Business travel pro Jay Ellenby catches up with Nestor 30 years after running his first Orioles roadtrip to Fort Lauderdale and tells all he remembers about the Nasty Naked Run passing Safe Harbors Travel on South Street downtown in 1996. The stories that we tell on the Maryland Crab Cake Tour.
(Please accept my apologies on the video quality. We had a tech issue for two pieces at The Local that I found and corrected. Nestor)
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
travel, place, years, day, run, bel air, baltimore, hooters girls, beach, ravens, give, talking, clancy, tickets, company, game, maryland, friends, sports, radio
SPEAKERS
Nestor Aparicio, Jay Ellenbee
Nestor Aparicio 00:00
What about w n s t tasks Baltimore about her positive you’re positively no longer in Baltimore County even Baltimore City where Harford County we are in fallston. We were at the local elevated comfort food. I feel elevated. I’m very comfortable and I had some great food had the chicken Sandow off the lunch menu menu, the award winning sandwich. We’re giving away the scratch offs in the Maryland lottery up here instant lottery. The 50th anniversary underway Wednesday’s a big day like they’re giving away all sorts of dough. So we will be doing this next couple of weeks. We’re going to be added to spirits West we’re going to be at Shannon’s obviously back at Pappus. In Glen Burnie also Costa soon for my 25th anniversary dynasty. Talk brought to you by our friends at winter nation as well. 866 90 nation, you know, I couldn’t use the hat like this when I first met this guy. Jay lamb is here he is the president of all things safe harbors travel. If you have been with me a long time. And I mean, like, a long time, right? Like we’re going back. I’ve been on the air 31 years. I want to say you were on the air with me within the first 18 to 24 months we moved into the hotel downtown with the Lord Baltimore. That’s right.
Jay Ellenbee 01:13
That’s right. The Lord Baltimore, downtown Baltimore.
Nestor Aparicio 01:16
Well, I’ve known you a long time. How did you get to Bel Air? I mean, you did my first ever people say road trips and my wife and I did road trips for years. My Sunday before my wife was around. The first ever real road trip the first time I ever considered. Hey, you can go on the road with the Orioles just after we didn’t have the Colts anymore. Yeah, 1992 93 Camden Yards opens, everybody’s got kind of reminds us to 2023. Right. Everyone’s got pennant fever, right? And Jay strolls into my room 318. Right over the alley at the Lord Baltimore hotel, downtown Baltimore Street. And you came in and you said, had a travel agency. We’re gonna take fans to Fort Lauderdale to party like where the boys are. Right? Like we’re gonna find a net phone a cello, I think is what we talked about. That’s how long ago was How are you man?
Jay Ellenbee 02:08
Yeah, still traveling. It’s great to see you. It’s good to run into again, and come on about a month ago. And
Nestor Aparicio 02:13
working and like, while we’re not seeing you in 20 years,
Jay Ellenbee 02:17
it’s been a long time. But it’s been a long time. You know, we you think about when I first moved to this area was 1990. And you know, the company had already been placed in it since 1985. And my brother met you. You lived in Bel Air. I lived I’ve always lived in Bel Air. Since 99.
Nestor Aparicio 02:31
You’re one of those people made the commute,
Jay Ellenbee 02:34
or made the commute downtown where you’re like a long period of your life. Yeah. And the company at that time was on South Street. And yeah, there’s a story behind that if I’m sure. Well, they’re going to talk
Nestor Aparicio 02:42
Randstad office now right wasn’t after
Jay Ellenbee 02:46
it’s gone through a couple of different places,
Nestor Aparicio 02:48
right because it was right across the street from Nick the Greeks, Town and Country diner. Yeah. which became the May one kebab, which is right next to Uncle leaves. That’s right. So Nick, the Greek made me breakfast every Friday morning. We had doughnuts there and he made me potatoes. And he he made it a bean soup. You come back later for a bean soup. He had the best bean soup
Jay Ellenbee 03:10
on Thursdays I think that was on Thursday, Friday. Split.
Nestor Aparicio 03:15
Friday was the day we would get our paychecks down at the sun. So we would get off work about six in the morning and we walk through the Nick degrees walk through the block Alright, this is back when it bought block for you kids. This is when the block was legitimate. All right. So we walked down there pleasure palace and you know, but we would go get sandwiches and we would walk back at eight o’clock when the lady who paid us would show up for work on Friday and hand us our paycheck. This before direct deposit was me and Mike Marlo, but your office like literally faced nick the Greeks town.
Jay Ellenbee 03:46
It was on the corner. So Waterstreet history there. It’s more positive. We were there for just over 10 years. Tell them who well yeah. And then we moved over to the can company which was an amazing place. So that was
Nestor Aparicio 03:59
a big incubator and experiment. My first website was built over the canning company. Yeah. They had the the Austin City Grill underneath. Right? Yeah, that became my re place with Irina, with the delicious venezuelan food,
Jay Ellenbee 04:15
but it’s spiking. Charlie’s spiking. Charlie’s was where was there as the Atlantic landed
Nestor Aparicio 04:21
Atlantic restaurant and then after that, the family came inland grumman’s after that
Jay Ellenbee 04:26
right, Louis, St. Louis was raised Louis saw
Nestor Aparicio 04:29
the full moon barbecues. My life. Oh Jay LNBs here he’s a bell Aryan who is a Baltimorean who once had a travel business that we did business with three decades ago and I like I guess business left Baltimore to some degree. And your it was okay for you to move your business off this way. Right now. This
Jay Ellenbee 04:49
is how it all changed. The industry changed so much is that everything went electronic. I remember the days when we were downtown Baltimore we’re running tickets all over to our clients down downtown Baltimore going up and down the World Trade Center betting building, USF and G buddy scrambling everywhere. We have people just delivering tickets everywhere. Along Came technology. Next thing you know we’re doing electronic tickets. We didn’t have to do that anymore. And so we really did not need to be downtown Baltimore downtown. So then we moved to the can’t company in it. Don’t work out worked out great there and, and then and
Nestor Aparicio 05:22
that was a big experiment though for the city.
