Planes, Trains & Automobiles

I found myself thinking about the John Candy/Steve Martin comedy vehicle "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" this past weekend during a quick trip to D.C. to see a Nationals game with my brother, Steve, and sister, Beth. No, I didn't have to share a room with a sweaty shower curtain ring salesman who had his hands between my "pillows."

But the trip didn't go quite as smoothly as I'd hoped.

The plan: leave Boston at 3:40, meet my sister at BWI Airport, hop in a rental car, drive to the Greenbelt Metro station and ride into D.C. to meet my brother, who lives in Maryland, and works in the capital. This is the third year that the three of us have gotten together for a siblings-only trip. Two years ago they met me in Cooperstown to tour the Baseball Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, they couldn't stick around the next day to watch me play on the Hall's field with my over-40 team.

Last year, to celebrate my sister's 50th birthday, we gathered at Fenway Park for a Sox game. We hung out during a rain delay and ate at the park, a fate that we feared we might face again this year, based on the D.C. forecast for last Friday.

The weather turned out fine, but unfortunately my sister and I didn't arrive at the park until the 4th inning. My flight was delayed nearly an hour, so I didn't arrive at BWI until nearly 6:00. By the time my sister and I rode the rental car shuttle, waited in line at Enterprise, filled out paper work and hit the road, it was about 6:30.

My brother had suggested we drive to Greenbelt and ride the train, instead of trying to find parking in D.C. near the park. The drive to the station went relatively smoothly. We parked, got our tickets and went up to the platform.

We had to wait close to 10 minutes for the train, but were happy once it arrived. By this time, the game had begun, but we figured we'd be on the train for about 30 minutes and be at the game by about 7:45 or so.

The train cruised to the College Park stop as my sister and I chatted about the Red Sox, the Nationals, what else we had planned for the weekend, blah blah blah. Then, between College Park and Prince George's Plaza, the train got all herky jerky.

Then it stopped completely. Several times, the driver tried to get it moving, but it wouldn't go far before it came to a halt again. Then we sat for a few minutes, having no idea what was going on. After a few minutes, we got going pretty well and pulled into the station. But then the driver announced we had to debark and wait for another train.

So we got off, and waited on the platform for a few minutes, glad the rain we'd been expecting was holding off. After a few more minutes, an announcement came over the P.A. telling us to cross up and over the tracks to the other side, where a train would arrive in a few minutes.

Everybody walked to the other side, where we waited a few more minutes before a train arrived. Finally, we were on our way, seemingly at super-sonic speed. I tell ya, those Metro trains can HAUL!

Still, we had 11 stops to go before Navy Yard. By the time we traveled through all those stations and got up and out of the station, it was almost 8:30. We got to the game, met my brother, stuffed our faces with hot dogs, fries, chili, ice cream and beer and watched the Nationals try, but fail, to overcome a 6-1 deficit.

The park is nice; our left-field bleachers seats afforded a pretty good view. The game was fun, even though I didn't know many players and had no concern of the outcome. I was glad to have finally arrived, and to be hanging out with my brother and sister. We had a lot of laughs during the game, and on the way back to Greenbelt and during the drive from the Metro station to my brother's house in Bowie.

We chatted for about an hour before hitting the hay around midnight. The next day I had a fun breakfast with my sister, and my brother and his family: his wife, Tonya, and my niece, Grace, and nephew, Isaiah. After breakfast, my sister and I gave Isaiah his presents for his third birthday, which was Sunday.

Shortly after that, I had to head back to the airport, while the rest of them were off to Grace and Isaiah's soccer games.

A short trip, made shorter by the failings of two transportation modes, but all in all, a good time.