Minnesota (Matt)

Sorry it has been so long since my last post! The days have just blended together and I've just been so tired! The trip has been well worth it, though. As the title states, this post will be about Minnesota. Unfortunately, we were not in Minnesota for very long, and even though we saw an afternoon game, I went straight to bed when we got back to the room because I was exhausted. We had driven straight through the night from the St. Louis game, and then had standing room only tickets at Target Field.

It was awesome to see some of the players I had seen in New Britain for the Twins AA-ball affiliate playing in The Show. It was a great game, and the Twins wound up with the win, 7-2. The field was nice, and the stadium had a great feel to it. However, the stadium was not as spectacular as I had imagined. It was nice to see that they were still filling seats, (the stadium was packed on a Wednesday afternoon) but there was nothing about the structure that had a really big "Wow!" factor. I also purchased my first two souvenirs at Target Field--a hat that finally fits my head, and an authentic Twins alternate home jersey. Expensive, but in the end, worth the investment, I believe.

The city itself was absolutely gorgeous. As much as Busch stadium was/is by far my favorite stadium we have seen so far, Minneapolis is by far my favorite city. It was actually clean, it even smelled clean, and the buildings all looked new or renovated recently. In all of the other cities we have been to, other than the area directly around the stadiums, the cities looked run down. Minneapolis was beautiful all around, even on the many blocks we walked from our hotel to the stadium. In addition, the people in Minneapolis were all extremely nice. Cars did not beep at you to hurry crossing, people held doors, actually said thank you, and even smiled at you for seemingly no reason other than courtesy.

As I said, I unfortunately didn't get to see much of the city, so I don't have much to write about. I'll have more tomorrow on the Field of Dreams, and hopefully Milwaukee and Detroit as well.

So long for now,

-Matt

Chicago South Side

(A view of downtown taken from the Museum Campus)

One last day in Chicago before we head off to Cleveland and we spent it in the other half. Economically that's the poorer part of the city, or the "baddest part of town" according to Jim Croce.
At least we didn't have to see many Cubs fans.
We spent the early part of the afternoon going to the Adler Planetarium, then went to dinner at a recommended spot and finally hit up the White Sox game at 35th street.
I've never gone to the planetarium in my two prior trips to Chicago, and I'm not much of a space guy, but I have to say it was pretty cool. First off, several of the museums are grouped together in the same location on Lake Michigan and it's beautiful just to walk around there. Furthermore, the museum parts of the planetarium, including many different kinds of telescopes, were very interesting. And I had Matt to explain a lot of the stuff I didn't understand.
We watched a 3-D movie on the universe and other stuff which I couldn't explain to you if I tried, but it was very fascinating and visually stimulating anyways.

(Above: A statue of Apollo 13 astronaut Jim Lovell.)

After that we walked through Grant Park and back to the subway to head a few blocks north of downtown for dinner. Alison recommended we eat at Ed Debevic's, a 60's style diner she remembered eating at when she was a kid. It was well worth the trip.
The general idea of the place is good greasy food, served quickly, with a twist. The waiters are trained, and encouraged, to treat you with a bit of a sarcastic side. Wisecracks and off-hand comments are part of the entertainment, and quite amusing as well.

(The decor at Ed Debevic's retro diner, including the restaurants motto and the wait staff dancing on the counter.)

Plus at one point the waiters all got on the counter and gave an unenthusiastic dance performance which was great.
The food was delicious too, burgers, fries and milkshakes. So even though we had to take an extra subway ride out of the way it was not a problem and we headed to the game stuffed.
The interesting thing about baseball in Chicago is that the Cubs and White Sox fans are so completely different. The Cubs are known as the team of the upper and middle classes while the Sox are the working class team. That's all about the neighborhoods the stadiums are in. Nonetheless the stadiums are at opposite ends of the same subway line.
35th street is right around where the city starts to become, for lack of a better term, sketchy. U.S. Cellular Field (which should still be called Comiskey Park if you ask me and most of the fans) is just south of Chicago's Chinatown and right off I-94. Despite being several decades old, the park is in better shape than I imagined, mostly because of a more recent renovation. The original "exploding scoreboard" with spinning pinwheels and fireworks was replaced with an electronic one although the fireworks are still there.


