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Welcome to the my Web site, v. 11. The blog is typically published Monday - Saturday. My primary topics tend to be the Nats, Penn State (esp. football), BeltwayLand, transportation, media, photos and more. The rest of the site gets updated as warranted and is noted on the blog.
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Thursday, January 04, 2007
"We still have to stand in line, we don't get to go to the front"*
How a cone led to a heap of cold cash - The InkyThe story of how Jeanne and Earl Berkey became benefactors of Penn State's new Creamery. I did not make it to the new Berkey Creamery this fall, but I look forward to doing it in the spring or summer. *Mental note to self: When donating millions of dollars to something, make sure there is a stipulation about moving to the front of the line.Labels: Food, PSU/Happy Valley
Friday, December 29, 2006
Mmm, victory
I finally cashed in my winnings from the Nats victory in the 2006 season series with the Fleas today. The Ombudsman was quite gracious in defeat. The cheesesteak was delicious of course. I have a bad feeling that there will be no repeat next year. I fully expect that it'll be me giving a concession speech in Ben's Chili Bowl over chili halfsmokes. Labels: Family and Friends, Food, Nats/MLB 2006, Northeast Corridor, Pennsylvania
Heading up I-95 north
I am off to Philly to claim my winnings for the Nats victory over the Fleas in the 2006 season series. The Ombudsman owes me a trip to Jim's Steaks. I will return this evening. Labels: Family and Friends, Food, Nats/MLB 2006, Northeast Corridor, Pennsylvania, Travel
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
Sammichs
Since I pretty much gave up on McDonald's and other fast food joints, I have switched to Subway and other chain sandwich joints for quick meals. I almost always go with a roast beef on wheat without cheese or mayo. Here is a rundown of my favorites SheetzIn the last six months Sheetz, the Altoona based convenience store/gas station chain, has become my favorite for subs. I like the MTO touch screen ordering, but most of all I like the good meat and bread. I actually crave these subs from time to to time. When we went to get our Christmas tree, I specifically looked up where the nearest Sheetz was on our route. I found one in Leesburg. UPSIDES: excellent meat and bread, touch-screen ordering DOWNSIDES: tends to be slow, no green peppers or spinach for toppings, only in rural areas Potbelly Sandwich WorksPotBelly recently emerged as my favorite local ( as in available in the D.C. area) chain. The two most important things -- bread and meat are excellent. The service is pretty good too. It is my favorite local sub chain. UPSIDES: excellent meat and bread, touch-screen ordering DOWNSIDES: no green peppers or spinach for toppings, very few outside the Beltway WawaIf I can't find a Sheetz, Wawa is a good alternative. The meat is good and there is also touchscreen ordering. If they switched from sweet peppers to green peppers, they'd be closer to #2 but not having wheat as an option hurts them. UPSIDES: excellent meat, touch-screen ordering DOWNSIDES: no green peppers or spinach for toppings, no wheat bread, very few around D.C. (yet) or on the way to Happy Valley BooeymongerAnother local chain, I have had good sandwiches at Booeymonger every time. The meat isn't as good as Sheetz or PotBelly, but better than Subway. They have green peppers as a topping, so that makes me happy. UPSIDES: green peppers DOWNSIDES: very few outside the Beltway SubwayUp until recently, Subway was the go-to, but as I have tried Wawa, Sheetz, etc. Subway is kind of obsolete. The bread is mediocre and the meat is the worst in the industry. They gets points for quick service and most of all, toppings. I can get spinach and peppers here. UPSIDES: ubiquitous, green peppers and spinach, efficiency DOWNSIDES: meat quality BlimpieBlimpie has better meat than Subway, but fewer bread/roll and topping options. There are not too many either so I have not been to one in a long time. They may be better than I remember. UPSIDES: meat DOWNSIDES: limited toppings, bread, not too many of them
I have only been to Quizno's once and I was not impressed. Labels: Food
# posted by WFY :
Wednesday, December 13, 2006 9:34:00 PM
# posted by C. Yurasko :
Thursday, December 14, 2006 3:28:00 PM
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Observations XIII: Don't blame me, I voted for Kodos
The Democrats won Congress by not being the Republicans. If they believe that they have a mandate from the American public, they will lose power in 2008. I also think that fears from some Republicans about this being a major shift to the left are unfounded. I think the left will be more dissapointed with the performance of the new majority two years from now than the right.
