I know following the news can be depressing sometimes…
Finally made it to my first game at the storied Fenway Park last night.
I’ve been to four Major League Baseball games in the past two weeks (funny how my business travel schedule’s worked out), and this is easily one of my favorites.
On one side of the stadium, Yawkey Way was lively with food, bars, and a whole lot of red.
Once inside, Fenway was actually a pretty small stadium and was quite cozy. Reminded me a bit of Wrigley Field out in Chicago.
It was a fantastic summer night for baseball and we had a good ole time.
Something that stuck out to me was how there were only a few scoreboard games (like the three helmet hidden ball game) to rouse the crowd. It seems like there’s one every half inning in many ballparks.
But even without that, there was a definite buzz in the stands. They sure do love their Red Sox.
Lots of tradition, and lots of great, passionate fans.
And of course, the famous Green Monster…
One way I judge a city/state is by how often I see a recycling bin next to a trash can.
Growing up in the Bay Area, recycling bins were everywhere. Recycling is second nature to me.
But now as a frequent traveler, I’ve been to many places where it isn’t commonplace to see those blue bins next to the black ones.
It pains me every time I have to throw a recyclable item into a regular trash can. Serves as a good reminder that America is huge and that there’s still a lot of the country that hasn’t made the conservation leap.
Was working in St. Louis for the first half of this week, and decided to fly in a little early to catch my Giants playing the Cardinals Sunday afternoon.
Before the game, we hung out a bit in Ballpark Village, which was right next to the stadium and a fun place to be pre-game, during game, and post-game. Every stadium needs one of these.
Busch Stadium itself was pretty great with an awesome view of downtown St. Louis and the Gateway Arch.
There were actually a good amount of Giants fans in attendance and I was definitely not alone in cheering on our 9-0 victory :)
During my stay, I also took a run through Forest Park, a public park with a zoo, boathouse, golf course, museums, running trails, bike paths, grass fields, and squash courts… What a park! I loved it.
The day after, we took in Twilight Tuesday in front of the Missouri History Museum. It was pretty much St. Louis’ version of Madison’s Concerts on the Square.
It’s tough to beat laying out on the grass with friends, drinks, and live music. That’d be my ideal post-work activity every day.
Some other highlights of the trip:
- Dinner in The Hill area – super Italian
- A drink at quirky Venice Cafe
- Delicious barbeque at Pappy’s
All in all, a fantastic trip to St. Louis and hope to visit again sometime.
I attended my younger brother’s graduation at UC Merced yesterday and came away really proud.
I love graduation ceremonies. I actually went to all three of mine in college: General Commencement, Haas Business, and Public Health.
Even though the ceremonies can drag on a bit with the lengthy reading of every graduate’s name, they are such great celebrations of accomplishment and filled with so much hope.
Every graduate gets their time at center stage and all their family and friends get to give them a big hoorah.
This time, I got to cheer on my brother. I know we got into fights and arguments as kids, but I was really glad to be able to fly back for this.
I am so proud of his accomplishments and am excited to see what comes next.
Three years ago, it was my turn. And now, it’s his turn. Congrats, broski :)
