Trip #2, the Tour of the Midwestern Stadiums, is over. We visited Cleveland, Chicago, Minnesota, Milwaukee and Cincinnati. You might be saying to yourself … “Wait a second! You didn’t visit Detroit” And, you would be correct. We’re saving Detroit until September so we’ll have something to do other than just drive to Toronto.
-- Thank goodness for day games and indoor stadiums (and for the blankets we got as a giveaway in Houston at the Astros game). The Midwest is typically cold. However, it was colder than normal this year.
-- We put on 2162 miles and spent $2886 ($1022.45 on tickets; $66.50 on museums and tours; $330.02 on eating out; $318.09 on gas -- average price $3.79/gallon; $956.11 on hotels; and $192.90 on groceries and miscellaneous knick-knacks -- we bought several items at the Leinenkugel Brewery.
-- Miller Park (Milwaukee) was our favorite stadium. US Cellular (White Sox) and the Metrodome (Twins) were surprisingly nice stadiums, as well. A visit to Wrigley Field (Cubs) is something every baseball fan should experience. I had heard good things about “The Jake”, now called Progressive Field, in Cleveland. While it was a nice stadium, it was our least favorite on this trip.
-- The best hot dog was at US Cellular Field, although all the hot dogs we had on this trip (except for the one in Cleveland) were very good. Each of the ballparks had a stand with Leinenkugel, Nancy’s favorite beer. However, the best beer was at the Leinenkugel Brewery.
-- The strangest thing we saw – the Sculpture Garden in Minneapolis. While there were several interesting sculptures, there were some very bizarre ones as well. It’s a worthwhile side trip if you ever are in Minneapolis (http://garden.walkerart.org/artwork.wac ).
-- Most interesting food on the trip – the Dari-ette in St. Paul ... An Italian Drive-In with an outstanding meatball sub.
-- The song of the trip: Miley Cyrus – See You Again http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tubIRYvfu1E&feature=related It’s in very heavy rotation on all the XM stations.
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Los Angeles Dodgers @ Milwaukee Brewers 5-13-08
For the regular readers of this blog, you know that Leinenkugel has become Nancy’s favorite beer. After having yet another one at the Metrodome last night, we’ve decided to make Leinenkugel the official beer of the 2008 Baseball Stadium Tour. With that in mind, it should make sense that, on the way to Milwaukee from Minneapolis, we took a 20 minute detour to go to the Leinenkugel Brewery in Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin. It’s a small brewery, started in 1867. Their brewing process has been modernized with very up-to-date equipment (Aspiring chemical engineers should consider a career in the brewing industry. Complex chemical engineering processes and free beer). They’ve built a very neat lodge (Leinie Lodge) for their beer tasting and to sell memorabilia. We’ve made a good official beer choice (www.leinie.com).
On to Miller Park … I now have a new favorite ball park. Milwaukee did a great job building Miller Park. Easy in, easy out; Cheap, close parking ($8); Tailgaiting with places to dump your hot charcoal. The actual park is a beautiful structure. The roof was closed because of predicted thunder storms. However, that just added to the effect. Miller Park has windows to allow sunlight in. The promenade was spacious. We got free US Cellular backpack bags. They had lots of food choices (hot dog rating preview … they had the best mustard … tasty and spicy). There were many things to do for kids (playgrounds, speed pitch, etc.). Toyota sponsors special seats … Barcoloungers with personal HD TVs. Like I said, my favorite so far.
As for the game, the Brewers beat the Dodgers 5–3. The Brewers took the lead on a 2 run double by the Hebrew Hammer, Ryan Braun. Carlos Villanueva pitched well enough to win. Eric Gagne, the much maligned closer, saved the game for the Brewers. Why do I mention this? He did the Ryne Duren thing (NY Yankee from the 50s). Gagne threw a wild pitch to the 2nd batter and immediately stepped off the mound to clean his glasses. Intimidation! Here’s a link to the box score:
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2008_05_13_lanmlb_milmlb_1&mode=wrap
Here’s a link to the pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14772189@N03/sets
Hot Dog rating: Very good. I had an Italian Sausage with sauerkraut. Nancy had a Polish Sausage doused with their special barbeque sauce and some sauerkraut. Nancy gave it an “8”. I’ll give it a “9” … one extra point for great mustard!