It would have been interesting to see what would have happened if Lynn Swann had actually run for governor in Pennsylvania. He was potentially a very attractive candidate; very likable, part of the party of most rural Pennsylvanias, a former Steeler, etc. Many people in Pennsylvania's interior absolutely hate Philly native Gov. Ed Rendell. How much of the hate is from policies and how much is from an anti-Philly bias, I don't know. Now that it is all over, I hope ABC rehires Swann as soon as possible.
Of all the fast food places in the area, Boston Market seems to be the least competent. I have pretty much stopped going there because they can't seem to make a sandwich correctly the first time. Earlier this week I figured I would give hem another shot and went to the McLean one which was out of turkey. I walked out and eventually discovered a Booeymonger's in Ballston. I wish we had one of those or Potbelly in the Tysons/Vienna area; I want a sub option other than Subway. Wawa would also be great. I know Sheetz is not ever coming here.
Recent earworm: That damn Mellancamp song
I have lived in Pentagon City for about five years, but only flown at of National once. Granted, I have flown about six times since then, but I would have hoped to have bene able to use when I actually flew.
I'm way overdue for going to another city on the Northeast corridor. One of these days I'll have to get up to Philly for my cheesesteak.
I think it would be really funny if the president of the Human Rights Campaign or similar organization was revealed to have an intimate hetero relationship on the eve of a major event like Coming Out Day. The media reaction could be very interesting.
When possible, I like to get my haircut at Fetterolf's Barber Shop in State College. They are cheap and best of all, actual barbers who can do things like cut my hair without asking "what number?" They know how to use a straight razor too. I get their twice during football season and another time or two during the rest of the year.
My record on mayor's bets is about 2-6-1 in the last three years. Someone will probably have to start a AlwaysBetAgainstWFY.com site.
I was unaware that Pittburgh's Original Hot Dog Shop (aka "The O") had closed. Erica and I went there in 2000.
I finally started buying iTunes. What I'm buying so far:
Lay Lady Lay, Bob Dylan
What I'd Say Ray Charles
Here's Where the Story Ends, The Sundays
Brazil, Django Reinhardt
Take Five, Dave Brubeck
Schindleria Priematuras, Yes
Fire on High, ELO
I wonder if JerSea Enterprises is rushing out orders of EXIT 9 magnets, stickers, etc.
Though it may be hard to believe, Jack Palance was from the Hazleton area.
I miss the old General Drafting Co./TravelVision/Exxon/American maps. They were always my favorite since they were easy to read and provided lots of useful information. Since they were bought out by Langenscheidt Publishing (who also owns ADC Maps) the quality has gone down and the traditional look is gone. I think it is is a loss for cartography.Labels: Food, Observations
# posted by :
Wednesday, November 15, 2006 6:47:00 PM
Monday, July 24, 2006
New Creamery is almost ready
Penn State Creamery puts cherry on top of new facility - CDTThe highly anticipated and somewhat controversial new Creamery will open next month. The new building which is located further "east" down Curtain Road than the present location will have increased capacity and seating. There could be problems though, since the old facility at Borland Lab has stopped production and the new dairy is not yet running. The strategic ice-cream reserve had to be tapped during Arts Fest weekend due to higher than expected sales, so there may be some missing flavors for a while. It is going to take a while to get used to the new location, but with the increased seating and potential for shorter lines, it should be worth it. Labels: Food, PSU/Happy Valley
Friday, July 21, 2006
Pat's King of Steaks co-founder dies
Steak legend Harry Olivieri dies - The InkyAlong with his brother Pat, Harry Olivieri co-founded Pat's King of Steaks. They added cheese (whiz) to the steak sandwhich they invented in the 1930s in the 1960s. I don't know if they were the first to make it an acutal cheesesteak, but gourmands the world over are in their debt. I have yet to go to Pat's, but I hope to on my next trip to Philly. After that, I will only have Tony Luke's left since I have already been to Jim's (my favorite thus far) and the Geno's at the Phillies ballpark. Labels: Food, Northeast Corridor, Pennsylvania
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
The Market
There has been quite a bit of uncertainty and maybe even debate with friends and family over the last few years over the pronunciation of our favorite downtown restaurant. In his chat today, Tom Sietsema was asked to set the story straight: Arlington, Va.: Please settle a debate. How, precisely, do you pronounce "Les Halles"?
