Eagles 2023 schedule release: Top sights to see on road trips
After years of going on road trips to cover Eagles games, Reuben Frank and Dave Zangaro have their favorite spots to check out in each city.
Here are some of those favorites for every road trip this season:
Week 1: New England Patriots
Roob: The Freedom Trail is a 2 -mile-long walking path that winds through downtown Boston and connects 16 historic sites, including the Boston Massacre site, Faneuil Hall, the Paul Revere House, the U.S.S. Constitution, Bunker Hill Monument and Kings Chapel (but not the site of the Boston Tea Party). The Black Heritage Trail is a 1 -mile path that focuses on homes, schools, churches, memorials and other historic sites pivotal to Bostons Black community in the 19th and early 20th centuries. The Freedom Trail intersects with the Black Heritage Trail at the 54th Regiment of Massachusetts at Beach Street and Park Street near Boston Common.
Dave: You have some options for this road trip. I have stayed in Boston before and Ive stayed in Providence before. If you go with the Rhode Island route, youll get to see a smaller city but a really cool one that is the home to the campuses of Brown and RISD. Walk around the Brown campus and see a bunch of really cool old buildings and then take a stroll on Thayer Street. Its also worth checking out the RISD Museum. A few years ago, I stopped at a Brown bookstore and picked up a pretty sweet Brown sailing t-shirt.
Week 3: Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Roob: A lot of Philly residents are familiar with the Clearwater area because its the spring training home of the Phillies (and Class-A Threshers), but if youre not, it wont take you long to understand why Clearwater Beach is often ranked as the No. 1 beach in Florida and one of the best in the country. The beach offers three miles of pure white sand, tons of fresh seafood restaurants (Frenchys is a must), shaded benches facing the Gulf of Mexico, souvenir shops, hotels, bars, you name it. Right across Sand Key Bridge is the 95-acre Sand Key Park with another beach, picnic areas and great views of the gulf (and tons of parking).
Dave: There are a ton of museums to visit on the road but one of my favorites is the Dali Museum in St. Petersburg. I knew very little about Salvador Dali (1904-1989) before visiting a few years ago but the museum is amazing. You can spend hours getting lost in some of his wild paintings. The art isnt for everyone but I found it to be absolutely fascinating. If you want to go sit on the beach while in Tampa, I dont blame you. But this museum is worth checking out. You can buy tickets ahead of time.
Week 5: Los Angeles Rams
Roob: Tucked between Redondo Beach and El Segundo and just five miles south of LAX, Manhattan Beach is a quiet little beachfront village on the Pacific Ocean with a two-mile-long beach, a 900-foot-long pier open to the public and a cozy downtown packed with upscale shopping, restaurants and coffee shops. The beach is popular for surfing, swimming and volleyball and the row of quaint homes with no commercial development gives Manhattan Beach a unique vibe. If you go, check out the Kettle, the 24-hour diner and bar with an outdoor deck in the middle of everything at Highland and Manhattan Beach Boulevard (which turns into the pier).
Dave: There are plenty of options if you want to get out of the city and do a longer trip but if youre staying in LA, go check out the La Brea Tar Pits and Museum. I went a few years ago and was absolutely fascinated. I apologize to my tour guide from that day for asking a million questions. Basically, bones of prehistoric animals have been trapped in tar pits for thousands of years and have been preserved. Theres a museum that has a bunch of bones and fossils inside but then you can also walk the grounds and see sites where theres still digging going on.
Week 6: New York Jets | Week 18: New York Giants
Roob: If youre an American history buff like me, you know all about the legendary duel between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton in 1804. That duel was held on a ledge along the banks of the Hudson River in Weehawken, N.J. Why did Burr Thomas Jeffersons vice president challenge Hamilton the former secretary of the treasury to a duel? Its complicated but basically Hamilton was a Federalist and had campaigned against Burr a Democrat-Republican when Burr ran for governor of New York. On July 11, 1804, Burr shot Hamilton, who died the next day in Manhattan. The Weehawken Dueling Grounds, located just north of the entrance to the Lincoln Tunnel, is about seven miles from MetLife Stadium and open to the public.
Dave: I always do this trip in the same day. Its not a bad drive and can be an easy way to see a game. Id recommend doing it in a day.
