27 down, 3 to go. (Minute Maid Park)

Deep in the heart of Texas!

The retractable roof was open on my visit to Houston, and the weather was beautiful. The park seems small on the outside but is spacious on the inside. The train did get moving once, but the home team went down to defeat. I guess those oranges will never arrive at their destination...

26 down, 4 to go. (Chase Field)

Hello all!

Back and better than ever. Not too long ago I took a trip through Arizona and Texas to catch some games. Phoenix is a good place to see a game, the Diamondbacks were playing the Cubs though and there were more Cubs fans than D-Backs fans. I didn't splurge on the $30 D-Bat, the gargantuan corn dog, because I value my aorta and my wallet, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't tempted. Personal note of advice as well, if you go hiking in Arizona, wear sunscreen.

25 down, 5 to go. (Wrigley Field)

Back again! I'm not sure if this will be it for this year or not, I may try to make a quick jaunt somewhere over Labor Day. If not, either way, only 5 to go...it has gone so fast. I still have a little ways to go but the end is definitely in sight. I'm not sure how to feel or how to react now that I'm getting so close. I use travel as a way to give my mind something to look forward to, something to plan for, a purpose. I think I'll celebrate for sure, but also panic a bit. I love going to National Parks and just exploring this great land of ours, so who knows, maybe in a couple of years this will transition to a general travel blog. Maybe I'll post about some National Parks and some European destinations that I've been to in the offseason. Either way, I have at least two years until this journey draws to a close, because of the new Atlanta ballpark opening in 2017.

Back to the focus of this post, which is the timeless and inimitable Wrigley Field. Someone made the comment before I went that the new scoreboard in left ruined the place, and this was my first time so I couldn't make the comparison directly, but it was awesome with the scoreboard. I think the scoreboard fits in nicely, and hey, we don't live in 1920 anymore. At Fenway no one gripes about the Monster seats anymore, and in a couple of years no one will care about the scoreboard anymore (except maybe the rooftop owners but that's all about money). It's a nice mix of the modern and historic, and it blends in nicely. While taking in a game here you think about all of the people who have streamed in the gates over the years to take in a Cubs game who hoped to see that W flag raised at the end of the game, more often that not left disappointed, but nevertheless came back again and again. That's fandom for you. On this day, July 4th, my beloved Marlins went down to defeat (as has happened often this season), but I thoroughly enjoyed the game and the fireworks nonetheless.

Back again soon! Take care all.

24 down, 6 to go. (Great American Ball Park).

I checked this park out with a co-worker, so I got a little bit of the native stories which was cool. The smokestacks are a nice touch. This was another game that was repeatedly delayed due to rain, so props to the big man in the sky for getting the game in for me.
The Reds Hall of Fame is a can't miss, it's the best in the Major Leagues that I've been to so far. Only drawback to this park: it is located in Ohio. Couldn't help but get that one in as a Hurricanes fan :)
The All-Star Game had a great host also, you could tell the city was genuinely excited about hosting the game, they had a building lighting ceremony that we went to which was chintzy but cool. Also cool is the Roebling Bridge located just next to the park, and the Underground Railroad Museum near by.

23 down, 7 to go. (Busch Stadium).

Well I failed miserably in my quest to post over the off-season, but here I am, back again by popular demand! *Crickets*

:) This summer I went on a really cool and relaxing Midwest ballpark tour. My first stop was St. Louis. I had never been, and I was surprised by what a cool, laid back city it was. I was worried about the weather forecasts the whole time I was there, and there were multiple delays with sideways rain, but they ultimately got the whole game in, because they knew I was there to watch, of course.

While you're in the ballpark, you really feel like you're in the middle of Cardinals nation. You're surrounded by red seats, Big Mac Land, and the Gateway Arch just down the road. This may be flyover land to a lot of people, but to these people, it's home. Just standing outside the park before the gates opened, you could look around and see the passion these people have for baseball. It is truly infectious and I'm glad I stopped by.

22 down, 8 to go. (Fenway Park)

Ok ladies and gents, time to finish up the trip report. After NYC, I hopped in the rental and drove to Boston. I had never been before so I took in all the sights, (and some pubs.) It's an awesome and fun city. I had kind of a less than favorable impression of Red Sox fans from my travels, but once visiting the home crowd my opinion has changed, everyone was nice and helpful and you can't be mad when taking in the uniqueness that is Fenway Park.

Say what you want about it, there is only one in the world. Even though I sat in a hardwood seat from what seemed like the 40s, partially obstructed by a pole, I still enjoyed the game. Looking out at the scoreboard you start to think about all the tens of thousands of scores that thing has held, and the list of signatures on the inside, a who's who of baseball history.

Sadly I neglected to get a Fenway Frank while there, I know, terrible oversight. I had some semblance of a chicken sandwich, it wasn't that great but I can't blame Fenway for my poor choice in food.

The next day I checked out of the hotel and made a mad dash back to Philly to catch my flight, and back to the grind. Right now I'm enjoying the playoffs, the ALCS is awesome and I'm happy to see some new blood in the playoffs.

I can't believe I only have 8 more to go...I've gotten around quite a bit since I started this blog! I can't wait to see where next year may take me. I'll make sure to post during the long, cold, offseason. Happy October baseball fans!

21 down, 9 to go. (Citi Field)

Continuing on my northeast baseball trip of epicness, I made the quick 4 hour jaunt from Cooperstown to NYC. The first thing I did when I got into town after a long, exhausting drive? Grabbed a slice, of course.

 

I took the 7 train from Midtown all the way to Flushing, it's a nice ride (relatively) and deposits you right at the stadium gates, pretty much. Inside, there is a rotunda reminiscent of Ebbets Field. I made my way up to the cheap seats and had a burger and shake from Shake Shack, which was ok but not world changing. It was a cool, misty game, since we had just dodged some Tropical Storm or another. It was also July 4th, so there were awesome fireworks after the game. Oh right, that stupid apple is out there too. (Little of the Marlins fan in me coming out there.)

I definitely recommend the ballpark if you're in town. This is more of a functional ballpark (still nice) as opposed to the billion dollar palace that is Yankee Stadium, but the game is just the same.