Day trip to Charlotte

This past weekend I attended both a Carolina Hurricanes hockey game and a Carolina Panthers football game.  Hearing about me attending a Canes game is not all that news worthy since my average attendance per season is around 15 games.  The Panthers game was a new experience for me.  Not so much due to the sport or the location (I have seen a handful of Panther games in my day), but my mode of transportation was the notable portion of the weekend.  I decided to make a day trip instead of my typical weekend trips to southern piedmont North Carolina by taking the train.  Leaving home around 7am and returning at 8:30pm made for a long day, but I did not have to deal with traffic or parking.  The actual train trip itself was relaxing.  Someone else was doing the driving while I listened to music and read my magazine.  Once in Charlotte, my boy Chuck picked me up and took me to a local Charlotte eatery.  Afterwards he drove me to Ericsson Bank of America Stadium in time for the kickoff, where I met up with my parents who provided the extra ticket for me.  The game itself was a little lacking in the offensive category.  I believe that the Panthers did not convert a 3rd down for the entire game.  However, I did get some quality time with the folks.  Following the game, I was dropped off at the train station for a short wait for the train.  All in all, taking the train was quite an enjoyable option.  I was not as fatigued or stressed as I would have been had I drove.

Some things that I learned from my weekend:
-The Cleveland Browns helmets are very shiny in person.
-Few, if any, of the restaurants that I frequented in my Charlotte days still exist.
-Trains going in opposite directions sometimes need to use the same stretch of track at the same time.  (The train I was riding on my return trip had to stop on a parallel track so another train could pass)
-Ted Washington is a man-mountain
-Julius Peppers could be the best athlete I have ever seen in person
-Braylon Edwards sleepwalks through the plays that do not involve him (I kept an eye on him because he is on my fantasty football team)
-The teal Carolina Panther hats that were given away at the gate do not look bad when everyone else in the stadium is wearing them.  However, wearing them at home is a different story.