Day 8

The last day of our trip ended on a high note, with yet another day of sunny, clear weather. We spent the day exploring the Fisherman's Marketplace section of Seattle, including Pike's Market, where they toss fish back and forth in front of the crowds. Fresh produce, seafood, meat, cheese, and baked goods were everywhere, and it was impossible to not be mesmerized by the pleasant smells wafting in the morning air.

We proceeded to have lunch at Pike's Pub and Brewery, a fantastic restaurant/brewpub down by the pier. Much of the decor, symbolism, and inspiration of Pike's Pub draws roots from its early 20th-century building occupants. The restaurant labeled it as a "pleasure palace", which is really just an euphemism for brothel.


After recovering from our food coma, we headed to Safeco Field for the Twins-Mariners game. Safeco is another gorgeous park, and they also have a neat Hall of Fame area. There was a decent crowd at the game, but this can be attributed to the fact that it was Ichiro bobblehead night and there were a surprising amount of Twins fans who traveled to watch the series.

Up early (5-6am) to catch our flight home. It's been a great trip, can't believe it's over already. We saw quite a bit in our travels, but there are still so many sights and activities that we weren't able to cross off our lists. Still plenty left to see when we make our next trip out here to the west coast...

Words of Wisdom from Del

At the Mariners' game, the temperature was starting to drop and definitely warranted the wearing of sweatshirts/jackets/long-sleeves. Del, who only wore shorts and a t-shirt to the game, did his best to combat the cold by drinking himself a "beer coat". In the 7th inning, after successfully getting his "coat" on, Del turns to us and deadpans, "My warmth is your refuge."

Seattle Public Market

We have spent the morning walking around Seattle downtown in the Public Market. We returned the rent a car to Avis. There are a lot of tourists here otherwise there are a lot of people who took work off today. We stopped by Hard Rock Cafe Seattle, a local brewery called the Pike to eat lunch, saw the original Starbucks, and saw the Space Needle. Our hotel is 2 blocks away. We are on our way to the ball game to catch a $5 bus ride to and fro the Safeco Field and then venture over to Qwest field. It should be really cool to see more of Seattle. I like this town a lot. Chris will post some pictures soon. We went to eat and went back to the hotel and slept for 15 minutes. We will explore more of Seattle after we wake up from our food coma.

Made it to Seattle

Wow that was a long drive.  We not only had a long drive to begin with but with stopping in Eugene Oregon and hitting the Portland traffic, it added about an hour and a half to the drive.  Once we got here though it was well worth the drive.  So far it is the most beautiful scenic city we have been to yet.  The drive in took us by Safeco Field and Qwest Field.  We missed our exit somehow and I am glad we did because we had to double back and come back across the water on the north side of the city and the view was amazing.  We are also staying 2 blocks away from the space needle.

Tonight we are going to walk downtown to get some dinner and maybe hang out for a few drinks after.  Too bad Griffey retired and we won't see him tomorrow but it is Ichiro bobblehead night so we are getting there early and watching batting practice.

Day 6

Our last day in San Francisco and the Reds came through with a much needed victory to close off their 6 and 3 west coast road trip.  We made a sign for Joey Votto that said Make Votto Prime minister and in true MVP fashion he goes 4 for 7 with 4 RBI and two homeruns.  Oh, and his 4th RBI just happened to be the game winning run in the top of th 12th.  After the victory we had a celebratory dinner at the Pub on Ghiradelli Square before heading north towards Seattle.  It turns out we really did bring the good weather to San Francisco. As we were leaving the fog came rolling in and cooled off the city. The fog was so thick that even driving on the Golden Gate Bridge we could not see the support cables even 20 feet in front of us.  We drove just short of the California-Oregon border passing Shasta Mountain and lake.  Unfortunately it was too dark to see most of it but what we could see of the lake and the snow capped mountain was impressive.

That is condensation from heavy fog, not rain.

