Thursday, May 31, 2012

Game 9 - Texas Rangers


We left Denver Monday night after the game in search of our old friend Sam Walton and one of his great Walmart stores. We made a reservation for the parking lot with the general manager of the Colorado Springs store and we setup the motor home for the night. My Mom and Dad grabbed dinner and I went for a ride on my bike. Unfortunately, training for this race pretty much consumes the free time I have when I'm not driving. If I can grab a quick run or swim in the morning, and bike when we are finished driving at night, I can usually get both workouts in.

We were pretty psyched to get to the Ballpark in Arlington to see the Texas Rangers play the Seattle Mariners. A former business partner of mine went to graduate school with one of the new owners of the Rangers, and he had given us his seats for the game. He told us we would be on TV all night, and he was right. They were without question the best seats we've ever sat in. It was an experience taking the elevator to the player level and walking out where the players and umpires walk. I was able to take some great pictures of the player areas under the stadium. 






The game was a complete blowout, with the Mariners scoring 21 runs and Texas never being able to recover. I have to hand it to Nolan Ryan, however, as he stayed for nearly the entire drubbing, only leaving his front row seat sometime in the eighth inning.

The Ballpark at Arlington is a great place. The people were fantastic, even giving us a ride to our motor home after the game!


I talked to my Dad about the integrity of his rating system should he keep throwing around five Big Jim's at each park, however, he didn't listen. This was a great ballpark, and the best stadium experience we've had so far. The buffet before the game, the seats behind home plate, and the ride back to our motor home after the game was just too nice.

Pros: Fantastic seats, incredible people, fun team to watch.
Cons: The box seats in center field were a little strange looking.

If we weren't Cardinals fans, the Rangers would be high on my list. They are an easy team to root for.








-JJS


Game 8 - Colorado Rockies



After breakfast at our hotel with Dave and Christine, we headed out towards the stadium to park the motor home and meet Pete, Patty and Liz Steward. My parents have been friends with the Stewards for 30 years, and Liz and I went to school together and worked at Brookhills Country Club in high school. Plus, they are all die hard Cardinals fans like us. Liz is finishing up graduate school in Denver and her family was out to see her over the Memorial Day weekend. We all went to the Rockies game together and had a great time. My Dad and Pete both worked in real estate together for ages and they were able to share a lot of laughs at the game.

I had been to Coors Field before, but this would be the first time my parents got to see it. The city has done a great job revitalizing the area surrounding the ballpark, creating a destination with local breweries, restaurants, and other attractions. The weather was absolutely perfect and the ball was flying all over the stadium, aided by the thin Colorado air. We all really enjoyed our time at the ballpark, and headed to a local brewery down the street after the game to share a few more laughs and sample some local hops.

My Dad loved Coors Field, and it showed in his review:


Pros: Stadium layout, surrounding restaurants and bars, concessions, friendly staff.
Cons: Difficult to walk around outside the stadium.





-JJS

Mile High Laughs




We finished our 1,400 mile drive from Seattle to Denver in two days, just in time to find a hotel in Westminster, Colorado. We were due to meet up with my cousin, Christine and her husband, Dave for dinner at their house. We circled this stop on our trip a few months back as we had not seen them for several years. Christine had taught her self to be a great cook, and the meal was incredible. It was a lot of fun to catch up with the both of them and share a lot of laughs. Their home was beautiful, located in a great little community twenty minutes from downtown Denver. Christine and Dave love Denver, and it's easy to see why. The people were great, the weather was beautiful, and there is an abundance of local breweries!

Denver was certainly a highlight on our trip and it would only get better the following day as we experienced Coors Field with friends from back home. Christine, as promised, everything about Denver got five Big Jim's...

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Sleepless in Seattle

We spent our day off wandering around downtown Seattle. We spent the majority of our time at the Pike Place Market. My Dad kept asking to go by Tom Hank's house in Sleepless in Seattle, but we couldn't find it. Great city.

Editorial Comment: As I write this at McDonald's in Colorado Springs (they have free wifi), a gentlemen just asked the server for her number. She politely declined, claiming McDonald's corporate frowns on such things. Ah, the man getting in the way of love yet again...




















Game 7 - Seattle Mariners


We rolled into Safeco Field and parked the motor home near the Seahawks stadium. It's really cool how they've created a destination for sporting events in downtown Seattle. Both the Seahawks and Mariners stadiums are right next to each other, and they hold concerts, comedians, etc in a venue adjacent to them. There is something always going on and the area had a great vibe to it.

Although Safeco was built in 1998, you wouldn't know it by walking around the field. It's really beautiful, and cold!! The dome was open and the wind whipped through nearly every part of the field. The field views were incredible and the concessions were some of the best we've seen to date. Starbucks (of course), sushi,  and stir fried noodles to name a few. I think my favorite line of the trip happened in line at the Starbucks inside the stadium. Two buddies were waiting in line, clearly grabbing a coffee to chase the several beers they consumed prior to wanting a coffee. One guy turns to his buddy and says 'Man, I have to bring this up. Your mustache looks awful, and it's time to shave it. I'm sorry." 

This summed up our time in Seattle. Great time, great people. This was one of our favorites so far. And of course, the Mariners played the Angels and we got see Pujols hit a home run right by us.

Consequently, big Jim had nothing but good things to say about Seattle:

Pros: Stadium views, people, concessions, retail and hot dog stands outside stadium.
Cons: Wind.



***UPDATE: If you've been following these blog posts, you'll recall the players' wife we got stuck with on the elevator in Anaheim. Well, I ran into her again in Seattle and found out who she was there to see. Her husband, former Cardinal Dan Haren was throwing. She must have lightened up the days prior because Haren threw a complete game shutout with 15 K's...

Lake Shasta, Northern California

Just a few beautiful shots taken on our drive from Oakland to Seattle. I didn't know places like this existed in the US. I need to get back here soon.