Road Trip: Binghamton

 On the final day of our trip, we decided to do our driving after the Tri-City game to be in Binghamton, New York, and do some hunting for collection items before the Binghamton Rumble Ponies game enabling us to start our travel home faster in the afternoon.

We started on the outskirts of Binghamton for an outside flea market that was huge with long and multiple rows and at Jimay's Outdoor Flea Market, you pay a dollar on arrival, which is either a parking or attendance fee but was well worth it considering the number of tables to check out.

I wound up adding a few items that I bought to give to Ryan with autographed photos of former Binghamton and later Ottawa Senators Ray Emery and Jason Spezza and I found a small Philadelphia 76ers ball and a souvenir cup from the Spectrum picturing Moses Malone and Charles Barkley along with a program from the 1970s between Oneonta and Niagara Falls.

It was lots of walking and the terrain was only sometimes friendly to Fred but he found lots of Hot Wheels and Matchbox cars for his grandson, so it was a success.

Before the game, we had time for one more stop, and in a well past its prime, former strip mall, P&J's flea market was found, despite its flaws, I found a few items that made it worth its time.

P&J's is located in two former department stores and the pair must have been the anchors of the mall as both were expansive and seemed like that was their original use.

I found a serving container with a base piece and then multi-colored portion parts for Cherie ( it can be seen above the Phoenix Suns pennant on the right side) that is definitely from the sixties or seventies and the pictured pennant of the Phoenix Suns and Kansas City Kings.

Although it was the Kansas City version of the Kings and not the version that I always look for, the coveted Kansas City-Omaha pennant, I was happy to grab both and while both aren't mint, they were more than acceptable at four dollars apiece.

There also were pennants from the same era for the Atlanta Hawks and Detroit Pistons but both were in much worse condition and I reluctantly passed.

I am always a sucker for items from the seventies and early eighties from the NBA/ABA and the NHL/WHA because there are so few items that are available to collect.

If you didn't attend a game, it took a lot of work to find souvenirs from those leagues as mainstream stores rarely carried items from the local teams, let alone anything from other ones.

It was a bit musty and if you are allergic to many things, you might want to pass on this one but the best finds often come in strange places.

After we left the flea market, it was over to the field for a return visit to the Binghamton Rumble Ponies, who were the Mets when I last visited, and more importantly a chance to see my friend Jason Christensen for the first time since the pandemic.

Binghamton was a surprise survivor of the MLB purge, mainly due to the intervention of New York Senator Chuck Schumer, and they have made some improvements to the facility although honestly, I didn't see a lot of difference in the fan experience.

I visited Jason Christensen for the first time since Covid and enjoyed catching up with him.

Jason and I have talked occasionally since the pandemic but not as much of late since my change in work schedule and spending time talking was a trip highlight for me.

After leaving the stadium, Jason accompanied us to Bingham's which is a restaurant that is located just along the New York/Pennsylvania line, for a meal before the final four hours of driving.

It was a great trip and we've already started a trip plan for next year that would include Portland, Maine, Manchester New Hampshire, and other stops on the way.

I've been taking my time and writing less of late as I know that I'll be ramping up with the looming start of football season but I do have another road trip post or two that I hope to finish soon before the pigskin kickoff!