2023 Army/Navy Game - Day #1

For the fourth time in the last five years, I am heading to the Army/Navy football game [2022, 2021, 2019]. We had tickets in 2020 until the game was moved to West Point in response to the COVID pandemic.

Up at 3 am, I headed to the airport at 4:15 am. If I am not checking a bag, my rule of thumb is to leave for the airport about one hour and forty-five minutes ahead of the flight. Larkin and I had a 6 am American Airlines flight from Sacramento to Phoenix.

As an aside, I decided this year to pack very light; I have a small stuff bag, rather than a carry-on roller. In past years, I have thrown in my running shoes and some workout clothes. I have never used them. It is just not realistic.

I also made a decision to upgrade the first leg to first class. I was hoping for some breakfast, but only got a couple of snacks.

Interestingly, the layover in Phoenix was scheduled at only forty minutes. Our flight was on the ground about fifteen minutes early. Although we had to jump from the end of the A concourse to the B concourse, we made it in plenty of time. They were loading the American flight to Boston when we walked up to the gate. The flight took off on time at 9:30 am.

I had a exit row window seat on the flight to Boston. The internet was not working. As a result, I am behind on a couple of blog entries.

We were on the ground in Boston just after 4 pm. With Wallen and Vic about 40 minutes behind us, we decided to wait for them. Connecting with Wallen and Vic, the four of us got starters and beers at Not Your Average Joe's in the airport. We decided to wait for Tomasin.

After Tomasin landed, we jammed the five of us in an Uber. We are staying three nights at The Boxer hotel. We connected with Max, Nooter and Wallen's brother Jim.

With Vic leading the way, we wandered dowh the street. I was surprised to find the TD Garden, the Boston Celtics arena only about two blocks aways. Earlier in the week, Larkin had suggested that we might want to go to the game on Friday night. Walking pass the arena started a longer discussion with the group about going to the game.

We ended up having dinner at Tavern in the Square. I ended up having a salmon bowl. After dinner, the group made one stop at an Irish pub. Larkin and I wandered back to the hotel and crashed about 11:30 pm.

2022 Army/Navy Game - Day #4

After a late night, I slept late and was moving slow. The group had a leisurely breakfast in the M Louge. Several people left early. After staying up until 2 am with Wallen and I, Adam caught a 6 am flight back to Seattle for the Seahawks game!?! Max was on the road heading home by the time I got up.

Packing up the room and checking out, Nooter took Martin (Max's friend from Scotland), Wallen, Vic and I to the airport. Wallen got us into the American Admiral's lounge. We ended up watching the Eagles versus Giants NFL game.

I caught a 4 pm American flight from Philly to Los Angeles. I had a very comfortable premium seat on a 787.

I had a two plus hour layover at LAX. It was an odd experience. I had to take a bus to a small rundown separate terminal for the American Skywest flight. I caught a 930 pm flight from Los Angeles to Sacramento.

By the time I got home, it was 1145 pm. It was after midnight by the time I was in bed. A long day.

2022 Army/Navy Game - Day #3

The group had breakfast in the M Louge at the hotel. Max's son Michael had gotten tickets to a tailgate at a Chickie's and Pete's. Six of us jumped in an Uber XL and headed to the stadium.

Unforunately, we made a tactical error. We had the Uber take us to the stadium. It turned out that the tailgate was in a restaurant about a mile and a quarter from the stadium. After some initial confusion, we humped our way there. It was different doing a tailgate indoors. From there, we walked back to the stadium.

Army won the game by the score of 20 to 17 in the second overtime. It was the first overtime in the history of the rivalry. Frankly, it was a very boring game until the overtime.

Both offenses were stagnant. Army was 2 for 12 in passing. Navy was 1 for 4 in passing; they didn't complete a pass until the overtime. The Navy Quarterback [Xavier Arline] carried the ball 28 times. It seemed like the only the play that Navy ran was an option where the quarterback kept the ball on a dive.