Jay Ellenbee 05:24
It was a great experiment. Yeah, blustery River. Hats off to him. He did an amazing job with that whole property, the whole complex, amongst other places. Yeah,
Nestor Aparicio 05:32
he’s gonna say let’s give let’s give him some credit.
Jay Ellenbee 05:35
I mean, I can remember driving by that place. It was falling down. It was dilapidated. Was it
Nestor Aparicio 05:39
the diner from Barry Levinson Stein that down on the wharf there. That area? I’m telling you that area had the Fells Point diner, right. Yeah, it was down at the edge. Oh, yeah. Yeah, man. I look, I’m from Dundalk when I said this out loud. And I would tell Pete Kurinji we would chase the girls in Highland Tampa. We didn’t chase the girls in camp. I mean, not in the 80s No, no, no, no, no, no. So I never went down there was nothing. It’s like my mom’s it’s nothing down there for you. You know what I mean? So but that’s literally the candy company became at the end of the wharf that now is million dollar homes. Right? Nobody would think about it that way. Oh, yeah. Bill server went down there and saw it before was
Jay Ellenbee 06:19
I remember driving by and they’re seeing this building falling down thinking. Wouldn’t that be cool? Wouldn’t that be cool? And then next thing you know, there’s a sign up there and says driver brothers.
Nestor Aparicio 06:27
It was literally it can’t come? Yeah, it was a big factor. It really was.
Jay Ellenbee 06:30
So we were one of the first to go in there. We were one of the first to go actually first of three that would
Nestor Aparicio 06:36
break the tap right and our two I went in there right? That’s
Jay Ellenbee 06:41
right. That’s right. I remember when we first moved in there I don’t know if you remember there was a tank there was like a water tank I do in front in front to back
Nestor Aparicio 06:48
it was such a uniquely weird build. It was very, like walking into a museum like a like a maritime museum or like modern museum a little bit.
Jay Ellenbee 06:57
So that water tank they removed that the whole metal they removed all that. So in there was just a bottom shell. We pulled up one about a month before we’re getting ready to getting ready to move in. And their kids playing in the water in this thing. I said this can’t be good.
Nestor Aparicio 07:14
But oh no, but welcome
Jay Ellenbee 07:15
to the neighborhood. So here we are.
Nestor Aparicio 07:18
Jalen beasts here. I hope those kids are still with us. But imagination was in there when they were in there. Absolutely. Absolutely. A shout out to those guys. From a travel perspective, and I’m gonna give you a hard time but we you came to me about sports travel right in 1992 93. And I want to say to you other than me get in my car and drive and see Warren Moon play in Pittsburgh or whatever that was sports travel to me right in the 80s and 90s sports travel or that I would have ever I took over 14,000 people on road trips, 14 Fat every there’s nowhere I go in the city where there’s not one person that comes up to me and says, I want on your trip. Yeah. Whatever. Right so much that was inspired by you. But I have such a travel. Jones you know what I mean? You came to me? I’m young. And I’m like Florida. Let’s go to Florida. Sure. Baseball, Florida spring training. I don’t even care. Right. Right. And you know, all I could think about was Motley Crue wrote about the the dollhouse in Florida. So like, so, Fort Lauderdale. In 1993. I’m 24 years old. You come in? You’re 24 years old. Maybe the time, right. Maybe a year, you were a recurring guest on my radio show one of the early Baltimore positive guest and it 9293 94 We put this trip together. That was like US Air Charlotte. And seat 15 II and the industry itself has come so far. Yeah. And the pricing and just I was on line this morning, I booked a trip to Florida this morning. Literally southwest. What is it? Oh, boom, boom, boom you did? In the old days, like it was 800? How have you adjusted like, what’s the modern? Yeah, I do it. Yeah. And no offense to you. But we had a different way. 30 years.
Jay Ellenbee 09:08
Everything’s changed the whole industry. It’s changed 100%. And you think about everything we did back then, you know, you had the paper tickets, as already mentioned, that you didn’t have really didn’t have the internet as much when it came to travel. And so we’ve had to reinvent ourselves. Probably since then, almost every year and trying to figure out how to make this thing. We’re almost like maybe Yeah, so we’ve had to reinvent ourselves to the point. Okay, what is what we offer. So today, we obviously we don’t do this sports travel anymore. We cut that out because we need to focus on one thing that was corporate travel, it’s business travel. And so that’s where we focused on that and we made sure that we were going to be the best and doing that. So that’s been our focus, where what we offer is not just selling tickets, but we offer is managing travel programs for corporations. So that’s where we excel in. So that’s how we had to pivot had to really make this thing work. So
Nestor Aparicio 10:01
what what would someone use you for? What’s your people use you for? And then
Jay Ellenbee 10:05
sure, well, let’s say for example, what happens, a company comes to us says, yes, we want to work with you, we put an agreement in place. And what we do is we get an understanding how their travel works. So they do a lot of international, domestic, we’ll put online booking systems in place. So as part of the technology package we offer, we put online booking, where we put a system if you call maybe similar to Expedia, but it’s managed by us. So we can oversee everything that’s taking place, making sure they’re making the best possible choices, by company travel policy by areas where it gets negotiated rates that get in make sure they get the best rates and when things go wrong. Yeah, we’re there to help.