(Top left: Matt with the scoreboard behind him; Top right: The scoreboard when it lights up; Middle left: Bernie Bull, the Chicago Bulls mascot, threw the first pitch over the catcher's head; Middle right: Our view; Bottom: Downtown Chicago viewed at night from the stadium.)

The problem with the park, though, is in the execution. We purchased upper deck tickets, which we've done at several stadiums. The difference was this time they wouldn't even let us into the other parts of the park. We were restricted to the upper level, unable to take a walk around and look at anything else. I understand that's part of the effort to make sure people are in the right seats, but it is very unwelcoming.
We also had to contend throughout the game with a particularly interesting fan in front of us (in our seats in the last row for the second straight game). He was nice to us during the game, and was actually pretty funny a lot of the time. But he decided to start making fun of an unfortunate looking pair of people next to us, who overheard what he was saying about them and got upset. He then became more beligerent to them as they complained throughout the game, as if it was their fault he was making fun of them and they called him on it.
He did the same thing to a group of girls further down the row who complained when he started smoking, against park rules. I think he was close to having somebody complain to security and having him thrown out, but it never happened.
The game was pretty good. The White Sox won, bringing our record up to 7-2 for the home team. It was also a good day for three Sox players on my fantasy team, so I had plenty to cheer about.
And we got to see plenty of fireworks from the exploding scoreboard.

(This obnoxious fan was almost thrown out of the park for heckling other fans and smoking. He was actually quite amusing at times, though, when he wasn't being mean to others.)

All in all it was a great end to our time in Chicago, and we make a five-plus hour drive to Cleveland tomorrow. With that in mind I'm watching Major League to get amped up. We will be driving through the night to stay with my brother in Alexandria, VA, after that, and I'll check in from there, probably after getting some sleep.

Day Trippers (Milwaukee and Detroit)

(HELLO, WISCONSIN!)

It's Sunday night outside Chicago and I just watched the Cardinals beat the Cubs 4-3 in extra innings. That saves me from being upset for the rest of the night.
It's too bad we weren't at that game. Actually, there had been some discussion about in which order we would go to games. We could have switched the Cubs and Tigers games. But ultimately we decided that Wrigley Field is all about day games, so we went there Friday afternoon and I got to watch the Cardinals lose.
Since then it's been all about day trips, as we went to Milwaukee yesterday and a bit of hike to Detroit today.

(Below at right, the people of Milwaukee really know how to do one thing well: tailgate.)

Milwaukee
The Brewers may not play baseball well most of the time, but this city knows hot to eat and drink better than any. Just about every person we talked to made a point of mentioning that the tailgating is more important to them than the game, and it showed.
Let me go back and talk a bit about our day as a whole. We couldn't quite decide how to spend the afternoon with a 6 p.m. game. Initially we headed to the city intending to visit the Third Ward, the shopping and riverfront district of the city that is supposed to be fun. But on the way there we decided to give the Harley-Davidson Museum a try instead.
I'm not that interested in motorcycles, but the museum was well done and actually a lot of fun. The best part was seeing all the various models of motorcycles as they developed through the years from looking just like a bike into the current models.
There also was an exhibit on Evel Knievel, which wasn't all that interesting, but noteworthy nonetheless.

(Some early Harley-Davidson models, which look like regular bicycles for the most part.)

After that we headed over to the stadium expecting to find someplace to eat before the game. We pulled in the parking lot, and were packed in with thousands of other cars which then could not get out until the game was over. Fortunately for them nobody intended to go anywhere. They put up their tents, set up their grills and started partying three hours before the game.
The food looked good, but we didn't try to mooch any. Instead we headed towards the game and found that there are no restaurants, or anything at all, around Miller Park. Unlike some of its downtown counterparts, Miller is on the edge of town and is the only thing in that area. We were fortunate that a restaurant in the stadium allowed people to enter early with tickets and we ate there. Of course we had meat: me a giant chili dog and Matt a brat.
On the way into the park we were handed complimentary Brewers cooking aprons. I wasn't sure I wanted mine, but I took it anyways.
We watched batting practice and tried to get autographs from members of the Nationals. Stephen Strasburg didn't sign this time, unlike when we had seen them in Cincinnati, but we watched him take batting practice. He's got a pretty good swing and hit a couple homers.
We also got a chance to talk to a local guy who came down to check out the Nationals anchorwoman. He was otherwise a really nice guy who seemed very excited by our roadtrip. There were plenty of friendly people in Milwaukee.
We then tried to upgrade our upper deck seats into box seats by sitting down and hoping not to get moved. But after about three times switching seats we gave up and headed upstairs. On the way was another adventure.
A pair of girls spotted us with our Brewers aprons, and one, who seemed to have been tailgating a bit too hard, was determined to buy the aprons off us. As we weren't all that excited to have them in the first place, we gave them to her for a pair of beers. I think that was worth it.
She posed for a photo with us, so hopefully when she sees it she'll recall how she got the aprons.
Our real seats were by far the highest up we've been for a game. The seating in Miller Park, for whatever reason, towers above the field in the upper decks. Still, behind home plate wasn't a bad view.
The game was pretty exciting. Ryan Braun, a player I particularly dislike, hit a walk-off single to the wall in left field, so the home fans went home happy.

