Thursday, 8/9/12, 8:00am.  Baseball Trip 2012 is ON! 

We woke up after seven, loaded up the car, dropped Ellie at WHS for driver’s ed, and then scooted down 128 to the Westwood / Route 128 Amtrak station.  We boarded Northeast Regional #93 on time at 9:51 and are presently nearing New Haven, home of Yale University.  We have decent seats on the left hand side and will have great views of the Connecticut coast as we head for Penn Station in NYC.

3pm.  We boarded the Silver Meteor #97 from a positively heaving, sweaty Penn Station and departed on time.  Our sleeping car bedroom is pretty small, but will be a great enhancement to our 27-hour journey to Miami.  The boys have checked out the train from end-to-end with a trek of at least 10 coach cars behind the sleeping cars and diner. 

7pm.  We take our seat in the dining car and enjoy a pretty decent meal considering it’s on a train.  Most of the dinner is spent stationary in the Washington DC train station.  At this stop, they change engines from electric to diesel, so we do we dine by “candlelight” as the power (and A/C) is off.

9pm.  We go to the club car, get some refreshments and play several spirited hands of Mao.  Charlie and I are playing for the first time, and Peter sticks to the rules like a taskmaster.  It’s a fun game to learn, and by 10:30 pm, Charlie has won most of the games.

Midnight:  Just crossed the state line from Virginia to North Carolina.  The room is converted to beds and we settle in for what will undoubtedly be a unique night’s sleep.  There’s a thunderstorm off in the distance lighting up the dark NC night sky. 

7pm.  Good Amtrak karma continues; we arrive ON TIME at Miami.   In all, a wonderful experience, the boys free to roam, buy stuff in the club car, chat up the dedicated and hard working attendants and servers, and plenty of bonding time in our tiny bedroom. 

“Hey!  There’s a dead bird impaled on the front of our train!”

We disembark at the Amtrak station in Miami, grab the first cab in line, and in 10 minutes are at the massive rental car complex at MIA International.  Hertz assigned us a brand new Volvo S60 sedan with less than 2000 miles.  Exiting the airport, we buzzed past Miami Marlins Stadium on the Dolphin Expressway, across Biscayne Bay, into South Beach.  Our hotel is a boutique Marriott right on the beach (17th and Ocean Drive). 

8pm.  Checked into our oceanfront room on the 3rd floor, we quickly change into our suits and dash across the street for a dip in the dark, yet bath-like ocean.  The boys squealed with delight; the water was wavy, and WARM. 

9:30pm.  Right outside our hotel door are dozens of dining options, all offering al fresco tables, right on the sidewalk of Ocean Drive.  Shades of ‘vegas and the the all you can eat prime rib buffet, but with coral and fuchsia lighting.

11:00pm.  Back in the room, happy to be off the train.  Tomorrow is a beach day!

Saturday, 8/11/12, 9am.  Despite the all night party raging three floors below us on Ocean Drive, the soundproofing in our hotel proved effective.  We slept soundly through the night, waking just in time to catch the end of breakfast downstairs.

10am.  Called for the rental car, headed out for sunscreen and goggles at the local Publix and stopped in at X/O at the Clinton Hotel for a dip in their pool and a smoothie.  Afterward, we went back to the hotel, and crossed the street to spend the afternoon at the beach.  Despite the threat of thunderstorms, we managed to get our fill of swimming, lounging, smashball, and reading.  We rented an umbrella from the ubiquitous Boucher Brothers to protect our pasty northeasterner skin from the fierce August sun.

11pm.  Back at the hotel, the boys are playing with baseball cards.  Time to hit the sack.  The beach awaits tomorrow.

Sunday, 8/12/12:  We slept in nicely, went “window shopping” for breakfast, settling on a joint two blocks away.  After breakfast, we reached the beach by 11:30am, setting up camp under a rented umbrella and on three lounge chairs.  The day was crystal-clear with bright sunshine and undoubtedly, off-the-charts UV Index.    The boys decided they needed a break from the beach around 2pm and retreated to the room.  Around 3pm, hunger set in and they went around the corner for take out chicken. 

We had tons of fun throwing our newly-acquired Wave Runner ball, which bounces on water; standing waist-deep in the ocean, 30 yards apart we spent a lot of time perfecting the one-skip bounce to the recipient.

5pm.  We picked a table at Bice on Ocean drive.  The restaurant is significant because Kate and I dined at the Bice on W54 for our first Valentine’s Day together roughly 17 1/2 years ago. 

8pm.  One last trip to the rooftop deck and watching the Closing ceremonies consumed the rest of the evening.  Off to Atlanta tomorrow.