Thank you!
Tom Sietsema: You say: Lay-AHL (there's no "s" sound on the end) Naturally, being a Sietsema chat, there was more discussion: Les Halles: Wrong, wrong. It's lay-zahl. H counts as a vowel, so you slur the s into the H. Also, this is how Tony Bourdain pronounces it in the audio version of his book (he reads it himself).
Tom Sietsema: Uh oh! I should know better than to trust the person who answers the phone - at Les Halles! I don't trust my college French.
Read on, though ...
_______________________
Washington, D.C. : Actually, some regions would pronounce Les Halles "lay zahl". I have been corrected several times - it seems I never select the correct dialect for the person I'm with.
Tom Sietsema: Aha!
_______________________
Re: Les Halles: Uhh, Tom...it's LAYS-Ahl. Since you have a vowel sound begining the second word you pronounce the s in "Les"
Tom Sietsema: Then there's this!
_______________________
Les Halles: If anyone is questioning Tom's pronunciation, he is indeed correct. My grandmother was a university-level French professor, and one morning, after hearing us call it "Lez Ahl" (with the liason between the two words) she erupted with the fact that it is, indeed "LAY AHL." If I recall, the lack of liason has something to do with the name of the Paris neighborhood, which has its origins in Latin.
Tom Sietsema: Who knew that there was no right answer?
A linguist in LAY AHL: LAY AHL! No liaison.
It depends on the origin of the noun on question. Since you probably won't be researching the origins of all the French words you'll be using, you just have to memorize which nouns get liaison and which don't. For instance, you say le hockey, not l'hockey.
Tom Sietsema: Am I redeemed or what?
_______________________
Washington, D.C.: I just googled "Les Halles pronunciation" and the top 5 hits agreed with you -- for some reason in this instance you don't pronounce the "z" sound.
Tom Sietsema: This is getting murkier and murkier....
_______________________
No right answer....: How very French !
Tom Sietsema: Mais oui. Well, that settles it...I guess. By the way, another big thanks to Tom for treating Erica and me to Les Halles for my birthday. Web site: Les Halles Washington D.C.Labels: Best of WWN, Food
Cooking with William & Erica, Vol. 5
I went into the kitchen today, thinking about something for dinner. I opened the fridge, the pantry, the freezer, nothing jumped out but some chicken. Chicken! Haven’t we had enough poultry lately? Perhaps, but chicken can lend itself to many different spices, herbs, and tastes. So, I pulled up my Web Browser, and Googled “Chicken, parsley, rosemary, thyme, basil, marjoram”, and it spat out the recipe below: Chicken with Provencal Sauce
INGREDIENTS:- 4 (6-oz) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
- ¼ tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ½ Tbsp. olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 1 c. fat-free, low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 ½ tsp. Dried Herbes de Provence (described below)
- 1 tsp. Butter
- 1 tsp. Fresh lemon juice
- Fresh Thyme sprigs (optional)
Make your own Herbes de Provence by combining the below-listed herbs into a seal-able jar and shaking to mix. Store away from sunlight. If you don’t have all the herbs handy, no worries. Just combine as many as you can. I have a reasonably extensive spice cabinet, so I was only missing a few. - 1 Tbsp. Dried Basil
- 1 Tbsp. Dried Thyme
- 1 Tbsp. Dried Marjoram
- 1 Tbsp. Dried Summer Savory
- ½ Tbsp. Rosemary
- 1 Bay Leaf, crumbled
-Optional-
- Lavender Buds
- Fennel Seeds
- Dried Sage
PREPARATION:- Place each chicken breast between 2 sheets heavy-duty plastic wrap, pound with rolling pin until chicken breasts are ½ - inch thick.
