Flash trip: Day 1
INDIANAPOLIS -- Despite Chad being told where he's going come Memorial Day weekend (Maryland), I sprung this trip on him Tuesday night.
So we took off westward this morning. After stops at the bank, WalMart, and Kroger's gas, we pulled into the campus of Marshall's old Mid-American Conference rival, Miami-Ohio.
Oxford was quite the nice college town, complete with a bricked High Street. We had considered a sports tavern, but upon seeing stairs and no other access, we backed off and found The Wild Bistro, a pan-Asian restaurant. I took charge of a huge bowl of pho (Thai soup), while Chad had scallion pancakes and bourbon chicken.
While listening to the Reds' game, we headed northward through rural Indiana farmland toward Muncie, and the campus of another former Marshall adversary, Ball State. Its most famous alum, David Letterman, has his name on the Mass Media Communications building, while just outside -- I kid you not -- is the Shafer Bell Tower. (Heh, heh, heh... good one, Dave.)
Finally, it was back into Indianapolis. Our hotel was a ten-minute walk from the baseball park, as well as across the parking lot from Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Colts. And of course, our front-desk attendant Valerie was from West Virginia; in fact, she was trained at the Job Corps Center in Charleston.
NBC13's weather department guaranteed a 60-degree Opening Night first-pitch, but at 56 degrees lost that bet. As a result, all in attendance earned a free ticket to another April game. But since we were only in Naptown for the one night, I elected to hand off tonight's tickets to Valerie. On behalf of her son, who apparently has been itching to go to a game, she was most appreciative.
So we took off westward this morning. After stops at the bank, WalMart, and Kroger's gas, we pulled into the campus of Marshall's old Mid-American Conference rival, Miami-Ohio.
Oxford was quite the nice college town, complete with a bricked High Street. We had considered a sports tavern, but upon seeing stairs and no other access, we backed off and found The Wild Bistro, a pan-Asian restaurant. I took charge of a huge bowl of pho (Thai soup), while Chad had scallion pancakes and bourbon chicken.
While listening to the Reds' game, we headed northward through rural Indiana farmland toward Muncie, and the campus of another former Marshall adversary, Ball State. Its most famous alum, David Letterman, has his name on the Mass Media Communications building, while just outside -- I kid you not -- is the Shafer Bell Tower. (Heh, heh, heh... good one, Dave.)
Finally, it was back into Indianapolis. Our hotel was a ten-minute walk from the baseball park, as well as across the parking lot from Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Colts. And of course, our front-desk attendant Valerie was from West Virginia; in fact, she was trained at the Job Corps Center in Charleston.
NBC13's weather department guaranteed a 60-degree Opening Night first-pitch, but at 56 degrees lost that bet. As a result, all in attendance earned a free ticket to another April game. But since we were only in Naptown for the one night, I elected to hand off tonight's tickets to Valerie. On behalf of her son, who apparently has been itching to go to a game, she was most appreciative.