Cincinnati

Hello again! This time, I write to you from the couch of one Maggie Reid, and I will be discussing both of our trips to the Great American Ballpark.

Our first excursion came on Sunday afternoon. We were picked up at Maggie's apartment by Alexa Stefanko, and the three of us traveled together into Kentucky! We parked the car in a shopping plaza parking lot, and walked across a purple people bridge back into Ohio. It was sweltering heat, but it only cost $3 to park, so we figured we'd save the money and get the exercise. Since the Reds were hosting the Rockies, we knew we could purchase tickets at the gate, and luckily we had a native to guide us. Alexa had found a concession stand on the upper deck that sold everything for one dollar!!! We bought our tickets so we were seated right next to the dollar stand, and it saved us a bunch of money, all while providing a great view of the stadium, the river, and Kentucky.

Unfortunately, the Reds couldn't score any runs, and the solo blast given up by Travis Wood was enough to allow the Rox to take home the W.

On Sunday night, Ryan, Maggie and I all ventured to the lovely apartment of Alexa and her boyfriend for some delicious lasagna! After the meal, we all participated in what turned out to be the most exciting game of Risk I've ever played. Ryan was about to win, but Maggie's last troop made the stand, allowing her to turn in a set and take over the board.

Monday turned out to be quite an eventful day. Ryan and I woke up and ate some breakfast. We then went to visit the University of Cincinnati tennis courts to play with Alexa. The sports complex at UC is amazing, especially the football bowl. However, perhaps the most fun and interesting part of the campus (that we saw) was the pool. It included a hot tub, a waterfall, a whirlpool, a lazy river, a handicap access ramp, and a regular swimming section. Definitely something I would have in my backyard.

The day got really interesting, however, when Maggie, Ryan and I were crossing the bridge to get to the game. Maggie and I watched as two jet ski operators criss-crossed each others wake, and both thought they were coming dangerously close to one another. As they passed underneath us, we heard them crash. As Maggie called 9-1-1, Ryan and I ran ahead over the bridge and down to the river bank. By the time the emergency personnel got there, however, the woman was pronounced dead on scene. Not a great way to start off the evening.


-----------------------------------------



As we were walking towards the stadium, a gentleman in a Reds t-shirt looked at us, and tossed a baseball our way. Maggie caught it, and upon further inspection, we realized it must have been a batting practice homerun! I couldn't believe that within the first few minutes of being at the stadium, Ryan and now Maggie both had MLB baseballs!! I told them it was because they both had boobs. I don't think Ryan thought that was very funny though.

We circled around the stadium, and entered from the third base side after Maggie printed off her ticket from the Will Call window.
We watched as the Nationals took batting practice, hoping to catch a foul ball, or get a toss from one of the players on the field. Stephen Strasburg was standing in the middle of the field catching balls tossed in from the outfielders. We decided it was the one thing he could do on the field that would keep him away from the swarm of fans looking for an autograph. After hanging out on the third base line for a bit, we moved over to the left field seats on the first level and watched as Josh Willingham, Adam Dunn, and Ryan Zimmerman launched ball after ball into the stands.

As it came closer to game time, we walked around the outfield to our seats on field level in Right-Center. The weather report had been threatening thunderstorms all day, so we had been hoping to stay dry, however we eventually did get caught in a rain delay. We walked around the concourse level in the stadium and waited for the rain to pass. And now, I can officially say that I have had a three way. (Sorry Chels) JK... Apparently a "Walking Three Way" is a cup of noodles, chili, and cheese, topped with oyster crackers if desired. A.K.A. deliciousness in a cup. After only a short break, the rain passed, the tarp was removed, and the players were back on the field. We returned to our seats, and watched as the Reds put the hurt on the Washington pitching staff. Final score, 7-2.

Tomorrow, Ryan and I leave for St. Louis. Again, we thank Maggie Reid and Alexa Stefanko immensely for their kindness in allowing us to stay with them for three nights.

Thanks for reading, and be sure to check in again tomorrow!