(Above left: The entrance to Miller Park after crossing a bridge from the parking lot; Above center: The view from our actual seats in the upper deck; Above right: Fans celebrate the walk-off win; Bottom left: The sausage race contestants warm up. Chorizo, No. 5 on the right, was the winner; Bottom right: the scoreboard in center field and behind it the open panes that can be replaced with glass when the stadium is closed.)

I'll say some about Miller. It is one of a few stadiums - three I believe - with a retractable roof, and on this night we were fortunate it was open. It allowed for a nice breeze in our seats. We also, from our vantage point, could see fans streaming in from their tailgate parties as late as the fourth inning.
I liked the park itself. The dimensions of the field are quirky, which I think is a good thing. It's part of what makes each place interesting. I also liked the giant slide in left field used by mascot Bernie Brewer on home runs. And in general it's a pretty looking park.
The atmosphere isn't bad either. I will say that the "sausage race", which pits five meaty contestants in a sprint around the field, was the first goofy mascot event and still the best anywhere. I put my money (or would have if I had had any) on the chorizo. Matt was pulling for the italian sausage. My sausage won.
It turned out we missed the German Festival downtown when we went to the Harley museum. But that's OK. It still was a pretty good day.
We headed back to Illinois to gear up for the longer drive to Detroit.

(Bernie Brewer spends most of the game by his slide, waiting for a Brewers home run.)

******************************************************************
Detroit
Five years go I had the chance to visit Detroit and walked by Comerica Park during the off-season. I was impressed with it then, particularly in comparison with the rest of the city. Downtown Detroit has a few nice looking parts, but the majority of the city is mired in a profound and well-documented economic tailspin. Comerica is like a different world.
Well, it took a lot longer than expected, and a bit of extra effort, but I managed to get back to Comerica to actually see a game.
The park was worth it. It's a diamond in the rough of the city. The view, even of downtown Detroit, looks pretty good out past center field. The architecture is cool. The many tiger statues keep you from forgetting which team you're watching. And there are the special little perks like a carousel inside the stadium that make it special.
(Above left/center: The Tiger statues outside Comerica Park are great; Above right: The view from inside the park is pretty good too, even if it is downtown Detroit; Below left: CAT BUTT!; Below right: There's a carousel in the park for family fun.)

The fans packed it in for a game between the Tigers and Ontario's Toronto Blue Jays, bringing plenty across the river from Canada for the game.
Sadly for the home fans the Tigers lost the game 3-2. But they were lucky enough to win the second game of a doubleheader later in the day, although we didn't get to stay for that one.
I really hope that some day Detroit recovers a bit of its past glory. There's a lot of fighting spirit in that city despite what is said about it and despite how it looks. Not many cities could handle the troubles that have befallen the city as the auto industry largely collapsed.
Maybe I'll get back to Detroit a third time down the road. I hope it looks rejuvenated when I do. For now, Comerica's a good start.
*****************************************************************
We headed back to the Chicago area after the game, and the drive took us a bit longer than the morning drive to Detroit. Traffic is notorious here.
But we found our way to California Pizza Kitchen for a good dinner, came back here, watched the game and now I'm gearing up for tomorrow.
We'll be spending another day in Chicago, probably hitting a museum or two, and then going to a White Sox game. So of course I'm watching "Eight Men Out" to get ready. I'm not sure the 1919 World Series fix is how White Sox fans would like their team to be remembered, but it is a great movie and does a good job of depicting Chicago in the early 20th century.
After that we'll be on our way to Cleveland Tuesday as the trip slowly winds its way down to a close.