Nestor Aparicio 10:43
Yeah, I mean, it’s a big difference. Like, like, my wife works for a big company. And she gets a special rental. Yeah, right. Right. Right. And like, whatever, like, managing all of that in the modern era, and having it all on, you know, on your phone app, boom, boom, boom, boom. But if you’re managing a lot of people, I mean, I see, look, I ran so many groups, and people would say it looks like fun, pulling the coolers around for the Buster of stuff. And it’s not that I don’t miss it. But I would give this to you. And literally, I think it’s the most recent thing I’ve tweeted about Yeah, I read about this this morning. Did you Did you see that? Mark Davis, the Las Vegas Raiders. Al Davis, this kid runs the Raiders, right spoke out against what they done the last 48 hours at the NFL owners meetings, which is they flex Thursday night football. So the Ravens play in Los Angeles on a Sunday in December or whatever. They can move that game to Thursday, when you and I have four days to travel parties, the things that really have over the last 20 years that I’ve seen grow that I’ve participated in, where I was always worried if I had a bus trip that they would move the game from one o’clock to eight o’clock, moving again, from Sunday to Thursday is a complete, Mark Davis spoke out about it. And he had like he had some really, really harsh words, I want to like, I want to read it and get it right. Because to me, like it was at the core of why I don’t do this anymore. I said people asked me why we stopped doing a road trip. There were a bunch of reasons that I got out of the sports travel business, but screwing the fans will scheduling like to me at the top of the list. Mark Davis said, just make the schedule and play it. He said absolutely not. If he signed on to it. He said this is abusive to fans. And he said it’s just as much of an inconvenience for games flex to interact with Thursday night, if you have a Raiders chargers game in Las Vegas, his city, right where he put his team and you’re bringing people in he said all the fans driving from LA, they buy their tickets, they booked their hotels, how do you schedule it and say, No, it’s not on Sunday anymore now so on Thursday? I mean, you can’t.
Jay Ellenbee 13:01
So you’re doing it, you’re clearly putting the fans second?
Nestor Aparicio 13:05
Clearly. Not even second. Like they’re in a way, by the way back in the bus. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. Like, so being in the sports, travel business. And then there’s the whole electronic tickets have become a whole different kind of nightmare with the PSLs. And holding up like that. I hats off to Brian, anybody that’s doing it at this point. Sure. But it my my markup was not. I wasn’t a professional travel agent. I was a local dude trying to have a good time. Right. reserve some beer. Yeah. You know, and then consumed. You know, so So what we used to do versus where it is now. And the notion of like, how do you travel when you travel? Personally? How do I travel? Yeah, what do you do? Your Guide had been all over the world when I met you. Yeah, it’s still your guy taking cruises, genuine resorts. They will call you and say we’re building their place in Jamaica. Go check it out. Yeah, put a condom wasn’t even like a thing. Yeah. When I knew Yeah. Yeah.
Jay Ellenbee 14:01
I mean, the other thing I wanted to add before, before I leave, that is the things that we offer. For example, when I say when people come to us when they have an issue, where there’s a problem, they’re traveling their flight, so can’t get canceled, right? They never get canceled. Every day, every every hour. So what happens somebody’s at the airport, they need some way to call, they need some way to call and we answer that we probably fix it within 15 minutes. Otherwise, they’re gonna stay in that line, that customer service line, which is what? That’s an hour. It’s policy. It’s a great insurance policy. It’s great insurance policy. So how do I travel? I work with our company, I work with professionals and arrange all my travel. Because I know if I get in a bind, which does happen, they’re gonna fix it. They’re gonna fix it. We’re
Nestor Aparicio 14:40
even gonna give it you give me a little travel. Yeah. Brilliant show can be that you have been someplace more exotic than I am. That’s pretty exotic places lately. I’ve been okay lately. So I’ve been back out on the road again, like REO Speedwagon. After the plague, the plague killed me, right. I and my wife illness and just things that have slowed us down from seeing the world. And I would just say for all the value sports like people travel is still where I learned the most about myself. Yeah. And I learned the most about people.
Jay Ellenbee 15:14
Yes, yes. That’s what travel does beyond false. But also it’s nice. Yeah. I
Nestor Aparicio 15:18
mean, it’s that’s what travel does.
Jay Ellenbee 15:19
It educates us about what people are all about it what our world is about. And it’s the most it’s the most, it’s the best thing that anybody can do. I just came back from Puerto Rico. I was I was down in San Juan, all rows down and for conference conference down there. And it’s a beautiful, beautiful area. People think it’s international. It’s not International. It’s it’s Did you see the
Nestor Aparicio 15:37
thing with the guy the cop? And now you can see that, by the way? No, no, no, there was a cop who, who got called out and someone had was renting a car, right. They were in the it was a travel business. They’re renting a car. Yeah. And they, they their license in Puerto Rico, and the person wanted to see a passport because he said, That’s not the United States. Then the cops showed up and said, No, I need a passport. That’s Puerto Rico is not the United States. And the dudes like, do you idiots have Google? Like, like, that’s true.
Jay Ellenbee 16:11
It’s true. People think that I love going down there. First of all, the people are fantastic. There are a lot of fun. There are great people down there. It’s the same timezone to play baseball there. They play great baseball and my people. Yeah, they play great baseball. It’s a time zone. We don’t have to have to worry about time. So it’s the same thing as it is here
Nestor Aparicio 16:26
of us Florida and Jamaica in that way. I’ve never been to the Dominican Yeah. Although chip God bless ship before we lost ship would always try to send me to Punta Cana, at attached to travel many, many years ago because he loved he loved Punta Cana, I’ve been to Cancun up into those places. But I did Hawaii for the first time in my life, because southwest started going there and became affordable in 19. So when the Ravens beat the Seahawks remember that famous be Russell Wilson Lamar becoming I was with Lamar is big year was we had a bye week, the week after it was Halloween Week, and my wife and I made a big to do and we did a wahoo. We did Maui and I got to Maui. And I’m like, What am I not doing here? You know? How did some J LMB and my wife, not shake me and say? Stop going to Jamaica? Stop going to Florida? Arizona, California. You don’t need to go to Cancun. Go to Maui. So we finally three and a half years later made it back? Yeah. After the plague. Yeah. You know, my hair’s long versus shorter. But we went back last month, it’s kind of snuck out. And I would just say that people need to travel when they can take advantage take advantage
Jay Ellenbee 17:43
of that time. I’m gonna let you to a little secret. And I’ve been to 49 out of 50 states
Nestor Aparicio 17:50
which wants to what’s the one you haven’t been to North Dakota or something like that? You just named it? Who? i
Jay Ellenbee 17:55
Yes. Can you believe? Of all places? I
Nestor Aparicio 17:58
don’t. Travel Agent. Once you leave next guest
Jay Ellenbee 18:06
up in Arkansas.
