MY 30 PLUS TEAMS TOUR BUCKET LIST – ALL 150 OF THEM!

You  might  think  that  a bucket  list  for  a blog  called  30 Plus  Teams ,  30  Plus  Dreams  would  mean  just visiting  or doing  things  in cities  in  Canada  and  the  United  States  that  have  teams  in  all four  of  the  major  professional  sports .

You might  be  partially  right .

There  are  cities  in both  countries  that  I  would  like  to  see  and they  DON’T  have  any of the  four  major  sports  teams  in their  cities .

They are, however ,  close enough  though  that  if you wanted to make  a  side  trip  while  on your  own  30 Plus  Teams  Tour ,  you could .

You might  be  surprised  at some  of  my  choices ,  but then again ,  you might  not .

Here’s my bucket  list in no particular  order .

1. Halifax ,  Nova Scotia
2. Drinking   Ice Wines  in Canada
3. Banff, Alberta   because  the name  sounds  so wicked  cool .
4. Grand Canyon
5. Lake Louise ,  Alberta
6. Eating a  bagel  in Montreal  and  seeing  how  different  it is  from a bagel  in New York  City
7. Stanley  Park
8. Attending  a  Toronto  Raptors  basketball  game
9. Hoover  Dam
10. Civil  Rights  Museum  in Birmingham ,  Alabama
11. Newport ,  Rhode  Island   to see how  the  other  half  lived back in  the  day
12. Beale  Street
13. Museum  of  Human  Rights ,  Winnepeg, Canada
14. Rock  N Roll Hall of  Fame
15. Baseball  Hall of  Fame ,  Cooperstown ,  NY
16. Vicksburg ,  Mississippi  to see the  Civil  War  monuments
17. Pearl  Harbor
18. Riding  on the  Montreal  subway
19. Riding  all the  street  cars in New Orleans
20. Portland ,  Oregon
21. Attending  an Indianapolis Colts   football  game
22. Attending  the  Kentucky  Derby and drinking  Mint Juleps and wearing  my  finest  hat.
23. Mackinac  Island ,  Michigan .  No cars are allowed
24. United  States  Naval  Academy ,  Annapolis ,  Maryland
25. Calgary  Stampede
26. Parliament  Hill ,  Ottawa
27. Going  on  an Alaska  Cruise
28. Getting  my cowgirl  on in Jackson  Hole, Wyoming
29. Attending  a New England  Patriots  football  game
30. Yellowstone  National  Park
31. Trying  my luck and looking  elegant  at the  Casino  Du  Montreal
32. Albuquerque ,  New Mexico
33. Catalina  Island
34. Alcatraz
35. Santa  Barbara
36. Visiting  Doctor  Martin  Luther  King’s  graveside  in Atlanta
37. Riding  the  High Roller  in Las Vegas
38. Washington  National  Zoo
39. Seeing  where JFK was shot  in  Dallas
40. Arlington  House at Arlington  National  Cemetery .  It was once the  home   of  Robert  E. Lee
41. Senator John  Heinz History  Museum  in Pittsburgh
42. Harper’s  Ferry ,  West  Virginia
43. The  Alamo
44. Attending  a  Montreal  Canadiens  hockey  game  at Le  Centre  Bell
45. Seeing  as many  lighthouses  as I can in the  state  of  Maine
46. Kennedy  Center
47. Sundance  Film Festival
48. Being  a snow bunny  in Aspen ,  Colorado
49. Graceland
50. Walking  down the Las Vegas  Strip in the winter time  when there aren’t  that  many  tourists
51. Fort Sumpter
52. Eating  barbecue  in Kansas  City ,  St. Louis ,  Memphis ,  and the Carolinas , and deciding  which  one  I  like  best .
53. Country  Music  Hall of  Fame
54. Eating  at Paula Deens Restaurant  in  Savannah, Georgia
55. Attending  a  Arizona  Diamondbacks  game at Chase Field
56. Soaking  up  French  Canadian  culture  in Quebec  City
57. Visiting  Mother  Seton’s  home in Baltimore .  She was  the  first  American  saint .
58. Visiting  the  Negro  Leagues    Baseball  Museum  in Kansas  City
59. Tasting  Maple Syrup  in Vermont
60. Gettysburg
61. Going  to  an authentic  luau  in Hawaii
62. Riding  the  Duquesne  and  Monongahela  inclines  in Pittsburgh
63. Visiting  the  Oklahoma  City  Bombing  Memorial
64. Riding  a  sightseeing  boat  down  the  Chicago  River
65. Notre Dame  university
66. Iditarod  Dog Sled race  in  Alaska
67. Seeing  all the  neighborhoods  of  New Orleans ,  not  just  the  French  Quarter
68. Buchard Gardens ,  Victoria ,  Canada
69. Eating  a hot dog  at The Varsity  in Atlanta  and  a half  smoke  at Ben’  s Chilli  Bowl  in Washington  DC .   and comparing  the  two
70. Philadelphia  Museum  of  Art, but  not  running  up the  stairs  like Rocky did .  That’s  NOT  an option .
71. Little  Havana
72. South  Beach
73. Louisville ,  Kentucky
74. Attending  a  Winnepeg  Jets  hockey  game
75. Supreme  Court  Building
76. Football  Hall of  Fame  in Canton    Ohio
77. Attending  a July 4th  concert  in either  Washington  DC ,  Philadelphia ,  or Boston .
