tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19250789948731734472024-02-20T10:39:20.612-05:00The Road Triptwo weeks.
seven stadiums.
one giant pizza.Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06072938568216527556noreply@blogger.comBlogger28125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1925078994873173447.post-79040164473380186772009-06-10T15:15:00.003-04:002010-01-31T22:51:57.927-05:00WelcomeFor those of you who have randomly stumbled here, welcome. This blog chronicles a 2-week road trip taken in May 2009. Keep reading and you'll find <a href="http://2guys1roadtrip.blogspot.com/search/label/ballpark%20review">ballpark reviews</a>, <a href="http://2guys1roadtrip.blogspot.com/search/label/food%20review">food reviews</a>, and stories about both <a href="http://2guys1roadtrip.blogspot.com/2009/05/dagwood-challenge.html">a successful eating challenge</a>, and <a href="http://2guys1roadtrip.blogspot.com/2009/05/pointersaurus.html">a not-so-successful eating challenge</a>.<div><br /></div><div>Why should you read it? Well, it's the perfect way to kill half an hour if you're bored. Also...well, that's about all I've got. But I've been told by several people that at points, it even approaches coherence. So if you've got the time, read on. For best results, start at the first post (<i>Syllabus Day</i>) and read through chronologically to the last (<i>Best of the Rest</i>).</div><div><br /></div><div>Questions, comments, profanity-laced diatribes....send 'em to <a href="mailto: 2guys1roadtrip@gmail.com">2guys1roadtrip@gmail.com</a>. Hope you enjoy the blog.</div>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06072938568216527556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1925078994873173447.post-40749582286677318302009-06-08T21:36:00.014-04:002009-06-08T22:56:43.521-04:00Best of the Rest<span><span>On this trip, a lot of stuff happened that I either forgot to write about or just didn't write about at the time. There's no real theme here, just a lot of random moments and observations that I thought were notable, funny, or Jesus-y enough to mention. Enjoy.</span></span><span><span><br /><br />*The official speeding ticket count for the trip: 1. Driving from Cincinnati to St. Louis, not even 2 hours into our first big drive, we were driving near Indianapolis. The speed limit changed from 70 to 55 mph and Andy didn't see it. 76 in a 70 isn't bad. 76 in a 55 is. Whoops. Also, this gigantic distraction happened on the morning of our Pointersaurus attempt. But I'm not making excuses here.</span></span><div><span><span><br />*At every ballpark I went to, I bought a minibat. The cheapest was $5 (Washington). The most expensive was $9 (Cubs). The nicest paint job, surprisingly, was on the White Sox bat. The worst was on the Cardinals bat.<br /><br /><span><span></span></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjakSyEu3moetI7kxzR2r96a0K3t5ZT_ksm2fi73mb91lw6bVPzYyjEgV0wQES9n2s96Iq81vUzWFgMyLcAdb1EtpZ_2chZv0TNaHaIB7JtjEXUatrV6RimIJr8WPkWqQHPFVR990vWDuBu/s1600-h/bats.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjakSyEu3moetI7kxzR2r96a0K3t5ZT_ksm2fi73mb91lw6bVPzYyjEgV0wQES9n2s96Iq81vUzWFgMyLcAdb1EtpZ_2chZv0TNaHaIB7JtjEXUatrV6RimIJr8WPkWqQHPFVR990vWDuBu/s400/bats.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345152936137468754" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 340px; " /></a><br /><br />*I told Sam Klein that I'd write it up here if he ate 2 pizzas at dinner on Saturday night in Washington. He did, so here you go, Sam. Just for the record, if those are 10-inch pizzas (which I think they are), he would have had to eat 4 of them, each of them with almost a pound of toppings, to equal one half (one person's share) of the Pointersaurus. If they're 8-inch pizzas, then he would have had to eat 6.25 of them to equal half of a Pointersaurus.<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEUU1ultXIY-XYbECVqn4eyMp-ffh4vSLKDQuWnq2Tr5QfbX00PjpaNigFnvKY44-DJnhWkIMbcvykdB4bA8l9p-QPxwkvcCd4s3Sfao3kqul6-PRdPKrqhXu9bjmPJ9Hdtj3cf8285Xpz/s1600-h/IMG_0165.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEUU1ultXIY-XYbECVqn4eyMp-ffh4vSLKDQuWnq2Tr5QfbX00PjpaNigFnvKY44-DJnhWkIMbcvykdB4bA8l9p-QPxwkvcCd4s3Sfao3kqul6-PRdPKrqhXu9bjmPJ9Hdtj3cf8285Xpz/s400/IMG_0165.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345153224913170930" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><br /><br />*What's the highest point in central Illinois? I dunno, probably this giant cross. Unless there's an even bigger cross somewhere else that we don't know about. (Upon further review: <a href="http://www.worldslargestthings.com/easterntour/cross.htm">nope -- it's the biggest. And not just in Illinois. In the world.</a>) This wasn't part of a church or anything either, just a gigantic cross placed approximately 50 feet from the highway in Effingham, IL. Another speeding ticket be damned, we collectively slammed our semitic foot down and got out of there as quickly as we could.<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNRbst3jKWg23MDyHnfaGE9GUygb7DmHl1VgUXUrsURJLeCJ56PiuCGck2-1qpdno7_tSybrJZpq5YJJgUMoIHvAiFaVn4z6guUabyehM4XmhD9cJYt1iwKWrrNAEhy2uXJp-kuPuZzM-6/s1600-h/IMG_0445.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNRbst3jKWg23MDyHnfaGE9GUygb7DmHl1VgUXUrsURJLeCJ56PiuCGck2-1qpdno7_tSybrJZpq5YJJgUMoIHvAiFaVn4z6guUabyehM4XmhD9cJYt1iwKWrrNAEhy2uXJp-kuPuZzM-6/s400/IMG_0445.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345153561352238450" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><br /><br />*On our way from St. Louis to Chicago, while driving near Funks Grove, IL, we saw a series of 5 signs, each one part of a poem/message that began on the first sign. The signs read:</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">"When danger lurks / remember, Sonny / a rabbit's foot / didn't save no bunny /gunssavelife.com"</span></span></span></div><div><span><span><br />After some research, I can tell you that the website is part of the Champaign County Rifle Association, and contains such bits as: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Of course, "Six Seconds from Safety" is no substitute for concealed carry of a gun in a holster – which we call "One Second from Safety"! </span></span></span></div><div><span><span><br />*The number of Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn jerseys we saw on the trip: 4. One at US Cellular in Chicago and three in Cleveland. Here are the two that I was able to inconspicuously take pictures of.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span><span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEVyhv-Qdtv5H2Ch7MVRrog8CrDY5FZUGo6hCH0fLi2hywCr_xWzI4xK2ljjG-MYgyyGAo-G6uy0SxkUrY2Fuw4S6618_2qgy0goWeJAxSp_-qsUt-21QLly1BVOyWMYoSITo8lXd2f9W4/s1600-h/IMG_0872.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEVyhv-Qdtv5H2Ch7MVRrog8CrDY5FZUGo6hCH0fLi2hywCr_xWzI4xK2ljjG-MYgyyGAo-G6uy0SxkUrY2Fuw4S6618_2qgy0goWeJAxSp_-qsUt-21QLly1BVOyWMYoSITo8lXd2f9W4/s400/IMG_0872.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345154056986889346" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha3twVCR6T1meVwNm2BgDek26MYhRE2CD1q2RcRpXCAIFKt__diUahhY0yXUlS0XZsKQVjU56qP-X0aUKFt9KOr2ZRn4aj8h6ydjKNCern2DNNrJPQoqVzpZD1TjJLrBLfitKlGqzhCo1C/s1600-h/IMG_1286.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha3twVCR6T1meVwNm2BgDek26MYhRE2CD1q2RcRpXCAIFKt__diUahhY0yXUlS0XZsKQVjU56qP-X0aUKFt9KOr2ZRn4aj8h6ydjKNCern2DNNrJPQoqVzpZD1TjJLrBLfitKlGqzhCo1C/s400/IMG_1286.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345154306310226706" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><br /><br />*If you're on a road trip like this and looking for a gas station, stopping at a Pilot Travel Center is always your best bet. Is it because Pilot has clean bathrooms? No, not at all. Some were clean; others had 25-cent cologne dispensers (just turn the knob to your desired scent, put in a quarter, and stick your hand under the nozzle) and feces on the toilet seats. Is Pilot's gas cheaper than other places? Maybe a little bit, but that's not why it's so good.<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span>No, Pilot is the best gas station because of its soda dispensers. Not only do you get a choice between crushed and cubed ice. Not only do you get to choose between 16 sodas, energy drinks, and fruit-flavored beverages, including a full range of both Coke and Pepsi products. Not only do 44 oz. sodas cost only $1.29. But the big draw is that you get unlimited flavor shots. <br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span>Want a lemon-cherry-vanilla root beer? You're in luck. Hell, I'm sure if you wanted a 44 oz. glass of vanilla syrup on the rocks, you could bring it up to the register, pay $1.29, and be on your way. There's no better way to eliminate the diet from a diet soda than by adding 2 shots of cherry and 4 shots of vanilla syrup. There's also no better way to make it absolutely delicious. </span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span><span>So congrats, Pilot Travel Center, you win the award for best gas station. Wear it proudly.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM2fcGV1BMY-u-VkhyVVgylcTPsAkDxFxM_vfrc0s4kldd1c8k8bse1b27qcUibm0EigDdCPi22gcheb2s5ezbiD1avQlnNxUbFYEH6vuopX2sn4ub5fZ7GFylA28cA0Xlgs0Db0SIXvSZ/s1600-h/IMG_1159.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM2fcGV1BMY-u-VkhyVVgylcTPsAkDxFxM_vfrc0s4kldd1c8k8bse1b27qcUibm0EigDdCPi22gcheb2s5ezbiD1avQlnNxUbFYEH6vuopX2sn4ub5fZ7GFylA28cA0Xlgs0Db0SIXvSZ/s400/IMG_1159.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345154562369658018" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Other trip bests:</span></span></span></div><div><span><span><br />*<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Best Roadside Sign:</span> In Wisconsin, for <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Bong Recreation Area</span>. <a href="http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/LAND/parks/specific/bong/">Further investigation</a> reveals that this site was named for World War II fighter pilot Richard Bong. The website answers a lot of questions about the area; unfortunately, what Dick Bong's parents were thinking when they named him is not one of them.<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRhBNDCl9hsPSMtuLqe1t8bbFBekBVsuiKsbdCk6E2N1R63U_yQqJD5zWoc5QYO_N6_FIHObP-fGRJ4fxEaxVQFqcmlKNtK_KY9bOMq5fQyTku4-soYzjkVddoYTGSWYuvG3Ay9Vi6ghd/s1600-h/IMG_1035.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuRhBNDCl9hsPSMtuLqe1t8bbFBekBVsuiKsbdCk6E2N1R63U_yQqJD5zWoc5QYO_N6_FIHObP-fGRJ4fxEaxVQFqcmlKNtK_KY9bOMq5fQyTku4-soYzjkVddoYTGSWYuvG3Ay9Vi6ghd/s400/IMG_1035.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345154796243820706" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><br /><br />*<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Best Tourist Trap: </span>Also in Wisconsin, the Mars Cheese Castle. Rising off the highway near Kenosha, this dairy fortress sells all things Wisconsin. Cheese, sausage, Wisconsin microbrews, pastries, more cheese, fruit spreads -- the Cheese Castle has it all. Added points for all the free food they give out, especially the samples of several varieties of cheese, best of which was the pepper jack. Andy and I made a lap around the store, feasted on some samples, ate corned beef sandwiches, bought some Wisconsin food to go, and then jumped right back on the highway to Chicago.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2c4OKHCMW_CLubPJiAtyfGLxOb8tjxTgXDQ1nzP7_vhmeCqGyV-OzQcGFZmdJAgT3bYJmXKEAo9-jST5a280EoICHJEKAQ9Ml-Cns4zC3iBXr7uiHDFTHFKarPDUgqVAOYMyJ38mYoR3i/s1600-h/IMG_1036.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2c4OKHCMW_CLubPJiAtyfGLxOb8tjxTgXDQ1nzP7_vhmeCqGyV-OzQcGFZmdJAgT3bYJmXKEAo9-jST5a280EoICHJEKAQ9Ml-Cns4zC3iBXr7uiHDFTHFKarPDUgqVAOYMyJ38mYoR3i/s400/IMG_1036.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345155048974042530" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><br />*<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Best "Welcome to" State Sign: </span>Wow, Wisconsin is just racking up the awards. If I was an Arts & Crafts teacher doing my quarterly evaluation, I would definitely have to say that Wisconsin "went above and beyond." <br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOsDnN84kh33Aq9BRI2YGfdt13PwV-TmeE-aiuDMMVQGYJZyVEvapKc1SYutxPcv81CVjttdS6aSHXAlwtu1aAPo-g3c7chgdYkPQLe-n99OeYU3O7NpkG33-UNgwcO8QhM1dJ2YEPTQbk/s1600-h/IMG_0915.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOsDnN84kh33Aq9BRI2YGfdt13PwV-TmeE-aiuDMMVQGYJZyVEvapKc1SYutxPcv81CVjttdS6aSHXAlwtu1aAPo-g3c7chgdYkPQLe-n99OeYU3O7NpkG33-UNgwcO8QhM1dJ2YEPTQbk/s400/IMG_0915.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345155404231534674" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><br /><br />*<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Best Job Making the Best of a Bad Situation: </span>Imagine you're a relief pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Bad situation, right? Now imagine the whole stadium starts doing the wave. What do you do? Do you let your anger get the best of you and refuse to join in the fun? No! You cast off whatever disillusionment you may have over your current career path and when the wave hits the bullpen, you ride that baby for all it's worth. Then, as a group, you bask in the ovation you receive from the stadium, because let's face it, you guys probably aren't giving them many reasons to cheer for you when you're actually on the mound.<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span>*<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Best Burger:</span> Blimpie Burger, Ann Arbor, MI. Blimpie Burger is one of those local institutions where if you don't know how to order the right way, they yell at you. But by looking at the <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=imitq02uemy&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">menu</span></a>, you can see that the prices are pretty reasonable. </span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span><span>The food itself is great too. The burger patties are small, but Andy and I both ordered quints (5 patties), which the menu says is equivalent to a half-pound burger. Any of the standard toppings are free, and adding fries (they serve the thick-cut steak fries) or onion rings is always a solid choice. Using my tried-and-trusted food rating system, Blimpie Burger scores a solid 3.....check it out if you're in Ann Arbor and are looking for the tastiest burger in town.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdxngE4KMWl5VOmUfk10z7ewBOr5DrHvlLiFA6fHVbM68xMGR0IKWgufy_QPbZNRSCTefBj7ARUzQDThvWOslOFzp0Y-U1sLEFKiwWSZ5LhFUjKaUyQ9u2X9cG1mg_1u76vsqbbmp28Hsf/s1600-h/IMG_1167.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdxngE4KMWl5VOmUfk10z7ewBOr5DrHvlLiFA6fHVbM68xMGR0IKWgufy_QPbZNRSCTefBj7ARUzQDThvWOslOFzp0Y-U1sLEFKiwWSZ5LhFUjKaUyQ9u2X9cG1mg_1u76vsqbbmp28Hsf/s400/IMG_1167.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345155620268436130" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><br />*Best Dessert: Ted Drewes Frozen Custard, St. Louis, MO. A St. This frozen custard stand, which has only 2 locations, both in St. Louis, has been around for decades and is a popular post-Cardinals game hangout. Head there about half an hour after a Cardinals game ends, and you'll be stuck in line behind 50 people wearing Albert Pujols and Rick Ankiel jerseys. The line moves quickly though, so you'll never have to wait for too long. <br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span>The thing to order at Ted Drewes is a concrete, which is basically a McFlurry, but one that's actually made with quality ingredients and not rendered pork fat. It all starts with vanilla custard, delicious by itself, and then you can add as many ingredients that you want to it from a list of 30 or so. If you order fruit, they actually add real fruit to it, not fruit syrup. We ended up going twice, the first time as our dinner several hours after the Pointersaurus attempt, and the second time after the Cardinals game that we went to. </span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span><span>The first time, I got a chocolate cookie dough concrete, the next night a strawberry banana one. Two completely different flavors; both were refreshing and delicious. Ted Drewes officially scores a 3-.....check it out if you're in St. Louis and are looking for a great dessert, or if you've been sitting outside in the heat for 3 hours at a Cardinals game and want the perfect way to cool off.<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMrL-JcoS7-yuX2ayo2L4nLKPmjH42EPEhwEJ0ulhwMTFkJuYtivoeSnNGVWGInaWaVgU68_-avajZWYCIGKxTO_9Eejb8bWKlZS-vCyQ-LNrdlBvSDJ-xkIu_9GGpmu9d2124487-5zIq/s1600-h/IMG_0537.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMrL-JcoS7-yuX2ayo2L4nLKPmjH42EPEhwEJ0ulhwMTFkJuYtivoeSnNGVWGInaWaVgU68_-avajZWYCIGKxTO_9Eejb8bWKlZS-vCyQ-LNrdlBvSDJ-xkIu_9GGpmu9d2124487-5zIq/s400/IMG_0537.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5345155879984606754" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><br /><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">And now, a bunch of numbers:</span></span></span></div><div><span><span><br />For statistics' sake, I'm counting both Phillies-Reds games as 1 big game. Therefore, on this trip, I saw 8 baseball games, featuring 12 different teams: Pittsburgh (3 times), Philadelphia (2 times), St. Louis (2 times), Milwaukee, Washington, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Houston, Cincinnati, Kansas City, Cleveland, and the New York Yankees. <br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span>On this trip, we saw every single team from the NL Central and went to every NL Central stadium except for Houston. Of the 8 stadiums we went to, only 2 of them were AL ballparks (White Sox and Indians).<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span>From my starting point in New York until I got back to New York 16 days later, I traveled through 14 states. Andy and I drove roughly 1600 miles in a car, and I also spent 21 hours on a train and 4 hours on a bus.<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span>I have now been to 16 of 30 MLB Ballparks and 40 of 50 US States.<br /><br /></span></span></div><div><span><span>And that's all I have to say about that. Stay tuned for some parting shots.