Nestor Aparicio 18:09
Alaska travel guide says it’s twofold.
Jay Ellenbee 18:13
Oh no, I flown over 2 million times. I’ve flown over a lot but just happened to be that was okay. What’s your favorite place in
Nestor Aparicio 18:20
the world? Oh my gosh. The world is not Maui. But I would say Maui is my favorite place in America. Right. Okay. And I haven’t been to Puerto Rico yet. I’ve been to the airport
Jay Ellenbee 18:29
three years ago. Yeah. My favorite place in America. San Diego.
Nestor Aparicio 18:33
Okay. They’re trying to screw it up.
Jay Ellenbee 18:35
It’s a little bit it’s getting a little wonky right now. Yeah, but it’s my beautiful it’s a beautiful place now for family. Our favorite place that we go to we go to Switzerland.
Nestor Aparicio 18:43
Ah, yeah, actually during
Jay Ellenbee 18:47
the summertime hiking, amazing stuff. It’s just absolutely a little town called Grendel. Grendel hall right out. It’s a three hour train ride down. Yeah. Yes,
Nestor Aparicio 19:02
I have a friend that lives in Zurich. We we drove from there into the Rhineland to Gelsenkirchen for the US Italy World Cup game in 2006. Erica so I had that experience is beautiful. Yeah Are The World Yeah. Neil’s the man who saved my wife’s life is from Germany. So he’s he lives in the Essent Viton Gelsenkirchen area. I said Kaiser so I just say Gelsenkirchen. I met Kaiserslautern was in the Rhineland. He lives in the Gelsenkirchen area, Dortmund. We’re Dortmund play soccer in that area. And so we try to see him once a year. We did Amsterdam last year in Cologne, you’ve been to Cologne I have not cologne is a great time to get some schnitzel up. Here we’re at the local I’m eating elevated food. And I’ve already had the chicken Sandow. And I’m going to tell Lou and you know, tell the folks up here, there’s a royal farm I can see the rural farm out the window right down there my longtime sponsors, so I felt noodle on unclean coming because I could have had to tune I could have had and I’m gonna have a crab cake a little later on, but the chicken Sandow, it came highly recommended a turn the heat down a little bit the cole slaw, boom so I’m I am very well fed here today at the local so I brought to you by our friends at the Maryland lottery were given these get the first one you get number 48 for you was that Rosie Leakes I think 48 If we’re I think we’re going back into the Colts Wayback Machine. I’ll be giving these away today out here at the local in fallston we’ll be doing this all month long. I’ll be in our buderus I’m going to be in hailstorm. I’m gonna be downtown. I’m going to be in Anoka County and we’re gonna be back at fade Lee’s again next month as well as what brought you by the Maryland lottery interference at window nation. Alright, so you gave me Switzerland? Are you not Beachy? Are you not like yeah, you
Jay Ellenbee 20:49
know, we’re not actually we’re not big beach people. Ah,
Nestor Aparicio 20:52
see then I can’t shoot with this. Why?
Jay Ellenbee 20:55
Yeah. So I will tell you I love Jamaica. Or better yet I
Nestor Aparicio 21:00
like Bermuda. Bermuda my family with David basketball. The glass noodles my
Jay Ellenbee 21:04
favorite he’s from for me. It’s my favorite now that you’ve been on the boat? Because Bermuda? Yeah, I have done that.
Nestor Aparicio 21:08
My son’s done.
Jay Ellenbee 21:09
I have done that. But I’m not a big boat person.
Nestor Aparicio 21:11
I’m not a boat person. Do you agree with that? Yeah, we I would get on a boat.
