ROAD TRIP!
Yesterday I took the day off so I could go on a road trip with some friends to Seattle. The reason for the trip was that one of Mike's friends got tickets to see the Seattle Mariners play the visiting Detroit Tigers (which happen to be his favourite team). I was offered an invite, and I decided to go - I'd always wanted to check out a game in Seattle and never have.
The one downside? The tickets bought didn't include me per se, since I wasn't a part of the original plan. That was fine, they were still allowing me a ride down - I only had to purchase a ticket alone. Turns out tickets near 3rd base, only 9 rows back, are about $45 USD. I don't know how that compares to most other parks but it was a solid seat for what seemed to be a good price.
The ride down was nice. With five of us stuck in an average sized car it was a bit of a tight fit but we managed. It took us about 50 minutes to cross the border - the lane we were in was the slowest of all. I think he must have been in training or something.
About 30 minutes later we were in Mt. Vernon, Washington - where we stopped by an outlet mall so the ladies present could do some shopping.
The drive was smooth-sailing until we hit Seattle. That city has some serious traffic problems. Seriously, I know it's just a little bit bigger than Vancouver but it has much worse traffic - despite having a far better freeway system. I know rapid tranist there isn't really something they're known for - some commuter rail and a monorail line with two stations one mile apart - but come on, this is ridiculous. I've noticed it for years. Even at midnight they had rather sizeable traffic; it must be the car culture of the United States, I guess.
We arrived at Safeco Field at about 6pm, 90 minutes before the game. The tailgate party on the street beside the stadium was excellent; this is something you rarely get in the hockey culture I grew up in, but I'm starting to see that change, too.
The game itself was great. Seattle came back from an early 3-0 deficit to win 6-3. The fact I was sitting alone wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to bed; I was still able to see my friends one section over for much of the game. More importantly, the people immediately adjacent to me were fun - the black couple to my left were joking around the whole time (he seemed to be a baseball nut, and she, the girlfriend, seemed to be marginally new to it all), and the mother/daughter to my right were fun too (the daughter, about 6 to 8, just wouldn't stop dancing). I watched over her much of the game because she nearly bailed out of her seat a few times.
My seating area saw a lot of action, too. Apparently during a foul ball - which I almost caught, by the way - we were spotted on TV, as I found out from the mother (which looked like a female Michael Moore) to my right. Later on in the game, during a Tickets-to-Vegas giveaway, that same woman won the grand prize just by getting up and acting crazy on the jumbo-tron. I didn't even realize it until I saw myself on the jumbo-tron next to her - so close! I did get to fist-pump Mariner Moose when he came by as well, as well as try to grab a tuft of his fur. That was kinda cool.
It was a shame that I couldn't find a way to meet disco_fox while I was down there, but it just wasn't in the cards this time. Maybe next time eh? I'd really like to come back for another ball game too - maybe when the Blue Jays are in town, so we could be part of the epic Canadian contingent that usually shows up for that game series. Hmmm.
Now that adds a few more professional sports teams I've seen live. Let's count:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Montreal Expos @ San Francisco Giants (in San Francisco)
Detroit Tigers @ Anaheim Angels (in Anaheim)
Detroit Tigers @ Seattle Mariners (in Seattle)
Teams viewed: 5
Stadiums visited for a game: 3
Stadiums visited not for a game: 1 (Montreal)
Defunct teams: 1
Teams left to see: 26
Stadiums left to visit: 27
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Montreal Canadiens @ Vancouver Canucks (in Vancouver) - multiple times
Chicago Blackhawks @ Vancouver Canucks (in Vancouver)
Toronto Maple Leafs @ Vancouver Canucks (in Vancouver)
Carolina Hurricanes @ Vancouver Canucks (in Vancouver)
Calgary Flames @ Vancouver Canucks (in Vancouver)
Teams viewed: 6
Stadiums visited for a game: 1
Stadiums visited not for a game: 1 (Montreal)
Defunct teams: 0
Teams left to see: 24
Stadiums left to visit: 29
CANADIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Toronto Argonauts @ BC Lions (in BC)
Edmonton Eskimos @ BC Lions (in BC)
Teams viewed: 3
Stadiums visited for a game: 1
Stadiums visited not for a game: 0
Defunct teams: 0
Teams left to see: 5
Stadiums left to visit: 7
WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE
Chilliwack Bruins @ Vancouver Giants (in Vancouver)
Seattle Thunderbirds @ Vancouver Giants (in Vancouver)
Everett Silvertips @ Vancouver Giants (in Vancouver)
Calgary Hitmen @ Vancouver Giants (in Vancouver)
Spokane Chiefs @ Vancouver Giants (in Vancouver) (x2, in the playoffs)
Teams viewed: 6
Stadiums visited for a game: 1
Stadiums visited not for a game: 1 (Kelowna)
Defunct teams: 0
Teams left to see: 16
Stadiums left to visit: 21
Oh yeah! Check out this awesome video that's come out this past week. Thanks Boston, for understanding what makes a good hockey commercial!