</span></span><div><div><div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:Times;"><div style="border-top-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-width: 0px; border-style: initial; border-color: initial; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; padding-top: 3px; padding-right: 3px; padding-bottom: 3px; padding-left: 3px; width: auto; font: normal normal normal 100%/normal Georgia, serif; text-align: left; "><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></div></div></span></div></div></div></div></div>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06072938568216527556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1925078994873173447.post-41265008209239040362009-06-07T21:32:00.001-04:002009-06-07T21:44:14.234-04:00The Ultimate Food Review<div>Over the course of our 2-week trip, Andy and I <a href="http://2guys1roadtrip.blogspot.com/search/label/food%20review">sampled some of the best and most regionally iconic food that the midwest has to offer</a>. Even though basically everything we ate was delicious, give or take a giant pizza or two, there was a clear-cut winner for the award of best food on the trip. But before we get to the winner, we've got two other medals to hand out.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Bronze Medal: Primanti Brothers, 2AM. </span>The mid-afternoon Primanti's trip was nothing spectacular, but due to the better late-nite sandwich choices of kielbasa and corned beef (as opposed to cheesesteak and capicola in the afternoon), plus our 2AM desire for a large amount of flavor-packed food, late-nite Primanti's was able to edge out Al's Italian Beef for the low spot on the medal stand.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Silver Medal: Jim's Original. </span>Going to Jim's for delicious grilled polish sausages is a guaranteed great meal. The sausages are cooked perfectly, the mustard is sharp and has a nice kick, and the sweet sauteed onions are the perfect complement to the sausage and mustard flavors. As an added bonus, the prices are great ($3 for an italian sausage), and you get free fries with every sandwich. So when you go, bring $20 and stock up. Eat five of them at Jim's and save one to bring home and put on your medal stand.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">And the champion....</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Gold Medal: Pappy's Smokehouse. </span>The clear-cut winner. I know there are scientists around the world working to cure diseases and build rocketships and whatnot -- but I really don't think it would hurt for them to take some time off to figure out the recipe for the dry rub on Pappy's ribs. Unfortunately though, the top spot on the actual medaI stand itself will have to remain unoccupied. I wouldn't even save one of Pappy's ribs to put on it; they're just too amazing not to eat.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 24px; font-weight: normal; ">The Final Overall Rankings</span><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The Official Food Review Hierarchy</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">1) Not worth it</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">2) Stop in if you're driving by</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">3) Check it out if you're in town</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">4) I'd drive an hour for it</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">5) I'd drove across several states for it</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">6) I'd kill a man</span></div><div><br /></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Pappy's Smokehouse: 4.5</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">(I'd drive an hour AND wait in line for an hour for it)</span><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Jim's Original: 4</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">(I'd drive an hour for it every now and then)</span><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Primanti Brothers 2AM: 4-</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">(I would take a $10 cab ride for it)</span><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Al's Italian Beef: 3+</span> (Check it out if you're anywhere near Chicago)</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Zingermann's: 3</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">(Stop by if you're in Ann Arbor and don't mind spending $15 on a sandwich)</span><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Skyline Chili: 3</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">(Check it out if you're in Cincinnati)</span><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Lou Malnati's Pizzeria: 3</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">(Check it out at one of its many locations if you're in Chicago)</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">The Ohio Deli (Dagwood): 2.5</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"> (Pretty tasty sandwich in itself -- check it out if you're in Columbus and want a challenging, yet doable food challenge)</span><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Primanti Brothers, 5PM: 2 </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">(Check it out if you're driving by)</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Pointer's Pizza: 0.5</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">(I would only eat it at sundown after Yom Kippur if there was nothing else to eat)</span></div>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06072938568216527556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1925078994873173447.post-53763586028417307112009-06-05T20:42:00.004-04:002009-06-08T01:11:03.406-04:00Final Ballpark RankingsFirst, a few minor awards:<div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;">Best Food</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Criteria: </span>You're given $40 to get whatever food you want at each ballpark. Where will you find the best combination of food quality and food value?</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Milwaukee Brewers.</span> Get the grilled brat ($4) and add mustard and fresh cut onions at the full condiment bar. Get a side of fried cheese curds ($4), which I would best describe as a bowl of amazing bite-sized mozzarella sticks. Wash it all down with a 16 oz. High Life draft ($5.25). And even then, you still have more than $25 left. Get another sausage (polish or kielbasa). Spend an extra dollar on a beer to try a microbrew ($6.25). Try some locally-made ice cream. Even after all of this food, you'll still have $10. At Miller Park, the food is delicious, and you'll be able to eat until you're stuffed.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;">Best Value</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Criteria: </span>Which park gives you the best value, in terms of a combination of tickets, food, and souvenirs?</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Cincinnati Reds. </span>Milwaukee has the best food value, but its ticket prices are a little on the high side ($17 for standing room seats). Cincinnati has $5 seats available for every game, and the seats that we got from Andy's Dad a few rows behind the 3rd-base dugout were only $32 (season ticket price). Food is reasonable, and the souvenir minibat was $6, tied for 2nd place, only behind Washington's $5 minibats.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;">Best Design</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Criteria: </span>Which baseball park best combines unique ballpark features, sight lines, and a city's features (skyline, scenery, etc.) to produce the most aesthetically-pleasing ballpark?</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: Pittsburgh Pirates</span> (with St. Louis a very close 2nd). The downtown view, which can be seen from all parts of the ballpark and includes the river and Roberto Clemente Bridge, is outstanding. There is also standing room space with a great view of the field anywhere you go in the stadium. Finally, for such a modern ballpark, retro-themed features such as the out-of-town scoreboard stand out and give PNC a classic, vintage feel.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;">Best Game</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Criteria: </span>Which game that we saw was the most well-played and entertaining?</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Winner: <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/boxscore?gameId=290525108">St. Louis @ Milwaukee</a></span>. Milwaukee's pitcher (Yovani Gallardo) had a no-hitter that was broken up in the 6th inning. Not to be outdone, St. Louis' pitcher (Chris Carpenter) had a perfect game going until it was broken up in the 7th. Both pitchers ended up going 8 innings and only allowing 2 hits each. One of the most masterful pitching performances I've ever seen by a pair of pitchers in the same game. It went to extras and Milwaukee ended up winning on a 2-out hit in the 10th inning.</div><div><br /></div><div>And now, the moment you've all been waiting for, the award for best ballpark. Some people make spreadsheets with point values for different categories, total up the points, and determine a winner. But I think that overcomplicates it.</div><div><br /></div><div>My criteria was simple: if offered the chance to go back to any of these ballparks to see a normal, regular-season game in the middle of the summer, what would be my first choice? After that, which ballpark would be my second choice, third choice, fourth choice, etc?</div><div><br /></div><div>In case you want more details on any of these ballparks, click <a href="http://2guys1roadtrip.blogspot.com/search/label/ballpark%20review">here</a> to read all 8 of my full reviews. So now, without further ado, I present to you my overall rankings:</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">1) Wrigley Field, Chicago Cubs</span>. Just an amazing baseball experience that is unlike any of the other parks we visited. Eight rows behind the plate, upper deck, in the bleachers -- I don't care where I'd be sitting, I just want to go back.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">2a) Busch Stadium, St. Louis Cardinals</span>. Beautiful stadium, devoted fans, perennially-contending team. Great combination.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">2b) PNC Park, Pittsburgh Pirates</span>. Everything good about St. Louis (with some aspects being slightly better) minus the whole being a contender part. Fans are still devoted, but when you've had 16 straight losing season, enthusiasm tends to wane, thus hurting the whole ballpark experience. Still, if Pittsburgh was even somewhat competitive, there's a good chance that it would jump St. Louis in the rankings.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">4) Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati Reds</span>. The way that the park is built into the riverbank and has such a great view of the Kentucky shoreline makes GABP beautiful and unique. Basically, it's just a very relaxing place to watch a game.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">5) Miller Park, Milwaukee Brewers</span>. This jumps up to #2 if I'm promised a Saturday night game and given a car full of friends, food, and beer. The tailgating scene at the ballpark is reminiscent of a big-program college football atmosphere, which is awesome. But since the usher said that it's not as lively on most weeknights, I'm keeping it at #5. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">6) Progressive Field, Cleveland Indians</span>. Nice ballpark, but nothing special or memorable about it. When you're working with Cleveland as a canvas though, you're not starting out with much (as opposed to the great skyline or river views in other, non-Cleveland cities). Could've put the ballpark next to the Cuyahoga, but that might have been a <a href="http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=1642">fire hazard</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">7) Nationals Park, Washington Nationals</span>. The ballpark is fairly nice, but for something only a couple of years old, it ranks much lower than other brand new parks because of its overall design (lots of sharp angles -- like a video game ballpark), fanbase (just something for them to do until the Redskins start playing again), and location (in an empty warehouse district).</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">8) US Cellular Field, Chicago White Sox</span>. A concrete bowl with only an upper deck. Was there a lower deck? I don't know. With my ticket, I couldn't go down there myself to confirm its existence.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Tomorrow, or whenever I feel like it: </span>Final food rankings and random things from the trip that merit documenting.</div>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06072938568216527556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1925078994873173447.post-19189758230745977632009-06-05T00:47:00.002-04:002009-06-05T02:05:37.068-04:00Primanti Brothers<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibLuJ2mvaOl8w2RDhIyvWZh7fGOgd7-e09hFk5VHUdT2BExuOhGvy4yoGPEQSoSfXzYaWxRMAGRc4EnCqpmRSn-LJSaO_rnmaFuw5qhfsgsA1A_dvoOdr1YhESrlE2cUSKUSbJ-SGWwwvP/s1600-h/IMG_1440.JPG"></a><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">And now, a food review in two acts:</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Act I: 5PM</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV3HCrerlJ_fhK_BwmR0DFvjVNAoYBNBVztjflG5wQXqhplbsMVgDJn2cpOOmhjP_BqXIB5GyB83AM2Ez9p13iKMhvJ5YBgCV33sOJMcncVRMlSkSgbov4HKQuit4z2-hR8ZLbOpUV2MIY/s1600-h/IMG_1444.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV3HCrerlJ_fhK_BwmR0DFvjVNAoYBNBVztjflG5wQXqhplbsMVgDJn2cpOOmhjP_BqXIB5GyB83AM2Ez9p13iKMhvJ5YBgCV33sOJMcncVRMlSkSgbov4HKQuit4z2-hR8ZLbOpUV2MIY/s400/IMG_1444.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343608983001436162" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Mere hours after arriving in Pittsburgh, Andy and I ventured down to Pittsburgh's strip district, home of the original <a href="http://www.primantibros.com/">Primanti Brothers</a>. For those of you who have never watched the Food Network or Travel Channel, Primanti's started as a sandwich cart that fed Pittsburgh factory workers hundreds of thousands of years ago; it is now a regional chain with more than a few stores in the Pittsburgh area. Of course, we had to go to <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=ebmqyrznmnb&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">the original</span></a>. Primanti's is famous for stuffing their sandwiches with handfuls of both fries and coleslaw. Andy and I had a plan: we would each order a different sandwich and then split them, so we would get to try as many as possible.</div><div><br /></div><div>Andy went with the <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=xnmmiwoinmv&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; ">capicola (basically a spiced ham) and egg</span></a>, which is touted as the local, Pittsburgh-type thing to eat. I ordered the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=zyqyjymz4wn&thumb=6">steak and cheese</a></span>, which is touted on the menu board as being the #2 best seller. The big joke, which I find absolutely hilarious, is that there is no #1 best seller. Just side-splitting stuff. Only the best at Primanti's.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibLuJ2mvaOl8w2RDhIyvWZh7fGOgd7-e09hFk5VHUdT2BExuOhGvy4yoGPEQSoSfXzYaWxRMAGRc4EnCqpmRSn-LJSaO_rnmaFuw5qhfsgsA1A_dvoOdr1YhESrlE2cUSKUSbJ-SGWwwvP/s200/IMG_1440.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343714952947655234" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px; " /></span></div><div>We sat at the bar and watched intently as they cooked up our sandwiches on the grill. After hearing rave reviews about Primanti Bros. from nearly everyone that had tried it before, we were excited. Unfortunately, the bar may have been set too high. The sandwiches were good, but they were not the culinary orgy of flavors we had been led to believe we would encounter. </div><div><br /></div><div>The steak and cheese was solid, but both Andy and I were thrown off by the fact that the steak was not the standard chopped up or sliced cheesesteak cut. Instead, it was basically a beef patty. Still tasty, but I'd take a Pat's cheesesteak over this any day.</div><div><br /></div><div>The capicola and egg was also good, but much like the steak and cheese, nothing special. It's easy to see why capicola and egg is described as a "Pittsburgh favorite." The spiced ham was a flavor that neither of us was used to, and we couldn't tell whether it was good or bad. I still don't think I've made up my mind, actually. But any time there's a local food with a somewhat funny taste, you can make it popular by describing it as a regional specialty. I really don't know if anyone in Pittsburgh would eat capicola if it didn't give them some sort of civic pride; I probably won't again.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Official verdict for Primanti Brothers, 5PM: </span>Check it out if you're driving by. If you're hungry and and see a Primanti's, stopping in for a huge stuffed sandwich will satisfy your hunger. But don't expect anything amazing.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">ACT II: 2 AM</span></span></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDmn5HQfAOhQ7Jli6TPsA-6jHqp9a0EkaFqcw9TFYk5VyObmM5GczZwKpijiqw9wgb4zaxiq0DX7XokqShUSc6hj1UQGc3kTlQovJVTVE6DKDbImN7lkN736D0IrQkqU3a5floij8AKvpc/s1600-h/IMG_1657.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDmn5HQfAOhQ7Jli6TPsA-6jHqp9a0EkaFqcw9TFYk5VyObmM5GczZwKpijiqw9wgb4zaxiq0DX7XokqShUSc6hj1UQGc3kTlQovJVTVE6DKDbImN7lkN736D0IrQkqU3a5floij8AKvpc/s400/IMG_1657.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343608982462206290" /></a><br /><br />After the Pirates game, Andy and I hit the bars near the ballpark. After <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=dgmxtqritzy&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">making some new friends</span></a> (who, not surprisingly, could <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">not</span> be convinced that Sidney Crosby is a bitch, as hard as I tried to prove the point), we decided to venture back to Primanti Bros. for a true late-nite sandwich experience.<div><br /></div><div>We decided to start walking and flag down the first cab we saw. Thirty minutes and zero cabs later, we were getting closer to Primanti's. Then things went downhill real quickly.