78. Attending  a  Milwaukee  Brewers  baseball  game  at Miller  Park ,  especially  to see  ”  the  Sausage  Race” .
79. Spending  most  of  the  day  in Las Vegas ,  walking  through  the  Caesar  ‘  s Palace  Hotel  and  Casino .  It’s  that big that you’ll  need  most  of  the  day.
80. Attending  a US  Open Tennis  Match
81. Richmond ,  Virginia
82. Attending  a  Green  Bay  Packers  football  game  and  taking  a  tour  of  Lambeau  Field
83. Riding  on the Atlanta  Eye
84. United  States  Military  Academy  at West  Point
85. Stone  Mountain ,  Georgia  and  seeing  the  Civil  War  monument
86. Riding  “The  Maid of  The   Mist” and seeing  Niagara  Falls  up close  and  personal .
87. Underground  Railroad  Museum  in Cincinnati
88. The Trail  of  Tears
89. Great  Blacks in Wax Museum  in Baltimore
90. The Bean Sculpture  in Chicago
91. Staring  at  “Sue” ,  the  T-Rex at Field   Museum  in Chicago
92. Attending  the  Miss America  Pageant
93. Space  Needle
94. Mob Museum  in Las Vegas
95. Attending  the  Indianapolis  500 Car Race
96. Riverwalk  in San Antonio
97. Molly  Brown’s  home in Denver .  She was  one  of  the  few  survivors  on the  Titanic
98. Palm  Springs
99. Eating  Tex-Mex  food  in San  Antonio
100. Seeing  Wrigley  Field  close  up and going  to  a Chicago  Cubs  baseball  game
101. Johnson  Space  Center  in Houston
102. Charles  Wright  Museum  in  Detroit
103. Pikes  Place  Market  Seattle  and  watching  the  fish “fly” .
104. Fort Lauderdale
105. University  of  Miami ,  aka ”  The  U”
106. Attending  a  Seattle  Seahawks  football  game
107. Williamsburg ,  Virginia
108. Visiting  the  “Nationality Rooms” at University  of  Pittsburgh
109. Going  on  a Hurricane  Katrina  sightseeing  tour of New    Orleans
110. Visiting  The  Ohio  State  University
111. Attending  a  game  at the  new Little  Caesars  Arena  in Downtown  Detroit
112. Walking  down  Broadway  in Nashville
113. Attending  an  Atlanta  Falcons  Football  game
114. Going  on  a  carriage  ride  through  Old  Montreal
115. Attending  a Vegas  Golden  Knights  hockey  game .  It’s  their  first  season  in the  league
116. Walking  around  LODO, the Lower  Downtown  section  of  Denver
117. Mount  Rushmore
118. Crazy  Horse  Statue
119. I want to  take a road  trip  through  the  entire  state  of  Montana  just  to  appreciate  the  beauty  of  this  state .
120. Take  a  carriage  ride  through  the  streets  of  Charleston ,  South  Carolina
121. Going  on  an  Amtrak  ride from  Northern  California  all the  the way  to  San Diego  in Southern  California .
122. Myrtle  Beach
123. Attending  an  Oklahoma  City  Thunder  basketball  game
124. Hollywood  Walk of Fame
125. Attending  the  Tournament  of Roses  Parade  on New Years  Day
126.   George    W. Bush  Museum  and  Library  in Dallas
127. Riding  the  trolley  from  San Diego  to Tijuana ,  Mexico
128. Brooklyn  Bridge  Park
129. Seeing  President  Andrew  Jackson’s  home, “The  Hermitage  ”  in Nashville
130. Lombard  Street
131. Eating  food  in New Orleans  that  I  wouldn’t  think  of  eating ,  and lots of  food  that  I  would  DEFINITELY  eat!
132. Ben  and  Jerry’s  Ice Cream  plant in  Burlington ,  Vermont
133. Walking  down  Park  Avenue  in New  York  City   like  I own  this  place!
134. United  States  Air Force  Academy
135. Taking  a  bus  ride  through  the  Detroit  –  Windsor  Tunnel
136. Walking  along  the  Atlantic  City  Boardwalk  when  there’s  no tourists  around
137. Walking  on one  or all of the  “Three  Sisters  Bridges  ”  in Pittsburgh . (Their  official  names  are ,  The  Roberto  Clemente ,  Andy Warhol  and  Rachel  Carson  )
138. Seeing  as  many  plantations  down  South  as I  can .
139. Seeing  the  “Pink  Ladies  “, those  colorful  houses  in San Francisco .
140. Prince  Edward  Island
141. West  Edmonton  Mall
142. Mall of America
143. Salem ,  Massachusetts
144. Library  of  Congress
145. Mount  Vernon  ,  George  Washington’s  home
146. Monticello ,  Thomas  Jefferson ‘  s  home
147. Attending  a  Columbus  Blue  Jackets  game, just to hear  that  humongous  canon  go off when  the  team  scores
148. Attending  a   Cleveland Cavaliers   basketball  game
149. Attending  an Ohio  State  –  University  of  Michigan  football  game .  Doesn’t  matter  if  it’s  at “The Horseshoe  ” in Ohio   or at ”  The  Big House  ” in Michigan
150. Taking  a  tour  inside  the  United  States  Capital  Building.

