The road trip necessities
By Dan O'Brien
March 02, 2005
Imagine yourself stepping into a Ford Taurus knowing you're going to travel into the unknown. You're feeling the same excitement you would have after jumping 20-feet off a bridge into the deep water of the lake below. There's no turning back now.
Despite your personal reservations about trekking through lands you haven't yet conquered, you're reassured by a Collegian sports editor that you're traveling to "the happiest place on Earth," Dayton, Ohio.
No doubt, two of the Collegian's top sports writers, Mike Marzelli and Bob McGovern want to make their road trip a memorable one, even if the Massachusetts Minutemen basketball team doesn't win their game against the University of Dayton's Flyers. The trip itself is not about who wins or loses the game, it's about how to make the best of a 12-hour-long drive at a time when, as college students, we're young and ready to experience whatever life throws our way.
While spontaneity is oftentimes a good thing, every good road trip takes some planning. So, first things first: what to bring. Other than the obvious necessities, like clothes and money, there are two things that every person planning a road trip must take with him: lots of music and a camera.
Music is the essential element needed to keep a road trip smooth sailing. Just imagine what it would be like if you were to run out of things to say after a five minute conversation about UMass men's basketball and you didn't have any music. Hence, this would be the perfect time to rock out.
The road trip music collection has to be diverse. After all, if you don't know where the road is going to take you, then why would you bring only one type of music? It might not feel right to be listening to Lil Jon while taking in an amazing view of fields and rolling hills as far as the eye can see. It's good to have some hits on hand for pure entertainment value, but remember to bring some "chill" music for when you want to just sit back and enjoy the scenery.
As mentioned, bringing a camera is a must. It's preferable to bring a digital camera so you can e-mail some crazy sites to your buddies back home, but any camera will do just fine. Bringing a camera is important not only to take pictures of the sites along the way, but also to take pictures of those unexpected occurrences that are bound to happen on any road trip. To put it bluntly, you never know when you're going to run across a crazy Jesus freak, an awesome mullet haircut, or memorable road signs that are going to make you chuckle (i.e. "Satan's Kingdom State Recreation Area," "Speed Limit 14 _ miles per hour," and now entering the town of "Spread Eagle.") Anyone from the northeastern U.S. knows that the signs will probably just get weirder as one travels west. (For a complete list of weird signs, check out hypocrites.com.)
Our sports writers are planning to travel through the cities of Albany, Columbus, Cleveland and Buffalo on their way to Dayton. There are many places in these cities to make stops and make the trip more worthwhile.
Believe it or not, Albany, NY has a number of popular nightspots, which feature live bands almost every night. Some of those clubs include Big House Brewing Company, Tess' Lark Tavern, Bleecker Cafe and Bayou Cafe Downtown. The Pepsi Arena is also a prime visitor's spot. Anyone suffering from NHL withdrawal might want to stop by and see an Albany River Rats AHL hockey game. The arena is also home to the Albany Conquest Arena Football team, the Siena College Saints basketball teams and the Division one ECAC Hockey League.
With its location in the vicinity of Niagara Falls, Buffalo, NY is a good picture-taking city. It is also the home of Ralph Wilson Stadium where the NFL's Buffalo Bills play. In addition, one could check out the Buffalo Destroyers arena football team, Buffalo Bandits indoor lacrosse, and major college sports teams from Buffalo State University, Canisus College, Daemen College and the University at Buffalo.
Cleveland, Ohio is most likely going to be the best tourist stop along the road trip route. It is the home to the Rock 'N Roll Hall of Fame, over 300 nightclubs, bars and lounges and a number of professional sports teams, including the NFL's Browns, the MLB's Indians and the NBA's Caveliers. The House of Blues just opened its doors near downtown, and regularly sees a line of people out the door waiting to experience the relaxed atmosphere of the popular jazz and blues club.
Ohio's state capital of Columbus is a good spot to get acquainted with the material you forgot from U.S. History in high school. The town doesn't have a huge night scene, but it is the home to the state's political elite. It is also the home of Ohio State University and the Buckeyes basketball team.
After watching the Minutemen beat the Flyers, the sports writers might have enough time to take in the history of the town. Dayton is the "birthplace of aviation," according to the city's official Web site. The city was once home to the Wright brothers, Wilbur and Orville. At Carillon Historical Park, the brothers' 1905 "Wright Flyer III," the world's first practical airplane sits on the 65-acre property. Across town are the National Aviation Hall of Fame and the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.
As the boys update us on their happenings from the road, it is only then that everyone back in Amherst will hear about their ups and downs of the open road. Perhaps they will get into a couple of adventures along the way. The only way to find out what happens to the Minutemen and the well being of the Collegian sports team is to keep reading. Marzelli and McGovern will be filing updates from the road starting today.
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