this trip was for me from a “packing” standpoint. I don’t know how you frequent fliers do this all year long. Basically, I had to take three completely different sets of clothing. For Denver, it was long sleeve shirts, heavy sweatshirts, and coats. It was so cold one day that our game against the Colorado Rockies was actually “snowed out.” We’ve had plenty of rain outs before, but a snow out is definitely unusual. Needless to say, I didn’t spend much time outside of our hotel and the ballpark in Colorado. It was just too cold.
After heading back to Washington for a few days, we were able to put away the coats and long sleeve shirts, thankfully, with a three game trip to south Florida to play the Florida Marlins. Few things in the world beat being able to open up your window in a hotel room and see the Atlantic Ocean. As I was talking about in my previous post, we had a scheduled day off and it gave everyone on the club an opportunity to do what they pleased. Floridagolf suggested some great golf courses in the area, all of which I checked into and many of which also came highly recommended by our hotel staff. I also met up with friends for an incredible meal at Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami Beach. Have any of you been there?
I’m back in Atlanta now, and as many of you also know, I was married this off-season and my wife Catie and I are going through our first year of living together. One of our neighbors in Atlanta in having a garage sale and Catie and I are participating in it. I’m telling you, Catie is thinking of selling everything. We’re selling everything from my old golf clubs (that brings a tear to my eye), to clothes, to jewelry. So if you see someone walking around in clothing that you think you saw me wearing once, you aren’t crazy and you can probably guess that it was purchased at the garage sale.
The next few weeks are going to be big for our baseball team. We play our division rivals at home (Washington, and Florida) but then we go up to New York for the first time this season to take on the New York Mets and then back to Washington, D.C. Monday, April 28th is an off-day for the team as we have a game in New York on Sunday and a game in Washington on Tuesday. Sometimes, a club gets to decide if they want to stay in a city for an extra day or if they want to get to the next city a day early. This one is a tough choice. If you could spend one “free day” on April 28th in either New York or in Washington, which city would you pick? Any packing tips to share?
Best,
Jeff
Delta is proud to be the Official Airline of The Atlanta Braves.
April 24th, 2008 at 10:23 am
Stay here in NYC! There’s so much to see – the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Yankee Stadium (oh wait, you probably don’t want to see that
, Times Square, and so much more!
As for packing, allow me to give you a travel tip: TAKE THE DELTA SHUTTLE TO WASHINGTON. Not only is it a much nicer experience than even the First Class on the US Airways Shuttle, it’s also much easier. Since the US Shuttle is in the main US terminal, they have much longer security lines, and I’ll tell you from experience that they’re never in a good mood. The Delta Shuttle is the sole operation out of the Marine Air Terminal; it’s more convenient, faster, and I find that the staff there are much more pleasant. Otherwise, take the train (or a bus, if you are so inclined).
As for the actual packing: Spring is in the air. Bring a light jacket for the evening (a hoodie would even do). Otherwise, a short-sleeved T-shirt and jeans have been working for me. And don’t forget to bring a camera with extra batteries!
I would show you around, but I have to go back to school that day )= Either way, have fun!
April 24th, 2008 at 11:01 am
Hey “Jeff” –
If I had the choice of staying in D.C. for the extra day, I’d rather use the spare time somewhere in NYC. I live in the (NOVA) Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C. and there’s just so much a person can do here or even in the District. But, hey…thats me. Speaking about food. What are your favorite foods? Better yet, can you recommend some great ole’ southern cookin’ in ATL?
April 24th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
I like how you say “Jeff” like allegedly that’s his name
April 24th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Definitely come down to DC! If you haven’t checked out the Changing of the Guard at the Arlington National Cemetery, it’s a must! I apologize for not making DC restaurant recommendations in your previous post, but two restaurants not to miss… “Matchbox” (7th and H, NW) and “Rosa Mexicano” (7th and F, NW). Both are right near the Verizon Center / Chinatown. Matchbox has excellent mini-burgers and pizza, and Rosa Mexicano is famous for its guacamole (made right at your seat).
The only packing tip I have for you is to roll your clothes! It helps decrease the wrinkles, plus it frees up space. Also stuff all of your socks into your shoes. Every little bit counts!
Great job on the blog, Jeff…I’m a Braves fan, born-and-raised. Keep up the great work! (And congrats on the marriage!)
April 25th, 2008 at 12:33 pm
It was done in good fun…it’s great marketing for the Braves & Delta nonetheless. Jeff, between innings, are you reallllly jotting down ideas about your next blog on here? LOL
Anyway, it’s that time of the year: baseball, hotdogs, apple pie & Chevrolet!!
April 26th, 2008 at 7:16 am
[...] OF Jeff Francoeur. Not a bad idea. He’s posted three times. The first one was a dud but the third one about the difficulties of packing for a Colorado, to DC to Florida road trip was [...]
May 12th, 2008 at 3:50 pm
Jayo Z and DiscoPapa – Thanks for the tips!
TriStar_Fan – My favorite food, particularly down here in the Southeast… I probably won’t make my manager Bobby Cox happy with this — given that I work out hard every day to be in shape — but my favorite food is definitely Chick-Fil-A’s chicken nuggets! I absolutely love Chick-Fil-A. Before Tuesday’s game against the Padres, I had a formal business meeting at the offices of my agents in Atlanta. Instead of catering a fancy meal for lunch, lunch consisted of a nugget tray from Chick-Fil-A because everyone there knows how much I crave that place. I think the nugget tray is supposed to serve 8 people…Ok, I probably ate enough nuggets for four people.