My girlfriend and I drove up to Portland on Saturday night to meet up with a couple friends who were going to go to the game with us. They offered to let us stay the night at their apartment which was very convenient. We went out to an adult arcade called Big Al's in Beaverton for a few drinks and fun on the skeeball and basketball hoop games. This was a lot of fun and it was nice to actually catch up with friends during a baseball road trip.
After a rough night of sleeping on the floor, we left Portland for the short jaunt up to Seattle. Suffice to say, I was very tired and I required two energy drinks to energize myself for the long day of driving ahead of us. I made it to Seattle in one piece, but the adventure was just starting.
I have become very familiar with Seattle through the many baseball road trips, track meets, and conferences I have been to. I thought I had a good handle on the buses and transit system, so I drove our party to the University Village mall in an attempt to catch a bus. I had taken a bus to downtown from there before, but I came to find out that the buses only ran from this large and popular shopping mall on a college campus Monday through Friday. Distraught, I drove three more exits north to the Northgate Park and Ride where we caught a bus to Downtown. Driving on baseball road trips has a lot more hassle because you take for granted the convenience of having a car. Alternative forms of transportation force you to know your surroundings and read maps in preparation for any leg of travel. This is another reason why I don't particularly like to drive on road trips.
We got down to the ballpark in plenty of time and met up with two more people who are my relatives. I hadn't seen them in almost two years, so it was really nice to catch up with them and find out how they're doing. One of them is graduating from high school this year, so she is enjoying all the perks that go along with that. I bought their tickets to the game as a graduation gift.
It was the first time to Safeco Field for a number of people in our party, so I really enjoyed taking them around and showing them the ballpark and the players. We had really cheap bleacher seats, but that didn't diminish the enjoyment we had.
The Yankees used a five-run third, highlighted by a three-run double by Andruw Jones, and got eight solid innings of pitching from C.C. Sabathia to beat the Mariners 7-1.
After the game, we walked down First Avenue to Kell's Irish Pub. This establishment was featured on an episode of Ghost Adventures and was the main reason why we wanted to go. We grabbed a few drinks, ate some happy hour food, snapped a few photos then headed out to the bus.
Now that this trip is complete, I have come to the realization that the road trips to Seattle and Tacoma are starting to become my "routine" trips. I've done them so many times that I have become very comfortable walking around the city, identifying the sights, knowing the good places to eat and the quirks of the ballpark. While Portland always held this dubious distinction, the mantle has been moved a little farther north. This, by no means, is an indication of boredom with these places, but simply a gesture of comfort and familiarity.
Ordinarily, around this time of the year, I would be anticipating the beginning of the Emeralds season. Well, after recent events, that will not be happening. The turn of events means that the countdown is now on for the next baseball road trip at the end of June. My girlfriend and I will be flying down to Southern California for games at Dodger Stadium and Petco Park in Los Angeles and San Diego. This trip, which has been named as the Surfliner, will be the first extended baseball road trip for her as we will be actively taking the train, public transportation and walking. I will be writing a detailed itinerary here in a fee weeks.
In the interim, I'll be watching a lot of baseball on TV, and I will certainly update any noteworthy events on here.
Always take on a 3-0 pitch ;)
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