Saturday Top 5

In today's edition of "the stache" I'd like to give a shout out to the end of February, glad to see March in a few short hours from now. I have been searching all day for a topic to discuss and I think I stumbled onto a gold mine, "The Saturday Top 5." Every Saturday for as long as this blog exists I am going to give out a top 5 of random things that happen to float across my mind for the day. Today we are going to take a break away from sports to discuss my top 5 favorite vacation trips that I've taken throughout my life. Also if you have any suggestions for future top 5's or any other kind of "specialty days" let me know by placing a comment in this or any future blogs. I am open to talking about just about anything just let me know and I can get it done for you. On to the top 5:

1. Cooperstown/Niagara Falls (summer 2005)- I lump these two distinct places together because they occurred on the same family vacation. For any sports fan, and especially any baseball fan, going to Cooperstown, site of the MLB Hall of Fame is a must do in your lifetime. I would love to go back again. Just a really neat little town set in rural upstate New York. Words just cannot describe the feelings I felt here. Niagara Falls is simply breathtaking. You can see all the pictures you want to on the Internet, it cannot match the sure awe you get by standing less than 10 ft. away from them. Just a big WOW. We stayed at a hotel that overlooked the falls and you had the dull roar of the falls to go to bed to at night, simply amazing. Going on The Maid of the Mist is also a must do for Niagara Falls. I hope I get to go back.

2. Grand Canyon (summer 1994)- This one was awhile back but I'll never forget this trip. We took our Green Plymouth Van out to the Far West for this journey. This trip was minus my little sister who was born the following summer. I remember staying in Albuquerque, New Mexico. A place that never rains had a downpour the night we stayed there. This was a camping trip so every place we stayed at was in a campground, pretty exciting for anyone much less a 7 year old kid. The Grand Canyon, what can you say its pretty grand. You have to see it yourself to appreciate its shear massiveness, is that even a word? Who cares its my blog. The one thing I remember is that the squirrels were very friendly out there. They didn't run away from you like the squirrels do hear in the east. On the return trip we took the northern part of the loop, passing through Denver, Colorado and ended up stopping in St. Louis, Missouri and got to see a Cardinals game as well as the Arch, although we did not go up because it was under repair or something like that. I remembered we drove all the way from St. Louis to Atlanta in one day after we found out that we couldn't stay in Kentucky because of it being July 4th weekend. So that was fun.

3. Cruise to Mexico (Dec-Jan 03-04)- I could almost put this one up there at #1, but it'll do at 3. First time on a cruise, we "sailed" out of New Orleans down into the delta of the Mississippi River and out into the Gulf towards Cozumel. This trip included my grandmother, along with her mother and husband plus the 5 in our family. On this ship there was all you could eat pizza bars that were open for 24 hours, talk about cool. This cruise was pretty peaceful except for some little mishaps here and there but overall it was a good time to clear your head and just relax. Being out in the ocean with nothing but water around you is pretty intimidating and makes you pretty small. We got to go on a tour of the Mayan ruins in Cozumel as well taking some "mini trips" to some Mexican town. Pretty neat seeing all the vendors out on the streets trying to sell you something and just the overall culture of the place was pretty fascinating. Can't wait til my next cruise, it was a blast.

4. Boston (April 1999)- This was first and only trip on a plane. This trip was just my grandmother and I. It became a tradition where she would take my brother (4 years later) on his first plane flight to Pennsylvania, and then four years after that my sister got to fly to NYC with her. It was pretty cool flying above the clouds. I just remember the brick sidewalks and all the history of the city. Boston Tea Party, Boston Massacre, Harvard, went on the Duckboats or whatever there called that take you on a tour through town and then take you on the water all on the same trip. Walking on Harvard's campus was really cool, got to see some really neat architecture on the buildings there and through other parts of historic Boston. Walked outside of Fenway Park, no games were being played but still pretty awesome to walk outside one of the most famous ballparks in all the world. I loved the history and the "mystique" that the city represented as it was one of the main cogs in the founding of our country. An unforgettable trip for sure.

5. Washington D.C./Baltimore (summer 1998)- This was a family trip of 5 to the nations capital. Did all the standard things you do when you go to DC; Lincoln memorial, Jefferson memorial, Smithsonian, Vietnam wall, Korean war memorial, FDR memorial. The thing I remember a lot about this trip was that there was a lot of walking, a lot of walking. It's rough when you got the heat of summer beating down on you plus dealing with an 11 yr old(me), 7 yr old, and a 3yr old. A lot of complaining was done by my younger siblings, I suffered mainly in silence I guess but I probably did my fair share of whining. The Jefferson Memorial was a long walk. The Washington Monument was everywhere. Did not go to the White House. The Smithsonian and the FDR/Korean War memorial were really cool cause of the setup of the structure. The Vietnam was very moving, even for someone who was 11. I've always had a sentimental heart for places with historical significance, movies as well. Plenty of history happening in DC. Also on this trip we went to Baltimore and Annapolis. Went to an Orioles game at Camden Yards, which is by the way one the most beautiful ballparks around. Loved this trip as well as all the other I went on.

Honorable Mentions: Virginia Beach/Willamsburg, Michigan/Upper Peninsula/Canada, Jekyll Island, Charleston S.C., Disney World/Sea World, and many many more others.

I hope you enjoyed the latest installment of "the stache." I'd like to thank my family and especially my mother for organizing all of these trips. Without her these would not have happened. Until next time, Hugs and handpounds.

mb