Jay Ellenbee 21:15
I did my time in the Navy. I don’t need to be on a boating longer. I know. It’s not the same thing. You know, I
Nestor Aparicio 21:19
don’t. Everybody thinks that my wife and I want to get on that I don’t think we would ever get on. And that that that is the Rock and Roll boats. Right? You know where they bring 48 Yeah, and we go to free port or whatever. And I’m like, Nah, man rather than three. I can’t get off the boat. Look, I love Batman, God rest his soul DJ Batman. And he did a cruise every year and I love him. And I like girls and I like unlimited booze and I like, but I get two hours into the boat and I’m down at the Bay Bridge. And I’m like, let me offer Sandy Point here. You know, I’ll catch Cabo. You know, it’s not even I did one cruise in my life. Are you ready for this? I’ve only been on one cruise. True story. I don’t think I’ve told this story because I mean, I don’t talk too much about too much personal stuff. And when I go away, I go away. My wife and I are on a beach rang and out. Shaved ice in Hawaii. I don’t put pictures up till I get back. I’m 55 now I don’t need all that right. We for our our 20th anniversary is in July, our 10th anniversary. We did a seven day cruise at a poppy that day in Tahiti. We cruised all the islands there. We but our favorite Island was Bora Bora is like just a different Yeah, Bora Bora is like not on this planet. So I could tell you go to Bora Bora. They call it boring boring. We didn’t stay there. We stayed on the boat in the harbor and tender it over into the day think of there was like the haka going on and run the Hockey Championships in the island and the you know, the dancing and like all that stuff. But more Raya
Jay Ellenbee 22:51
that you join into that the the dance,
Nestor Aparicio 22:55
you know what we went through on the day when they were rehearsing, we were going to go back for the dinner thing, but we wound up the boat was so nice, it was so luxurious. And it was our anniversary and we had laid on a beach all fried and came back. So we just we didn’t make it to the we still kick ourselves a little bit because it would have been a hoot. It was it was but we were in Bora Bora. And then we went to Moray up and I did a lot of research on Tahiti it was like a bucket list place for me when I knew you my bucket list was Australia was it I was gonna get to I’ve been Australia three times but but that Tahiti trip and more Arabia, I would tell you so you’re not a beach guy. You need me to be a consultant. i This is my new job. I’m quitting wn St. I’m gonna be consulted for safe harbors, which a so we get some red beach action here. But more Ray is the most beautiful place I’ve ever been on a planet. Like on Earth, the most beautiful, individual place I’ve ever been on escape and I took my wife there. Its place called Lake McKenzie, M A C K NZIE. It’s on a little island of Sand Island and eastern Australia called Fraser like Carrie Fraser, the official Fraser Island. It’s a completely uninhabited island of sand that only has eco resorts. And it has a 90 Mile Beach that you take if you listen to Van Halen at the highest volume possible and you can’t get in the water because the sharks everywhere you can’t You’re not allowed legally not allowed the water now is that by the reef, great barrier. It’s just southwest. Now there’s an island there as well called a Hamilton Island that my wife and I have renamed it was like Ricardo model bond. Tattoos. Were meeting when we landed and we landed a 747 We landed requirements you know like a regular American a Virgin Australia. We landed on a plane a regular plane, but it is it’s a state owned Island. And I sent friends there and they thought was a little creepy weird but they loved it but it was a little weird. It’s like being a Disney but you’re on an island. So everyone there is employed by the state of Australia like so. It is it’s a resort island that is small that has a golf course. And it is it’s an entryway to the reef. So everybody there is like going out to the reef that day or whatever, or playing tennis or golf or whatever. And it’s not as Gucci as I make it sound. It wasn’t really expensive. I’ve been really expensive. This is not real. Maria was really expensive. Yeah, but this wasn’t really expensive. But it’s it was its own thing. So I’ve experienced when I say travel, man, like you can only talk to somebody who travels about travel, right?
Jay Ellenbee 25:32
And it’s not just the experience, but it’s also the people see your experience. And it’s just it’s an amazing
Nestor Aparicio 25:37
thing that their lives and how their lives are different. Exactly. If people are listening to you every morning, they have this little Bula Bula is it that’s Fiji. But there’s a there’s a different way in the South Pacific that I think that’s why Jimmy Buffett writes about it. Jimmy Buffett wrote one particular harbor about more rail. When I got there, I’m like, Oh, no wonder Jimmy Buffett sat on a hill and wrote a song back here. Smoking who knows what we’re about to become legal. J LNBs. Here we are in Bel Air. We’re in fallston. We’re at the local this restaurant association of Maryland chef of the year Zach’s gonna be with us bringing his crab cake. I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve met so many people from this area, my friend, Steve Elliot analysis and they’re like, we can’t get a table there. And I’m like, Oh, I gotta go. You know, but this the part of Bellaire for you to move up here. 35 years ago. Yeah. Move your business up here were 1520 years ago. Right. Right. And what this the county represents and I talked to Barry Glassman about this at length a couple weeks ago but Pappas places like this. And I you know, I see Hawaiian and muchinga local people doing local things in a way that maybe 15 years ago you had to go downtown to go to Ruth’s Chris, you had to write, that’s what you had to do on Water Street.
Jay Ellenbee 26:55
There’s some great restaurants, great restaurants Come on, on out here. And in fact, you know, back then I remember when I first moved here, I remember Chili’s, I think was the only chain restaurant here
Nestor Aparicio 27:04
is that yeah, that was up by the ball right there by the mall. That at that mall for journey tickets on the street. Yeah. Me and John are winsky man kept get. We kept that in his Vega. Yeah, it was great. I’m not making that up. That’s true. It was blue was terrible. Had a really good cassette deck. And we I think we wore out some girls. Yeah. It was just some girls on you know, again and again. Desperate journey tickets. But when I drove to Bel Air, the thing that I would always I would laugh about this on the radio in the 90s. I used to make fun of this. Because when I can’t that I guess it was 81 I went on the air in 91. I knew you in 9293. You told me you lived in Bel Air 93. I’d say you won’t believe what happened. They sell beer at the seventh level up there. That’s what I said four years ago. That’s what I thought when I thought of the Harford Mall. In 1982. Yeah, but man when you talk about everything that’s come this way. Probably 60 to 80% of my graduating class. Don’t dock. 85 Yeah. for county. So yeah. And then I guess the next thing that comes is things like this. And and passing industry.
Jay Ellenbee 28:10
Yeah, absolutely. I’ll throw another thing out. There is I don’t know if you knew but I’m also president of visit visit Hartford. You know, it’s we’re about tourism card. I know. Where’s that card? Are
Nestor Aparicio 28:19
you allowed to take a lottery ticket? I’m not sure.
Jay Ellenbee 28:20
Why Kim. I’m employed by just a president of the board. So so so good. So the festival and stuff happening up here. What
Nestor Aparicio 28:27
are we doing? Well, we
Jay Ellenbee 28:27
have those we have big balloon festival taking place out of Cedar Lane. That’s in August. Okay, New Moon Festival. So it’s a really cool thing. And that’s, that’s something you definitely want to get tickets
Nestor Aparicio 28:37
to that like maybe before the plague. And like I haven’t heard about in a couple years. Right?
Jay Ellenbee 28:42
Right. So that’s very cool. That’s a big thing. Yes, I there. There are a ton of events going on out here. So everybody take a look at visit hartford.com And it’s a great place great thing makes you safer coming out here you can just pull up on the app. So okay, what’s taking place where to go eat where do I go visit and it’s there.
