Day 2 of the Puget Sound Part Deux has come to an end. After a day packed full of activities, I'm now on the train back to Eugene. Today was exhausting, and I am excited to be going home.
When I left all of you last night, I was experiencing some trepidation about the hostel I was staying in. To be honest, it was an absolutely brutal night. My opinion of hostels hasn't changed since I started and I am kicking myself for stooping low enough to make a reservation at one.
I was in a dormitory with five other grown men. The dorm was scarcely bigger than my small apartment, meaning that it was hot and smelly the entire night. In addition, the upper bunk wasn't even close to being long enough to accommodate my 6'3" frame, meaning I had to sleep at a weird angle all night. I was so stiff that I could hardly move. Finally, one of my dormmates decided to come in to the room at about 2am and start talking loudly about how we all were slobs and invading his personal space. He was obviously drunk.
I had a plan in the morning to get breakfast at the hostel and retreat into my room for another hour of shut-eye, but I scrapped that immediately. I couldn't get out of that place fast enough, so I checked out early and went for a walk to try and stretch my legs out. I had had enough of hostel life and even thinking about it now makes me sick to my stomach.
I caught the Sound Transit bus down to Tacoma after walking nearly a mile along its route to stretch my cramped body. I got to Tacoma at around 10am, dropped my bag off at the train station, and headed into downtown.
I have been to Tacoma a couple times before, but never in the day time. Even around late morning, downtown Tacoma is a dump. There are a ton of weird people, zero vibe, and nothing in the way of stuff-to-do. It isn't as bad as San Bernardino or Fresno, but it came close. I got off the light rail link and immediately headed to a coffee shop where I figured I could "hide out" for an hour until my bus left for the ballpark.
After being in cities with "hip" downtown cores, like Spokane, Boise, and Denver, Tacoma just felt like a ghost town. I understand that it was a Sunday morning, but even finding a bakery or coffee shop was hard because there weren't any. It's kind of sad to see, and the people hanging out were rather unsavory folk. I kept my distance, but I felt sympathetic for the city.
As I was getting my coffee, I decided to kill some time and head a few blocks to the Central Tacoma YMCA. Like in Spokane, I thought I would tour the facility and assimilate some information for my job. And, just like the Y in Spokane, the Tacoma facility was incredible. It stuck out like a sore thumb amidst the drug dealers and gothic buildings.
While walking around and seeing the shiny Tacoma facility, I was incredibly impressed. I love our quaint facility in Eugene, but the grandiose amenities and features of Tacoma just blew my mind. If there is any more indication on why we need a new Y, take a look at the two other YMCA's I've been to. Neither Tacoma or Spokane are much bigger than Eugene, but their YMCA's are both better by leaps-and-bounds than ours. Their donor bases are huge and they have a dedicated capital stream from a community that recognizes the inherent value the Y provides to the community.
Once I finished touring the Y, I headed back down to Commerce Street to catch the city bus out to the ballpark. I was reminded, once again, just how much I enjoy taking public transportation around the cities I visit on road trips. By traveling around communities in this fashion, seeing the people who take public transit, and interacting with the drivers, you gain a real handle on what is going on in the city you're in. Today was no different as the bus I was on was really busy, but the driver was very social and helpful in pointing out the sights and sounds of Tacoma.
Cheney Stadium has undergone a huge makeover. It's been two years since I've been to a game there, but I didn't even recognize the ballpark. Gone is the dark and dingy concrete concourse and roof, and in with the open-air and revamped concession stands and five-story suite level. This being said, the renovations the Rainiers did to the park are worthy of praise. In my opinion, Cheney Stadium now sits among the upper echelon of Triple-A parks. I don't think it's nicer than Durham, Fresno, or Sacramento, but is well-above that of Colorado Springs or Las Vegas.
The huge suite level towers over a modest seating bowl that stretches from base-to-base. The seating pitch is really steep and the layout reminds me of a smaller-scale of Durham Bulls Athletic Park. You're closer to the field than at newer parks like PK. Overall, I was very pleased with the new park and everything about it.
For the second night in a row, I was witness to a great game. First, Tacoma pitcher's held the Reno Aces hitters hitless for the first six innings. Then, after giving up two runs, the Rainiers tied it. In the bottom of the eighth, the Rainiers 3rd baseman untied it when he uncorked a two-run homer to give the Rainiers the lead. The Aces scored on in the ninth, but Tacoma held on to beat Reno 4-3.
After the game, I made my way by bus and light rail to the train station. I had about 30 minutes to relax before jumping on the train. I'll be back in Eugene around midnight.
It was a long day with a lot of adventures. Like I said earlier, I'm glad I'm going home. I'll author a Final Thoughts sometime in the next day or so.
Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)
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