On to Miller Park … I now have a new favorite ball park. Milwaukee did a great job building Miller Park. Easy in, easy out; Cheap, close parking ($8); Tailgaiting with places to dump your hot charcoal. The actual park is a beautiful structure. The roof was closed because of predicted thunder storms. However, that just added to the effect. Miller Park has windows to allow sunlight in. The promenade was spacious. We got free US Cellular backpack bags. They had lots of food choices (hot dog rating preview … they had the best mustard … tasty and spicy). There were many things to do for kids (playgrounds, speed pitch, etc.). Toyota sponsors special seats … Barcoloungers with personal HD TVs. Like I said, my favorite so far.
As for the game, the Brewers beat the Dodgers 5–3. The Brewers took the lead on a 2 run double by the Hebrew Hammer, Ryan Braun. Carlos Villanueva pitched well enough to win. Eric Gagne, the much maligned closer, saved the game for the Brewers. Why do I mention this? He did the Ryne Duren thing (NY Yankee from the 50s). Gagne threw a wild pitch to the 2nd batter and immediately stepped off the mound to clean his glasses. Intimidation! Here’s a link to the box score:
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2008_05_13_lanmlb_milmlb_1&mode=wrap
Here’s a link to the pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14772189@N03/sets
Hot Dog rating: Very good. I had an Italian Sausage with sauerkraut. Nancy had a Polish Sausage doused with their special barbeque sauce and some sauerkraut. Nancy gave it an “8”. I’ll give it a “9” … one extra point for great mustard!
Monday, May 12, 2008
Boston Red Sox @ Minnesota Twins 5-12-08
Here we are in beautiful Minneapolis. We spent the day driving around Minneapolis and St. Paul to get a sense of the city. We saw UMinn campus to get pictures of the Weissman Art Museum. We happened on the UMinn Crew Boathouse and took pictures for Steven to see. We then drove to the Walker Art Museum to look at their 24 acre sculpture garden ... lots of interesting sculptures. One of the recommendations in the local guide was the Peanuts sculptures in St. Paul (Charles Schultz was from there). Of course, we had to go see them and take pictures. The UMinn crew coach recommended we eat lunch at the Dari-ette, an Italian Drive-In restaurant (car hops and eat in the car). Very Good and a worthwhile side trip. With an hour to kill, we walked around the Mall of America, the ultimate in US capitalism.
Here's a link to the pictures of our Minneapolis tour:
http://www1.snapfish.com/photolibrary/t_=98074769
The Metrodome was better than I expected. Good viewing lines. Good access in the promenade. Lots of food choices. However, it clearly was built for football. Minnesota is building a new stadium for the Twins to open in 2010. The game started at 6pm to accommodate ESPN. It didn't start well. Boston scored 3 in the top of the 1st. However, Minnesota scored 2 in the bottom of the first and scored 5 more during the next few innings to win 7-3. Here's the link to the boxscore:
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2008_05_12_bosmlb_minmlb_1&mode=wrap
Here's a link to the Metrodome pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14772189@N03/sets/
The best part of the game was Michael Cuddyer's catch in right field. The ball hit his glove, bounced off his hat and fell forward into his glove. Here's a link to the video:
http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?mid=200805122688687
Hot Dog Time: a very good dog (You have to buy it at the "Top Dog" stand by Section 121). There was a woman taking the temperature of each hot dog to make sure they were done. Lots of topping choices --- chili, cheese, beans, tomatoes, peppers, relish, onions, sauerkraut. One point off for a bun that was too big (who needs all that bread when there's a hot dog to be eaten). I gave it an "8". By the way, Nancy had her 2nd Leinenkugel beer on the tour. She's enjoyed it so much, we're stopping off in Chippewa Falls today to see the Leinenkugel Brewery.