Mt. Shasta

We got a later start on driving than we wanted but just stopped in Eugene Oregon to get some food and see the Ducks' complex on our way to Seattle.  About 4 hours left to drive and we will be in our final city on our trip.

San Fran - Lombard Street

I drove down Lombard Street going 2 mph down the turns. It is beautiful up here especially with the unusual warm weather. I was expecting fall cold weather but we brought sunshine and no clouds to the city of San Francisco. Alcatraz was cool. I have a great picture of me in the cell. Will post it later. We found Uncle Jessie's house and Jodie Sweeten in San Fran by the Painted Ladies. Note: We also got to see Lori Laughlin was at the LA Dodgers game on Friday. She can throw strikes.

Del

Day 5

Unfortunately, nothing about tonight's game changed my opinion of Giants fans.

Ugly game to close an otherwise great day. All three Reds rookie pitchers (Travis Wood, Mike Leake, Sam LeCure) got roughed up for 16 runs(!) tonight. Just absolutely demoralizing to watch. Don't worry, I won't be jumping off the Golden Gate bridge yet, since the Reds have a chance to prevent the sweep tomorrow and finish the road trip with a 6-3 record.

San Fran is having unusually warm weather, which is turning AT&T Park into a launching pad, much like Great American Ballpark. A fan mentioned to us that they never see that many home runs in a game (7 total) in this ballpark. Tomorrow being a day game, I would expect the slugfest to continue. Hopefully the Reds can keep the Giants to single digits this time.

Besides the game tomorrow, we are also planning to visit the Ghirardelli chocolate factory and Golden Gate park, before heading up the coast toward our next destination, Seattle.

Buenas Noches,
Mike

We found Kimmy Gibler

We had a tiring day today.  It seemed like we were never off our feet but it was worth it.  The day started off taking a ferry to Alcatraz Island.  It gave us great views of the city and throughout the San Francisco Bay.  There was a lot of walking to go through all of Alcatraz but the views of the city and the history inside Alcatraz was something that can never be short changed.

It was sad to see the sea lions were almost all gone from Fisherman's Wharf, and they were celebrating their 20th anniversary.  We ate lunch at the Hard Rock on Pier 39 and walked around and enjoyed the sights.  I think we are all pretty sunburnt.  We were told this is the hottest it has been all summer.  Needless to say we have had perfect weather and not even a cloud in the sky.

Our final sightseeing stop before the ballgame tonight was to see the Full House Houses, a.k.a. the Painted Ladies.  It was cool and right next to a park but we couldn't spend too long as we have to get to the game tonight.

Go Redlegs

Day 4

So it is midnight and we order a pizza because we are hungry after the game.  Mike is eating and all of a sudden says, "Do you guys smell that? It smells like (poop)."  We search around the room and try to figure out what is causing this awful smell.  I spray cologne through the whole room and we go in the hall to let the cologne smell die down.  In the hall we start smelling Del's shirt and realize it is him who is reeking of poop this whole time.  We don't know where it came from but he leaves to get a bottle of rum and pizza and comes back smelling like poop.  Now that Del is taking a shower and we are waiting for the cologne smell to dissipate, we realize that this mystery like many of Del's adventures, will never be solved.

And as only Del can, he comes out of the shower and throws his clothes outside our room and says, "Those things stink, shit comes to me I guess."

A. Bartlett Giamatti

"It breaks your heart.  It's designed to break your heart.  The game begins in the spring when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone."

Love AT&T park - the fans, not so much....

Alright alright alright alright. First post for me, hate that it has to be so negative and vitriolic, but need to vent right now. Volquez only lasting 2/3 an inning -- sheesh.

I'll admit, my opinion of Reds fans over the years has been tarnished. I thought in general they have become whiny and overly critical in nature. But over the last few days, I've come to find that they really are intelligent, and could be Mensa members compared to the fans we've encountered.

LA fans were boorish and low class, which I sort of anticipated before heading out here. Maybe it's because their team is out of contention, but I was pleasantly surprised by how apathetic and non-confrontational they were.