Nestor Aparicio 28:58
Alright, so look, man, I’ve talked all this beach with uj lamb and we haven’t talked any baseball or anywhere else or any of that. But during the plague went in March 2020 You know, four years ago or three years ago, it all hits and we couldn’t travel right there. Go anywhere. I went to that crazy Raven game and Houston. Nobody was at that spooky shining game or roof when the storm was blowing. I’m gonna mass John McLean’s. 50 feet away. There’s three reporters in the press box. There’s medical personnel and players, cameras, empty dome where I’ve seen two Super Bowls. So like crazy right that year. But when we couldn’t do anything, and there were no concerts, there were no games. There were no bands. My wife loves like hiking in the outdoors. She’s got back from Asheville. That’s her. Yeah, she goes to the mountains. I go to the beach. Works out cool. But she started looking at the counties whether it was Howard County, we went down to Centennial Park and we walked the circumference of that and got outdoor wear Whether it was coming up with gunpowder or at the Harford County, we wound up finding spaces to just drive to get a snow ball, go to brooms, Bloom, you know, whatever we needed to do, to say we’re going to do this and that maybe see a friend, right because restaurants weren’t even open. We had to brown bag it and take it into the woods or whatever. And we we were doing things that you’re talking about, which is looking for things to do that are outdoor related. And Harford County’s like an undiscovered gem when it comes to that. I mean,
Jay Ellenbee 30:33
there are a ton of there ton of trails. There are a ton of trails here, but also then you have the other trails, which ever snowball trail. You have the libation trail, so you can go
Nestor Aparicio 30:41
to all the breweries that’s already hit me. I came in and saw the independent tap. Oh, it’s right there. Yeah, it looks like mother’s milk up here. I
Jay Ellenbee 30:49
can see really, it’s endless. It’s endless. Everybody had to get in
Nestor Aparicio 30:53
touch with the jlb is our first guest here. Offense plants. He’s gonna be here with us today. We got the folks in local. It’s all brought to you by our friends at the Maryland lottery in conjunction with a winter nation. i That hat was a little warm for me. You just do business, right, like
Jay Ellenbee 31:05
just a corporate travel. Okay. Yep. Yep.
Nestor Aparicio 31:08
That’s a niche.
Jay Ellenbee 31:09
It’s exactly that we want to look at something that we’re going to do be the best at. And that’s what we have. That’s what we’ve done. We figured that out and tell him how to find you. Yeah, Safe Harbor, calm. We’re at the Bel Air Mall. Well, we’re not the mall anymore at the mall. Yeah, but right there. We’re Trump city run is who are good people. They’re Trump city. Right. Where are you really? Books on
Nestor Aparicio 31:31
television. He sold me these right here right out of the box, man. So we’ll see it
Jay Ellenbee 31:35
even has a signature on there. Josh Levinson right there. Yes, we’re right there at quarterback. We’re not going to wait until we tell our story about when the Ravens first came here are we We’re gonna talk about that. But your bet.
Nestor Aparicio 31:45
Okay, go ahead. Okay. So I’m not allowed to go to break right just yet. That’s right. clensta 15 minutes to go. He’s at the bar. He got steady Eddie up there. We’ll get fancy. Clancy coming in. We’re gonna do it all. He’s got his he’s got his half Oriole, half Raven. And he’s trying to he’s pretending and see me right now. looking the other way. So I gotta get my so. Okay, take the floor, Jane. Okay.
Jay Ellenbee 32:08
So now cuz people don’t believe this story. It’s a fantastic story. It’s one of the best stories. So I had to show it
Nestor Aparicio 32:13
on my phone recently. Because because it’s on my Facebook package. Okay, so
Jay Ellenbee 32:16
I’ll get the bones of it. The Foundation did it. I was not in the studio. But so here we go. So if you think back about everybody with Rose, trying to get a football team trying to get a football pit team back to Baltimore.
Nestor Aparicio 32:30
That’s 93. We had to get Baltimore the ball we had Yes. We saints. Yes. The Saints dolphins. Yes. And you made
Jay Ellenbee 32:37
a bet. I’ll get as fast as I can through this. But you made a bet that if Baltimore got a football team coming to Baltimore, that you would run in your underwear through run naked.
Nestor Aparicio 32:49
Did you say yes, I say. So what happened was they gave Charlotte a team right. Then they gave Jacksonville a team. Yeah. Okay. And if you really want to know the truth, because we’re talking, oh, yeah, just starts talking. Right? There’s nobody listening, right? What happened during that period of time, is that Stan Charles was sponsored by Coors Light, and was convinced that the St. Louis group was keeping Baltimore out of the league so that they could get back in the league. It was Budweiser and Anheuser Busch is money. That was the laying the vote on the second team. That seed was planted. There was a story in the Baltimore Sun on a Saturday morning. And it was it was all the bar tabs here. And they all had brown paper bags over the Anheuser Busch products, because some bars had signed up to boycott Anheuser Busch. John down in Georgia act and God bless them I love I love both you guys and your daughter to Kim the offensive Jamie or any of the other towel kids, I love them too. But in this particular case, George and John got together and said, We want to sponsor the Budweiser sports forum. So that’s when I got my first sponsor. Okay, that happened during that period of time. Jacksonville got the second team right. So now not only was standing out right, not only was my heart broken at the bar Bo Aigars, where Damien Bo Hagar and the future Don Richardson, then Don Jones of Dundalk. Now married through Super Bowl champion gave me a bottle of champagne on ice. I sat there at the bar, and I watched Paul tadley abou give the second expansion team Yeah, to Jacksonville to Jacksonville still an outhouse with good weather. And, and a pool on the roof. I’ve been in it’s a long story. Clancy might have been there that day. I don’t know. Keith did a lot of road trips was so I went on radio and this is 1994 and I said and the Orioles are percolating, right we got the baseball strikes about to happen. Yeah. All right, so number 94, right? I wanted to radio and I said, and I could probably find this I mean, I have I have old tapes, I have to think about it. But if I found it I said in my squeaky 9093 25 year old voice now I’m 55 We never get to team we can achieve all run neck and down Bradstreet, and my sponsors at the time were Hooters and ball. I used to do the show with an ISDN line. Ken, my wife and business Verizon back in the 90s Tony marijuana, he was also a Harford County guy. I said I would run from Hooters the balls, which for those of you don’t know where Hooters was, the harbor, and were balls is which is now the the Pratt street Ale House that is next to the days in. So essentially, I said I would run naked, down Pratt Street, six blocks and over to Hooters. That’s how convinced I was we were never getting a team. And you were convinced we’re never getting a team, right? Like I
Jay Ellenbee 36:00
was convinced this was the part where they were Express
Nestor Aparicio 36:04
and was pumps that write to me on the internet that just don’t know like this thing is going on with me and the Ravens right now we’re, you know, they’re breaking the law. And I’m not talking about it. Like the notion that the Ravens would ever exist. This wasn’t some radio stunt. This was like you would have bet whatever was in your wallet, right? You would have bet your company. You would have bet the watch on your rent, whatever. You can bet anything you want. They’re never letting us into the LI
Jay Ellenbee 36:35
tag leave who said when he said Jacksonville he said Baltimore’s better off to get a museum.