(The 2010 road trip will be heading off into the sunset soon. We'll have to make the most of it from here on out.)

Chicago North Side

(Matt's friend Marty got us right down next to the Wrigley Field surface, where I posed next to the Cardinals' on-deck circle.)

Ryan here.
It's Saturday morning and we are supposed to go to Milwaukee for an evening game today. It's probably a good thing our schedule worked out this way for a couple reasons. There was a big thunderstorm last night that created flash floods around the Chicago area, shutting down some of the mass transit lines in the city and generally causing havoc. So getting around Chicago would have been really tough today.
Of course, some roads were closed, so hopefully we get to Milwaukee without a problem. The other good thing is that Miller Park has a retractable roof so we don't have to worry about whether or not there will be more rain tonight.
Yesterday was really cool, as Chicago usually is. We went to the Cardinals-Cubs game at Wrigley Field. That's a big rivalry for those who aren't big baseball fans. Unfortunately the Cubs won, which makes me quite annoyed, but we had some really awesome luck.
First off, we were able to buy some pretty good seats for a relatively good price in the morning before the game. We had been waiting for the price online to drop and got first row seats in the upper deck, which are really quite good.
Then when we got to the game and were trying to get close to the field to autograph hunt, we were given a really fortunate break. At Wrigley they only let people with tickets in that area go around home plate and the dugouts before the game. But, Matt happened to spot somebody he knows working on the field. Marty Pugliese, a Xavier High alum, was responsible for guarding around the Cardinals dugout, and he let us stand there for several minutes while the players took BP. So we were really close to the field and I managed to get my first autograph of the trip: Cardinals rookie pitcher Jaime Garcia.
He also told us where to stand after the game to catch some of the players coming out of the locker room. Even after a loss Cardinals infielder Aaron Miles and a few others were nice enough to stop and sign for fans. So that was really exciting.
In our upper deck seats we were surrounded by two different worlds. On Matt's left were a pair of obnoxious fans, one of whom lost his lunch and rather than trying to get to a garbage, or clean it up afterwards, simply covered it with a box and sat over it the rest of the game. That was the bad.
On my right were a group of four really friendly people from Canberra, Australia. It was a pleasure talking to them throughout the game. Me and the woman immediately next to me chatted about the differences between baseball and cricket as well as American and Aussie sports in general.
She was rooting for the Cubs (cause that's what you do if you have no allegiances) so we were joking around with each other as the game was going on.
I hope that group has a great time as they enjoy the hot weather here while it's freezing temperatures in Australia.
(In sequence: The rooftop views from across Sheffield Ave. were pretty packed for Friday's game; Fans in both blue and red pour out of the stadium after the game; The statue of Cubs - and formerly Cardinals - radio announcer Harry Caray is a popular site; Aaron Miles, taking batting practice here, was nice enough to sign autographs for fans after the loss; A pair of street performers play some rhythms on their buckets. The kid looked like he was about four or five years old.)

Wrigley is the same as ever. The atmosphere of the park is pretty cool in my opinion. The ivy and the look of the stadium, both inside and out, is very cool. The place is packed for games, especially Cubs-Cardinals, and there were actually a very large number of Cardinals fans who made the trip, adding to the environment.
The negatives are that the fans can occasionally be rude and boorish and that after a while the lack of modern technology - Wrigley has refused to enter the next century and barely the latter half of the last one - can become tedious. There's no video scoreboard, the lineups aren't displayed anywhere, etc.
And for some reasons the Cubs win every time I show up. Go figure.

After the game we headed downtown for a while. We crossed Michigan Ave. and headed to the six-year old Millenium Park with its famous "Bean". After that we took what ended up being a long and circuitous walk to Navy Pier, a tourist trap on the water, where we had dinner and walked around. We even got to walk through the randomly-placed stained glass museum for free.
After that we came back to the apartment and rested for the rest of the night. Now we're getting ready to head to Milwaukee, a place neither of us has ever been. I may not get to post for a couple days with a busy schedule, but hopefully by Monday.

("The Bean" just looks cool. That's really it's only purpose.)

Some extra photos

(Look. Up in the Cincinnati sky. He's watching you.)

Here's some photos from the first half of our trip in mostly reverse chronological order. I won't really leave much explanation for them. It's late and I'm tired.