That’s  my bucket  list ,  all 150 of them .

God  willing ,  I’d  like  to  see  and  do  some ,  if not  all  of  them .

What’s  on your bucket  list ?  Let  me  know .

Thanks  for  reading  this post and following  my blog .

START SPREADING THE NEWS – NEW YORK CITY , NEW YORK A WALK DOWN FIFTH AVENUE FROM 104TH STREET TO 60TH STREET IN PICTURES .

It was a fairly nice day  recently  in the  city ,  so I  decided  to  do what any outer boroughs  girl would do.

I went on my own  30  Plus  Teams  Tour  in my own city. I took the train to 104th  Street  and then walked back to the  train. Stopping  along the  way of course.

Here’s  some  of  what I  saw. Enjoy!

MY FAVORITE HOLIDAY

It seems  like  every  day  is  some  kind  of  holiday  in  the  United  States ,  whether  it  be  Memorial  Day ,  which is  considered  the  unofficial  first  day  of  Summer ,  Labor  Day ,  which  is  considered  the  unofficial  last  day  of  Summer ,  or even  President’s  Day ,  which  if  you’re  of  a certain  age, was really  two  holidays ,  Lincoln ‘ s  Birthday  and George  Washington’s  Birthday .

We even  have  Columbus  Day  and Martin  Luther  King ‘ s  Birthday  as holidays  also .

Need we even  mention  July 4th  with  all  those  fireworks  that seem  to  go on before  and  AFTER  July  4th ?

Some people  want to  carry  it a little  bit  too  far  and  make  Super  Bowl  Sunday  a holiday  here in the  country  also .

Don’t  get  me  wrong ,  I  love  watching  the  game  and not for all those  commercials  and  the  halftime  show  that seems  to  go on  forever ,  but let’s  not  get  carried  away  here, folks .

Super Bowl Sunday isn’t  nor should  it be  considered  a  holiday .

When I  was growing  up ,  I wasn’t  one of  those  children  who couldn’t  wait  for Christmas  just  to see what  I  would  get from  Santa  Claus .