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">NOTE:</span> If you want to go to the original Primanti's location in the strip district at 2AM, do NOT walk. I repeat, do NOT walk. Take a cab. Wait an hour for one if you have to. But for the love of God do not walk. A sandwich is not worth a stab wound. Well, most aren't. </div><div><br /></div><div>Clutching our Pirates minibats tightly for protection, we cautiously made our way through some not-so-nice real estate before thankfully arriving at the restaurant. We made our way to the same seats at the bar where we had sat roughly 9 hours earlier, and decided on our next two sandwiches: corned beef and kielbasa.</div><div><br /></div><div>We waited with anticipation, hoping that our second visit would validate the hype that had been so lavishly bestowed upon Primanti's and that had not been fulfilled during our first visit. The sandwiches came. We each grabbed half of the corned beef. We readied. And then we dug in.</div><div><br /></div><div>Without a word, we each looked at each other and immediately knew what the other was thinking: the hype was real. This was a great sandwich. We finished our corned beef and moved on to the kielbasa. Amazingly, the kielbasa was the best of the four we'd had on the day. The kielbasa itself was delicious, and its intense flavor was balanced out incredibly well by the coleslaw and tomato on the sandwich. </div><div><br /></div><div>Unfortunately, by this point, my camera was dying, so the only 2 pictures I have of our 2nd trip to Primanti's are <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=mwzzzzzg1b2&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">this one of the kielbasa sandwich</span></a> and the one at the top of the Act II post of my corned beef remnants. Still, even looking at these 2 pictures makes me hungry for another Primanti's kielbasa.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">Official verdict for Primanti Brothers, 2AM: </span>I would take a $10 cab ride for it. For me, Primanti's has joined the ranks of elite late-night food, taking its place right behind #1 Cosmic Cantina (the one in Durham, not the overpriced, second-rate NYC one) and #2 Pat's cheesesteaks. But remember to heed my words of advice: Take a cab (or go to a different location). Get the kielbasa. Go home happy. Someday, you'll look back on this and thank me.<br /></div>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06072938568216527556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1925078994873173447.post-37115750876804908742009-06-04T01:24:00.006-04:002009-06-04T10:45:25.226-04:00PNC Park<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIfKtvGY7Xmo83hkJbTnodDZlb4XhTCZSLUNEvrahFsqohBF0cdkLV2jstXkfDfOEZm1AiPiL-2U5eiQ4115G36LQbn85P4GBcuBM-esxE14o3E5zDJsZPCjo3HENi_bohHl8bJ9GEXd9T/s1600-h/IMG_1617.JPG"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEQGKAbVv-6BKAV3KxFcNUmmI6l-jtaGqz3szXaNLbJS5XrYJnWZDbLbB6Y8gLxhdnvSDvpBEw6wREV-osNYgGHFpxCtH9JWs2lvTTE-j4mLfPrZ63W2prz8IRCJF3hAEqj_L0sASaFT3J/s1600-h/IMG_1545.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEQGKAbVv-6BKAV3KxFcNUmmI6l-jtaGqz3szXaNLbJS5XrYJnWZDbLbB6Y8gLxhdnvSDvpBEw6wREV-osNYgGHFpxCtH9JWs2lvTTE-j4mLfPrZ63W2prz8IRCJF3hAEqj_L0sASaFT3J/s400/IMG_1545.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343218998829028930" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div>Andy and I spent the afternoon eating sandwiches (for a change...) and then headed over to PNC Park, taking the preferred route by <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=wjylwddnimr&thumb=6">walking from downtown over the Roberto Clemente Bridge</a></span> to the ballpark. There's a great view of the stadium from the bridge, and as you can see in the above picture, also a great view of the bridge from the stadium.</div><div><br /></div><div>The <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=tmcxni1ntvu&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">ballpark atmosphere was fairly lively</span></a>, which surprised us, seeing as how Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals (which the Penguins were in) was happening that night too. Evidently enough people wanted to go to see a 4th-place baseball team play a 6th-place team that the game was a sell-out, even when their hometown hockey team was in the finals. True, it was a Saturday night, and the weather was great, but for a town like Pittsburgh that loves their hockey (when they're winning and the bandwagon is rolling along), this was unexpected.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZSIwyxuCZriueN1yIsNE6CAng-mJUqIz22emDUWzlY7uMuklrGYjT5s15CpP8Sd7J2ZZkgZaCTfHvmR1iGXtCW9ZVMngcVONMn4bbH05pGbtvN-MGoqHLe-WLnhtiDM67kX0ObbiW3Szy/s200/IMG_1458.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343325542076898226" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px; " /></div><div>We bought under-face-value tickets from a scalper who said his friends had bailed due to hockey, and found our seats in the upper deck behind the plate. That picture at the top? That's where we sat, and in terms of ballpark views, I don't think you can beat it. The skyline, the beautiful bridge, and the river...it's just a great place to watch a baseball game from. Even <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=w1heztwlxnz&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">from the lower seats, you get a great view of the city</span></a>. And the ballpark designers also made sure that wherever you are in the ballpark, you have a great view of the game. For example...</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Example #1: </span>Most ballparks have ramps behind the concourses. PNC has a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=tkjuzzrm2wo&thumb=6">winding ramp</a></span> that <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=zz2ygzwodzj&thumb=6">has views of the field on each level</a></span>, where fans can stand and watch. I even witnessed people sitting on a blanket having a quasi-picnic on this ramp while still having a great view of the field.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Example #2:</span> <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=jjgmdzgnkda&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Left field standing room is literally 6 rows from the field</span></a>. In other parks they put the standing room behind an entire large section, at least 25 rows back. Here, you can stand and watch the game from only 10 yards or so behind the left field fence.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Example #3:</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=tmzzyytvjyj&thumb=6">The ballpark itself is incredibly low</a></span>. Even the upper deck seats seem closer than in other parks, because, well....they are. PNC is the 2nd smallest park in the majors, which means that ridiculously high seats, like the ones that they have in Chicago at US Cellular, do not exist here.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Other cool things about PNC:</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=z40e0foznzh&thumb=6">The out-of-town scoreboard</a></span>. It's modern, but with a classic sort of look that fits in perfectly with the rest of the ballpark.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=zzzmnjydlmm&thumb=6">The radar gun.</a></span> We've moved past the days of just how fast a pitch was. I'll be damned if I don't know the vertical break of Ian Snell's every pitch.</div><div><br /></div><div>They've got a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=jzmmx4iymee&thumb=6">prize wheel</a></span> on the walkway behind right field right next to the river. They stamp your ticket, so you can only spin it once per game, but everyone wins something; you can win a Pirates t-shirt, bobblehead, umbrella, discounted ticket, or an unnamed grand prize. Andy stepped up, spun the wheel, and wound up with a free t-shirt. Sweet. Then I gave the wheel a whirl, and it landed on....a piece of paper with an online code for a discounted ticket. Screw that. One crumple and disgusted toss later, I was prizeless.</div><div><br /></div><div>The food prices are pretty standard for a ballpark (i.e. high), but the selection is better than most places I've seen. PNC has incorporated several local eateries into their concession stands, so if you want a $25 bucket of wings from <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Quaker Steak & Lube</span>, you're in luck.</div><div><br /></div><div>At some point during the middle innings, for no apparent reason, a small cheer arose from the crowd. This turned quickly into dull roar, which gave way to a full-fledged standing ovation. What had happened? The Penguins had scored to tie the hockey game at 1. As a Rangers fan, and someone who hates all things Sidney Crosby, I didn't like it, but I have to admit that seeing this happen was pretty cool.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">And the not-really-that-cool-but-still-okay-I-guess things:</span></div><div><br /></div><div>Pittsburgh has a food race too. <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=5w2jzl2ojtg&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">A bunch of pierogies</span></a> race around the warning track. Who won? <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=2bgjwmevxmz&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">The red one, maybe?</span></a> Honestly, I wasn't really paying much attention to it because I was too busy admiring the skyline, which <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=nijoyyt4yq4&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">keeps its hypnotic properties, even at night</span></a>. Andy wasn't paying attention because he refused to watch any race that didn't feature ketchup.</div><div><br /></div><div>Like the Yankees and the Reds, the Pirates do the YMCA. Strangely enough, the fans here seem to like it. As Meatloaf almost said, 1 out of 3 ain't bad.</div><div><br /></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIfKtvGY7Xmo83hkJbTnodDZlb4XhTCZSLUNEvrahFsqohBF0cdkLV2jstXkfDfOEZm1AiPiL-2U5eiQ4115G36LQbn85P4GBcuBM-esxE14o3E5zDJsZPCjo3HENi_bohHl8bJ9GEXd9T/s320/IMG_1617.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5343336933292119250" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></div><div>The game ended, the Pirates won, the Penguins lost, and everyone stayed in their seats for the postgame fireworks show/ country music concert from some band I'd never heard of. While we waited, they used the jumbotron to entertain the crowd. Props to whoever was in charge of programming, because their choice was a winner. The best part might have been the fact that the entire skit was closed-captioned.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Then the music started. We sat through a couple of songs, including a cover of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Devil Went Down to Georgia</span>, and eventually the fireworks began. The fireworks show was good, and the fact that they <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=mmzd3zmnomw&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">exploded right in front of the skyline</span></a> was an added bonus. Also featured: <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=imjjy20jhmw&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">the amazing explodable bridge!</span></a> And the best part was that that night's show only killed 8 bridge pedestrians! No...I kid, I kid. The death toll was much higher than that.</div><div><br /></div><div>After a few minutes, the fireworks stopped, and the band started playing again. We left.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Quick Summary: </span>Hidden deep in the Allegheny Mountains, nestled among the steel mills and coal mines, you will find an absolute gem of a ballpark. The park designers definitely had the fans in mind when they built it; every view of the field is top-notch, and the way the ballpark is built into the city is spectacular. One can make an entire lap around the field and find standing room to watch the game everywhere aside from the center field concourse, which loses the field view, but gives you concessions stands with an amazing view of the river and the city.</div>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06072938568216527556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1925078994873173447.post-51709833793213084162009-06-02T16:23:00.001-04:002009-06-02T16:27:09.134-04:00Zingerman's<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn9IleRQgV4YLS9isYLPvYv871Nimd4_Pwp0MONSvLp-UH_n-VUsdLrNbARBmomoT4K66TWfPlezstGwTFRo6OByzWEVm10AfXJ_2kXbAA2sP2SUd1KMK80fQeU46sJLZxwXrB0PV0xGhy/s1600-h/IMG_1186.JPG"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkayey5dpC6bFyl8PbSfgal6dfv2agQH5S85ZoXUdKkTi07wVXPyQF_c1Kt3OX04TnynStS026x9xOcn4EN5MnTAWd_xNn7Ynu6OnhQjL1DrCZz3dxousv8QYMHNwQ0eL9E5gFbWcwvL1_/s1600-h/IMG_1189.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkayey5dpC6bFyl8PbSfgal6dfv2agQH5S85ZoXUdKkTi07wVXPyQF_c1Kt3OX04TnynStS026x9xOcn4EN5MnTAWd_xNn7Ynu6OnhQjL1DrCZz3dxousv8QYMHNwQ0eL9E5gFbWcwvL1_/s400/IMG_1189.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342554868495375650" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div>An Ann Arbor favorite for more than 25 years, Zingerman's is an upscale food retailer and delicatessen located on a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=yylw2xoiyw1&thumb=6">small shopping street</a></span>. Andy, his friend Dave, and I got there at about 1PM on a weekday during Michigan's summer session. Nevertheless, we were still met by a sizeable line. It moved quickly, allowing us time to look at the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=nthi4dzdyzz&thumb=6">sizeable menu</a></span>. Still, when we got to the front, we still weren't sure what we wanted to order. </div><div><br /></div><div>Zingerman's <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zingerman%27s">Wikipedia page</a> says that the deli is known for it's customer friendliness. After talking with the girl taking our order, and watching how she put up with three first-timers like us, making recommendations, and never getting flustered or annoyed by our stupid questions, I can say without a doubt that the customer service is spectacular. We each ordered a large sandwich, and then got two sides for the table: the latke sticks and the mac & cheese.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn9IleRQgV4YLS9isYLPvYv871Nimd4_Pwp0MONSvLp-UH_n-VUsdLrNbARBmomoT4K66TWfPlezstGwTFRo6OByzWEVm10AfXJ_2kXbAA2sP2SUd1KMK80fQeU46sJLZxwXrB0PV0xGhy/s320/IMG_1186.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342826074853958050" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px; " /></span></div><div>We went to another part of the store to pay, and then to the building next door where there are tables where they bring the food out to you. The food arrived quickly, and it looked delicious. The <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=nzymdddnzde&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">latke sticks</span></a> were warm, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and the creamy pesto dipping sauce that came with was a nice touch. The <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=niwjd1wzmzk&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">mac & cheese</span></a> was even better (and for Andy and Dave, their favorite item). Personally, I liked the sandwich. I got corned beef, cheese, coleslaw, and russian dressing on rye bread. The bread was toasted with a crunchy crust, and the meat was juicy and flavorful. Overall, just a great sandwich.</div><div><br /></div><div>The downside was the price. The sandwiches were each $15. Each of the sides was $5. If the price was cut to what most other delis charged for sandwiches like this, then this could definitely be an everyday sandwich shop, but there's better food than a sandwich that you can get for $15. The food is still delicious though and it's definitely worth it to try Zingerman's if you've never been before.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Official verdict for Zingerman's: </span>Stop by if you're in Ann Arbor and don't mind dropping $15 on a sandwich. Then stop in again sometime after your next paycheck.</div>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06072938568216527556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1925078994873173447.post-27910985758859126392009-06-01T21:28:00.000-04:002009-06-01T22:16:34.407-04:00Progressive Field<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ezyXw9nUFMuOBKEx4Ioyis47Df_FlIAuEdxSjStneBITgrWYk8OaXboUYX8yf1vSur7L8o0g4zSMvsFyVMxP8DapOv6GO6yWo02cGZS0ORLvUUE1qGEyV3mfEU9EDr_SsKuqKXTRiIvG/s1600-h/IMG_1375.JPG"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnwkj8NWb0ge_zgIYfPoq4emAb25Q_Y0urd7lNLh71Y9Yqcj_-vpFYVJtJGTocE-MOnZ1Hnho8uEHNPzFdBFz1w3pYS_SM-xZCaJxlpjaXy75A7CEJE5uHgKNmr3ZvyRpzYcsQiJrzsfTB/s1600-h/IMG_1313.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnwkj8NWb0ge_zgIYfPoq4emAb25Q_Y0urd7lNLh71Y9Yqcj_-vpFYVJtJGTocE-MOnZ1Hnho8uEHNPzFdBFz1w3pYS_SM-xZCaJxlpjaXy75A7CEJE5uHgKNmr3ZvyRpzYcsQiJrzsfTB/s400/IMG_1313.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342410589773133906" /></a><div><br /></div><div>After staying the night at Andy's friend Jake's house, we spent the morning at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton. Highlights included: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=oz1mmz0ymzy&thumb=6">Me as an inductee</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=z4zj5tzwrtm&thumb=6">Me scared of being stabbed</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">, Seeing that the HOF officially recognizes <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=djjm2gwjgqi&thumb=6">this name</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">, And of course, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=za1zdiwcymg&thumb=6">this</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><div>Afterwards, we drove to Cleveland for the Indians game. Not wanting to pay a ridiculous amount for parking near the stadium, we found out that the Great Lakes Brewing Company, which is about 1.5 miles away, provides a shuttle to and from the stadium. Technically, the pass to ride that you buy at the brewery costs $1, but I'm pretty sure that you could quickly flash any receipt and be fine. After finding cheap parking near the brewery, we boarded the "Fatty Wagon" and headed for <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=dmy3znhmjmz&thumb=6">the ballpark</a></span>.