- Sprinkle chicken evenly with salt and pepper.
- Heat oil in large, nonstick skillet over medium heat.
- Add chicken, cook 6-minutes per side or until chicken is done.
- Remove chicken from pan to a warming plate.
- Add garlic to pan, stir constantly for one minute.
- Add broth and Herbes de Provence, bring to a boil. Scrape pan to loosen browned bits.
- Reduce broth to ½ cup by boiling off excess.
- Remove from heat, add butter and lemon juice, stir until butter melts.
- Serve sauce over chicken. Garnish with sprigs of Thyme, if desired.
Erica’s alteration:I didn’t cook the chicken 6 minutes on each side, but cooked just until the chicken was done. I also did not have low-sodium chicken broth on hand, and what I had turned out to taste a bit too salty. Also, the sauce was served separately from the chicken, which was a boon since it was a little too salty. Results:William gave this meal three stars out of five. I thought it was very tasty, and would enjoy having it again sometime. William mentioned the combination of herbs that was used, he thought they were tasty but overpowered a bit by the sodium in the broth. The chicken tonight was served with roasted potato wedges, which complemented the chicken very well. Labels: Food
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Cooking with William & Erica, Vol. 4
Usually, when William and I have pork chops for dinner, William cooks them “Shake-n-Bake™” style, and we eat them with mashed potatoes, corn, applesauce, and sauerkraut. I will admit, it gets a little predictable. So, since I am doing the cooking for the next week or so, I decided to poke the Internet and see if an interesting recipe popped out. Sure enough, one did (and I already had all the ingredients, too!). Here it is: Pork Chop Bake
INGREDIENTS4 to 6 pork chops, 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
salt and pepper
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 medium onion, sliced
3 tablespoons ketchup
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce PREPARATIONHeat oil in skillet over medium heat; brown pork chops; season with salt and pepper. Drain off excess fat. Combine soup, onion, ketchup, and Worcestershire sauce; pour over pork chops. Cover and bake at 350° for 45 to 60 minutes, or until chops are tender. Baked pork chops recipe serves 4 to 6. ERICA'S ALTERATIONI mixed up all the sauce, but since the cream of chicken soup was condensed, I added somewhere between ½-3/4 cup of milk to make it a little creamier and more pour-able. I would also probably quarter the onion ring slices the next time. RESULTSThe pork chops were quite tasty. You could detect some sweetness, but there was enough salt in the recipe to moderate it. I served the pork with baked potatoes, which you could drizzle the sauce over. I found it to be quite delicious. William said that he wouldn't mind having it again sometime. Labels: Food
Monday, May 01, 2006
Cooking with William & Erica, Vol. 3
Talking with your coworkers is sometimes a great way to get a new recipe idea. I heard about this one a little more than a year ago while I was on a contract, and it sounded like it would be an interesting new way to roast a chicken. Here are the ingredients: 1 4-5 lb whole chicken for roasting
1 large orange
2 limes
2 lemons
1/2 c pulpless orange juice
1 c water
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp poultry seasoningPeel the citrus fruit, and cut each into appx. 1/3-inch slices. Rinse the chicken thoroughly, and pat dry with paper towels. Use your hand to separate the skin from the chicken on the breast, and around the back if you can. Sprinkle some seasonings on both the insides and the outside of the bird. Push the slices of citrus fruit between the skin and the meat, alternating fruits. Once you have stuffed as much citrus as you can underneath the skin, stuff the bird with the rest of the citrus slices. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, avoiding bones. Roast the chicken at 350 degrees until it reaches 185 degrees. Mix together the orange juice and water, use for basting. Remove chicken and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Peel off skin, and discard citrus fruit slices. Carve chicken, and enjoy! I'm serving this chicken with potatoes that are cut into bite-sized chunks and baked with salt, pepper, and butter on them. Results: William thought the chicken was okay, but not nearly as citrusy as he expected. When I make this dish again, I would probably do it a little differently. I'd stuff the chicken with citrus pretty early in the day, and let it "marinate" for a few hours before putting it into the oven. I would also poke holes down into the meat, through the fruit slices, to try to get more juice down into the meat. Labels: Food
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
It's free cone day!