Here's a link to the pictures of our Minneapolis tour:
http://www1.snapfish.com/photolibrary/t_=98074769
The Metrodome was better than I expected. Good viewing lines. Good access in the promenade. Lots of food choices. However, it clearly was built for football. Minnesota is building a new stadium for the Twins to open in 2010. The game started at 6pm to accommodate ESPN. It didn't start well. Boston scored 3 in the top of the 1st. However, Minnesota scored 2 in the bottom of the first and scored 5 more during the next few innings to win 7-3. Here's the link to the boxscore:
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2008_05_12_bosmlb_minmlb_1&mode=wrap
Here's a link to the Metrodome pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14772189@N03/sets/
The best part of the game was Michael Cuddyer's catch in right field. The ball hit his glove, bounced off his hat and fell forward into his glove. Here's a link to the video:
http://minnesota.twins.mlb.com/media/video.jsp?mid=200805122688687
Hot Dog Time: a very good dog (You have to buy it at the "Top Dog" stand by Section 121). There was a woman taking the temperature of each hot dog to make sure they were done. Lots of topping choices --- chili, cheese, beans, tomatoes, peppers, relish, onions, sauerkraut. One point off for a bun that was too big (who needs all that bread when there's a hot dog to be eaten). I gave it an "8". By the way, Nancy had her 2nd Leinenkugel beer on the tour. She's enjoyed it so much, we're stopping off in Chippewa Falls today to see the Leinenkugel Brewery.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Arizona Diamondbacks at Chicago Cubs 5-10-08
Well, we finally visited the Friendly Confines of Wrigley Field. It's a grand old stadium right in the middle of a residential area. Parking was very interesting. I pulled into a personal lot and the guy said $60 for easy out, $50 for regular parking. I said, "too much," and started to back out. He said, "How about $40?" I continued to back out. He said, "$35!". I said, "Make it $30 and we'll park here." and so we did.
At Wrigley. we sat in the first deck, in the second section of seats (under the 2nd deck). We could see the field, but not the scoreboard. Second base was blocked by a post. My seats reminded me of the seats I sat in with my father at old Yankee Stadium for a World Series game in 1964 when Mickey Mantle hit a homerun off Barney Schultz to win the game. Our son, Rob, joined us at the game as did his friends from college Don and Yuki. It was a typical Chicago day ... cold and windy. Thankfully, Nancy brought the blankets we got at the Astros game. They kept us warm.
The game was a pitchers duel until the 7th inning. The Cubs scored 6 runs, highlighted by a Fukudome homerun, to break it open. Alfonso Soriano had 4 hits and scored 2 runs, both on close plays at home. Here's a link to the boxscore:
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2008_05_10_arimlb_chnmlb_1&mode=wrap
A few other things to note about Wrigley:
1) The 7th inning singing of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" is an event. I knew it would be, but it was great to experience it. Absolutely everyone in the stadium stands up and sings.
2) The crowd at the stadium comes to experience the game rather than watch it. Everyone knows everyone. There's lots of talking and drinking. It felt like a typical Saturday morning temple service.
3) A Cubs win leads to a rousing rendition of the song "Go, Cubs, Go", again sung by the whole crowd.
My bottom line ... Wrigley was a great experience
Here's a link to the pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14772189@N03/sets/
The Hot Dogs --- Very Good ... Foot Long Dogs with every possible topping (chili, cheese, kraut, relish, pickles, tomatoes, relish, onions). Hot and very messy. One point off for a soggy bun ... an "8"
At Wrigley. we sat in the first deck, in the second section of seats (under the 2nd deck). We could see the field, but not the scoreboard. Second base was blocked by a post. My seats reminded me of the seats I sat in with my father at old Yankee Stadium for a World Series game in 1964 when Mickey Mantle hit a homerun off Barney Schultz to win the game. Our son, Rob, joined us at the game as did his friends from college Don and Yuki. It was a typical Chicago day ... cold and windy. Thankfully, Nancy brought the blankets we got at the Astros game. They kept us warm.
The game was a pitchers duel until the 7th inning. The Cubs scored 6 runs, highlighted by a Fukudome homerun, to break it open. Alfonso Soriano had 4 hits and scored 2 runs, both on close plays at home. Here's a link to the boxscore:
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2008_05_10_arimlb_chnmlb_1&mode=wrap
A few other things to note about Wrigley:
1) The 7th inning singing of "Take Me Out To The Ballgame" is an event. I knew it would be, but it was great to experience it. Absolutely everyone in the stadium stands up and sings.
2) The crowd at the stadium comes to experience the game rather than watch it. Everyone knows everyone. There's lots of talking and drinking. It felt like a typical Saturday morning temple service.