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEx6DNMRW_PzUK6W-LnY2ZabsPrIgfkBYkpgPYD-3NS5GGmcvyNUN21mnXrBaEmIUviO4hhWRrWCU09Futpu32WpoxA_oIS9Tg4B9cwJWydAzL-eDiZCeAx2Qr9E1fsmk63QpZVkIaNzOt/s320/IMG_1287.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342546843873775234" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px; " /></span></div><div>You'll notice a recurring theme in this review. Everything about the stadium is nice, but nothing is spectacular. The one exception is in promotions: June 15th is Rick Vaughn bobblehead night. That's pretty awesome.</div><div><br /></div><div>The entire game was played, which was nice. But not until after a 1 hour, 30 minute rain delay, which actually started before the rain even did. We walked into the park, and even though it wasn't raining, we saw <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=ydjddmemkmk&thumb=6">this</a></span>. We sat through about 20 minutes of dry weather before the rain actually started. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Better than: The Cubs game. Worse than: All the other ones.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>The view from the ballpark is a great showcase of the Cleveland skyline. Unfortunately, Cleveland does not have much of a skyline. But you can clearly see <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=nmoxrjzdyzi&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">all three of Cleveland's buildings</span></a>. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Better than: White Sox, Nationals, Milwaukee. Worse than: Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Cincinnati's river view.</span><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>They have a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=omnxq0jyzhj&thumb=6">nice area</a></span> with <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=u1dhhgzjam5&thumb=6">plaques of famous Indians players</a></span> from their history. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Better than: most ballparks, including the White Sox who also have a long history and fairly new park but no such area to honor players (at least not on the upper deck). Worse than: this is basically a cheap imitation of Yankee Stadium's Monument Park.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>They have a fair amount of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=jqhz4mmmdz4&thumb=6">standing room areas</a></span>; however, the upper deck overhang stretches way out, obstructing the vertical view of a large portion of the standing room area behind the plate and on the baselines. And there's no standing room or open concourse on the upper deck. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Better than: most old stadiums. Worse than: most new stadiums.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>The <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=nd5gnnz5jzm&thumb=6">stadium design itself, as seen from our seats</a></span>, is pretty basic. Nothing special. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Better than: old stadiums. Worse than: anything built in the past 10 years.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>Attendance: Not as many people as some other parks. But more bugs and seagulls than you'll see at any place that doesn't have longshoremen working there. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Better than: Nationals park, insectariums, or the docks. Worse than: any place without a midge infestation. (Bonus: a section of the ballpark that had <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=wzvuhiitmzy&thumb=6">more seagulls than people in it</a></span>.)</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivbAeIEOyaLci207maq4aas7eGrS-NR7lK_f-lHPEVaTYPzebxt1GGi_gsiH9zwldCrbYCbiKt4vkVQWwy5rh4bmC1ZzLT_-YEkJ-n5VYzlvPTEMHUGjbGjN-_-AqxJZPXUUVCxqcQgRLu/s200/IMG_1330.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342547399599538882" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " /></span></div><div>Quicken Loans Arena, where the Cavs play, is right across the street. There's a gigantic poster on the side of the arena of Lebron. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Better than: most of the Eastern Conference. Worse than: Orlando.</span></div><div><br /></div><div>The ushers are nice. They're not as friendly or allowing of you to go anywhere in the park as some of the other stadium ushers. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; ">Better than: most parks. Worse than: St. Louis and Pittsburgh.</span><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The big race in Cleveland is <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=nn5j0ov1kym&thumb=6">ketchup vs. mustard vs. onions</a></span>. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Worse than: Milwaukee's sausages, Washington's presidents, Pittsburgh's pierogis. Better than: Any of the animated train races on the jumbotron or the gang fight in the outfield of the White Sox game. </span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">*As a side note, this may have been the best actual race of any we saw. Mustard bumped ketchup and sent him flying. Ketchup responded by cheating, cutting through the infield grass. Nevertheless, mustard still won. Ketchup got even more mad and pushed mustard in his smiling hot dog face as he celebrated. Mustard ran away, pumping his fist in the air. All of this is real. Andy has video that I'll upload if he sends it to me.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div>The Indians' mascot is named <a href="http://cleveland.indians.mlb.com/cle/fan_forum/slider.jsp">Slider</a>. He looks like the Philly Phanatic after a paint job and a face herpes breakout. He was also inducted into the "Mascot Hall of Fame" in a ceremony after the game while they set up the fireworks show. His "parents" were there for the ceremony. So were his "kids." But no wife. So I guess the herpes thing makes sense. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Worse than: any legitimate mascot. Better than: Vomiting Kermit.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><object width="320" height="265"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/biT1JGJTBAc&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/biT1JGJTBAc&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="320" height="265"></embed></object><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0ezyXw9nUFMuOBKEx4Ioyis47Df_FlIAuEdxSjStneBITgrWYk8OaXboUYX8yf1vSur7L8o0g4zSMvsFyVMxP8DapOv6GO6yWo02cGZS0ORLvUUE1qGEyV3mfEU9EDr_SsKuqKXTRiIvG/s200/IMG_1375.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342548139336201810" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " /></span></div><div>The highlights: The Yankees won 3-1. We were able to <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=ntv4w3lizm2&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">move down to seats on the field level</span></a> for the last 2 innings. The <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=ynyzznugzmm&thumb=6">fireworks</a></span> were pretty cool and were set to 70's music. <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=2zdjmzmcmdj&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Andy got his picture taken with ketchup</span></a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Quick Summary: </span>Progressive Field is nice, but not really special or memorable in any sort of way. Everything is done well, but no aspect of the stadium is at the top in any specific category.<div><br /></div></div>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06072938568216527556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1925078994873173447.post-85337065629913758762009-06-01T12:13:00.002-04:002009-06-01T12:27:44.277-04:00Wrigley Field<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Zh-rO-DYMB2WFGboi79ze4zKct5DpR0EhkBwDnU34ifHcc8iA1LhvCwp6YrgeN3E8mdXb8r68Bx6ixn-kS3BeSkTd-zCBIGXmptCJszKVsvyEIIRR50DYxexG-y_xNdOmHns-QTCYR2Q/s1600-h/IMG_1155.JPG"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqzEPjjgKf4oY7OYr4n10wL9H71k3Ep1vTEotepVF_j5VRE-blQAYp8RAwM-1iA0OKwo7W-XajG2tf_3oU4ePARkHqGV4FbrSIewCTrGl6eeXQxogjRDxPuqXQVp6wxyUI6OYym_gtkjX2/s1600-h/IMG_1109.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqzEPjjgKf4oY7OYr4n10wL9H71k3Ep1vTEotepVF_j5VRE-blQAYp8RAwM-1iA0OKwo7W-XajG2tf_3oU4ePARkHqGV4FbrSIewCTrGl6eeXQxogjRDxPuqXQVp6wxyUI6OYym_gtkjX2/s400/IMG_1109.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342387061960301442" /></a><br /><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">With the forecast calling for rain, Andy and I spent the afternoon before the Cubs game feasting on Italian Beef sandwiches and praying that the rain would hold off long enough for them to get the game in. Through some important connections high up in the Cubs front office, we were able to get </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=mmnjzyixdzx&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">seats 8 rows behind home plate</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. And by important connections, I mean we looked on StubHub and found a pair there for only $60 each. Compare that to what those seats would cost in Yankee Stadium, and </span><a href="http://chadwright.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/carlweathers.png"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">baby, you got yourself a stew</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">It </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">rained on and off throughout the afternoon, but as the game approached, things were looking promising. We headed down to Wrigley in a very light drizzle, and as we got to </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=k3zmd2tgz2g&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">the ballpark</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, we were immediately struck by the lively gameday atmosphere, despite the not-so-great weather. There were </span><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=houtdnudmwj&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">souvenir booths</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> all over the place and the </span><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=rzm0gkyjmz1&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">bars surrounding the ballpark</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> were packed.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">After the obligatory pics in front of </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=yjzveymim5u&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">the famous Wrigley Field sign</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">, we decided to take a quick lap around the stadium, since we still had more than half an hour until the first pitch. Unlike stadiums that are built nowadays and are part of giant stadium complexes or are in the middle of a downtown area, Wrigley is right in the middle of a residential neighborhood. There are actually people who live right across the street from Wrigley Field, and as baseball fans know, the buildings surrounding the stadium </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=gnzhgjoootl&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">have rooftop seats where people can watch the game</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. Honestly, I don’t think I should be as wowed as I am by this, but it was just a very cool thing to see firsthand.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Once</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">inside the park, we walked around the concourse for a bit. Disregard the signs for the various food stands and the TVs that have been placed there, and </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=xq3mmjjdahm&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">the concourse</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> looks like it’s right out of the 1930s. So do </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=ivu3tzhj04m&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">the stands themselves</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. There are two old, basic electronic scoreboards underneath the grandstand, and that’s it.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">No marquee with flashing Coca-Cola advertisements or dancing hot dogs. Just a big sign with the score and what inning it is.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb0MISBM7h3-Mf-4usUsYDkSwx2GaVEZiv6qPvm86dWAsZvlP8mf4zpNRJX7Zc3lNHGDijwYfgQ9UvlWHDlIiXgj3OJtpz2pUJXv95RWIi1mCPWhbqPBUAxSoDE8blBY6-DfYPfiLfp9bq/s200/IMG_1147.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342392935648492578" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">there’s no jumbotron either. </span><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=t3jzmadm1wm&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The scoreboard</span></span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> is the same one you would have seen decades ago. All they’ve added is a small electronic strip to the bottom of it to tell you who’s batting. Now that we’re in the age of 100-foot high HD screens, seeing a stadium that still uses something like this is amazing. But then again, who needs a jumbotron when you’re sitting close enough to see the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=yf2ndyywdyo&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">anticipated failure on Kosuke Fukudome’s face</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> firsthand.</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The stadium itself looks old too, but in a very cool, retro sort of way. Maybe it’s the scoreboard. Maybe it’s the </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=5mzt54mmmmm&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">light towers that are different from any other I’ve seen</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">. Maybe it’s the ivy. Maybe it’s the lack of dancing hot dogs. Whatever it is, I love it.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></div><div><!--StartFragment--><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span style=""></span></span></div><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">The game started, and even though it rained on and off for the first few innings they played through it. Again, despite the weather, the crowd was great. The stadium erupted after a first-inning solo shot with a roar that’s usually saved for late-inning heroics in other parks. And the party was on when the Cubs broke the game open with a handful of runs in the 5th inning to take a 6-1 lead. Watching Wrigley break into celebration was almost as good as watching the game itself in other stadiums, and definitely helped make Wrigley the most memorable park on the entire trip.</span></span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Zh-rO-DYMB2WFGboi79ze4zKct5DpR0EhkBwDnU34ifHcc8iA1LhvCwp6YrgeN3E8mdXb8r68Bx6ixn-kS3BeSkTd-zCBIGXmptCJszKVsvyEIIRR50DYxexG-y_xNdOmHns-QTCYR2Q/s200/IMG_1155.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342394731302906770" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " /></span></div><div><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">And then </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=oij4f0ymfmk&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">this</span></a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> happened. Andy and I waited it out for about an hour, but finally the game was called, which meant…</span><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=haAhdtDmsOw"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Cubs Win! Cubs Win!</span></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> The fans left the park wet, but happy, and crowded into the neighborhood bars to celebrate the end of an 8-game losing streak.</span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" "></span></span></div><!--StartFragment--> <!--EndFragment--> <div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Personally, I know that I’m going back to Wrigley someday. While it sucked that the weather was bad and the game was called early, we still had an amazing experience. I really can’t imagine how great a game would be at Wrigley on a warm, sunny summer afternoon. But someday, I’ll find out.</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Quick Summary: </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">There’s really no easy way to sum up what makes Wrigley Field so special without using corny expressions for the way things used to be (yeah, like that). I guess the easiest way to explain things is that going to Wrigley Field for a Cubs game is a cultural experience that is much more than just a baseball game.</span></div><!--StartFragment--><!--StartFragment--><!--StartFragment--><!--StartFragment--><!--StartFragment--></div>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06072938568216527556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1925078994873173447.post-8982839308448392652009-05-31T11:25:00.003-04:002009-05-31T11:32:02.728-04:00A Surprise VisitI'll be on the train back to New York all day long, so I figured I'd leave you guys with a few videos to watch while I'm finishing up season 4 of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Wire</span>. When I get back to New York, I'll write up the final 3 ballparks of the trip, do another food review or two, and publish final rankings for everything. But until I get to that, enjoy the videos.