I wasn't after a prize or trying to prove anything to anybody, I just didn't want to go home on Friday after work. Yes, the genesis of this process was boredom, which quickly turned into curiosity and concluded with the feeling of accomplishment.
The 2013 MLB All-Star Game brought apples to the Big Apple. MLB placed 35 All-Star Game apples, one for each organization in baseball, including the old New York teams, all around the City of New York. My journey began on Friday, July 12. I went to MLB.com/apples to find more information on these six-foot apples with logos of professional baseball teams painted across their surfaces. I got the map and that became my legend. I didn't have time to sit and create a plan, the only thing I knew was that I would start with the Texas Rangers and Colorado Rockies, since they were right by my job.
Now, this apple right here:
...The Rockies' apple was truly a mission. On the MLB site, it was listed at 200 Liberty St. The easiest part about getting to this apple was going through the construction site around the World Trade Center. Once I finally got to the address, my iPhone informed me that I had arrived at my destination, 200 Liberty St., but there was no apple in sight. I walked around the entire block and there was no fruit to be found. I let go of my pride and went inside World Trade Center (WFC) #1 to ask for help.
Now, New Yorkers have the reputation of being "assholes". We are so caught up trying to get to and fro, and at times, we tend to forget our manners. I stepped into the building and asked a security guard for directions. He had no clue what I was talking. Now picture yourself describing what I was looking for to another person. There was no way around it, "I am looking for a huge apple that has the Colorado Rockies' logo painted all over it," as I gestured exactly how big this thing was. The security guard was confused. However, a gentleman exiting the building overheard my conversation and guided me through the process.
I would have to enter WFC #2, then walk through WFC #3 and before I found the apple just outside of WFC #4. So much for 200 Liberty St. I thanked the man after seeing the apple, when I found out he was a Mets fan. He wished me luck and I wished luck right back at him.
Mother Nature decided to join the fun as soon as I found the Rockies' apple. It was already bad that MLB was giving approximate directions and I would have to battle the inaccuracies of "pinpoint" drops on my GPS. By the time I made my way to the Boston Red Sox apple, my eighth of the evening, on 34th street, it was pouring. I had conquered the Baltimore Orioles, Philadelphia Phillies and Minnesota Twins' apples. I met a very cool Modell's employee by the name of Pam, who posed along with the Cincinnati Reds apple, though she was a Cubs fan and then walked towards the St. Louis Cardinals apple a few blocks up where I came across interesting people.
The Cardinals' apple was inside "Buy Buy Baby" located between 25th and 26th street on 7th Ave. There was a mother and son taking pictures with the apple and as I was waiting for them to finish their photoshoot, we engaged in a brief chatter. They had done over 30 apples already. They informed me on the competition that was taking place in relation to the apples.
Competition? We could win something for photographing these apples?
They explained the deal with the #ASGapples hashtag and how MLB will keep a track of it once posted Instagram or Twitter. I personally didn't care about the competition, though I wouldn't lose anything by trying. So I started applying the hashtag. Before we broke ways I asked them about the apples they were missing. The two were on their way to check out the Tampa Bay Rays' apple, not too far from where we were. But before we left, the mother explained her dismay over the placements of a few apples. Apparently, she felt the Oakland Athletics ball in the Upper West Side, bordering Spanish Harlem and the Los Angeles Dodgers ball in Harlem were too distant. "Who would want to go all the way up there anyways?" explained the lady.
In regards to this comment, I'd advise MLB to go further uptown. As much as I enjoyed the attractions in Hell's Kitchen, Times Square, Grand Central Station, the stores down 5th Avenue, which I must have passed a zillion times, why not place some apples in Washington Heights? It's an even greater chance for the City of New York to expose their true diversity.
It would also allow people from all over New York to become aware of events taking place in their city. As I was posting pictures on my Instagram, I had dozens of people reach out and asking me what the hell I was doing. A close friend threatened to block me because she felt I was spamming. However, this didn't stop me from continuing my mission.
Going on this brief journey through the streets brought me closer to other baseball fans from around the country. When looking at the bigger picture, though the mission would be tougher if the apples were scattered around too many boroughs, the apples would help bring the City of New York even closer together.
My complete journey took over 10 hours divided into four days, a lot of walking, the consumption of a couple of gallons of water and a new found appreciation for my unlimited metrocard. I'll be on my way soon to to get a snap shot of the 2013 All-Star Game apple in Queens, the final one to complete all 35. It was a pretty cool journey, though I felt like a tourist in my own city. At the same time, it allowed me to take the time and go to places that we New Yorkers, usually take for granted.
You can check out all my images on Instagram and follow me @ive_been_fed. This is my personal account, hence the non-sports related name.