Christmas  still  isn’t  my favorite  holiday .

Thanksgiving  also  isn’t  my favorite  holiday.

It was just another  day  to get with the  family ,  stuff our faces and watch  a  lot of  football .

That hasn’t  changed ,  although  instead of  giving thanks ,  stuffing  my face with a lot  of  food, and watching  football  with the  family ,  I go over to  a girlfriend’s  house to do the same  thing .

Then, as now, January  1st ,  New Year’s  Day  will ALWAYS  be my  favorite  holiday .

Forget about  the  fact  that  everybody  and their  mama  seems  to  have  celebrated  just  a  little  bit  too  much  the night  before ,  at the time ,  I  was too  young  to  understand  why folks would  do this  to themselves  on this one particular  day. 

Now that I’m  older, I’ve  turned into  one of  those  people  who  I wondered about  when  I  was  younger .

January  1st  not only  meant  the  start  of  a  new year  and new cities  to  explore  on your own  30  Plus  Teams  Tour ,  but on  a  personal  note ,  it’s  28  days away  from  my birthday !

( Yeah, it’s  all about  me, don’t  judge.)

There’s  still college  football  games to watch on TV ,  but not as many  now as there was when I  was growing  up .

Of course ,  besides  that Mimosa  that you  were having ,  you had to watch the Tournament  of Roses  Parade  and check out  all the  floats  decorated with ,  what else?

Lots  of  roses of every color .

But now, January  1st  means another  sporting  event for me to enjoy.

The National  Hockey  League  has  their annual  outdoor  game called  The Winter  Classic ,  which for the  past couple  of  years  has been  held  every January  1st .

Some  things  just haven’t  changed on my  favorite  holiday .

START SPREADING THE NEWS – NEW YORK CITY , NEW YORK – THE MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK

In a  city  that  seems  to  have  a museum  for  just  about  everything ,  it’s  not  surprising  that  there’s  a  museum  that  tells  everything  that  you  ever wanted  to  know  about  New York  City . 

It’s  the  Museum  of  the  City  of  New  York  and it’s  located  at  104th  Street  and Fifth  Avenue .

It’s  on the  part of  Fifth  Avenue  known  as  ”  Museum  Mile  ” ,  because  of  all the  museums  that  are located  from 79th  Street  all the  way  up  to  104th  Street.

There are  three floors  in this  museum ,  and on all of  them ,  you basically  get the  history  of the  city ,  past and  present .

The museum  also  has special  exhibits  such as  ”  Activist  New York  ” ,  which  doesn’t  only  tell you  about  recent  protests  such as  the  ”  Black  Lives  Matter  ”   and “Occupy  Wall Street  “, but protests  against  slavery and Immigration .

There’s  also  a  movie  shown  called  “Timesscapes  ” ,  that gives  you  a  30  minute history  of  the  city  as well as an exhibit  on what the city might  look  like  in the  future .

If you  happen  to  take the stairs  in the  museum ,  which the  museum  happens  to  be  called ,  ”  New  York ‘ s  most exciting  staircase , ”  be sure  to  notice  some  of  the  quotes  about  the  city  from everyone  from  Thomas  Jefferson  to Woody  Allen .

Some  of  these  quotes are quite poignant ,  others might  make you laugh  out loud .

Expect  to  be  at the museum  longer  than  an an hour.

There’s  so much  to  see here.

Museum  of  the  City  of  New  York

Open  Daily  from  10am  until  6 pm

1220  Fifth  Avenue  at  104th  Street

New  York  City ,  NY  10029

MCNY.org

LAS VEGAS BABY ! – LAS VEGAS , NEVADA- TRYING TO LEAVE ON A JET BLUE PLANE

I’m  really  excited  about  going  to  Las Vegas ,  Nevada ,  but then I  get really  excited  about  going  anywhere  whether  it’s  a  30 Plus  Teams  Tour  or  not .

Or  at  least  I  was  until  I  reached  JFK ,  which  is  the airport  basically  in my backyard .

Jet  Blue  airlines  had told me via email  to be prepared  for  delays  at the  airport  due to  the  major  construction  that  always  seems  to  go  on at this  airport   so I  knew what  to expect .