<div><br /></div><object width="420" height="258"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/8O-uAl7Tj5o&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/8O-uAl7Tj5o&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="420" height="258"></embed></object><div><br /><div><br /></div><object width="420" height="258"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/PzJ8H-EuKnw&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/PzJ8H-EuKnw&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="420" height="258"></embed></object></div>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06072938568216527556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1925078994873173447.post-88298548264578398432009-05-28T01:11:00.001-04:002009-05-28T03:18:36.146-04:00The Great Chicago Food Review<div>Now that the Chicago portion of our road trip is over, it's time for the Great Chicago Food Review. Andy and I ate at three Chicago institutions during our time there: Lou Malnati's Pizza, Jim's Original, and Al's #1 Italian Roast Beef. As a quick refresher:</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The Official Food Review Hierarchy</span></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">1) Not worth it</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">2) Stop in if you're driving by</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">3) Check it out if you're in town</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">4) I'd drive an hour for it</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">5) I'd drive several states for it</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">6) I'd kill a man</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; font-family:'Trebuchet MS';font-size:13px;"><div><span><span><span><span></span></span></span></span></div></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Lou Malnati's Pizzeria</span></span></div><div><br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYsQAJsNvtGIGw0WZsPVHid_F822Q-rspXoA5L8emRT4nCGsYiOu30_RXO4XLCQuXjeuNqP3HoVPFFp-ixWd9GWLGYrJvYByhJi2pmdBMBVfxET2zUiSqBTaemMYuzZKgdqVRNrzPAxNm/s1600-h/IMG_0797.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSYsQAJsNvtGIGw0WZsPVHid_F822Q-rspXoA5L8emRT4nCGsYiOu30_RXO4XLCQuXjeuNqP3HoVPFFp-ixWd9GWLGYrJvYByhJi2pmdBMBVfxET2zUiSqBTaemMYuzZKgdqVRNrzPAxNm/s400/IMG_0797.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340730986114565794" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a><br /><br /><div>Chicago-style pizza is different from normal pizza. Take it away, Wikipedia:</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:-webkit-sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><blockquote>A thin crust of pizza dough is laid in a seasoned deep-dish pizza pan and raised up on the sides. The ingredients are placed on a Chicago style deep-dish pizza in the opposite order of a thin crust pizza. The first ingredient is thick slices of mozzarella cheese that are placed directly on the dough. Then additional ingredients like mushrooms, onions and sausage are spread on top of the cheese. The pizza is then topped with a tomato sauce made with whole chunks of tomatoes. One of the more popular features of a "Lou-Mal" pie is the "sausage patty," which is, as the name describes, a single patty of Italian sausage below the layer of tomato chunks or sauce, as opposed to the more traditional crumbled sausage.</blockquote></span>Basically, Chicago-style pizza is like a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=yjnnzzf33zy&thumb=6">pizza pot pie without the top crust</a></span>. You eat it with a fork and knife, and, as I learned, three pieces of it is incredibly filling. </div><div><br /></div><div>The cheese, underneath the tomato and sausage, is stringy and delicious, but by far, the best part about this pizza was the sausage. Every bit of the pizza was covered with a thick layer of sausage, which in addition to the cheese, tomatoes, and flaky crust, made for an excellent meal.</div><div><br /></div><div>In terms of actually calling it "pizza," I'm not sure that I'm down with that. I'm much more comfortable with "pizza pot pie." In my opinion, New York style pizza is still tops. But this is still very good.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Official verdict for Lou Malnati's Pizzeria: </span>Check it out if you're in Chicago. And if you're not a filthy vegetarian, sausage is definitely the way to go. I've had better pizza, but I'll call my first foray into "pizza pot pie" a success. </div><div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Jim's Original</span></span></div><div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokPwdDUm9hy83wFz3CjI9FoZ_W5nw1TrwRghNRHgCyyGTEqoz845xkoOYPQqaoaPhVngDBvl7kjz0rkl-ryBpN8Fpy3WJzt2DeuPkwXugjudvW9ImVjdgPPRPemSosCUspfDELP50C-d6/s1600-h/IMG_0900.JPG"></a><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokPwdDUm9hy83wFz3CjI9FoZ_W5nw1TrwRghNRHgCyyGTEqoz845xkoOYPQqaoaPhVngDBvl7kjz0rkl-ryBpN8Fpy3WJzt2DeuPkwXugjudvW9ImVjdgPPRPemSosCUspfDELP50C-d6/s1600-h/IMG_0900.JPG" style="text-decoration: none;"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjokPwdDUm9hy83wFz3CjI9FoZ_W5nw1TrwRghNRHgCyyGTEqoz845xkoOYPQqaoaPhVngDBvl7kjz0rkl-ryBpN8Fpy3WJzt2DeuPkwXugjudvW9ImVjdgPPRPemSosCUspfDELP50C-d6/s400/IMG_0900.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340730994021026770" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT2ShZcdiq6V6ghTlP9wNRCd_Am6bCi03lv4SydzuLCDn9JzHPpivbfrxhEB_xX5QRFXz6Ob4s1CJ7g9cQXrUDHEG89ysFyJbKuSTGomQ3jZPZUblhf8g6gv7vZiVTLJL0rzIGpJrZTU6m/s1600-h/IMG_1047.JPG"></a></div><div><br /></div><div>After the White Sox game, Andy and I headed down to <a href="http://www.jimsoriginal.com/">Jim's Original</a>, a Steve Messer recommendation, for some Polish sausages. Even though the location has moved, Jim's has been <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=mkwddtmontt&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">serving Polish sausages since 1943</span></a>. One look at <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=mwjunnntiyd&thumb=6">the menu</a></span> shows two great things: the great prices, and the fact that fries come free when you order any sandwich.</div><div><br /></div><div>Andy and I both ordered our sausages <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=y2dgkzznuqq&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">with mustard and onions</span></a> (the standard way is onions, mustard, and hot peppers) and dug in. Immediately, we realized why these guys have been around for almost 70 years. The skin was snappy, the meat was juicy, and both the mustard and onions complimented the sausage perfectly. And they have the <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=zmknzi1gtgw&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">production line down to a science</span></a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>After we finished, we each went back to the window and ordered a road sausage for the train ride back. The guys behind the window thought this was hilarious and even <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=ntnmynmnydo&thumb=6">posed for pics with the food</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">. And the true mark of a champion: sausage #2 was just as good as sausage #1.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Official verdict for Jim's Original: </span>I'd drive an hour for it every now and then. With the prices being so low, I'd probably also stock up and eat 4 or 5 in the car on the way back. Sure, I'd feel sick, but it would be worth it.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:large;">Al's #1 Italian Beef</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT2ShZcdiq6V6ghTlP9wNRCd_Am6bCi03lv4SydzuLCDn9JzHPpivbfrxhEB_xX5QRFXz6Ob4s1CJ7g9cQXrUDHEG89ysFyJbKuSTGomQ3jZPZUblhf8g6gv7vZiVTLJL0rzIGpJrZTU6m/s1600-h/IMG_1047.JPG"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT2ShZcdiq6V6ghTlP9wNRCd_Am6bCi03lv4SydzuLCDn9JzHPpivbfrxhEB_xX5QRFXz6Ob4s1CJ7g9cQXrUDHEG89ysFyJbKuSTGomQ3jZPZUblhf8g6gv7vZiVTLJL0rzIGpJrZTU6m/s400/IMG_1047.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340730997896251394" style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></a></div><div><br />Again, I defer to Wikipedia:</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:-webkit-sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><span><span><blockquote>An Italian beef is a sandwich of thin slices of seasoned roast beef, dripping with meat juices, on a dense, long Italian-style roll, believed to have originated in Chicago, where its history dates back at least to the 1930s. The bread itself is often dipped (or double-dipped) into the juices the meat is cooked in, and the sandwich is typically topped off with Chicago-style giardiniera (called "hot") or sauteed, green Italian sweet peppers (called "sweet").</blockquote></span></span></span></div><div>After walking about 2 miles to <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=njm11eozzl4&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Al's downtown location</span></a>, Andy and I had worked up a good appetite by the time we got there. We knew we wanted italian beef sandwiches, but after looking at <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=yzztmnhjqyj&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">the menu</span></a> quizzically for a few seconds, the guy behind the counter cut in. "First time here, guys?" he asked.</div><div><br /></div><div>We nodded. "You guys saw this place on TV, right? Man v. Food?" Again, guilty as charged. He pointed out the combo meal menu, and told us we wanted the "Big Al Combo," the large italian beef sandwich with hand-cut fries. Perfect. We both got hot and sweet peppers on our sandwiches, asked for them dipped in the gravy, and while they put them together, we talked with the guy behind the counter about our road trip. The sandwiches came out, he threw an extra side of meat juice in for good measure, and we sat down to enjoy our food.</div><div><br /></div><div>The fries were very good. <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=3gfigjjnndq&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; ">The sandwich</span></a> was great. The meat was tender, the peppers added a nice amount of spice and crunch, and the bread dipped in the meat juice was somewhat strange, but surprisingly tasty. It stuck to and changed the sandwich in the same way that cheese whiz melds to the meat in a cheesesteak, creating one homogenous piece of food.</div><div><br /></div><div>The only negative (if you even want to view it as such) is that eating a large italian beef sandwich takes a lot out of you. Even though Andy and I had slept approximately 9 hours each the night before, after this sandwich, we both wanted to take a nap. If Al's ever did an eating challenge, we hypothesized that not too many people would be able to finish 2 large italian beef sandwiches with fries. Still, this sandwich was great, and will definitely be something I seek out on my next visit to Chicago.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Official verdict for Al's #1 Italian Beef: </span>Check it out if you're anywhere near the Chicago area and don't have to do anything active for the rest of the day. Or if you run out of Ambien.</div></div></div>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06072938568216527556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1925078994873173447.post-33088302519708435972009-05-27T21:30:00.000-04:002009-05-27T22:39:08.061-04:00Miller Park<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja2Dxsb3BaCaIehZ-WsvuMXeT6DjHgJZHGdNegxOgXMsN7bEDLnilDdYrb_wmt_2HGOBXA6DExyQTI2rytaTcY-yRHlby-OAwydQMREIHmqb1oCwOM7sVPWOgslbUArNKVFJuV6Xu0AUCN/s1600-h/IMG_0932.JPG"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW5ZSGuT8xVdIvE2QajX4AwgvqprOOW6d3mrDTaTRNJuwIiLaVogRtKX7K1KFIJ__pczj6B4o8LcDAhyvY6li_866o4vAaF9nyQcBDLueC8TnO9eezxaOd5F4IUdPmysyzBCFFTufPK3MF/s1600-h/IMG_0983.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW5ZSGuT8xVdIvE2QajX4AwgvqprOOW6d3mrDTaTRNJuwIiLaVogRtKX7K1KFIJ__pczj6B4o8LcDAhyvY6li_866o4vAaF9nyQcBDLueC8TnO9eezxaOd5F4IUdPmysyzBCFFTufPK3MF/s400/IMG_0983.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340651124609268338" /></a><div><br /></div><div>Andy and I woke up early Monday morning and headed up I-94 to Milwaukee for some Memorial Day baseball. We got to the park a little more than an hour before first pitch, and immediately found ourselves immersed in <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=mzjgy3dnn2i&thumb=6">a giant tailgate</a></span>. Miller Park itself is several miles outside of downtown Milwaukee and therefore, several giant parking lots have been built around the stadium, allowing fans to get to the game early and set up shop for an extended tailgate.</div><div><br /></div><div>As we walked around the parking lots, the smell of grilled brats drifting all around us, I realized that I could have sworn that we were at a college football game. People were eating, drinking, grilling, playing bean bag toss -- just generally enjoying the hell out of themselves. And then there was the beer. Everyone was drinking it. College kids. Their parents. Little old ladies. Toddlers out of sippy cups.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja2Dxsb3BaCaIehZ-WsvuMXeT6DjHgJZHGdNegxOgXMsN7bEDLnilDdYrb_wmt_2HGOBXA6DExyQTI2rytaTcY-yRHlby-OAwydQMREIHmqb1oCwOM7sVPWOgslbUArNKVFJuV6Xu0AUCN/s200/IMG_0932.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340680219806555906" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px; " /></span></div><div>We finally made our way towards the park, which <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=zzyym4llxmj&thumb=6">from the outside looks somewhat strange</a></span> due to the combination of the classic brick architecture and the retractable roof (which was open for this game). But first, we had to take pictures with giant sausages. </div><div><br /></div><div>The five sausages from the famous Miller Park sausage race were outside the stadium posing for pictures with fans, so Andy and I hopped right in and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=4azzotd2owm&thumb=6">joined the sausage fest</a></span>. After the picture, I asked them which one of them felt like they were going to win. The bratwurst (sausage #1) was the most adamant about his chances of victory. I high-fived him as a reward for his bravado and told him I'd be rooting for him during the 6th inning. More on this later.</div><div><br /></div><div>We headed into the park, and wanting to truly take in the full Milwaukee experience, we each grabbed <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=jliozunmymw&thumb=6">a beer and a brat</a></span>. We loaded our brats up with onions and mustard and took them down in a matter of seconds. Just delicious. Honestly, the fact that anyone in Milwaukee has a BMI of under 30 is astounding to me.</div><div><br /></div><div>We had standing room tickets but found some unoccupied seats on the 2nd level in left field right under <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=tkjumxtezr0&thumb=6">Bernie Brewer's dugout</a></span>. Luckily for us, we happened to be in a group of seats that were in a cheering section for Ryan Braun, a modern-day Hank Greenberg, who gives hope to young Jewish boys everywhere that they are welcome on the playing field and not just in the owner's box. I unabashedly joined in on the cheers.</div><div><br /></div><div>As we sat there, we noticed that even though the party had moved inside, people were still enjoying themselves. And some people were getting a little out of control. Some girl trying to step over a row of bleachers while carrying food lost her balance. She went down hard and her food went flying. It was only by the grace of God <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=j4lnfjnngm5&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">and the back of a bleacher seat</span></a> that her container of cheese didn't end up all over the guy in front of her. A few minutes after this, we watched as a girl vomited into a trash can, and then proceeded to pass out right in front of a group of cops. As the EMTs rushed to the scene, the vomit smell wafted over the section and Andy and I headed for less aromatic pastures.</div><div><br /></div><div>As we walked, I noticed the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=lnwwz4hant2&thumb=6">giant windows behind the upper deck</a></span>, instead of the mesh screen they have in most other parks. On the day we went, the temperature was in the high 60s and sunny, but because of the windows, there was no wind in the stadium, which made it feel absolutely perfect.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We wandered around for a few more innings, watching one hell of a pitcher's duel (Milwaukee's pitcher had a no-hitter through 5 innings, and St. Louis' had a perfect game through 6). At one point, we were talking to an usher, and asked him if Miller Park was always this much of a party. He told us that it usually isn't on weeknights, but on weekends, that this was the norm. Finally, it was time for the main event. The fans stood and cheered as the sausages made their way onto the field and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=nj1my1ghzmm&thumb=6">lined up for the race</a></span>. </div><div><br /></div><div>Ready.....set.....<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=gydzmmiklzh&thumb=6">GO</a></span>!!! <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=2wttw320y4x&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Around the turn</span></a>.....and down the stretch they come....and the winner is.....<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=2wttw320y4x&thumb=6">Bratwurst</a></span>! All because of my high-five and my words of encouragement. Or at least that what I'm going to believe until someone proves otherwise. </div><div><br /></div><div>The game ended up going 10 innings, and ended when Bill Hall hit a walk-off double to lead the Brewers to a 1-0 victory, allowing the crowd to leave drunk, full, and happy.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Quick Summary: </span>Going to a Brewers game on a weekend or a holiday is like going to a giant party that just happens to have a baseball game going on in the middle of it. Until football starts again in the Fall, this is what people from Wisconsin have in terms of tailgating, and they definitely make the best of it.</div>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06072938568216527556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1925078994873173447.post-80941373146659057332009-05-26T13:53:00.003-04:002009-05-27T19:22:17.480-04:00US Cellular Field<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh42vWV5M96xhCJp4J7u4pZth1-FahsakSRILsNyUR-u10Ba1QJ1H1nBgMPCTRIwoEHRPSMXIYQ5n-o6deQajoajj9rM6dHLJpGeP2WH88PR9z27ajtPmH-Joluw5RtPmOpX5TYq6mb2CG/s1600-h/IMG_0868.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh42vWV5M96xhCJp4J7u4pZth1-FahsakSRILsNyUR-u10Ba1QJ1H1nBgMPCTRIwoEHRPSMXIYQ5n-o6deQajoajj9rM6dHLJpGeP2WH88PR9z27ajtPmH-Joluw5RtPmOpX5TYq6mb2CG/s400/IMG_0868.