Summing it up

Looking back on the plans for this road trip and considering how my definition will “play out” in the real world, I concluded that my proposed trip does serve to illustrate my definition of a road trip.



One can see this in that my trip is taken with certain individuals who mean a lot to me and have been a huge component in my life. Also, the trip will be taken where various stops are made and where life’s daily routines are postponed until the trip is over. Since this trip is somewhat symbolic of what I have always dreamed my baseball career would turn out to be, I felt it crucial to conclude my trip with the visiting of the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.



After all, life is about learning from past experiences and sharing these moments in life with the people you know, trust and love the most.



Nolan Ryan

Cooperstown

After sleeping in the next day, Cooperstown, NY, and the National Baseball Hall of Fame will be our final destination before flying home to Austin. Every baseball fan should visit this acclaimed place and see the rich history and names that make the HOF so exceptional.



Here is the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY


I wanted to start the trip in Austin and visit several Major League ball parks to symbolize what I hope my career can be like. The ultimate goal for every player is to be inducted into the Hall of Fame and have their own shrine in Cooperstown. So, in concluding our road trip to these magnificent baseball parks and the Hall of Fame, my family and I will pack our things, grab some souvenirs, and catch a flight back to Austin, as we will be too worn out to drive back to Texas.

New York

After spending some time in Philadelphia, we will head north towards the new Yankee Stadium. Along the way, we will make a few detours to see the historic Statue of Liberty and visit Ground Zero, since I feel that is important for anyone that has not seen it. Following our day with Lady Liberty and paying our respects at Ground Zero, we will end the evening with spectacular tickets to a New York Yankees game, where we will see my childhood hero and legend Andy Pettite throw a dazzling game.

New Yankees Stadium





Lady Liberty

Yankees Win! Yankees Win!


Here is a video of the final out of last years win in the World Series.



Following the game, depending on how tired everybody is, we will most likely hit up Jay Z’s 40/40 Club.



A Rod, Jay Z, and Tom Brady at Jay Z's 40/40 Club in downtown New York



Inside the 40/40 Club

Pittsburgh and Philladelphia

PITTSBURGH

Although the Pittsburgh Pirates have not been one of the hottest teams in baseball in the recent years, I have heard their stadium (PNC Park) is a must see. In Pittsburgh, we will definitely make a stop at Morton’s Steakhouse, as I have heard only great things about it. My uncle loves to take us out to fine steak places, so this will greatly suit him, as well as all of us.



PNC Park in Pittsburgh,PA



My parents and I

After totally satisfying our appetites, we will head to Philadelphia. Here, I will get to see one of my favorite pitchers, Cole Hamels, pitch, as well as see the Phillies’ powerful lineup hit some missiles out of newly renovated Citizens Bank
Park.



Citizen's Bank Park in Philladelphia,PA

GETTING STARTED

After all of the careful planning and organizing of the trip, it is time to get on with the actual thing and see some baseball. Our trip will start off at the Austin airport, from which we will fly to Atlanta, Georgia and pick up our rental. Since this trip may be somewhat pricey, we will be staying at various Holiday Inn’s along the way. After attending an Atlanta Braves game and getting a few autographs from Chipper Jones and Jason Heyward, we will pick up our rental car and be on our way up to lovely Cincinnati, Ohio. This is one of my favorite ballparks that I have been to as it sits on the “winding banks of the Ohio River” (reds.mlb.com). After saying hello to fellow Longhorn Drew Stubbs, we would be on our way to magnificent Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.


Here is beautiful Turner Field in Atlanta,GA

THE EXPENSES

Because this trip will be of great magnitude, the expenses will be pretty hefty. After careful consideration and looking at our options, I conclude that this trip will cost around seven thousand dollars. The flight to Atlanta from Austin for the four of us will be roughly twelve hundred dollars. After landing in Atlanta, we will have to pick up a rental car to continue our journey. I estimated this to be around eight hundred dollars including gas for the week. The Holiday Inns we will be staying at cost about one hundred and fifty dollars a night for both rooms. This adds up to around nine hundred dollars for the entirety of our trip. Since this trip is already going to be pretty pricey, we will not be eating at any extravagant restaurants except for maybe one occasion. I concluded the price for food to be about thirteen hundred dollars considering fifteen dollars a meal per person. I estimated the ticket prices per game to be around forty dollars for decent seats. This comes to around eight hundred dollars for the four of us after seeing the five games throughout the trip. The flight home to Austin from New York will be around fifteen hundred dollars when you add in airport fees and individual ticket prices. Those would be the monetary expenses and the time we spend will most likely be a little over a week; due to drive time and sleep time that will be necessary in order to stay healthy and safe.

Flight to Atlanta from Austin: $1200

Rental Car: $800 for the week

Hotels(Holiday Inn's): $150 a night for 2 rooms=$900 for a weeks stay

Food: $1300

Game Tickets: $40 per ticket = $800 for trip

Flight home from New York: $1500

Miscellaneous: $300

Total: estimated $7,000

HOW I GOT STARTED

Since I was five, baseball has been my passion and something I could not imagine living without. In Texas, baseball is one of the most popular sports, so it was extremely easy to find a league and start playing. Ever since I was little, playing at the highest level has always been a dream. Playing here at Texas has been a huge step in what, hopefully, can be a lengthy career. Along the way, there have been tons of people who have supported and motivated me; especially my parents. I think that it would be especially appropriate to include them in this splendid road trip. After all, they have been my backbone of support and love throughout the years. My dad is the one who got me into the great game of baseball, and from him and my mom, I have received nothing but positive support and appreciation.



Here is a Major League Baseball highlight video that I felt was pretty sweet!




Another person I would invite on this trip would be my uncle Mick. He has supported me just as much throughout the years and has been my closest relative and one of my biggest fans. He still has yet to miss one of my college games even though he resides and works in Houston! With my parents and my uncle, planning this trip should be a piece of cake. Since my uncle is a CPA, crunching the numbers will just be another day at the office for him.