3) A Cubs win leads to a rousing rendition of the song "Go, Cubs, Go", again sung by the whole crowd.
My bottom line ... Wrigley was a great experience
Here's a link to the pictures:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14772189@N03/sets/
The Hot Dogs --- Very Good ... Foot Long Dogs with every possible topping (chili, cheese, kraut, relish, pickles, tomatoes, relish, onions). Hot and very messy. One point off for a soggy bun ... an "8"
Chicago Tour 5-9-08
Last night (Thursday), we went to Lawry's Prime Rib. It's been 20 years since I've been there, but it was just as good as I remembered. One of the best prime rib dinners I've had.
Today, Nancy and I did our own walking tour of Chicago. We went to the Navy Pier, walked the Magnificent Mile, and Millennium Park. It was a typical Chicago day, cold, cloudy and windy. At the Navy Pier, we decided to take a boat tour. We went on the Architecture Tour on the Chicago River. Very worthwhile. Good views of the buildings and a guide with lots of information (for the Long Islanders, he was from East Northport). When I bought the tickets for the tour, the sign said Architecture and Speedboat Tour. I assumed they were different tours. Wrong! After this pleasant boat ride down the Chicago River, they took us for a spin on Lake Michigan, Just what we needed to make a cold day colder.
The walk down the Magnificent Mile was interesting. We got close up views of Chicago's buildings.
The Millennium Park was very interesting. An outdoor theater with a large lawn, gardens, fountains, and my favorite ... the Bean ... a large, kidney shaped, reflective statue. Everyone takes a picture of themselves reflected in the statue (as did we). The interior is curved allowing you to take a picture of someone and their reflection. There's a good one of Nancy in the attached pictures. Here's the link:
http://www1.snapfish.com/photolibrary/t_=98074769
Saturday ... Wrigley Field and the Cubs
Today, Nancy and I did our own walking tour of Chicago. We went to the Navy Pier, walked the Magnificent Mile, and Millennium Park. It was a typical Chicago day, cold, cloudy and windy. At the Navy Pier, we decided to take a boat tour. We went on the Architecture Tour on the Chicago River. Very worthwhile. Good views of the buildings and a guide with lots of information (for the Long Islanders, he was from East Northport). When I bought the tickets for the tour, the sign said Architecture and Speedboat Tour. I assumed they were different tours. Wrong! After this pleasant boat ride down the Chicago River, they took us for a spin on Lake Michigan, Just what we needed to make a cold day colder.
The walk down the Magnificent Mile was interesting. We got close up views of Chicago's buildings.
The Millennium Park was very interesting. An outdoor theater with a large lawn, gardens, fountains, and my favorite ... the Bean ... a large, kidney shaped, reflective statue. Everyone takes a picture of themselves reflected in the statue (as did we). The interior is curved allowing you to take a picture of someone and their reflection. There's a good one of Nancy in the attached pictures. Here's the link:
http://www1.snapfish.com/photolibrary/t_=98074769
Saturday ... Wrigley Field and the Cubs
Thursday, May 8, 2008
Minnesota Twins @ Chicago White Sox 5-8-08
On our way to Chicago (Wed. 5/7), we met Amy Stimpson for lunch. She looks great (see picture in the picture set). She seems to be managing without Bob although she has good and bad days. It was great seeing her.
We went to the game at US Cellular today (Thurs. 5/8). The weather forecast was not good ... cold and cloudy. We wore our down coats. But, we were pleasantly surprised. 52deg and sunny at game time. We actually took our coats off by the 3rd inning (and put them on again in the 8th inning when the sun went behind the stands). I really liked this stadium. Well laid out. Lots of room to walk. Lots of concession stands.
The White Sox won 6 - 2 behind good pitching (Jon Danks), home runs by Jermaine Dye and Juan Uribe, and a great take out slide by Uribe to break up a double play allowing a run to score. Here's a link to the box score:
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2008_05_08_minmlb_chamlb_1&mode=wrap
Here's a link to the pictures from US Cellular:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14772189@N03/sets/
Hot Dog Rating: One of the best. We had an Italian Sausage ... hot off the grill. Absolutely loaded with great veggies and sauerkraut. Very high on the messy scale, although the cardboard holder was a plus (we could eat the veggies instead of having them on the floor). A "10".