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339605960707221698" /></a><div><br /></div><div>Andy and I woke up Sunday morning and hopped on the L (Chicago's elevated subway) to catch a game on the South Side at <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=yylzmmnznzz&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">US Cellular Field</span></a>, home of the Chicago White Sox. This ballpark review will be shorter than most, because this is a way to recap my memorable experiences on the trip, and frankly, US Cellular didn't provide too many of them. Although the grievance airing will take up its fair share of space.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Grievance #1: </span>Tickets. Most ballparks have an allotment of cheap tickets that they sell, which are usually under $10. It doesn't matter that these seats are way out in the outfield or high up. Just getting into the ballpark is enough for a lot of people (including, for example, people on a road trip who just want to see the park). Here, the cheapest seats, which are the seats that are behind the columns in the back of the upper deck, are $23.</div><div><br /></div><div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyLBmKb4QCPHhR9pc6cIlekrZB8uNG3rOz3DBfK4U04CELP2gZOIpwa8Mdb-IqnJc0Lue1C2kH1jUtVBR9FzR8-QnncUQ4JyYBTuM5oLflZBDSLcHGIfH2acBty-7epVfz6JC5UqvOE9Md/s200/IMG_0830.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5340647230966966386" /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Grievance #2: </span>Speaking of people on a road trip who just want to see the ballpark....if you buy an upper-level ticket, you can't go down to the lower level. Not even to walk around. They check tickets on the ramps at the entrance to the lower level. There are even <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=djdk0y2mqfw&thumb=6">signs that reinforce the fact</a></span> that if you don't have an upper level ticket, you are a 2nd-class citizen.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Grievance #3: </span>The dude playing the Casio keyboard that's hooked up to the sound system. If you want to play "charge" between pitches, fine. If you want to play the "everybody clap your hands" song, I have no problem with that either. What I do have a problem with is whimsical fairy music or a sea shanty being played as the pitcher looks in for a sign. Honestly, it seemed as if the person in the booth was playing just to hear the sound of his own keyboard, which unfortunately, only alternated between "harpsichord" and "wind chime" settings.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Grievance #4:</span> The <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=w53nq5eq0te&thumb=6">poor attempt at ivy walls</a></span>. C'mon, US Cellular, that's Wrigley's thing. Find something else, like gang fights in the outfield, or a concession stand that sells heroin.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Grievance #5: </span>Robin Ventura deserves better than <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=tnmmydwzjlw&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">this</span></a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Alright, now on to the good things:</span></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=nzmdnofjwyj&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Our seats</span></a> had a pretty good view.</div><div><br /></div><div>There's a <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=iimwd43mukc&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">nice view of Chicago</span></a> from the upper-level concourse.</div><div><br /></div><div>You <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=iewildqwoj4&thumb=6">don't have to wait in long lines</a></span> to get food, especially not for the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=mzujnztoanw&thumb=6">corn</a></span>. Unfortunately though, you wouldn't actually want any of the food here.</div><div><br /></div><div>The <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=qznum2mwtmj&thumb=6">outfield concourse looks nice</a></span>. Unfortunately, because I carried the leper's mark of the 500-level ticket, I was unable to go down there in person. </div><div><br /></div><div>The fans are kind of d-bags, but they're devoted. And good hecklers. Game 4 of the Blackhawks-Red Wings series was being played during the baseball game, thus leading to a fair share of both Chicago and Detroit jerseys in the ballpark, including a large contingent of people wearing Red Wings jerseys who were sitting right in front of us. The two Sox fans sitting behind us, who in previous innings had loudly recapped the entire plot of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">The Sandlot</span>, decided to go into a rant directed at the Red Wings fans in front of us, including a hilarious part about Russians that I wouldn't be able accurately replicate here if I tried.</div><div><br /></div><div>We didn't get stabbed on our way to or from the park.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Quick summary: </span>For a team that's been around for as long as the White Sox have, their ballpark is severely lacking in character. Not allowing access to the lower concourse, even to walk around, for fans that have upper-concourse tickets is a huge negative. Overall, US Cellular is an incredibly underwhelming ballpark.</div>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06072938568216527556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1925078994873173447.post-80133588432391060542009-05-24T22:34:00.002-04:002009-05-25T02:20:52.573-04:00Busch Stadium<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif2ySZ2X9sdhFFzHNPUSsBokZlLH3PFDo5ahSFMyDWnlqL_8I0TVQ5yUIJzxggIt8LJCMcsWpn-Nv9F5PiGkZKhJmG33h-L0O4gVSWWGlLEfs_HTphmSdo8NZFA14JcTqGcpGeOn6ie1GB/s1600-h/IMG_0707.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif2ySZ2X9sdhFFzHNPUSsBokZlLH3PFDo5ahSFMyDWnlqL_8I0TVQ5yUIJzxggIt8LJCMcsWpn-Nv9F5PiGkZKhJmG33h-L0O4gVSWWGlLEfs_HTphmSdo8NZFA14JcTqGcpGeOn6ie1GB/s400/IMG_0707.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339260082720156242" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div>After a relaxing day eating barbeque, touring the Anheuser-Busch brewery (<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=njtgzygz5nv&thumb=6">Horses!</a></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=utzd3oj0zwt&thumb=6">Buildings!</a></span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=tneojzztlim&thumb=6">Clamato!</a></span> Plus, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=mjynmzmzfzy&thumb=6">more beer than you've ever seen in your life!</a></span>), and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=gmyqyw1iyxf&thumb=6">making sweet sweet love to the Gateway Arch</a></span>, Andy, Danny, and I headed down to Busch Stadium to check out a Cardinals-Royals game.</span><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=utzd3oj0zwt&thumb=6"></a></span></div><div><br /></div><div>We got there at about 5:30, about an hour and a half before the first pitch, and already there were masses of people outside the gates. Presumably, this was for the free Albert Pujols figurine giveaway, but nonetheless the scene outside the ballpark was lively, with people decked out in Cardinals t-shirts drinking on bar patios and live bands playing. Also, the exterior of the ballpark is <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=qqje4n0ojwm&thumb=6">100% brick</a></span>, and thus by law, classy.</div><div><br /></div><div>We made our way to the seats behind the plate to watch some batting practice, and were immediately struck with <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=0znmw1jmnjm&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">a beatiful view</span></a> of St. Louis' skyline, which prominently featured the arch. We hung around there for a few minutes before heading out to the outfield with the hopes of catching a batting practice home run. Unfortunately, we forgot to take into account the fact that the Kansas City Royals were the ones taking batting practice. Of the four home runs hit the entire time, none were near us. As they left the field, we headed to our seats feeling tired, sweaty, and used.</div><div><br /></div><div>The Royals' batting practice was not a total failure though. As we stood in the stands, I noticed someone in the outfield who I recognized; it was none other than Royals bullpen coach <a href="http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/m/mizerjo01.shtml">John Mizerock</a>, the catcher for the 1989 Richmond Braves, and my first ever favorite player. On a team with future major leaguers David Justice, Ron Gant, and Mark Lemke among others, I decided to pick John Mizerock, he of 103 total major league games played in, as my favorite.</div><div><br /></div><div>After BP was over, I went over to the Royals bullpen. John was standing there, about to head out to the field to warm up a pitcher. As he started to walk out to the field, I yelled to him, "John Mizerock!" He looked up. "You were my favorite player on the Richmond Braves when I was growing up!"</div><div><br /></div><div>He smiled and gave me a big thumbs up as he walked out onto the field. Minutes later he returned. Some guy yelled for him to throw a ball up in the stands. Mizerock looked up and shrugged, indicating he didn't have a ball to throw. I yelled to no one in particular, "he only throws them to Richmond Braves fans!" Again, a pointing acknowledgement. This was awesome.</div><div><br /></div><div>As Andy and Danny begin realizing that this was bordering on stalking, Mizerock came back in to the bullpen with a ball. He looked up into the stands and our eyes locked. He lobbed the ball. And because I was holding my Albert Pujols figurine in one hand, some lady next to me grabbed it with both hands as I grabbed it with one. Not wanting to go to jail for hitting a girl, I let the ball go. Later on, however, Mizerock tossed another one up to me, and this time, both hands free, I caught it. So thank you, John....you're still my favorite player ever. And to that woman who stole the ball from me: I hope you're happy with yourself. A month from now that ball will mean nothing to you. But it would have meant a lot to me. I hope you get a tapeworm.</div><div><br /></div><div>We headed to <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=y5mzxezztne&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">our seats in the right field lower deck</span></a>, and proceeded to watch some baseball. From the beginning, it was obvious that every fan into the stadium was into the game. Everyone was there to watch the game. No one was there because there was nothing else to do. </div><div><br /></div><div>When I took my standard lap around the stadium in the middle innings, the two things I noticed were the lack of "frills," or unnecessary additions to the ballpark (for the opposite end of the spectrum, think new Yankee Stadium), and how <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=dzxwytzxyz0&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">empty the plaza areas were relative to other stadiums</span></a>. There was a small kids area with a miniature baseball diamond, but there were only a few kids there. The rest were watching the game. Whereas Cincinnati had Tanner, the morbidly obese child who was more interested in food than anything else, St. Louis had a girl of roughly the same age, sitting a few seats down from us, who understood the game; she watched intently, cheered when it was appropriate to do so, and booed when Albert Pujols was intentionally walked in a key situation.</div><div><br /></div><div>Overall, the stadium doesn't have a lot of extras. There's a painted line in the outfield walkway to show <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=tmyxumzcgnx&thumb=6">where the wall of the old Busch Stadium was</a></span>. The scoreboard from the old stadium is on display in the walkway on the first-base side. There's a private club somewhere on the club level, I think. Other than those things, it's a basic stadium; the great thing is though, it doesn't have to be more than this. The team is good enough, and the fans are engaged enough, that Busch Stadium is perfect just the way it is.</div><div><br /></div><div>The night before we went, Pujols crushed a ball that took out the "I" in the "BIG MAC LAND" sign. When we got there, <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=qhmkhyogn1t&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">the sign had an added message</span></a>. Personally, I would have gone with a "no I in team" motif, but this worked too.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Quick summary:</span> Busch Stadium reminds me of what a classic ballpark would look like if it was built in 2005. It is an outstanding place to watch a game, as the ballpark design, ballpark views, and the enthusiasm of the fans are all exceptional.</div>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06072938568216527556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1925078994873173447.post-21418657874065023372009-05-24T01:41:00.004-04:002009-05-24T01:45:11.012-04:00Names ExplainedI am on a road trip with my friend from camp named Andy.<div><br /></div><div>In Cincinnati, we met up with another friend from camp, named Danny. He went to the baseball game with one of his friends, who was named Andy.</div><div><br /></div><div>In St. Louis, we met up with a different friend from camp, also named Danny. At the baseball game, we met up with one of his friends, who was named Andrew.</div><div><br /></div><div>We are currently in Chicago, staying with one of Andy's friends from home. His name is Danny.</div><div><br /></div><div>Got it?</div><div><br /></div><div>Good.</div>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06072938568216527556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1925078994873173447.post-5523425476490077662009-05-24T00:41:00.006-04:002009-05-24T01:40:02.697-04:00Pappy's Smokehouse<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP0bDHeIKg38eJ-zbelUfCdjPNRF8yojCNSMu7peZntXYAwxyyqzFFCBsv3CLYtIB4dtDgjZkEVziptoFEZYw2WrMWfV80ovx9P6YjXBToc9Ppt4bmpKAv3DLljGxjZ85omvkbS2b9Im99/s1600-h/IMG_0555.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP0bDHeIKg38eJ-zbelUfCdjPNRF8yojCNSMu7peZntXYAwxyyqzFFCBsv3CLYtIB4dtDgjZkEVziptoFEZYw2WrMWfV80ovx9P6YjXBToc9Ppt4bmpKAv3DLljGxjZ85omvkbS2b9Im99/s400/IMG_0555.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5339246478644282802" /></a><div><br /></div><div><a href="http://www.pappyssmokehouse.com/">Pappy's Smokehouse</a> has only been open since February 2008, but it already seems to have garnered quite a strong following in the St. Louis area. As yet another <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=q21qdnzdktj&thumb=6">Adam Richman-approved stop</a></span> on our food tour, we had high expectations for Pappy's. </div><div><br /></div><div>According to Danny, my friend from camp (not the same one from Cincinnati) and our unofficial St. Louis tour guide, Pappy's was started by two guys who would go around and cook barbeque for competitions. They won a whole bunch of awards, and because of this, decided to open their own place. According to their website,<span><span> "We prepare delicious, juicy Memphis Style BBQ daily using only the best ingredients. We start by slow smoking our meats from 4-14 hours over apple or cherry wood and finish them off with a selection of three delicious sauces and your choice of sides all prepared fresh in house."</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" ;font-family:Arial;"></span></div><div><br /></div><div>We got to Pappy's at about 12:30, and were immediately greeted with a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=etovzyoy0wj&thumb=6">line that snaked through the restaurant</a></span> and out the door. Faced with the decision to brave the line or leave, we decided that a line this long had to lead to amazing food. We got in line. The line slowly crept along as we made our way closer to the register. While in line, we asked one of the employees what we should get if it was our first time there. Without hesitation, he answered, "ribs with sweet potato fries and fried corn." Sounded good to us.</div><div><br /></div><div>Finally, after about 40 minutes of waiting, we got to the front. Andy and I both ordered a half rack of ribs with an extra 1/4 lb. of pork & brisket, with sides of sweet potato fries, fried corn, and potato salad. We waited for about 5 minutes at a table, and the food was brought out to us.</div><div><br /></div><div>The worst item by far was the potato salad....and it was pretty damn good potato salad. The sweet potato fries were hand-cut and delicious, and the fried corn on the cob was like nothing I had ever tried before; the best I can do to describe is sweet corn on the cob with a roasted popcorn flavor -- but I don't even think that description does it justice.</div><div><br /></div><div>As good as the sides were, the meat was even better. The pork came out in large, pulled chunks, and the brisket was perfectly tender. Nevetheless, both of these items paled in comparison to the ribs.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm a sauce person. When I get ribs, I typically pour a nice helping of BBQ sauce on them. In fact, I basically put sauce on everything -- burgers, hot dogs, chicken wings -- but these ribs needed none of it. Actually, these ribs were so tender and delicious that I didn't even want to put sauce on them. This was mostly due to the amazing dry rub; in addition to sealing in all of the rib juices, the rub added the perfect amount of both saltiness and tangy sweetness.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></div><span><span><br /><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">The Official Food Review Hierarchy</span></span></span><div><span><span>1) Not worth it<br />2) Stop in if you're driving by</span></span></div><div><span><span>3) Check it out if you're in town</span></span></div><div><span><span>4) I'd drive an hour for it</span></span></div><div><span><span>5) I'd drive across several states for it</span></span></div><div><span><span><span><span>6) I'd kill a man</span></span><a href="http://members.tripod.com/~JB5353/familyguy/klondike.wav"><span><span></span></span></a></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Official verdict for Pappy's Smokehouse:</span> I'd drive an hour for it AND wait in line for an hour. Despite having spent the first 21 years of my life living in the south, Pappy's has some of the best barbeque that I've ever had.