The one downside? The tickets bought didn't include me per se, since I wasn't a part of the original plan. That was fine, they were still allowing me a ride down - I only had to purchase a ticket alone. Turns out tickets near 3rd base, only 9 rows back, are about $45 USD. I don't know how that compares to most other parks but it was a solid seat for what seemed to be a good price.
The ride down was nice. With five of us stuck in an average sized car it was a bit of a tight fit but we managed. It took us about 50 minutes to cross the border - the lane we were in was the slowest of all. I think he must have been in training or something.
About 30 minutes later we were in Mt. Vernon, Washington - where we stopped by an outlet mall so the ladies present could do some shopping.
The drive was smooth-sailing until we hit Seattle. That city has some serious traffic problems. Seriously, I know it's just a little bit bigger than Vancouver but it has much worse traffic - despite having a far better freeway system. I know rapid tranist there isn't really something they're known for - some commuter rail and a monorail line with two stations one mile apart - but come on, this is ridiculous. I've noticed it for years. Even at midnight they had rather sizeable traffic; it must be the car culture of the United States, I guess.
We arrived at Safeco Field at about 6pm, 90 minutes before the game. The tailgate party on the street beside the stadium was excellent; this is something you rarely get in the hockey culture I grew up in, but I'm starting to see that change, too.
The game itself was great. Seattle came back from an early 3-0 deficit to win 6-3. The fact I was sitting alone wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it was going to bed; I was still able to see my friends one section over for much of the game. More importantly, the people immediately adjacent to me were fun - the black couple to my left were joking around the whole time (he seemed to be a baseball nut, and she, the girlfriend, seemed to be marginally new to it all), and the mother/daughter to my right were fun too (the daughter, about 6 to 8, just wouldn't stop dancing). I watched over her much of the game because she nearly bailed out of her seat a few times.
My seating area saw a lot of action, too. Apparently during a foul ball - which I almost caught, by the way - we were spotted on TV, as I found out from the mother (which looked like a female Michael Moore) to my right. Later on in the game, during a Tickets-to-Vegas giveaway, that same woman won the grand prize just by getting up and acting crazy on the jumbo-tron. I didn't even realize it until I saw myself on the jumbo-tron next to her - so close! I did get to fist-pump Mariner Moose when he came by as well, as well as try to grab a tuft of his fur. That was kinda cool.
It was a shame that I couldn't find a way to meet disco_fox while I was down there, but it just wasn't in the cards this time. Maybe next time eh? I'd really like to come back for another ball game too - maybe when the Blue Jays are in town, so we could be part of the epic Canadian contingent that usually shows up for that game series. Hmmm.
Now that adds a few more professional sports teams I've seen live. Let's count:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
Montreal Expos @ San Francisco Giants (in San Francisco)
Detroit Tigers @ Anaheim Angels (in Anaheim)
Detroit Tigers @ Seattle Mariners (in Seattle)
Teams viewed: 5
Stadiums visited for a game: 3
Stadiums visited not for a game: 1 (Montreal)
Defunct teams: 1
Teams left to see: 26
Stadiums left to visit: 27
NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Montreal Canadiens @ Vancouver Canucks (in Vancouver) - multiple times
Chicago Blackhawks @ Vancouver Canucks (in Vancouver)
Toronto Maple Leafs @ Vancouver Canucks (in Vancouver)
Carolina Hurricanes @ Vancouver Canucks (in Vancouver)
Calgary Flames @ Vancouver Canucks (in Vancouver)
Teams viewed: 6
Stadiums visited for a game: 1
Stadiums visited not for a game: 1 (Montreal)
Defunct teams: 0
Teams left to see: 24
Stadiums left to visit: 29
CANADIAN FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Toronto Argonauts @ BC Lions (in BC)
Edmonton Eskimos @ BC Lions (in BC)
Teams viewed: 3
Stadiums visited for a game: 1
Stadiums visited not for a game: 0
Defunct teams: 0
Teams left to see: 5
Stadiums left to visit: 7
WESTERN HOCKEY LEAGUE
Chilliwack Bruins @ Vancouver Giants (in Vancouver)
Seattle Thunderbirds @ Vancouver Giants (in Vancouver)
Everett Silvertips @ Vancouver Giants (in Vancouver)
Calgary Hitmen @ Vancouver Giants (in Vancouver)
Spokane Chiefs @ Vancouver Giants (in Vancouver) (x2, in the playoffs)
Teams viewed: 6
Stadiums visited for a game: 1
Stadiums visited not for a game: 1 (Kelowna)
Defunct teams: 0
Teams left to see: 16
Stadiums left to visit: 21
Oh yeah! Check out this awesome video that's come out this past week. Thanks Boston, for understanding what makes a good hockey commercial!
Click to view