Every year, I now happily spend my birthday visiting Matt in whatever small town the Mets have assigned him to for the season. This year: Binghamton, NY. My wonderful husband showered me with love and fun every second he had with me, which isn't much since I spend the majority of my day either waiting on his game to start, sitting at the game, and waiting for him to get out of the ballpark after the game. The second I see him, all that waiting leaves my mind, and I am just happy in the moments we get. For my actual birthday, he sped in his truck to a 91 yr old carousel before it stopped running for the day just so I could see it (we got to ride it too)! Then, he took me to a delicious dinner followed by a tied game of mini-golf that included the world's longest hole. Who knew? It was a day of feeling like a kid with my best friend. I'm so lucky!
Now...Binghamton. I have to admit, I was excited to see the place. It had to be better than Port St. Lucie, FL...land of strip malls and senior citizens. Ok, so B-ham was better, but not nearly as much as I thought. Let's just say that "country" is everywhere, not just down South. So stop making fun of us!
The airport was in the middle of nowhere. Literally, I think it was built in the middle of farms on top of a mountain. As Matt noted, they couldn't find any flat land closer to the city? You could tell that at some point in time, Binghamton was full of life. There is a fun yet odd mix of early and mid 20th century architecture. A lot of buildings are broken down and empty. There were a few nice coffee shops and restaurants but not too many. The life has literally been sucked out of downtown. Seems like most people are outside of the city along your average American state highway full of chains and the occasional mom 'n' pop. Where the streets are bustling, you have no idea what part of the country you are actually in until you see a license plate. What makes Binghamton unique seems to no longer exist. I would have loved to have seen it in its prime. There are some houses that have that old character, but few are being preserved in the best way. Matt is lucky to live in one 3 story home that has a thoughtful owner doing what he can to renovate and help maintain the charm of the place. It's sad to see a city so broken down. Apparently, it's the 5th most depressed city in the nation. I can see why. From 1980 to 2005, employment rose a whopping 0.9% with 56% of manufacturing jobs declined. Come on business world...bring the love back to Binghamton!
Despite the lack of life there, I'd rather be back in that boring town watching my husband live out most American sports fans' dreams than writing this blog from my cozy Atlanta home. Better yet, I can't wait until September when he is here with me. I am now a baseball wife and experiencing all the ups and downs in a different way than the previous 3 seasons. Oh baseball, this love-hate relationship goes on. See you next year for my 33rd birthday.
Now...Binghamton. I have to admit, I was excited to see the place. It had to be better than Port St. Lucie, FL...land of strip malls and senior citizens. Ok, so B-ham was better, but not nearly as much as I thought. Let's just say that "country" is everywhere, not just down South. So stop making fun of us!
The airport was in the middle of nowhere. Literally, I think it was built in the middle of farms on top of a mountain. As Matt noted, they couldn't find any flat land closer to the city? You could tell that at some point in time, Binghamton was full of life. There is a fun yet odd mix of early and mid 20th century architecture. A lot of buildings are broken down and empty. There were a few nice coffee shops and restaurants but not too many. The life has literally been sucked out of downtown. Seems like most people are outside of the city along your average American state highway full of chains and the occasional mom 'n' pop. Where the streets are bustling, you have no idea what part of the country you are actually in until you see a license plate. What makes Binghamton unique seems to no longer exist. I would have loved to have seen it in its prime. There are some houses that have that old character, but few are being preserved in the best way. Matt is lucky to live in one 3 story home that has a thoughtful owner doing what he can to renovate and help maintain the charm of the place. It's sad to see a city so broken down. Apparently, it's the 5th most depressed city in the nation. I can see why. From 1980 to 2005, employment rose a whopping 0.9% with 56% of manufacturing jobs declined. Come on business world...bring the love back to Binghamton!
Despite the lack of life there, I'd rather be back in that boring town watching my husband live out most American sports fans' dreams than writing this blog from my cozy Atlanta home. Better yet, I can't wait until September when he is here with me. I am now a baseball wife and experiencing all the ups and downs in a different way than the previous 3 seasons. Oh baseball, this love-hate relationship goes on. See you next year for my 33rd birthday.
1 comments:
I agree with you that country is every where not just the south!
Living in the midwest for the past 3 to 4 years has me itching to create a portrait folio of the America that was compared to the America that is...there are still enough of the quaint and functional places left...but too many of the run down and decaying here.
I hope your love hate relationship with baseball has more love than hate as the years pass for you guys! I love that you got to spend your day with your best friend as a kid again, sounds like a perfect day:) Here's to many more for you both!
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