I always  try to   get to  the  airport  or bus terminal  early  because  I  hate being rushed and I  also  like  to  people  watch.

I  checked  in for my flight ,  JetBlue  flight  7-Eleven  JFK New York  to Las Vegas  McCarron  International  Airport .

The  departure  time was  6:30pm ,  NewYork  time arriving  at  9:20pm ,  Las Vegas  time .

With  the  time  change ,  it would  be  a  five hour  and  50 minute  flight .

That’s  right ,  I  said  supposed  to  leave  at  6:30pm .

As  I  looked  down  at  my phone ,  I had received  another  email  from  Jet  Blue .

My flight ,  which  originated  from  San  Juan ,  Puerto  Rico ,  was going  to  be late  getting  to New York   and therefore  we would be  delayed  leaving  JFK  but also  arriving  in  Las  Vegas .

How  much  delayed  at JFK ?

”  Just  an hour  “,  was the  word from  the  gate  agents .

The  “just  one  hour  ” turned  into  almost  two hours and the gate  changed as well from Gate 18 to Gate 2.

Finally ,  around  8 pm ,  our row numbers  were finally  called .

HELLO  LAS  VEGAS ! !

Or so we thought .

This  is  JFK ,   nothing  ever goes  smoothly  at this  airport ,  including  airplanes  taking  off when  they’re  supposed  to .

It’s  like  the  New York

 

City  traffic  during  rush  hour ,  bumper  to bumper .

Nobody  is  going  ANY WHERE ,  even  on an airplane  runway .

So for  another  hour, or so it seemed ,  I  wasn’t  leaving  on a JetBlue  flight  and neither  were the  other  passengers .

Around  9:30pm  or so, the pilot  said  those  words we all wanted  to  hear

“WE  ARE READY FOR  TAKEOFF.”

By the   grace  of  God ,  Las Vegas ,  Nevada ,  here I  come!

 

 

 

START SPREADING THE NEWS – NEW YORK CITY – WALKING ON THE HIGHLINE .

The  three  of  you  are  on the first  day  of   your  30  Plus  Teams  Tour  of  New  York  City .

You  all  can’t  believe  how  tall  the  buildings  are  here  in  this  city .

All  of  the  buildings  seem  to  go  up  and  up  forever .

The  city  where  the  three  of  you  are  from ,  Cleveland ,  doesn’t  even  have  buildings  that  tall .

You  all  had  lunch  by  the  Empire  State  Building  and  the  three  of  you  oohed  and  aahed  at  the  sight  of  that  building.

Now  the three  of  you  are  going  over  to  the  what  all  the  travel  guides  say  that  you  should  visit  when  you  come  to  New York   City .

No ,  it’s  not  the  Statue  of  Liberty ,  Rockefeller  Center ,  Times  Square  or the  National  September  11th  Memorial .

It’s  the  Highline ,  which  goes  from  34th  Street  and  11th  Avenue  all  the  way  down  to  Gansevoort  Street  in the   Meatpacking  District .

The  Highline  at onetime  was  an elevated  train  track.

You  can  even  walk  on part  of  the  tracks  without  worrying  about   a train coming .

The  three  of  you  walk  the  entire  length  of  the  Highline ,  pausing  to admire  some  of  the  statues  and the   many different  kinds  of  flowers  in the   park.

When  you  all  reach  the  end  of  the  Highline ,  you  all  see  the  Whitney  Museum  of  Modern  Art .

The  three  of  you  figure  that  since  this  is  your  first  real  day of  seeing  New  York  City ,  you’ll  have  plenty  of  time  to  visit  the  many  museums on  your  30  Plus  Teams  Tour  of  New  York  City .

Instead ,  the three  of  you  are  going  to  do  as  the  other  New  Yorkers  do .

Get  something  to  eat  and  walk  while  you’re  eating .

This  is  one  place  where  you  really  don’t  want  to  look  like  a  tourist .

Even  though  the  three  of  you  are .

You  all  may  just  have  been  in  New  York  City  for  a  few  hours ,  but  the  three  of  you  are  really  feeling  bold  now .

Instead  of  getting  off  at  one  of  the  many  exits  on   the  Highline ,   the  three  of  you  are  going  to  walk  back  from  Gansevoort  Street  all the   way  down  to  34th  Street  and  take  your  first  subway  train  ride  in the   city .