Just a reminder, today is free cone day at Ben & Jerry's. I have a post on Metroblogging DC about it. Labels: Food
Monday, April 17, 2006
Happy is the valley
 Since Erica and I had a christening to attend on Sunday along the US 322 corridor, we spent Saturday afternoon in Happy Valley. It was our first trip back since the Wisconsin game last November. It was great to be back -- State College on a 72 ° day is pretty hard to beat. Of course, it was overcast and rainy on the way up, with the skies only parting once we reached the borough. I got a haircut at Fetterolf's Barber Shop because they do a really good job, unlike the cloven hoofed stylist in my office building's salon. I always try to get my haircuts up there, because in addition to doing a good job, they actually use a straight razor on the back of my neck. I don't know of anywhere around here where you can still get that done. As usual, we had lunch at Cafe 210 West. Here is one text message exchange: WFY: @ cafe 210 right now LCGSIII: You suck. WFY: Just saw mrob LCGSIII: You really suck. Following a delightful meal (we skipped the L.I. Iced Teas this time though) at Cafe, we walked up and down College Ave. and poked into the many stores that sell PSU merch. I was pretty disciplined this time, only buying a HAPPY VALLEY sweatshirt and a couple little things. We did see Mike Robinson on College Ave. and I thought about thanking him for his efforts at State and wishing him luck. I decided to leave him alone and let him enjoy what he was doing. Following the customary stroll, we headed up to Old Main and relaxed in front of the building and took photos. You can see the best ones in my flickr stream. Other observationsI have been known to comment on the proliferation of redheads in Pentagon City now and again. After Saturday in State College, I think you would have to go to the English Isles to see so much red. Wow.
Medlar Field at Lubrano Park, Penn State's new ballpark, is coming together. After seeing it up close, I have to say that I am unimpressed by the exterior. It has the same design style as the indoor track facility, which does not work for a ballpark. It looks too much like the HUB and the new Smeal College of Business building. The interior though is supposed to be great and the Mt. Nittany backdrop will be wonderful.
We stopped at the Creamery, but forgot to take a photograph. Sooooooo good though. One point of contention though -- they switched to plastic spoons instead of the wooden spoons. Have they lost their way?
A spectacular elm at the intersection of Pugh and College fell during a rainstorm over a year ago, taking out the traffic signals at that intersection. In haste, the borough put up new 12 inch signals with backplates, which was a contrast to the 8 inch signal heads used throughout the rest of downtown. The good news is they corrected this and replaced the 12 inch signals with 8 inches signals sans backplates. Chalk one up for consistent aesthetics. I would still like to see blue signals instead of the safety yellow variety, perhaps in the next go round.
We did not see anyone we knew, which is unusual. We usually run into someone while we are up there.