Nestor Aparicio 36:39
They should build a museum. That’s what he said to our governor, who was our mayor. Mayor Schaefer famously cried twice and I’m on the radio do a live radio 9094 And this is going on we’re in a baseball strike Cal Ripken trying to get paid. We haven’t signed any free agents the old man just bought the team was lying to everybody about how great it was gonna be and by the way, Peter Principles Chapter two’s up now so I’m gonna get the rest of that out. But that’s was the landscape when I knew you three years. Absolutely. You had your business downtown. We’re running trips to Fort Lauderdale because there was never going to be that the stallions came right species were there for to stay and cheaper dance those guys. But so that happens in 9495 We’re I’m at the CFL with Jim Hampson from his track company took us out on the Air Canada flight to Vancouver, me and Harvey Meyers ever running wild in Vancouver. And the next thing you know, Viviana was on the air reporting and people were gonna get a team and I was in Cleveland, the World Series that we come back literally went the day that I went and I saw Parris Glendenning note that the Preakness the day that he held up the Browns mug, I went on the radio today I met Peter King, famously and I first phone call was you’re gonna run down the street, you’re gonna run down the street naked, right? You’re gonna have to write. I mean, you’re gonna have to write I mean, you said you would for two years, never get to Team Three got a team. And I’m like, I’m too busy trying to figure out to do with all my Houston Oilers stuff, you know, and figuring out whether we’re gonna be called the browns, the Bengals, the modells, the the ravens, the Americans, the Mavericks, we had all these things right. And so I didn’t you know, I ran in my underwear because that was legal. The police told me they’d arrest me it was be streaking and Budweiser discourage me from I mean, even the Hooters girls thought she’d leave my pants on. So I there’s a video and I sort of doubled down on it once we decided to do and I got in shape. I got to train her on the air. And I wore tighty whities. And we ran I ran about four miles to that town and that was really shy.
Jay Ellenbee 38:51
Remember, you’re driving over you’re running through town with the Hooters girls going
Nestor Aparicio 38:54
up? Yeah, Charles Street is not flat. It’s flat. It’s flat when Levinson’s running those drunks down or St. Patrick’s Day, because I’ve seen that it’s all downhill. But if you’re running off Charles G, you’re the monuments on the hill. Yeah, so you’re running up. These Hooters girls were smokers back in in the 90s. They’re losing like six Hooters girls and me and I blazed though. I turned the corner at where the morgue is at present street like where? And I think the scarlet place was brand new, right. So I ran toward little literally. Oh, it means she’s they gave me water. Water break. It was halfway. Give me water. It’s true. So I turned the corner and there was a cab. There’s no Uber in 1990 I think I did that run in. I did it in the spring of 96 or 96. Yeah, May or June 96. Like that once the team was committed. Yeah. David Modell thought was greatest thing you’d ever he came down he loved that. I remember down to the street. Wave it Yeah, yeah, literally waved at me from the street. Yep. I’m in a suit thing and all that. Yep. cabbie honks the horn and nasty he holds me a $20 bill out the passenger side. I’m running down. It was I was running on Pratt. I get to the corner and a cabbie hands me 20 bucks. Yeah. So when we raised a couple grand for Apple, well, I remember that not getting arrested. You didn’t get arrested. Video of it when you came up.
Jay Ellenbee 40:23
You remember my office was first floor when Pastor pastor be pounding on my windows. You came to our windows. You’re like this spread eagle pounding on the windows.
Nestor Aparicio 40:32
I don’t remember any of my six year old son getting this family established.
Jay Ellenbee 40:38
My six year old says it that there’s Lester.
Nestor Aparicio 40:42
You brought your kid down and watch me run tomorrow. Absolutely. Remember this?
Jay Ellenbee 40:46
Yes. He remembers it. I told him I told him about it. He was laughing all right.
Nestor Aparicio 40:52
How’s your boy doing? Good.
Jay Ellenbee 40:53
He’s doing great. Thanks. He
Nestor Aparicio 40:54
ran Maryland for a minute or two during the tour generic
Jay Ellenbee 40:57
Yeah, he did. He did he now he’s involved in NFL.
Nestor Aparicio 41:00
Did he get enough of sports your kid or no?
Jay Ellenbee 41:02
Did he get enough? Sports? Hey, a lot of sports when he’s still doing it now. He’s still doing it now. Yeah,
Nestor Aparicio 41:07
I’m gonna have more. What do you know about the NFL?
