June 21, 2012
After a long day of walking around Washington D.C. in blistering heat, we arrived at Nationals Park It was so early that the gates hadn’t even opened yet when we bought tickets at the box office. Finally at 4:30 pm, we entered Nationals Park, which unknowingly marked the beginning of our ballpark chasing days. While mom sat in the bleachers to rest in the shade, Danny, Adrian and I positioned ourselves to catch batting practice home runs. Adrian, who went to right field, caught a line drive hit off the bat of Stephen Strasburg. Yes, that Stephen Strasburg, the pitcher. Once he caught one baseball, we wanted to explore the stadium, because we weren’t really here for just the game. As we made a circle around this beautiful park, I said hello to my old friend Teddy Roosevelt, Adrian searched for a Bryce Harper shirt, and we got as close as possible to the field to see the players, where even Washington Redskins legend Joe Theismann made an appearance.
The scorching heat, which bothered me all day, finally got to me and gave me a pounding headache. I met my mom at first aid for some Tylenol and cold water. We cooled off while Danny and Adrian went to our seats. When the game began, my mom and I found some open seats next to a friendly usher and enjoyed the game from there. Before leaving, we wouldn’t dare miss Washington’s iconic Presidents’ Race, where Lincoln, Washington, Jefferson, and Roosevelt battle it out on the field. After Washington won the race, we made our way towards the exits and on to the Beltway towards Baltimore.
Looking back, Washington remains a special place, as it is where our unbelievable journey began.