Nationals Park // 1 of 30 // Where in the World is Mark Darden?

WHEN THE GLASSES ARE ON, THERE'S SOME TRAVELING GOIN' ON! Today's blog post is my trip to Washington, D.C. for the Nationals game. My goal in 2017 is to visit all 30 MLB stadiums and my quest for 30 began at Nationals Park. The game occurred on April 6, 2017 and the Washington Nationals faced off against the Miami Marlins. The vlog for this trip is at the top of blog post. 

My day began VERY EARLY in the morning as my flight from Columbus departed at 5:40 am. I arrived at DCA a little before 7 am and I made the trek to my hotel near BWI airport. I arrived to my hotel around 9:30 am and relaxed for a couple of hours before the game. There was severe weather in the area in the hours leading up to game time and I thought the game would be postponed. Luckily, the severe weather blew through the DC area about 2 hours before the game started and game was going to go on as scheduled.   

The game was originally supposed to start at 4:05 pm but rain showers came through the DC area right before the game. The game ended up being delayed for about 1 1/2 hours and the game started at 5:25 pm. In the bottom of the 6th inning, another squall of rain showers blew through the DC area and the game was delayed for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Play resumed after the rain subsided with the Nationals leading 1-0. In the 9th inning, the Marlins tied the game up 3-3 and eventually took the lead in the top of the 10th inning. Miami won the game 4-3 in the 10th inning. I had a great time at the game even though there were 2 hours and 23 minutes in rain delays. This was my first game in my quest for 30 and I can't wait to see where my journey will take me.

Validated // 1 of 30  

Chesapeake Crab Cake Company // Grilled Cheese Crab Cake Sandwich with Kettle Chips and Firecracker Ranch

The participants of the Presidents Race and the Geico Mascot

The Marlins defeated the Nationals 4-3 in 10 innings. 

The was a rain delay before the start of the game. 

Bryce Harper is so smug in this picture.

How Much Did It Cost?: Wrestlemania 32

In this week's edition of 'How Much Did it Cost?", I will breakdown my trip to WrestleMania 32 in Dallas, Texas this past April. I will breakdown the cost into five segments: Transportation, Lodging, Entertainment, Food, and Miscellaneous. All prices are US Dollars.

TRANSPORTATION: $268.92

• Southwest Airlines, Columbus to Dallas Round Trip: $213.96
• Uber, Downtown Dallas to AT&T Stadium Round Trip: $47.46
• Dallas Area Rapid Transit Fares: $7.50 

LODGING: $235.00

• Airbnb in Downtown Dallas: $235.00

ENTERTAINMENT: $587.22

• WrestleMania 32 ticket: $261.85 (Ticketmaster)
• WWE Hall of Fame: $82.82 (StubHub)
• WWE Monday Night Raw: $195.55 (StubHub)
• WWE WrestleMania Axxess: Free
• CityPass: $47.00

FOOD (Estimated): $77.14

• Whataburger: $19.43
• AT&T Stadium: $21.00
• Sonny Bryan's Smokehouse: $20.67
• Cloud 9 Café: $5.00
• Wal-Mart: $2.33
• Chili's: $1.59
• McDonald's: $7.12

MISCELLANEOUS: $5.39

• CVS Pharmacy: $5.39

ESTIMATED TOTAL COST FOR TRIP: $1,173.67

Now it's time to put everything into context. For transportation, I was within walking distance of most of the stuff I wanted to see. The only time I used public transportation was to and from the airport and to the George W. Bush Presidential Library. I used Uber to and from AT&T Stadium because it is in the middle of nowhere in Arlington, Texas.

Entertainment was my biggest expense during this trip because I love wrestling. My WrestleMania 32 ticket was purchased at face value via Ticketmaster while the Hall of Fame and Monday Night Raw were not face value and purchased via StubHub. The Hall of Fame ticket was about $20 below face value while the Monday Night Raw ticket was almost $100 above face value. I HATE SCALPERS! I was able to attend WrestleMania Axxess for free because a couple gave me and another guy their wristbands and we walked through the WWE Superstore at the convention center. The CityPass allowed entry to the Sixth Floor Museum, the Reunion Tower, Perot Museum of Nature and Science, and the George W. Bush Presidential Library.

For Lodging, I wouldn't normally spend over $200 for a place to stay but this Airbnb was in a perfect location. I was within walking distance of the American Airlines Center, the Convention Center, Dealey Plaza, the Sixth Floor Museum, the Reunion Tower, and the Perot Museum of Nature and Science.

For Food, this was an estimated total cost because I paid cash for some stuff and I didn't keep the receipts. The first thing I ate in Dallas was Whataburger and the last thing I ate in Dallas was Whataburger. It's a great place to eat. At AT&T Stadium, I bought a pulled pork meal and got a WrestleMania 32 souvenir cup. The Cloud 9 Café purchase was nachos after WrestleMania because there was a food truck outside of the stadium. I got a $12 meal for only $5 because somebody left without picking up their order and the cook just wanted to get rid of it. The Wal-Mart purchase was some candy and orange juice because I didn't leave Arlington until 1:30 am, two and a half hours after WrestleMania ended. I was waiting for the Uber surge pricing to expire because it was almost 5 times the normal rate.

I hope this breakdown gives you an idea of how much you may have to spend to attend WrestleMania. I think that it is cheaper to buy everything separately instead of buying a WWE Travel Package for the WrestleMania weekend. I really enjoy doing these cost breakdowns because I think that I could help someone out with their travel plans and it helps me with my accounting skills. Thank you for reading and always remember, WHEN THE GLASSES ARE ON, THERE'S SOME TRAVELING GOIN' ON!

Where in the World is Mark Darden? // WWE December 2016

WHEN THE GLASSES ARE ON, THERE'S SOME TRAVELING GOIN' ON! Check out my experience to WWE Roadblock: End of the Line in Pittsburgh and WWE Monday Night Raw in Columbus in December 2016. I had a great time at both shows and I can't wait until next time WWE rolls into town.

Where in the World is Mark Darden? // Atlanta // Black History Month 2017

WHEN THE GLASSES ARE ON, THERE'S SOME TRAVELING GOIN' ON! Today's final stop in my Black History Month travel vlog series is the city of Atlanta, Georgia. I visited both the Center for Civil and Human Rights and the Martin Luther King, Jr. Historical Site. CHECK IT OUT!

Where in the World is Mark Darden? // CN Tower EdgeWalk

WHEN THE GLASSES ARE ON, THERE'S SOME TRAVELING GOIN' ON! Today's vlog is a throwback video that posted on my YouTube channel a few months ago before I started buckeyemuscle.com. The CN Tower EdgeWalk was one of the best experiences in my life so far and I will do this again the next time I'm in Toronto. This is the tallest thrill attraction in Toronto and would advise anyone to take a walk in the edge at the top of the world.