The Blue White Game is only 6 days away! We will be tailgating in lots
11-13 with specifics on the day of the game. For pre-game we will be having pancakes, sausage, and cheggs and post-game will be burgers and beer dogs.Labels: Food, PSU/Happy Valley
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Cooking with William & Erica Vol. 2
This is hardly the entry that the first Cooking with William & Erica was, but it is a helpful tip nonetheless. When making ground beef tacos, I add fresh lime juice -- lots of it -- when I first add the beef. At least half a lime per pound of meat. It tenderizes the meat, which aids digestion. It also gives it a little tang.  Also use really lean meat, as it makes the process a lot less messy when it comes time to drain the fat, plus um, it's healthier. One last thing, tacos are almost certainly more enjoyable when eaten on the sundeck, 170 feet above street level, overlooking Washington. Labels: Food
Tuesday, April 04, 2006
RIP Uncle Jed's
After almost ten years in business, Bethesda sports bar Uncle Jed's Roadhouse has closed, falling short of a goal they had on their menus and Web site: Uncle Jed's plans on becoming Bethesda's oldest neighborhood bar so please visit us regularly and plan on attending our 50th Anniversary Party on Saturday, May 5, 2046. Last season, Fritz hosted viewing parties there for our Penn State alumni chapter there, so we got to know it pretty well. They had excellent wings and reasonable prices, along with good service. It was not as packed as other viewing sites, so we could really focus on the game. Perhaps that was the problem for them. Just the other day, when I was updating the Photos section, I posted a pic of Sam, me, Fritz and his dad celebrating at Uncle Jed's following the Lions victory at Northwestern. Penn State never lost a game we watched there. Labels: BeltwayLand, Food, Maryland
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Cooking with William & Erica, Vol. 1
While we don't claim to be adventurous in the kitchen (especially me) as some of my Metroblogging DC colleagues, Erica and I do keep our eyes out for new recipes. On Friday I saw an interesting one called Carbonnade of Beef on NPR's Web site. Erica made it last night and we both agreed it was a pretty tasty stew. Here is what was in what she made: 3 1/2 pounds lean beef stew meat, cut into 2-inch cubes (Erica actually used two lean arm roasts, cut into 1-inch cubes.)
3 tablespoons flour
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 large onions, peeled and sliced
3 large garlic cloves, peeled only
1 1/2 cups fresh or canned beef broth
6 ounces Guiness Extra Stout
6 ounces Yuengling Lager
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
3/4 tablespoon grated lemon rind We both agreed that the lemon gave it a enjoyable zest, but fresh thyme would have been preferable to dried (it was unavailable). I thought we should add some rosemary and parsley. Erica thinks that carrots would be a good addition and I agree, even though I am not crazy about cooked carrots. I would also like to throw some potatoes in, but the again, I like adding potatoes to just about everything. Erica thinks that the extra potatoes will make the liquid too thick. We have plenty of leftovers, so we may try adding that stuff the next time we serve it. Labels: Food
Friday, June 03, 2005
NO MORE SUB CLUBSubway Ends Free-Sandwich Promotion - AP/The PostThis is bad news, the Sub Club cards (I have three in my wallet right now) are one of the big reasons I go to Subway. A pox on you counterfitters! I still have to wonder if Subway is really losing a lot of money on this even with the fake stamps floating around out there? I have to think that the actual redemption rate is not too terribly high. Are the counterfitters being scapegoated a little because Subway just does not feel like giving away product anymore? I think next time I am traveling, I might be motivated to see how the Sheetz M-T-O stacks up tastewise and pricewise; I had refrained previously because I knew I could get stamps at Subway. When Boston Market dropped their card, I pretty much stopped going in favor of Subway. Labels: Food
Wednesday, April 06, 2005
PHILLY TRIP RECAPI guess have to update my "ballparks I have never been to" page because I just went to one of them. The trip to Philly for the first ever Washington Nationals game was a wonderful time. Congratulations go out to Ombudsman Matthew J. Clifford, who drew first blood in the series. Like I said, all the way back on October 2, 2004, this was personal. Thankfully, there are another 17 or so games between the two franchises. You may have won this round, Clifford, but there will be more and next time you and I face off, it will be in southeast D.C. Here are my thoughts on the experience, in no particular order: I didn't get booed. No one yelled, "Nats suck," before the game or anything like that yesterday. I will admit I was a little disappointed. I was all ready to yell back, "how do you know?" Just about everyone cheering for the home team was friendly before and during the game. There were some jeers walking back to the car, but that was no big deal.