Jay Ellenbee 41:10
Wild West, the absolute Wild West. And one way you look at it right now colleges if they don’t take advantage of it. I heard Gary Williams talk about it. We were together. We were if you’re not taking advantage of now you’re behind. You are behind. You’ve got to be in front of it. Gary said
Nestor Aparicio 41:24
at some point. We’re gonna put the guardrails in. I’m like, man, you’re speaking like an 80 year old man now Yeah, who’s gonna who’s gonna play god to put the goggles on MMA? Yeah, on boxing on. I mean, the horse racing industry. What they’re doing themselves out there five days after I went to the press pan for the Preakness. I love it. Right. Yeah.
Jay Ellenbee 41:42
I mean, you think about it right now the NCAA is not the only one that can but they’re getting pushed out. They’re getting pushed out right now. So yeah, real fever. Yeah, I do. Great stuff. Great stuff. It’s amazing.
Nestor Aparicio 41:54
Well, I this is I said to Mike Elias because I met him finally about eight weeks ago at a corporate event. And I said dude, I’m a good guy I fought to have someone like you hear competent running it that’s what I’ve been fighting for. Out of this microphone my whole life long time is if you have the game on the bar here local Oh yeah. Standing room to get to it because we’re playing the Yankees now you know Wednesday night Nestor Cortez pitch and so you know, I mean, go easy on go easy on nasty nasty is what I’d say JL and Bs here he is been going easy on me. I didn’t know you were going to bust out the the the nasty
Jay Ellenbee 42:31
naked run had to I couldn’t leave here without it.
Nestor Aparicio 42:34
Well, what happened was I’m at this event with Gary Williams and he starts telling people, this guy ran naked through the streets. And I’m like, Hold on, let me get the video on Facebook, and there it is.
Jay Ellenbee 42:45
whitey tighties it was the 90s it was not his thing, right? We were
Nestor Aparicio 42:51
all doing it back then. You know, it’s fun. Not like commander like we are now. Jay ellaby can be found a safe harbors business travel down on Main Street street Bel Air. Where my Bob Seger and the silver band fits for a down on Main Street. Yeah, there you go. Yeah, perfect. See, people think I’m weird with these belts and stuff. And, and I am but like, hold them up and want to hold them up. People were like, hey, they’re really cool. I don’t want to tell you what the girls doing on the bullet there. But that will that will save that for me for after dark. We’re at a we’re fallston we’re all brought to you by the Maryland lottery to friends at Windsor nation. We’re having a good time up here jail. And he’s been my friend for a long, long time. Long enough to tell stories that you know. I’m proud of that story. That’s great story. And I’m proud we should be very proud of it absolutely shouldn’t run in Hi, Matt,
Jay Ellenbee 43:38
you wanted to make things happen. You’ve been a driver behind Baltimore sports for a long, long time. And that was one right? If you would
Nestor Aparicio 43:43
have known that day little six year old Shawn would have known that he was going to grow up to work in sports media, and have chats deal take away my press credential after 27 years. Like like it is amazing how much I love Baltimore. Sports right and how weird it all is. But I do love the people coming back into the city. I love that everywhere I go people are talking baseball. Yeah, my last name still Aparicio. It means a lot. I’ve known you a long time. So it’s great to see you man. Good to see marae beach or go to a beach thanks to my friends in Puerto Rico which is in the United States. Get out.
Jay Ellenbee 44:19
We go up to Maine a lot. We go up to a caterer and do a little beach there and now the water is about 40 degrees there it’s a great place to
Nestor Aparicio 44:26
happen Tina yet Patagonia yeah, I’ve not had much South America Yeah. Alright, let’s go. I know a guy who has a travel company right? Where you do we can we can book me to Argentina right now you just text your SIP boom. You know less than 10 minutes. We’re going Delta through Atlanta boom. You Me Aveda Perone tomorrow. big mall back and fat state that eight bucks. James Jalen B’s here encouraging you to try Why am I the spokesperson for travel?
Jay Ellenbee 44:59
Talking about This is Greg keep talking travel. This is what it’s all about the freak This is what life is about Harford County’s I think you are now
Nestor Aparicio 45:06
Alright, we’re gonna I listen, I have the Restaurant Association of Maryland chef of the year here who prepared me It’s delicious chicken Sandow. We’re gonna have to crab cake. We’re it’s a local kid getting mad me and the local together, right? It’s nothing better than like being local and local 31 year celebrating 25 years. On August 3, with our friends at the Maryland lottery. I can’t say that Jay has the winning ticket. But there’s a bunch of people out here that are about to get some tickets, somebody’s going to win and be lucky. It’s a 50th anniversary of the Maryland lottery your friends will win their nation. It is still May when you hear this. It is still 0% financing five years 0% Buy to get to free. I didn’t even get that deal last year. But I have great great windows that my cat is enjoying watching Fox and raccoons and deer and birds of all kinds. Yeah, when donation 866 90 nation and make sure you tell them that I sent you in. I’ll send you to this place. You gotta go behind the Waffle House and around the corner from the Dunkin Donuts, but it’s right across from the ROFO come on up to the local St. Louis folks up here and take advantage of the delicious cuisine. I’m thirsty all of a sudden,
Jay Ellenbee 46:08
you’re making me thirsty and hungry. Now I
Nestor Aparicio 46:10
just say Clancy’s here. And when I think of Clancy all I think of is and I I need to get my own sound effects back like I had the studio member that had the beard. I will do that for fancy. Clancy asked it. He’s been my friend as long as this guy. Clancy might have been on the street when I ran them on to run and I’m gonna find that out. He’s been all over the world serving beer and no one is ready to serve you better than he and as the Orioles are back in it. So, you know, he’s been our beer man for like, five decades. So we’re going to have him next. I’m going to hear fancy Clancy story and we sat back on the air back in the day and he had his he had his company that did vending in the stadium and this man has poured me a lot of beer I’m not gonna lie to you fancy Clancy’s up next my thanks to Jay Werth a local stay with us we are Baltimore positive wn s t and we never stop talking fallston