It was a little bit of an adventure getting an Uber to pick us up and take us back to the hotel. We ended up having dinner at Spasso Italian Grill a couple of blocks from the hotel. We were able to get a couple of tables in the bar. I had Rigatoni Meatballs [MARINARA SAUCE, FRESH RICOTTA CHEESE].

After dinner, we settled back in the bar at the hotel. Wallen, Adam and I made it a late night. I was 2 am by the time I crawled into bed.

2022 Army/Navy Game - Day #2

Moving slowly after a late night, the group eventually had a lazy banquet breakfast at the hotel.

One of my objectives for the trip was a tour of Independence Hall. I have been to Philadephia three other times, but never had a chance to visit the site. In early November, I got ten tickets for 11:20 am. After breakfast, eight of us wandered down to the hall and took the tour. Having read a number of relevant biographies, it was cool to walk through the site. The tour guide did a nice job.

From there, Max led us to the river front. We toured the cruiser USS Olympia and then the submarine USS Becuna. I enjoyed the guided tour of the submarine a lot more than I thought I would. I stayed overnight with Jack on a submarine in 2006 when he was in the Cub Scouts and toured a submarine in Baltimore with Nooter and Wallen in 2005. Additionally, Max took Wallen and I on a tour of a Trident submarine in 1991.

We had a late lunch at the Red Owl Tavern. I had a Sourdough Grilled Cheese [apple butte, porchetta, arugula, provolone, gruyere]. Afterwards, everyone headed to the hotel to relax and nap.

We had an early dinner at Butcher and Singer. A group of us walked the mile and a quarter to the resturant. The group totaled 16, including Max's son and his wife, his daugther Tracy and her husband Nate and his nephew Zach. While almost everyone had an 18 oz. Delmonico for the entree, I had King Salmon.

Sharon and I had dinner in this general area when we picked Jack up from the Wharton sports business academy at UPenn in 2015. I remembered the area as having some nice bars and restaurants. I was hoping that we would be able to explore the area after dinner. Unfortunately, every place was packed. After trying to find a place near the restaurant and giving up, we started walking back towards the hotel. We ended up stopping for a beer at the Caribou Cafe.

By the time we got back to the hotel and to bed, it was just after midnight.

2022 Army/Navy Game - Day #1

For the third time in the last four years, I am heading to the Army/Navy football game [2O21, 2019]. We had tickets in 2020 until the game was moved to West Point in response to the COVID pandemic.

Up at 430 am, I breezed through security; I love the combination of CLEAR and TSA-Pre. I caught a 734 am American Flight from Sacramento to Dallas. We don't normally fly American, but Larkin and Snipes were supposed to be on the flight with me. Both of them had to cancel for different reasons. Boarding in group 5, I had an upgraded aisle seat on an Airbus A321. In a stroke of luck, the middle seat was empty. I read my book, chatted with work in Teams, worked on emails and sent a few text messages. I was amazed at how well the wireless worked.

On the ground a little early in Dallas, I boarded a 1:40 pm flight to Philly. In a black swan event, I booked a window seat (9c). I need to figure out how to upgrade my boarding group for the flights home. Although it was an easy flight, I got antsy due to the fact that I couldn't stand up without climbing over everyone.

On the ground in Philly just before 530 pm, I jumped in a cab. I was going to call an Uber, but the cab line was right in front of me. I was at the hotel a little after 6 pm. We are spending three nights at the Marriot Old City. With Larkin and Snipes AWOL, I am rooming with Vic.

After getting checked into the room and dropping my luggage, I caught up with the group in the lobby. This year's group includes Nooter, Wallen, Wallen's brother Jim, Wallen's neighbor Adam, Max, Max's friend Martin from Scotland, Vic and I. After a quick drink, we caught an Uber to the Chubby Cattle. Max's son and daughter and their familes joined us at the restaurant. While name suggested a steak place, Chubby Cattle is a hot pot restaurant decribed inspired by Mongolian, Tibetan, and Chinese philosophies of medicine and healing.

After dinner, a small group did a pub crawl with stops at Rotten Ralph's Pub, Buffalo Billards and Glory Beer Bar. I wandered back to the hotel and crashed just after 1:30 am!