Normally I don't author up Final Thoughts the day after I get back, but with such a short turnaround with baseball road trips, I am forced to. This being the case, I think I have a good handle on how this trip went and what I can improve on for the future.
First off, this trip was vindication for the disaster of the first Puget Sound. I had plenty of money, little to no distraction, and two really good games to go to. It was the result of a little bit of luck and some good planning.
The time I had at Safeco was a hundred times better than the first time I went. Maybe it was the combination of the earlier soccer game and less-than-scintillating matchup of the Twins and Mariners, but I got the distinct impression that the game I went to had a more sedate crowd that the majority of whom were families and true baseball fans. Gone were the drunken idiots and obnoxious college students. For the future, when planning out MLB games, I'm going to try and design the games around these unstellar matchups. Sure, seeing the Yankees and Red Sox would be cool, but that draws out a different crowd. I noticed the same thing when I was in Denver earlier in the year for the two Padres-Rockies games I saw.
Seattle as a whole is a fun city with a lot to do. I really liked walking around the town, finding neat restaurants and bars to duck into, and the fun urban vibe that is present. It is a little expensive to do stuff, but it is no where near as bad as San Francisco or Vancouver.
I have had it with hostels. The reservation I made to stay in a hostel for this trip was born of necessity as I didn't want to pay the $100+ for one night in a hotel in downtown Seattle. To be honest, I would have paid ten times that amount after my experience in the hostel. I don't even think in my heady days of college would I have found the hostel experience glamorous. Sharing a room with five other strangers and dealing with the eccentricities of strangers just doesn't appeal to me in the least. Knowing that I will probably be doing this trip again in the future, I need to figure out a more suitable alternative for lodging.
Then it is on to Tacoma. Poor Tacoma is a real unsavory place. It just doesn't stack up to some of the other cities I have been to. You can really tell that it is the "smaller cousin" to Seattle. Being able to finally walk around, see the vibe it gives off, and evaluate the community character for the first time gave me a suitable analysis of Tacoma. It lacks the charm of a Spokane, Colorado Springs, or Vancouver. You can really get the feeling that Tacoma is based on industry and the gritty nature of blue-collar work.
Cheney Stadium is, in my opinion, a brand-new ballpark. Gone is the dark and foreboding concrete structure, and in is the brand-new design of improved concessions and suites. Even though the general seating area hasn't changed much, you get the sense that the park is Triple-A worthy of the anticipation and level of ball being played. Cheney Stadium is now on par with the better of the Triple-A parks like Fresno and Sacramento.
This trip was fun and I gleaned a lot, but something is gnawing at me. It has been a subject that I have breached a few times on this blog, but now it is becoming a large issue that I really need to address after the season. I am getting really lonely on these trips. Flying solo is easier to plan for and cheaper in the long run, but, just like the hostel, is the price really worth the grief? It helped a lot being able to listen to the radio and keeping score at the games, but walking around the cities, eating meals, and the hours traveling with anybody there with me is becoming a real drag. Sure, maybe I need to use these vacations as an opportunity to meet new people, but familiarity and consistency are really big for me. Being able to go on these adventures with someone would add to the allure of the road trips.
As I indicated earlier, there is a short turnaround time between this trip and the next one. On Thursday, I leave for my final road trip of the 2012 season. The I-80 trip has finally come to fruition and it will be happening in the next few days. I plan on seeing Reno on Friday and Sacramento on Saturday and being back into town on Sunday. I write out the itinerary in a couple of days just before I leave.
Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)
No comments:
Post a Comment