</span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(51, 51, 51); line-height: 18px; font-family:'Trebuchet MS';font-size:13px;"><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"></span></span></div></span></div></div>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06072938568216527556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1925078994873173447.post-4260561240194134532009-05-23T12:21:00.000-04:002009-05-23T12:49:42.916-04:00Great American Ballpark<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_tR9TH9hIx8ovoIo0-FQqKJJbT_dDfGfh5BJZtldoPv5yTrVnhkH_ON3ZarzmVMvjF1wRMOIcNMNMKwimfqcM5tJGoq6r_K4Gw_kcKcmAaPhUyMLWEKtOPGhpXCtw3qZqFyMHe67XqRY6/s1600-h/IMG_0427.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_tR9TH9hIx8ovoIo0-FQqKJJbT_dDfGfh5BJZtldoPv5yTrVnhkH_ON3ZarzmVMvjF1wRMOIcNMNMKwimfqcM5tJGoq6r_K4Gw_kcKcmAaPhUyMLWEKtOPGhpXCtw3qZqFyMHe67XqRY6/s400/IMG_0427.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338901339627344898" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div>We actually went to two Reds games. This review will be a combination of both of them. Andy's Dad was able to get us great seats for both the games; the first night we sat <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=tmxqx3ynoyt&thumb=6">here</a></span>, and the second night, we were <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=tmwmxgjztmn&thumb=6">here</a></span>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Additional cast members for this scene include Danny, another friend from camp, and his friend Andy (not Messer....another Andy). Indulging me and my overzealous picture taking, Danny decided to <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=iit51zi1dt2&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">play up the Asian tourist bit</span></a>. Thanks, Danny.</div><div><br /></div><div>After having seen the human wasteland that is Nationals Park, seeing a group of fans outside the stadium was a refreshing sight. I didn't even mind waiting in line for three minutes to get in. I was just happy that I wouldn't be able to hear my own echo in the ballpark. The <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=g213mgtzmgk&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">main entrance is a plaza</span></a> with a bunch of statues of famous Reds players, most of which <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=hinzozzfxzu&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">conveniently became jungle gyms right around game time</span></a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>By far, the best feature of the park is its <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=uogyddely3g&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">shoreline view over the Ohio River</span></a> and into Kentucky. It seems as though most new ballparks built in the past ten years have tried to incorporate a city view of the skyline into the design of their parks. Cincinnati has gone exactly the other way and turned the park away from the city so that it faces the river. While the box seats to Reds games are great, if I was a season ticket holder, I would want to sit in the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=0jnnm2ttzmi&thumb=6"></a><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">upper deck on the third base side,</span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">because honestly, I can't think of many things more relaxing than leaning back in your seat, stretching out, and watching a baseball game on a warm summer night with </span><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=0jnnm2ttzmi&thumb=6">this view</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">. </span></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Another great thing about Great American Ballpark (GABP) is the food vendors. Each one of them has their own unique call or catchphrase. One touted himself as the "walking commissary." Another channeled his inner Pavarotti and held a loud note for an incredibly long time. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=lanz21qiw2w&thumb=6">And yet another scared the living shit out of a group of kids</a></span>. Three boys, probably all about 10-years-old were standing in one of the many standing room areas behind a section watching the game. I watched as the vendor snuck up behind these kids, leaned in close and screamed (not shouted.....screamed), "COOOOOOOOOOOOOOLD......beer". The kids jumped and turned around and stared at this guy with fear in their eyes. He in turn shot them a smile <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/bb/The_shining_heres_johnny.jpg">reminiscent of a famous movie poster</a> and then without so much as a word, turned and walked down the aisle. Pants wet with urine, the children scattered.</div><div><br /></div><div>And on that note, let's talk about food. The food here is all about the hot dog. In addition to the Skyline chili dogs ($1.60 at Skyline, $3.75 at the ballpark), there are numerous other hot dog stands, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=3nneyhzttzm&thumb=6">some even right next to each other</a></span>. Evidently, the demand is there. Another popular item, which Andy swears by, but <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2008/06/08/travel/20080608_BALLPARK_GRAPHIC.html">the New York Times tells you to avoid</a>, are the Funachos. They didn't necessarily seem all that fun, but had I tried them, I'm sure they would have been at least edible...and really, when you're eating tortilla chips and processed cheese paste, isn't that basically what you're going for?</div><div><br /></div><div>At Yankee Stadium, the grounds crew does the YMCA when they come out to rake the infield. <a href="http://ymcamustgo.blogspot.com/">Fans there hate this</a>. At GABP, the <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=ohwywmoy0jz&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">grounds crew also does the YMCA</span></a>. With the exception of Brandon Phillips, who for some reason is grinning like an idiot in the aforementioned picture (and evidently, is also a little teapot), no one there seems to like it either.</div><div><br /></div><div>And then there was Tanner. Tanner sat directly behind us at the 2nd game we went to. Tanner was ~6 years old and weighed 100 lbs, if not more. During the duration of the game, Tanner was either eating something, or whining to his mom about wanting to eat something. Let's go through the Tanner timeline.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">2nd inning: </span>Tanner and family arrive at their seats. Tanner takes down a hot dog in less than a minute.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">3rd inning: </span>The Dippin' Dots guy walks by. "Mom! I want chocolate Dippin' Dots!" screams Tanner. She says no. He whines. She buys them.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">4th inning: </span>Tanner and his mom leave in the top of the inning. They return during the bottom half with a blue cotton candy.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">5th inning: </span>Tanner finishes the cotton candy. Tanner also now looks like a smurf. Face covered in blue sugar, Tanner turns to his mom and asks, "Hey ma, do you think the line at UDF (an ice cream place) is shorter?"</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">6th inning: </span>Tanner asks his mom for a sip of her soda. She gives him the soda and he takes a gulp. He complains that the soda is too watered-down and begins to cry.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">7th inning: </span>Tanner stops crying when his sister returns to the seats with a bag of peanuts. Tanner snatches the bag, and begins to chow down. Speaking as if he had just discovered a new species, Tanner surprisedly exclaims, "these peanuts taste like peanut butter!" His mom goes for the bag. Tanner starts crying again. His mom gives him the bag back.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">8th inning:</span> Finished with the peanuts, Tanner says he wants a pretzel. His mom says no. His sister tells him, "dance for the pretzel, Tanner!" Tanner begins to gyrate. Tanner becomes winded and sits down. After catching his breath, Tanner begins whining again. His mom packs up all their stuff, and they leave the seats for good, but most likely not before stopping at a pretzel vendor on the way out.</div><div><br /></div><div>But other than Tanner, the fans at GABP are loyal, devoted Reds fans. Unfortunately, this also means that they've been witness to a decade of consistent losing teams now and have become very realistic concerning this current team's chances to contend. In the first game we went to, the Reds were trailing by a run in the late innings. They had a runner in scoring position and were threatening to tie to game. Yet <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=z0yynmwjj1m&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">the only people standing in our immediate vicinity were Danny and (other) Andy</span></a>, who, for the record, had been drinking heavily for about 6 hours. Try as they might, they could only muster scattered applause for the situation. Nevertheless, if this team ever starts consistently winning again, I think the enthusiasm will come back to GABP.</div><div><br /></div><div>Other pictures: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=0lulwwdjg0g&thumb=6">View from behind the plate</a></span>, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=wzlkvjynwly&thumb=6">View from the outfield</a></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Quick summary: </span>The Reds haven't been a real contender for more than a decade now, and it shows. The fans hope for the best, but at this point are pessimistic that the team will actually be able to contend past June, despite a few bright young stars. The shoreline view of the Ohio River is the perfect touch to Great American Ballpark, and is ultimately what makes it so memorable.</div>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06072938568216527556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1925078994873173447.post-79419011309152469802009-05-23T01:24:00.010-04:002009-05-24T01:40:23.507-04:00Skyline Chili<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwtMu0PiKaR8dTS0h7h-mV3IMn3AEjX98oMiiILZekmDnsdZY4ieCRkR_7nPyfYAb8-pvo-CEQKweCzoW_602fOD4ydn_oYR91NoPOBooApg8hrpdLo7SEIkF3opmNcCI9oldI5Yv7v2up/s1600-h/IMG_0281.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwtMu0PiKaR8dTS0h7h-mV3IMn3AEjX98oMiiILZekmDnsdZY4ieCRkR_7nPyfYAb8-pvo-CEQKweCzoW_602fOD4ydn_oYR91NoPOBooApg8hrpdLo7SEIkF3opmNcCI9oldI5Yv7v2up/s320/IMG_0281.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338889272248510162" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" line-height: 19px; font-family:-webkit-sans-serif;font-size:13px;"><b></b></span></div><span><span><div>I'm a few days late with the Cincinnati stuff, I know, but I had more important things to deal with...mainly, the destruction of all my hopes and dreams. Better late than never, I present to you my Cincinnati food review.</div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Wikipedia, what exactly is Cincinnati style chili?</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"></span></span></span><blockquote><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Cincinnati chili is a regional style of chili characteristically served over spaghetti or as a hot dog topping. Cincinnati chili sauce contains finely ground beef, seasoned with a mixture of spices. Some aficionados report a distinct hint ofcinnamon and sometimes even chocolate. However, the precise identity of other spices is hard to determine. The flavor of Cincinnati chili is distinct from that of the more widely recognized Texas-style chili, and differs from that variety too in its thin consistency, which makes it more suitable as a sauce for other dishes than as a dish by itself.</span></span></span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div><span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">When served over spaghetti, the chili is typically topped by a large mound of shredded mild cheddar cheese (as much as will fit on top without it falling over the sides). Because of the large amount of cheese piled on top, the first few bites often consist entirely of cheese, at least for inexperienced diners. When served on a coney-style hot dog, the chili is also topped with a generous mound of cheese.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> </span></span></span></div></blockquote><div>The day after the Dagwood, Andy and I went to <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=wmweymxzggg&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Skyline Chili</span></a>, one of Cincinnati's many chili chains (and official chili of the Cincinnati Reds!!!) for a reasonably-portioned meal. Being that Andy is a Cincinnati resident, I followed his example and ordered 4-way chili (spaghetti topped with chili, cheese, and beans) and a coney (chili dog with cheese).</div><div><br /></div><div>Only after about 3 minutes, our food came out, due to the fact that all the food is cooked and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=lzejzebtywm&thumb=6">ready to be served behind the counter</a></span>. It was immediately apparent that they <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=twcn41uzogf&thumb=6">do not skimp on the cheese</a></span>. After a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=jqykugjzwti&thumb=6">little bit of mixing</a></span>, though, the cheese melted and it became one homogenous dish, not spaghetti and chili with a cheese toupee. As for the chili dog....well, it <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=kw2zzntknmn&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">had a cheese blanket as well</span></a>. So did my Diet Pepsi. Also, our chairs had cheese seat cushions. And as Andy and I were eating, the kitchen staff came out with giant vats and made it rain using shredded cheddar. It was like a giant cheese snow globe.</div><div><br /></div><div>But getting back to what actually happened, and not what I wish had happened...getting the chili dog with onions and mustard is definitely the way to go. The mustard gives it a little bit of a bite to balance out the sweetness of the chili and the onions give it a nice crunch.</div><div><br /></div><div>Overall, the chili itself was very good. By itself, I wouldn't think that it would stand up as a meal, but as a pasta or hot dog topping, it does the trick. Personally, I like my chili on the sweet side anyway. If you're a person who likes spicy chili, though, you can still load it up with the hot sauce they put on the tables.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">The Official Food Review Hierarchy</span></div><div>1) Not worth it<br /></div><div>2) Stop in if you're driving by</div><div>3) Check it out if you're in town</div><div>4) I'd drive an hour for it</div><div>5) I'd drive across several states for it</div><div><span><span>6) I'd kill a man</span></span><a href="http://members.tripod.com/~JB5353/familyguy/klondike.wav"></a></div><div><br /></div><div>Basically, if it's even a 2, it's good food. Anything 4 or higher is special. And pray to God that I never find a 6. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Official verdict for Skyline Chili: </span>Check it out if you're in town. This sweeter chili may be an acquired taste for some people, but if it's your thing, you're always in for a good, filling meal.</div>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06072938568216527556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1925078994873173447.post-2116929173304119752009-05-21T21:59:00.008-04:002009-05-22T12:14:42.032-04:00The Pointersaurus<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BpWE6Vo_Vds8QO7cSp9tXGtQ8V7BY1nQvIdJPIcroB9_94rXCtewytZBPrfCJPoAGFIO7HnPekaj7AhgfHF0pVnfBFCgVUhYXQxYMFx4X9IUSblbi9rVt1RLSEgY0UPny5G3Y0dJCTQd/s1600-h/IMG_0469.JPG"></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxhEIFvvxxwZm3HfUU7cj6wSAtCgpllOz7_dF-j-giVStkCeOKY2WL_md4w-DojUZz1A1S8oveCyrTMvO95OI20sQFZYIoOVNKkZunEWHiP0HtailjQfqFbyIVyovA27xFqzWbGl7B658G/s1600-h/IMG_0466.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxhEIFvvxxwZm3HfUU7cj6wSAtCgpllOz7_dF-j-giVStkCeOKY2WL_md4w-DojUZz1A1S8oveCyrTMvO95OI20sQFZYIoOVNKkZunEWHiP0HtailjQfqFbyIVyovA27xFqzWbGl7B658G/s400/IMG_0466.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338421308769446242" /></a><br /><div><br /></div><div>The clock hits 3PM, and there you are, sitting in front of 12 pounds of pizza. The store manager sets the timer for an hour, and like that, you're tearing through the task at hand, taking down whole pieces in one bite. Elbow-deep in pizza, you think to yourself, "How did I get here?"</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">8 Hours Earlier</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div>Andy and I woke up early and left Cincinnati in order to get to St. Louis with time to spare. Our last meal had been roughly 32 hours before, since we wanted to make sure our stomachs were completely empty, providing enough room for our share of the pizza. Subsisting on only water, juice, gatorade, and protein powder, we spent the entire day yesterday hydrating and drinking liquids in order to stretch our stomachs in preparation for today. This morning we woke up and downed some OJ and water before getting on the road, and while on the road, pounded water until 11AM, four hours before the attempt. At that point, we cut ourselves off from drinking anything. When 3:00 hit, we would be the world's most efficient pizza-eating machines.</div><div><br /></div><div>We got to Pointer's at around 1:45 and met up with Danny, our friend from camp and our official Pointersaurus photographer. After about 35 minutes walking around to work up a little bit more of an appetite, we changed into <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=rtinyml5zzd&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">our official uniforms</span></a> -- our Dagwood t-shirts and wristbands and a headband, in order to combat the pizza sweats. At around 2:20, we walked into <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=ynaznynzrym&thumb=6">Pointer's Pizza</a></span> to meet our destiny.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0BpWE6Vo_Vds8QO7cSp9tXGtQ8V7BY1nQvIdJPIcroB9_94rXCtewytZBPrfCJPoAGFIO7HnPekaj7AhgfHF0pVnfBFCgVUhYXQxYMFx4X9IUSblbi9rVt1RLSEgY0UPny5G3Y0dJCTQd/s200/IMG_0469.