Years later, when all my friends were watching American Bandstand, I was hanging out at Yankee Stadium. However, as years passed, my sports interest switched from baseball to football – and now, as a native of Washington, DC, to the Capitals hockey team. But it was an upcoming trip to Cooperstown, NY – home of the Baseball Hall of Fame – that brought me six decades back to that baseball-crazy little girl – and the fear that I wouldn't even care.

So here I am. And I do CARE! It's hard not to focus on baseball when the whole town is obsessed, sporting well-worn t-shirts bearing the slogan: "A drinking town with a baseball problem."

Cooperstown, NY, t-shirts embellish its reputation Photo courtesy of This is Cooperstown

Walking along Main Street is a not-so-subtle introduction to the local pastime. A quick bite at the Dugout Bar and Grill, a storefront promoting Safe at Home collectibles; Shoeless Joe's – a Field of Dreams reference – promises more baseball memorabilia; a Baseball Town Motel offers lodging, and the Heroes of Baseball Wax Museum provides a niche version of famous replicas. Want a bat with your name inscribed on it – and who wouldn't? Visit the Bat Store. Okay, I get it -- it's a baseball town.  Memorabilia enthusiasts are in heaven.

Even the tourists get street cred for their get-ups. Folks in baseball uniforms stroll the street without drawing any stares. And because it was fall, there were pumpkins displayed along the street – sized like giant baseballs. Get this: the toothpicks in The Otesaga Resort Hotel restaurant had tiny baseballs attached to their tip. A TV in one of the diners had a football game on – man, did that seem out of place!

Pumpkins shaped like baseballs decorate the town during the fall season. Photo by Victor Block

At the Doubleday Café, I snarkily asked if it would be more appropriate to be called the Doubleheader Cafe until someone patiently – and no doubt a tad pityingly – explained to me that Abner Doubleday was credited with inventing baseball. I slithered away from the café and was only slightly mollified to discover later that maybe he hadn't.

WHO DID? There's no official record. To the rescue came Victor Block, my husband, photographer, and travel buddy, who explained: "References to a game resembling baseball date back to "rounders" and cricket, which were popular in England during the 18^th century.  By the time of the American Revolution, variations of them that were popular among colonists evolved into today's iconic sport.”

Then, as now, if you want to walk in the footsteps of Hall of Famers literally, stay at the stately Otesaga Resort. This historic Cooperstown landmark houses new inductees, their families, and former "Famers" every Induction year. Pretty much every Hall of Famer has stayed at the resort and probably had one of their toothpicks holding a cherry or an olive in a drink.

For the Ageless Traveler, Victor pointed out that:

“The Otesaga stands out as one of the most easily accessible hotels he has encountered during my travels.  It has king, queen and double bed ADA guestrooms with a wheelchair accessible roll-in shower or tub and roll-under sink.  Oversize 36-inch-wide doorways and lowly placed light switches add to the comfort level.

Among other friendly features are access to common areas and accessible car or valet parking.  There’s even a swimming pool lift for anyone seeking an extra boost. In addition, staff members are available around the clock to offer any other assistance requested by guests.”

Toothpicks with tiny baseballs on the tip are served at the Hawkeye Bar and Grill at the Otesaga Resort in Cooperstown, NY. Photo by Victor Block

This brings us back to the Baseball Hall of Fame, the centerpiece of Cooperstown. Where to begin? An introductory movie starts with a trivia quiz about memorable moments and then tells you where in the Hall you can get more information or find the famous memorabilia referenced in the film. If you want to see a ball from the first game at which admission was charged – September 10, 1858 – you'll know right where to go.

THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO BASEBALL MINUTIA THAT ISN'T DISPLAYED SOMEWHERE IN THE HALL OF FAME

Lou Gehrig. Cal Ripken. Sandy Koufax. Nolan Ryan. Willie Mayes. Despite my many years away, I still knew a surprising number of players. And it was thrilling.

Traversing its many hallways, I felt I was walking on sacred ground. You could spend two hours – or two weeks – and still find stuff to see. The first, a photo gallery covering generations of greats, of course, has write-ups of those on exhibit. But it's the intimate quotes from the players themselves that humanize the entire sport.

And when I got to the Yankees' Highlights Era, I was channeling a very excited 10-year-old self. I found Mickey and Yogi and felt an immediate kinship. It was as if they knew I was coming back after all these years to see them. Or maybe not….  Ten-year-olds can be very unreliable narrators.

Yogi and Mickey's uniforms looked the same now as when I was 10   Photo by Victor Block.

Of course, there were also Babe Ruth, Hank Aaron, and Satchel Paige. Even if you only have a passing interest in baseball, you can't help but be enthralled by these historical figures and true superheroes.

My hero, Mickey Mantle, was on full display at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. Photo by Victor Block

A large display that caught my interest was devoted to the origin of women's baseball teams – 1943-54 – which inspired the movie A League of Their Own. It warmed my little 10-year-old heart. In my high school days, there was no Title IX, no girls' baseball team, no opportunity for me to play a game I already loved – and I felt deprived my whole life. I coulda been a female Moose Skowron….

A League of Their Own had its exhibit at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY. Photo by Victor Block

Later, at another local baseball-infused tavern, three TVs were tuned to baseball games. After spending so much time at the Hall of Fame, I didn't know whether they were historic replays – or current games.

Cooperstown has other attractions if you happen to go into baseball overload. A Glimmerglass Queen boat tour on Otsego Lake, a living history farm museum that takes you back to 1840's rural life, the Fenimore Art Museum, James Fenimore Cooper, author of the Last of the Mohicans, was a Cooperstown native. Indeed, the town was founded in 1786 by William Cooper, his father.  The books that James wrote include the Leatherstocking Tales, a series of historical novels set in the frontier period which combine pioneer and Native American lore set against a backdrop of the region’s magnificent scenery.

And if you want to tipple something without a baseball toothpick, try Fly Creek Cider, a museum with so much to see and sample.

But if the 10-year-old inside me had a say, I would never leave the Baseball Hall of Fame. Mickey and I still have some unfinished business!

For more information, visit https://baseballhall.org, https://www.otesaga.com and https://www.thisiscooperstown.com.