 

 

START SPREADING THE NEWS – NEW YORK CITY – A WALK THROUGH LITTLE ITALY .

It  seems  as  though  the  three  of  you  are  walking  around  in  circles .

You’re  looking  for  Bowery  Street ,  which  supposedly  will  lead  the  three  of  you  to  your  next  destination  on  your  30  Plus  Teams  Tour  of  New  York  City  –  Little  Italy .

At  one  time ,  Bowery  Street  was  the  skid  row  area  of  the  city  with  many  people  down  on  their  luck .

Not  anymore .

”  See  that  huge  statue  of  Confucius , ”  you  say  to  your  cousins .

You  point  to  the statue  of  the  Chinese  philosopher  Confucius  looking  oh so  peaceful  near  the  entrance  to  the  Manhattan  Bridge .

Nearby  is  Columbus  Park ,  which  looks  very  calm  now ,  but  at  the  turn  of  the  century  this  was  the  center  of  the  very  dangerous  Four  Points  neighborhood .

You  remember  seeing  the  movie  and  reading  the  book  about  it  called  ”  The  Gangs  of  New  York . ”

You  all  finally  see  Bowery  Street  but  no  sign  that  Little  Italy  is  even  close  by .

You  see  a  map  that  tells  you  where  the  three  of  you  are .

There’s  another  Little  Italy  but  most  tourists  want  to  see  the  Little  Italy  that  the  three  of  you  are  having  trouble  finding .

This  is  the  Little  Italy  that  most  tourists  know  about ,  not  the  one  on  Arthur  Avenue  in  the  Bronx .

The  three  of  you  aren’t  the  only  tourists  that  seem  to  be  having   an  ”  Are  we  there  yet ?  moment .

Two  other  tourists  seem  to  be  looking  at  the  same  map  that  you  are .

As  the  three  of  you  keep  walking ,  you  finally  see  it .

One  of  your  cousins  points  to  the  banner  that  proudly  reads  :

”  WELCOME  TO  HISTORIC  LITTLE  ITALY .  ”

At  one  time  this  neighborhood  was  mostly  Italian ,  then  many  Chinese  people  moved  into  the  area ,  sending  many  Italians  out  of  the  neighborhood  and into  different  areas  of  the  city  and  other  boroughs .

The  three  of  you  forgot  how  long  it  took  you  all  to  get  here  once  you  saw  all  those  Pizzerias ,  Cappuccino  shops ,  and  Gelato  stands ,  not  to  mention  the  one stand  the  three  of  you  seem  very  mesmerized  by .

”  CANOLIS ! ,  ”  the  three  of  you  scream  out  in  unison .

What  would  a  trip  to  Little  Italy  be  without  seeing  a  stand  or  bakery  that  sells  canolis ?

The  three  of  you  are  tempted  by  the  little  crepes  filled  with  Vanilla  Cream ,  Chocolate  Cream ,  or  Vanilla  Hazelnut  Cream  surrounded  by  Chocolate  Chips .

This  is  one  of  the  reasons  you  all  wanted  to  see  Little  Italy  –  the  food .

After  you  all  have  paid  for  the  canolis ,  which  you’ll  eat  when  you  get  back  to  the  hotel ,  you  walk  across  the  street  to  the  San  Gennaro  Church .

This  church  is  the  starting  point  for  the  week  long  Feast  of  San  Gennaro ,  which  honors  the  patron  saint  of  Naples ,  Italy .

It  takes  place  in  September  and  you  all  can  imagine  how  much  fun  it  is .

Standing  on  the  sidewalk  and  looking  at  how  very  narrow  these  streets  are ,  you  wonder  how  anyone  could  get  through  here ,  let  alone  people  carrying  religious  statues  on  their  shoulders .

As  the  three  of  you  walk  into  the  courtyard  of  the  church  and  see  all  the  religious  statues  as  well  as  a  mural  honoring  the  Italian  –  American  soldiers  and  the  flag  of  Italy ,  you  all  don’t  seem  to mind  how  long  it  took  you  to  get  to  this  neighborhood ,  which  really  does  seem  to  be  swallowed  up  by  Chinatown .