Well, I thought that would be the worst of it, but no, SF fans set the bar for stupidity. SF fans make LA fans look like Baseball Prospectus contributors. Joey Votto hit a ground-rule double, with NO RUNS SCORING as a result, and the fan who caught it threw it back on the field. It wasn't even a home run! And yes, it was the very same fan who was screaming for the Giants outfielder to throw a warmup ball to him all game.

And then there were the guys in front of us who thought every fly ball was a home run, even when it was 300-foot pop-up or a foul ball behind home plate. The same group thought the Giants center-fielder was still Aaron Rowand (when it is Fernando Torres who is hispanic and doesn't even look like Rowand), and yelled "Brick" to try to distract Bruce from catching a fly ball.

And then, there were the guys next to us, who commented, "Who are the Reds? They're an off-the-wall team. Not a normal team, just a really random one." HELLO, the first professional baseball team? 5 world titles? I think I had to restrain Chris from wailing on those guys at this point.

AT&T is a gorgeous and majestic park, in which everyone should catch a game at some point. Too bad many of the seats are filled with ignorant shit. I'm hoping the next couple games can prove my first impression wrong.

I promise I won't be so piss-and-vinegar from here on out. SF is a beautiful city, and I can't wait to see its gems in the next couple days. :)

Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara is one of the prettiest places I have seen in my travels. They do not allow development which is great. It keeps the place beautiful. See the view from below. The hills of California are breathtaking, the ocean view is magnificent. It is moments like these of seeing such nature's wonders that make you appreciate life. I drove up to San Francisco and saw some wonderful views of the Pacific Ocean. It is really cold!

Tonight we see the Redlegs face the Giants at AT&T park in left field. Volquez and Cain battle it out. Look for us if you stay up.

Where is uncle Jessie

We made it to San Fransisco.  The hotel is nice and apparently a block away from a good bar district.  We are resting up before we go catch a bus to head to the stadium.  We plan on getting there early enough to see batting practice and catch a few home run balls.  Here are a few of the pictures I have promised from yesterday.

Del & Me at the game Saturday

Rose Bowl

Rodeo Drive

Del on Venice Beach

View from the Luke's Kitchen 

Day 3

We had a great night at Mike's great aunt's house.  They live in a beautiful location nestled in the hills of Buellton California.  Charlie and Mary Anne Luke could not have been any nicer.  We had a delicious dinner right when we got there and a nice breakfast to send us off in the morning.  We did not have internet so there are no pictures again but I will post some more in recap of the previous day.  Right now we are back on the 101 driving up the coast.  We decided to sacrifice scenery for time and chose the 101 instead of going along the coast on the 1 in the cliffs overlooking the ocean so we can see Hamilton play their second game of the world series when we arrive in San Fransisco.

On the road

I found out I could update the blog from my phone.  We are on 101 driving from L.A. To Santa Barbara, about to come up on the coast.  I haven't figured out how to put pictures on from my phone yet but today we went to Pasadena to see the Rose Bowl.  It was yet another great scenic area of L.A.  Driving on 101, I am starting to get convinced there is not a bad scenic area in California.  We also went to Rodeo Drive and Venice Beach.  Leaving the beach, we stopped in a local dive bar to watch the Reds finish off the Dodgers before we started our drive.  That is all for now cause we are about to be driving by the ocean.  More pictures to come later.

Leaving L.A.

We are getting ready to head out for our last day in L.A.  It is checkout time and then we are hitting the road to see the Rose Bowl and Long Beach.  We had a good stay here but wish we had more time to see all the city has to offer.  For now it is up the coast for an overnight just north of Santa Barbara then on to San Fransisco.