A Post Script -- I saw something in a baseball game I've never seen before. With runners on 1st and 2nd and no out, Paul Konerko was batting. He had a 3-and-1 count. He took what seemed to ball 4. The runners began jogging to their next base. Konerko dropped his bat, took off his protective shin guard and began jogging to 1st base. Four or five seconds had passed when Joe Mauer (the Twins catcher) decided to appeal to the first base ump believing that Konerko had swung. The ump ruled he did, in fact, swing. By this time, the runners were on 2nd and 3rd. The pitcher figured the baserunners moved up illegally so he ran toward the guy on 2nd, and tagged him assuming the umps would call him out. He, then, ran to 3rd to tag him as well. Of course, they were safe since they had 'stolen' the base. The Twins manager came out to argue because the runners had moved up because the ump had not made the strike call in a timely manner. No surprise ... he was ejected even though he was right!
We went to the game at US Cellular today (Thurs. 5/8). The weather forecast was not good ... cold and cloudy. We wore our down coats. But, we were pleasantly surprised. 52deg and sunny at game time. We actually took our coats off by the 3rd inning (and put them on again in the 8th inning when the sun went behind the stands). I really liked this stadium. Well laid out. Lots of room to walk. Lots of concession stands.
The White Sox won 6 - 2 behind good pitching (Jon Danks), home runs by Jermaine Dye and Juan Uribe, and a great take out slide by Uribe to break up a double play allowing a run to score. Here's a link to the box score:
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2008_05_08_minmlb_chamlb_1&mode=wrap
Here's a link to the pictures from US Cellular:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14772189@N03/sets/
Hot Dog Rating: One of the best. We had an Italian Sausage ... hot off the grill. Absolutely loaded with great veggies and sauerkraut. Very high on the messy scale, although the cardboard holder was a plus (we could eat the veggies instead of having them on the floor). A "10".
A Post Script -- I saw something in a baseball game I've never seen before. With runners on 1st and 2nd and no out, Paul Konerko was batting. He had a 3-and-1 count. He took what seemed to ball 4. The runners began jogging to their next base. Konerko dropped his bat, took off his protective shin guard and began jogging to 1st base. Four or five seconds had passed when Joe Mauer (the Twins catcher) decided to appeal to the first base ump believing that Konerko had swung. The ump ruled he did, in fact, swing. By this time, the runners were on 2nd and 3rd. The pitcher figured the baserunners moved up illegally so he ran toward the guy on 2nd, and tagged him assuming the umps would call him out. He, then, ran to 3rd to tag him as well. Of course, they were safe since they had 'stolen' the base. The Twins manager came out to argue because the runners had moved up because the ump had not made the strike call in a timely manner. No surprise ... he was ejected even though he was right!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Chicago Cubs @ Cincinnati Reds 5-6-08
It was a beautiful night in Cincinnati. Temps in the 70s; no clouds; no wind. A great day for baseball! Unfortunately for the Reds, they got good pitching from Aaron Harang, but no hitting. Carlos Zambrano pitched very well for the Cubs. Cubs won 3 - 0.
Here's a link to the box score:
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2008_05_06_chnmlb_cinmlb_1&mode=wrap
Here's a link to the pictures of the Reds Great American Ball Park:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14772189@N03/sets/
As for the hot dogs -- Nancy said it was the best one she's had so far. $5 for a good dog (choice of 5 different ones) and all the veggies and sauerkraut they could pile on top. I guess we'll have to give it a "10"
GABP is a very nice stadium. Roomy promenade, wide aisles, comfortable seats. The scoreboard is not as good as others. I still like Minute Maid park in Houston, but the Reds stadium is right up there.
Here's a link to the box score:
http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp?gid=2008_05_06_chnmlb_cinmlb_1&mode=wrap
Here's a link to the pictures of the Reds Great American Ball Park:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14772189@N03/sets/
As for the hot dogs -- Nancy said it was the best one she's had so far. $5 for a good dog (choice of 5 different ones) and all the veggies and sauerkraut they could pile on top. I guess we'll have to give it a "10"
GABP is a very nice stadium. Roomy promenade, wide aisles, comfortable seats. The scoreboard is not as good as others. I still like Minute Maid park in Houston, but the Reds stadium is right up there.
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