Citizens Bank Park is a great place to watch a baseball game, I really liked this venue. From the outside it looks like most other parks, but inside it and looking out, it is unique. The concourses are well designed and pretty wide. The seats are slightly angled to face the infield, something that Baltimore forgot to do. I also liked that all the structural steel was painted maroon and the seats were blue instead of green like every other park since Camden Yards.
We are a long way off from having this become an intense rivalry, the Philly fans were kind of dismissive towards the Nats. In time, it can happen.
The view of the skyline would be perfect if they moved the big Phillies sign that faces I-76/Schuykill Expressway a block east.
I had my first cheesesteak from Geno's Steaks at the park. It was okay, but not nearly as good as Jim's Steaks. Geno's are slices, while Jim's are chopped up steak. Geno's are fattier too. The upside is that the cost was comparable to one at the real Geno's. Next time I am in Philly, I will have to try Pat's, which is on the opposite corner from the real Geno's.
The wind kept a lot of homers in the park. It also hurt Brian Schneider's throw to second in the second inning.
Brad Wilkerson got the first hit, which did not surprise me. Sadly, he was one of over a dozen runners left on base.
¡LIVAN! got his bell rung with 7 runs in less than 5 innings. He will probably/hopefully rebound on Saturday. If he has an outing like that next time, he loses his nickname.
Termel Slege's HR was great, but hitting into a double play with the bases loaded and 1 out late in the game, ended the Nats chances.
Nick Johnson turned a really nice double play and hit well.
Parking was pretty good. It might have taken us 30 minutes to get onto I-95 from our spot. We moved the whole time too. Of course in that amount of time, I would have been home from RFK. If/when I go back, I want to try taking mass transit.
Having '71 Senator and former Phillie Del Unser throw out the first ball was classy.
They had excellent condiment stations.
I had a jumbo grilled hot dog. It was quite tasty and not as salty as most balllpark dogs.
Just about every Phillies fan had some merch on. We saw a lot of throwback, baby-blue road jerseys. Those things were ugly, why did any teams ever wear baby-blue again?
The nachos did not look too good and the cheese appeared to of "Waring Commons quality," i.e. watered down.
The area by the shipyard along I-95 does not smell nearly as bad as it did in the past.
This is good daytrip for a ballgame, I recommend it highly.Labels: Food, Nats/MLB 2005, Northeast Corridor, Pennsylvania
Thursday, March 24, 2005
CHANGES ON CAMPUSPenn State plans to restructure its administration - CDTOld Main wants to free up more time for President Graham Spainer to do more fundraising and external relations. More importantly, it wants to put all campuses outside of University Park into the Commonwealth College (eliminating the Capital College among other things) and call the campus executive officers chancellors. What does this mean for those campuses? I do not know, perhaps nothing, but perhaps major changes. There will hopefully be some thorough analysis in the next few days in the papers. The last time the campuses were reorganized, I was part of the Council of Commonwealth Student Governments, which at the time was a top-notch student government organization representing the 30,000 Penn State students outside of University Park. Tim Daniels, then CCSG president, grilled Bob Dunham, who ran the campuses from UP, on the lack of student services at the campuses and challenged him to make it better after the transition. Dunham was not around for much longer as the new system went into effect and I do not know if the services got any better after the switch, since I was already in University Park, but I would not be surprised if little changed. More from the Patriot-News: Penn State restructuring would free time for Spanier
Students petition to keep Creamery scooping at historic Borland locale - The CollegianSome students want to " save the creamery" from moving out of Borland Lab to a new location, already under construction, across Shortlidge Road. I like the current creamery location too, but I do not mind spending less time in line either. The time for this sort of protest was about three years ago and even then, it would not have mattered.
University sees drop in donations - The CollegianThis was expected following the end of the Grand Destiny campaign. Labels: Food, PSU/Happy Valley
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William F. Yurasko
January 20, 2007
Photo by Erica Yurasko
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