Day 2

Another good day in L.A.  We started off by watching the Hamilton West Side All-Stars crush Toms River New Jersey and then went to do some sightseeing. We started off on Hollywood Blvd.  The Chinese theater and walk of fame were cool and we got a lot of good pictures.  When we stopped to see the Hollywood sign, Del had to run through a fountain.(See Below)  He then spent the majority of the day drying out but what else would you expect... Gotta love Del

With a somewhat dry Del, we decided to drive down Sunset Blvd through Beverly Hills, Bel Air and past OJ's house but missed the turn and wound up in Santa Monica and on Santa Monica Pier.  What a beautiful area.  Cliffs and mountains on one side of the road and the beach and ocean on the other side.  The weather was perfect so we decided to park and walk on the beach to Santa Monica Pier.  The pier was fun.  It had all kinds of entertainers, rides and restaurants.  I made a panoramic to show you the pier and our walk.

The final stop of the day was back to Dodger Stadium in hopes of the Reds continuing their domination of the west coast road trip.  Unfortunately the outcome was not what we had hoped for but it was still a good time.  I agree with Del and his comment about Dodger fans.  It is more of a status symbol to go to the game and an excuse to get drunk and yell than actually going to watch a baseball game.  Dodgers Stadium is a great place to watch a game from.  The history in the stadium and the "Hollywood" atmosphere they create is pretty fun.  They also have "Deuce" who is featured every game in the 8th inning.  Check out the video below, it is worth it.

Short video of Deuce dancing

We were too tired after the game to experience the L.A. nightlife but are going to get up early in the morning and see some more of the sights before heading up north to Santa Barbara.

Good night for now... Well whenever this video finishes uploading...

Hollywood and Dodgers Baseball

Hollywood is pretty amazing. I love palm trees. The walk of fame was long walk around 4 blocks. Beverly Hills is where I want to be. Michael Jackson and Marilyn Monroe were present. I got a picture with them. We had a delicious lunch. How's your burger? It was tasty. I got to see the Pacific Ocean. Score! That is two oceans I have now seen.

It was a good game today even though we ended up on the losing side. I think Dodgers fans are more interested in doing the wave than they are watching a baseball game. The wave was done 7 times in a row around the stadium yesterday. Today the wave was done 3 times in a row and then reversed once. One guy was yelling at Bruce the whole time and finally got kicked out after 15 security guards escorted him out after fighting with a fellow Dodger fan. We got to see some Saturday night fights for free.

-Del

P.S. I love the Deuce! (more to follow)

Failed attempt at finding OJ's house led us here

More info to come later.  Taking a quick stop at the hotel to change for the game after spending all day on Hollywood Blvd and in Santa Monica.  Don't be too jealous of the perfect weather and scenic views.

P.S. This is not Mike and Del sitting by the beach

West Coast Time Zone

Saturday Morning - rise and shine at 7am. Last night we heard the Hamilton West Side All Stars were playing at 11am. Fantastic we can go sightseeing and then go to lunch and watch the game. I woke up this morning and got complimentary breakfast and realized that we are three hours behind and the game starts in five minutes. Shoot! West Coast Time Zone.

Califurnia girls - why can't I get this out of my head.

-Del

Day 1

The start of a great road trip.  Bengals win, Cardinals lose and the Reds snap their losing streak at Dodgers Stadium.  The all you can eat seats were awesome.  How can you beat watching a game under the awning in right field of Dodgers Stadium in the second row and enjoying Dodger Dogs?

After the game we drove down Sunset Blvd into Beverly Hills.  Damn there is a lot of money in this town.  The night was topped off by driving back to our hotel and seeing a helicopter with a spotlight shining down looking for something or someone.  As we get closer to our exit we realize the helicopter is only a few blocks from our hotel.  How different sides of L.A. can be.  Getting some sleep to go sightseeing tomorrow.

Bengals Preseason

We should be at this game in Cincinnati. However we are in LA. Watching Cedric Benson run people over against Philadelphia. Who Dey!

Hopped off the plane at LAX

We have arrived, checked into the hotel and are getting ready to watch the Bengals before heading to Dodgers Stadium.  Lets hope the Reds stop their 12 game losing streak in Dodgers Stadium tonight with another strong west coast performance.