The deep south: Day 1a-1b (8/12-13)
METAIRIE LA - In planning a vacation, there are things I can't control (road construction, weather) and there are things I can (Chad... to a point, obviously).
I wanted to leave the house at 10am for an under-four-hour drive to the hotel parking lot for a shuttle to the Cincinnati airport. But Chad had things he forgot to clear up before heading out, so he returned at 10:05. Then he needed something in the house, then something from his car... which ended up having been already packed. 10:15.
So after filling the gas tank and sitting through a couple road construction sites in Kentucky, we arrived at the hotel parking lot just as the 2:00 shuttle was leaving. With the flight leaving at 3:30, this was not optimal, nor was sitting in another construction-related delay in the 2:30 shuttle.
At the airport, Allegiant was kind enough to take our bags, but not enough to reopen our gate, which as seemingly always was at the far end of the terminal. I freely admit I melted down - I never yell in public - but at least I didn't become the focus of a viral video by beating up on a disabled man and losing.
Move to today, where the smug Allegiant gate agent graciously welcomed us ("so good of you to be on time today"). In a hilarious coda to the whole travel saga, my bag had arrived in Florida with Monday's flight, while Chad's bag showed up on our reassigned flight's assigned carousel.
With a day of New Orleans sightseeing lost, we headed directly to the ballpark, once again delayed - due to a serious accident in Slidell; a tow truck and ambulance had to be called in - but we kept up with the game on WODT ("Who dat?") before arriving in the top of the 3rd.
The crowd was muted, partially because of the on/off rain showers, and partially because of the owners' decision to move the AAA Baby Cakes to Wichita next year. (There's talk of a Double-A replacement, but currently an Opening Day 2020 in New Orleans looks in doubt.) Chad wasn't surprised by the lame-duck status, as he couldn't find any water fountains on the concourse.
But it didn't affect team play, as the 'Cakes scaled the Tacoma Rainiers (milb.com's verb choice, not mine) 10-4.
I wanted to leave the house at 10am for an under-four-hour drive to the hotel parking lot for a shuttle to the Cincinnati airport. But Chad had things he forgot to clear up before heading out, so he returned at 10:05. Then he needed something in the house, then something from his car... which ended up having been already packed. 10:15.
So after filling the gas tank and sitting through a couple road construction sites in Kentucky, we arrived at the hotel parking lot just as the 2:00 shuttle was leaving. With the flight leaving at 3:30, this was not optimal, nor was sitting in another construction-related delay in the 2:30 shuttle.
At the airport, Allegiant was kind enough to take our bags, but not enough to reopen our gate, which as seemingly always was at the far end of the terminal. I freely admit I melted down - I never yell in public - but at least I didn't become the focus of a viral video by beating up on a disabled man and losing.
Move to today, where the smug Allegiant gate agent graciously welcomed us ("so good of you to be on time today"). In a hilarious coda to the whole travel saga, my bag had arrived in Florida with Monday's flight, while Chad's bag showed up on our reassigned flight's assigned carousel.
With a day of New Orleans sightseeing lost, we headed directly to the ballpark, once again delayed - due to a serious accident in Slidell; a tow truck and ambulance had to be called in - but we kept up with the game on WODT ("Who dat?") before arriving in the top of the 3rd.
The crowd was muted, partially because of the on/off rain showers, and partially because of the owners' decision to move the AAA Baby Cakes to Wichita next year. (There's talk of a Double-A replacement, but currently an Opening Day 2020 in New Orleans looks in doubt.) Chad wasn't surprised by the lame-duck status, as he couldn't find any water fountains on the concourse.
But it didn't affect team play, as the 'Cakes scaled the Tacoma Rainiers (milb.com's verb choice, not mine) 10-4.