Week 8: Washington Commanders
Roob: Arlington National Cemetery, established by George Washingtons grandson during the Civil War and operated by the U.S. Army, is the final resting place of thousands of military veterans as well as Presidents William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy, astronaut and long-time U.S. Senator John Glenn, Abner Doubleday (who fired the first shot in the Civil War), big band leader Glenn Miller (a bronze star medalist) and countless others. The cemetery is located just across the Potomac River from Washington in Arlington, Virginia. One of the most popular attractions is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, located in the middle of the 639-acre cemetery. Arlington National Cemetery is open to the public from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Dave: The Washington trip is one I dont normally make into a bigger deal but I have visited the Smithsonian museums and all those are worth checking out. And theyre all free! You could spend days bouncing from museum to museum or you can cram a lot of it into one day like I did. If its a nice day, its a real treat to walk around the National Mall and hop from museum to museum. Some of my favorites are the Air & Space, Natural History, American History and American Indian. The one museum in Washington I havent checked out yet is the Spy Museum. Thats atop my list.
Week 11: Kansas City Chiefs
Roob: If you have any free time in Kansas City, youll want to head to the Westport District, which is packed with enough breweries, restaurants, shops, hotels, music venues, record stores and historic sites to keep you busy waiting for the Eagles-Chiefs Monday night kickoff. Westport was established in the 1830s as West Port trading post and in 1864 was the site of the Battle of Westport, a pivotal Civil War victory for Union forces led by Samuel Curtis over Sterling Prices Confederate forces. Today, its a 170-acre shopping and dining mecca on the southern edge of Kansas City about a mile east of the Kansas-Missouri border and eight miles from Arrowhead Stadium.
Dave: Go on your own little BBQ tour. Theres more in Kansas City that meats but theyre really good at it. Everyone seems to have their favorite spot so go check a few of them out. If you plan it out, you can get to Joes, Jack Stack, Gates and more. I remember thinking Gates (several locations) was my favorite place there but you cant go wrong (and please dont yell at me if you have a different favorite spot). Its like cheesesteaks in Philly. Everyone has their favorite but theyre all good and worth checking out. If your BBQ platter comes with a couple slices of white bread, its a very good sign.
Week 14: Dallas Cowboys
Roob: The 561-foot Reunion Tower is located in the middle of downtown Dallas, and its easy to get to, right off I-35E or I-30 and a block away from Dealey Plaza. Reunion Tower offers spectacular panoramic views of Dallas and the surrounding areas of North Texas. The tower, which opened in 1976, has glass-walled elevators so you get great views on the way up. On top, there are indoor and outdoor observation decks and a fancy restaurant on the top level. If youve ever watched the TV show Dallas, youll see the tower in the opening credits.
Dave: If youre renting a car in Dallas, which is never a bad idea because of how far apart things are, get out of the city. In less than 2 hours, you can drive from DFW to Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glen Rose, Texas. I did the drive a couple years ago. It costs $8 to get in to the park but there are a bunch of cool trails to check out and you can see ancient dinosaur prints in the river bed. Even if you dont see dinosaur tracks, its still a really pretty scenic park. But seeing those prints really puts it over the top. If its a nice day, you can wade in the river and put your feet into those very same tracks. I found it to be pretty cool as an adult but if you have kids, they might really love it.
Week 15: Seattle Seahawks
Roob: Bellingham, located along Bellingham Bay, about 30 miles south of the Canadian border, is a hidden gem in the northwest corner of Washington. Its an easy drive up from Seattle, but I recommend taking the train. Amtraks Cascades train to Vancouver runs once a day from downtown Seattle its a two-hour trip along the coast, and its spectacular. Once youre in Bellingham, you have your choice of hanging out in the charming seaside village packed with stores, restaurants, bookstores and coffee shops or walking along the bay on the two-mile South Bay Trail, which at some points is actually elevated above the water. An interesting sidenote: Bellingham is the hometown of Doug Pederson.
Dave: Seattle is probably my favorite city on the road. A few years ago, I met up with a group of friends and hopped on a ferry to Bainbridge Island across the Puget Sound. Its not a long ferry ride just about 30-40 minutes but the ride itself is cool and you get a great view of the city. When I did it, we made the mistake of going too late in the day so we didnt really get to see much of the island but theres apparently a lot to do there. Its great just for the ride on the ferry; everything else is a bonus.
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