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.)

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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.
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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.)