real food for real guys

It's not everyday you can see one of your favorite TV shows being recorded live. Today I boarded the Battleship New Jersey to watch Mike and Mike in the Morning on ESPN Radio (technically TV and radio show) overlooking beautiful downtown Philadelphia. I took a cab over the bridge into the Garden State and boarded the ship around 7am.

There was a decent crowd already watching and I took a seat and started taking pictures.

It was actually a lot of fun, Mike and Mike were very funny as usual and it was a gorgeous morning. I will have to drag Whitney with me if they ever go to Dallas in the future. It was amazing how fast people mobbed them for autographs and pictures when they cut to commercial breaks.

I went around the side to get a slightly closer view and after Greenie gave the command to fire a salutatory gun of the side of the ship, I departed back across the river. A unique, coincidental experience and I'm glad I woke up early to take advantage of it.

brotherly love of cheese steak

I love food. It's no secret, so this job offers a tremendous chance to sample local fare from some of the best food regions in the country.

I'm not sure I would put Philadelphia in that category, but they are known for one thing above all else: the cheese steak. And it's important, while venturing out, to find the best of the best locations for those specific delicacies. Not the most expensive location - sometimes far from it - but the truest form of that food, a place locals frequent to get their fix. That place in Philadelphia is Tony Luke's.

We ate at Tony Jr's yesterday where I experienced my first "real" cheese steak - the one with the Wiz. It was very good. Simple, but tasty, with only steak, fried onions, and cheese wiz. Tony Jr's is another location of Tony Luke's - smaller, with a slightly scaled down menu, and in downtown.

Today we went to the actual Tony Luke's, a few miles south of downtown - with a line seemingly a few miles further south. This was obviously "THE" place to get a cheese steak. I ordered another, this time with white American cheese and (unintentionally) without onions. It too, was quite good and I'm now a temporary Philly fanatic.

national pleasure

I realize that title could also double as the pun name for a porn movie, but in this case it has to do with being in Philadelphia and my desire to live out the movie "National Treasure". We were out seeing the sights today and movie scenes began rapidly coming back to me. More on that in a moment, but a few random pictures first.

In West Philadelphia, born and raised, on this playground is where Will Smith used to play basketball before being bullied and forced to move to Bel Air, CA. I don't actually think it's this one, but that was running through my mind all afternoon.

I've decided to leave Crocs, move to the late 1800's and switch to the Liberty Bell marketing tour. The bell actually did go on tour and was used for marketing - look it up.

Streets of Philadelphia. Now I understand why Bruce Springsteen wrote that song. Well, not really, but they made me think about what it used to be like when horse-drawn carriages roamed the bumpy, stone streets. Almost everything thing I saw today made me think back and wonder what life was like then. It's fascinating.

And now, on with the "show"! Imagine, if you will, the series of scenes after Nicholas Cage and his counterparts discovered - while at Urban Outfitters - the next clue in Philadelphia. That clue stated that another clue would be unveiled by the shadow passing in front of the house of Pass and Stow - Independence Hall, where the bell was originally held.

Of course, the bad guys didn't understand at first and went to view the actual Liberty Bell, not the house where it was kept. It was this view where he looked out the window across the street and called himself an idiot.

This is the staircase that they went up to view the shadow, passing across the next clue at 3:22pm. We were standing outside here today at exactly 3:22pm - awesome.

The short, brick columns on the right is where the clue - Benjamin Franklin's glasses - was found by viewing the shadow from the bell tower.

They proceeded to take the Declaration of Independence into the signing room to view the map on the back using the glasses. As they are about to view the map, Nicholas Cage reacts and says, "The last time (the Declaration of Independence) was here...it was being signed." Great acting.

After viewing only a portion of the map, they realize the bad guys are right on their tail and decide to split up. Nicholas Cage walks briskly across the adjoining park then crosses the street into the park. In an attempt to elude his pursuers, Cage waits for a bus to pass between them and then is shown to be running through this park.

The other two actually are in possession of the document and are forced to run as well. They enter the Reading Market (which is right next to our hotel for this weekend) and the woman jumps behind the meat counter to hide.

I have no idea why I thought this was so cool today, I'm sure Molly and Adam were annoyed. However, even as I was caught up in giving my own movie tour, I took time to realize the true significance of these locations. It's phenomenal to imagine standing in the same place where our country was born. A shiver ascended my spine as our tour guide proceeded to tell us today was Constitution Day - 221 years ago to this day, 55 men signed one of the world's most influential documents. They filed into the room at 4pm, the exact moment we were being described the events. An unanticipated, surreal experience.

fatty mcbutterpants

Eating crepes always reminds me of when my dad made Cannelloni Crepes...god, those were amazing. I'm going to have to make them soon. Once I'm able to cook again.

I was thinking this evening about my eating habits lately. It wasn't good.

Although I've had a lot of great food recently, it hasn't been good for me - particularly since I haven't been able to run. I don't want to say it's impossible to eat well when you have to eat out every single meal, but its darn close to impossible. How many dishes at a quick serve restaurant come with any type of fruit or vegetable? And how much money would you have to spend to actually eat right?! I haven't eaten Subway in forever because I was there so frequently in the first three months that it doesn't sound even remotely appealing.

But I suppose that is part of what this job, this experience, is all about. It's the same with everything else - it's temporary. Soon I won't have the opportunity to eat in a different city and a different restaurant for every single meal. Soon I will be back running again and will have the structured regiment I used to cherish. Soon life will be back to normal, yet completely different all at once. I guess doing the best I can with what I have and living in the moment are two lessons I'm being taught right now. They're good ones, I hope I learn them...

together and apart

Two years ago today Whitney and I went on our first date. Since then we have done a lot together, and we've been apart far too long, but here are a few of my favorite pictures so far:

There are so many more pictures, but it would take too long to upload them all. I guess that's a really good sign...

nevermore

So said Edgar Allen Poe's Raven. I'm in Baltimore and for some reason that poem is synonymous with this city in my mind. I'm guessing because of the football team - which is kind of sad.

Today we visited a very famous deli, not to me so much, but apparently to many politicians and dignitaries whose pictures hung on the walls. Attman's Deli supposedly has the best corned beef sandwiches in the world - I was worried I wouldn't be allowed to eat there. Luckily my fear subsided when I saw this picture.

It was an odd venue, a relic to Baltimore on what used to be "Corned Beef Row" in a Jewish neighborhood, but now the last standing bastion among completely redeveloped, redundant rows of town homes. It was hard to miss from a block away. (Notice the street it's on - Horseradish Lane - awesome)

I ordered the double-stacked corned beef and spicy mustard on rye and a potato pancake. It was delicious and an unexpected treat as I had never heard of Attman's before we stumbled upon it today. Best in the world? Hard to say, but I would LOVE to be the one to find out.

I end with this quote, again from the poem - actually the first line - which perfectly describes this blog: "Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary..."

sweating patriotism

Today was hot. And humid.

These race days always seem to come earlier than I even think is possible. Rolling over to see 4:30am on the clock when my alarm goes off is, quite literally, a rude awakening. The Nation's Triathlon this weekend, while one of the poorest organized events I've seen, ended in a beautiful way today. Here are a few random pictures I thought looked descriptive enough:

Twice today, in two completely different locations, I found myself walking down the street, looking up, and seeing the US Capitol Building dead ahead. Those things don't happen anywhere else. I've been allowed access to some amazing locations through this job, setting up at the Georgia Dome, Central Park, and Copper Mountain Village to name a few, but being able to stand at our booth and see the capitol was pretty special. We weren't on the steps or anything, but it was a unique experience and the end to a great stay in DC.

Tomorrow, another new location.