Army Navy 2016

Over the weekend of December 9th to December 11th, I went to the Army Navy Game in Baltimore.  I went to it last year, in Philadelphia, and at both games had a great time.  The game itself is exciting, and there is also the ambiance with the tailgating in the parking lot, and the parades of Midshipmen and Cadets.  On Friday, the 9th, we left Islip around 10:45 and headed to Ellicott City MD where we would be staying (the Turf Valley Resort).  We stopped for lunch at a rest area on the New Jersey Turnpike and while I was waiting for Ellen & Eileen to come out of the ladies’ room so we could get lunch, a bus pulled in and the NAPS (Naval Academy Prep School of Newport RI) arrived and the numerous students lined up at the Burger King kiosk.  Since we did not have all day, we went to the Starbucks kiosk instead.  I ordered a wrap and coffee.  Probably a lot cheaper than Burger King.  Then it was smooth sailing on the Interstate until we got to I-695 and then it was a crawl.  But once we were on I-70 it was okay again, finally arriving at the Turf Valley Resort around 4 PM to check in.  Later in the evening we went to a buffet in the Wedgewood Ballroom, and I met three Suffolk County Police Department cadets – one of whom the captain of Engine 2 (who is also a cadet) talked about earlier in the month with another company member & me.  This cadet lost both legs in the Middle East while serving in the Marine Corps, but it has not slowed him down.  And the other two cadets agreed that if he cannot do the patrolman duties because of prosthetic legs, he should be given a desk job but with all the perks and bonuses of an actual patrol officer.  And like last year, the Suffolk County Police Department Pipe Band was there and they led us to the dining room from the Hospitality Suite (room 464).  An actor dressed like Alexander Hamilton was present to tell us a lot about the early history of the United States, as if we were in the18th and early 19th centuries.  The actor also wrote a book about Alexander and I got a signed copy.  

 

On Saturday, I went to the Army-Navy Game.  After a nice breakfast the Pipe Band escorted us out of the hotel and to the cars and I rode in a van with 12 other people.  We took I-70 to I-695 and then I-95 to Russell Street and then to M & T Bank Stadium – home of the Baltimore Ravens and site of this year’s America’s Game.  Then there was the tailgating, and I had some chili, cherry coke, and Billy-made Irish coffee.  Then it was time to go into the stadium, and I had to get past cluster-fuck on the ground floor level with lines extending into the pathways.  But I finally made it to my seat in section 515 – the nosebleed section at the eastern end of the stadium.  I even got to see the suite where the President-Elect was sitting.  As for the game, Army led 14-0 by half time so we figured that the curse was broken.  But in the 2nd half, Navy scored to go ahead 17-14.  But the law of averages finally caught up to Navy since army scored another touchdown and extra point to go ahead 21-17.  And to beat the crowd on the ramps when the game was over, I started down a few minutes before the end of the game and stood with the midshipmen in the lower levels.  Even got to photograph the final minutes of the game before heading out to the parking lot and to the van to head back to the hotel.  While in the stadium I got to photograph Camden Yards and the Baltimore light rail line (two things on my bucket).  When we got back to the hotel I changed, and the 3 of us went to the Cost of Freedom dinner in the Wedgewood Ballroom.  My cousin Bob, the president of Cost of Freedom Inc., introduced several veterans and active duty people, and later the signed game balls were given to honored guests (I was only a guest, so I did not get a signed football – maybe in a future year).  Ellen & Eileen went to Hagerstown to visit Ellen’s cousin named Dorothy, and another cousin also came up from Arlington VA to visit.  Ellen & Eileen are not football fans, and Ellen would have had a very difficult time on the ramps and stairs in M & T Bank Stadium.  On Sunday, we had breakfast again in the Hospitality Suite (room 464) and then said our goodbyes to my cousin and his wife, their son, and two ladies who live near Rockville Centre.  It was smooth sailing up to the Belt Parkway near Kennedy Airport thanks to an accident in the left lane, but we cleared that it was smooth driving again.  When we got home around 3 PM we unloaded the CR-V and put stuff into the laundry or away.