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338461295877339154" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px; " /></span></div><div>We boldly stated our intentions, and then <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=jmkzem5myl4&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">signed our waivers</span></a>. After making sure we understood <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=ionzzyynjj2&thumb=6">the official rules</a></span>, we put in our toppings order -- chicken and turkey -- and stood back and watched the magic happen. It started with a big ball of dough, to which several ladles of sauce, handfuls of cheese, and what seemed like a never-ending parade of toppings were added. They stuck it in the oven, and a little more than 10 minutes later, they took it out and set it on our table.</div><div><br /></div><div>How big was it? Well, my favorite photo <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=mnl4y0jmomy&thumb=6">uses my cell phone for reference</a></span>. After once again <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=wm4zyhgylzx&thumb=6">taking the necessary pictures</a></span> (notice the box straining under the weight of the pizza), we readied ourselves for the challenge. At 2:58, we decided we would start right at 3:00. As the manager set the timer for one hour, Andy and I went through final mental preparations. Finally, the clock hit 3PM, and the challenge was on.</div><div><br /></div><div><object width="420" height="258"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/TqzT4Et98Gc&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/TqzT4Et98Gc&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="420" height="258"></embed></object><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=mdmxm051tum&thumb=6">started quickly</a></span>, piling pieces into our mouths, and after a few minutes, we were <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=nqy1z3wmwfh&thumb=6">well on our way</a></span>. We knew that the initial surge would be the key to our success, as we were sure to hit the first wall at approximately 20 minutes, and wanted to be at least halfway through the pizza at the 15-minute mark.</div><div><br /></div><div>We pushed through the first half of the pizza, and we hit our goal of being halfway through after about 15 minutes. At this point, we felt good, and even though our pace had slowed slightly, we actually believed that maybe, just maybe...that we could do this.</div><div><br /></div><div>And then, much like Dany Heatley, we <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=oyjql5yqmtu&thumb=6">hit a wall</a></span>. Our general demeanor changed as our pace slowed and we began chipmunking bites. When we started, we were eating several pieces a minute; now, we were taking much smaller bites and taking at least two minutes to get each piece down. As we hit the 30-minute mark, our pace had slowed to a crawl.</div><div><br /></div><div>For the next 10 minutes, we continued to push forward, but by the 40-minute mark, it was as good as over. Even though we had eaten roughly 70% of the pizza at this point, it was becoming increasingly obvious that there was no way we were going to be able to eat the rest. We weren't quitting though. We had promised to fight to end, and that was exactly what we were going to do. Since all beverages were free, Andy ordered himself a Sprite, and we continued <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=zzwdwzyizyd&thumb=6">slowly picking at the pizza</a></span>.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFeacPNO0sV8h18GuaQHoxCF8TmwErWJs6cDd8rrelZBZwE_m1dYTLc58luMnj3Q2tAFS_zMzjBIttA2SypwHY0ayEBucxk-IFzuYxpmrdyuuc_G8twcwzq4el8BLi4SFwDa3MD2uyNTSj/s200/IMG_0521.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338454066120221186" style="float: right; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px; " /></span></div><div>Twenty more minutes passed, and finally, mercifully, it was over. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=k0j0ymwxdct&thumb=6">Andy lay down</a></span>. I leaned back against the wall, <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=jykydxzwmwy&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">resigned to my fate</span></a>. In all, we had eaten about 75% of the pizza. </div><div><br /></div><div>When we were finished, the pizza looked like <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=whzyiw2xlnz&thumb=6">this</a></span>. The neat pile in the foreground is mine. The pile of "pizza surprise" in the background is Andy's. We had each started with 37 pieces of pizza. We each finished with roughly 10. It was by no means an embarrassment, but it was by no means a success either. We had given the Pointersaurus our best effort, and the Pointersaurus had looked us in the eye, and <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=my4abzomzm1&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">stomped on our hopes and dreams</span></a>.</div><div><br /></div><div>The guy behind the counter said that we "did better than most people do," and that we were "one of the only groups who kept on eating until the end." Great. We have determination. Whoop-de-shit. Small consolation for two humans who got outplayed by a large piece of food.</div><div><br /></div><div><object width="420" height="258"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/SJf0yzQ2Bws&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/SJf0yzQ2Bws&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="420" height="258"></embed></object><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">So what went wrong?</span> </div><div><br /></div><div>First and foremost, the pizza was huge. Could I ever eat that much? Maybe if I trained for several weeks to expand my stomach and learn to eat that much. Otherwise, no. I now know the weight at which my stomach maxes out.</div><div><br /></div><div>Additionally, the pizza itself was not very good. Actually, I guess that's an extra part of the challenge. The worst part was the sauce. It was sharp, watery, and overall, just borderline disgusting. The first part of the pizza went down easily enough because I was starving, and I was basically inhaling my food without actually tasting it. By the time I got to the 40-minute mark, I was full. If there was good pizza in front of me, I would have had a much easier time eating it. So had it been better, would we have finished it? Probably not, I guess...but I think if the pizza had actually been good, we would have at least gotten closer. </div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">What did we do right?</span></div><div><br /></div><div>The toppings. Chicken and turkey is the way to go. In fact, the toppings were the easiest part of the pizza. If I had wanted to, I could have stopped at the 40-minute mark and just picked the toppings off, leaving the toughest part, the sauce and cheese, and probably have gotten through all of the meat. They were very light, and very easy to eat, even when we were full.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our uniforms. The headbands were actually a great call. They keep the restaurant pretty warm, and after about 5 minutes of going at the pizza, we were sweating. The headbands were at least able to moderately contain the pizza sweats, and the wristbands were as good if not better than napkins when it came to wiping away sweat below the headband. Highly recommended for anyone who undertakes this.</div><div><br /></div><div>Our beginning pace. To have a chance, you have to start fast. We accomplished what we wanted to in the first 15 minutes of the challenge, and had our stomachs been able to keep up with our appetites, we would have had a shot. Unfortunately, the remaining 45 minutes <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vK1gd1RNCJI">did not go to plan</a>.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Would we ever do it again?</span></div><div><br /></div><div>In a word....no. In two words.....probably not. We know our limits now, and now that we've tried it, there's no reason to ever try it again, unless, of course, we think we have a shot. Maybe after a month-long competitive eating boot camp. But probably not under any other circumstances.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, there you have it. We gave it our best shot, put up a decent fight, but ultimately, we failed. Although on the bright side, we can now look forward to the next week and a half, where we will eat ridiculously unhealthy food, albeit in moderation. </div><div><br /></div>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06072938568216527556noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1925078994873173447.post-11484549233700618032009-05-20T22:47:00.000-04:002013-05-23T22:23:18.891-04:00The Main Event<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgESHxNalnmPhfXeG98k8VjU1PzkodMuV9RvI8R_-ZzMZQai-Z3p82liVjc9_lp5TyE0kLlgKL6di_fmiPmKacHiVG2IKxOOxGHzDbBDobZayjR-rNysdeDTUc2dDbWyrT9cXB9bryiDFI/s1600-h/hut.jpg" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">In this corner, the challengers:</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Career Highlights:</span></div>
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*2005 Cornfest Champion - 31 ears</div>
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*2006 Cornfest Co-Champion - 37 ears</div>
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*Conquered El Gigante</div>
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*<a href="http://2guys1roadtrip.blogspot.com/2009/05/dagwood-challenge.html">Defeated the Dagwood</a></div>
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*Used to look like <a href="http://www.duke.edu/~sas64/Richmond%20Pics/BigSam.jpg">this</a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Career Highlights:</span></div>
<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338033832465884786" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik6kRRzYo2ruAzxbArGZ9ErZaAUnKIXarY9Qrng2A6nTSxxjb5QYLHf9SJMPHP69d_VVvXeA7e1tUtpz3UPErRs5mCVuWvtq4S9SYW_vnfHhM7srGffI8huCCYSbTJYlnEFVX9HCZ10WbX/s200/n7714522_40030220_4129942.jpg" style="cursor: hand; cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 150px; margin: 0 0 10px 10px; width: 200px;" /><br />
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*Two-time Whoopie Pie eater in Message to Garcia</div>
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*<a href="http://2guys1roadtrip.blogspot.com/2009/05/dagwood-challenge.html">Defeated the Dagwood</a></div>
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*40 wings in one session</div>
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*Known as a "good eater"</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: large;">And in the other corner, the champion:</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">THE POINTERSAURUS:</span></div>
<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5338108062187985458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgESHxNalnmPhfXeG98k8VjU1PzkodMuV9RvI8R_-ZzMZQai-Z3p82liVjc9_lp5TyE0kLlgKL6di_fmiPmKacHiVG2IKxOOxGHzDbBDobZayjR-rNysdeDTUc2dDbWyrT9cXB9bryiDFI/s200/hut.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; float: right; height: 150px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 10px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px; width: 200px;" /><br />
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*28 inches in diameter</div>
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*12 lbs. of dough, sauce, cheese, and meat</div>
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*Career record of 1000's-18</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">The Place: </span>Pointer's Pizza, St. Louis, MO</div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">The Time: </span>3PM, Central Daylight Time.</div>
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<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvufFwdqMzg">Say it, Michael Buffer.</a></div>
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Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06072938568216527556noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1925078994873173447.post-14092080875449885652009-05-20T16:36:00.002-04:002009-05-20T17:14:52.858-04:00FAQ<div>I've received several questions about the Pointersaurus over the past few weeks, but most of them revolve around this general idea: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">"So, Sam....why the hell are you doing this in the first place?"</span></div><div><br /></div><div>For the cash. And the pride. But mostly the cash. Well, initially at least.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sure, I'd like to take this thing down, but the odds are definitely stacked against that. Whenever I've heard about these eating challenges, my first thought is "oh, I could totally do that." But there's a reason that places like Pointers Pizza hand out $500 for winning, and it's not because people come in and beat the Pointersaurus on a daily basis. I'm glad that most of you have such faith in Andy and me, as witnessed by the fact that ~75% think we can finish this thing. But in reality, this is going to be ridiculously difficult.</div><div><br /></div><div><div>At this point, what it boils down to is sheer morbid curiosity. When faced with half of a giant pizza, I want to see how well I can do. Until you've actually tried something like this, you have no gauge of just how hard it's actually going to be. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's very much like my desire to someday hit a well-thrown knuckleball. You see it and you say to yourself, "Look, he's just floating it in there. There's no reason why I wouldn't be able to hit that." What you fail to realize is that the pitcher is still "floating" the ball over the plate at 60 mph. And that the ball is moving around so violently that if Isaac Newton ever saw one, he would re-check his work. Hell, most major league catchers can't even <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">catch</span> a knuckleball consistently. So what chance do I have? In reality, zero, plus a very small percentage of close-your-eyes-and-swing luck. But if someone offered me the opportunity right now to take batting practice off Tim Wakefield, I'd give it a shot, just so I could say, "I've tried this, and now I know just how difficult it is."</div><div><br /></div><div>Nevertheless, people do occasionally beat this thing. So I'll be there on Thursday afternoon, giving it my all, and hoping that I might just come across that small percentage of close-your-eyes-and-eat luck.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>So initially, I guess it was about the cash. Now, it's more about trying to challenge myself and see what I can do. Also, once I do it once, I'll never have to do it again. That is, until the next time I feel like challenging myself.</div></div>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06072938568216527556noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1925078994873173447.post-54366634584451717912009-05-19T14:13:00.010-04:002009-05-20T00:17:40.934-04:00Columbus, OH<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwKuGn8NzaxyoY9PoKUvab-0w_2_BoK82Ba5EyXV7Sa4som_jtLDIWIdGl-mwnGr8hQKdYOzl9Ok0Z_TonLEnE5p6Jho7ckiR5KLQ5bT0LFlYrH-iYGD-muGxGnpKPsTfc7zFdOsDmflcP/s1600-h/IMG_0253.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwKuGn8NzaxyoY9PoKUvab-0w_2_BoK82Ba5EyXV7Sa4som_jtLDIWIdGl-mwnGr8hQKdYOzl9Ok0Z_TonLEnE5p6Jho7ckiR5KLQ5bT0LFlYrH-iYGD-muGxGnpKPsTfc7zFdOsDmflcP/s320/IMG_0253.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337600237022975378" /></a> <div><br /></div><div>Our bellies full of Dagwood, we decided to go visit Ohio Stadium, home of the THE Ohio State Buckeyes. But first, Andy had to go <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">p</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">uke behind a dumpster</span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">(file not found)</span>.<div><br /></div><div>After he emptied his stomach of its contents, we drove over to the stadium and found an open gate. We wandered around the stands for about an hour, taking pictures. We got one of the <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=jyyz4zyiiyz&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">horseshoe</span></a>. One of the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=zhz0wndlfbj&thumb=6">city of Columbus</a></span> as seen from the stands. One of an <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=eaj12gjxhnm&thumb=6">awesome stained glass window</a></span>. One of how all the seats there <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=24myw5znzqq&thumb=6">aren't necessarily good seats</a></span>.</div><div><br /></div><div>But there were signs on all of the gates that walking on the field was strictly prohibited, so we stayed clear. However, after about 40 minutes there, we saw some other people walk out onto the field, so we hopped a fence and decided to check it out.</div><div><br /></div><div>We took a few pictures immediately from <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=xm1htntxwgf&thumb=6">near the end zone</a></span>, and then decided to walk to the middle of the field. As we approached the 50-yard-line though, a woman walked up to us and said, "Hey guys...you need to get out of here. This is a photoshoot."</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Whoops. So we snapped a quick <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=emtmmmjownm&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">picture of me</span></a> and <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=ymyyzxhxm20&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">one of Andy</span></a> at midfield, as some dude remarked that they would start the photoshoot as soon as "homeboy gets out of the middle." But before we left, I made a mad dash/dive into the end zone and Andy tiptoed the sideline and dove in for the touchdown (<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">after video review, the ball carrier's foot was out of bounds at the 5-yard-line</span>).</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><object width="420" height="258"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/o6jcuR_YVE4&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/o6jcuR_YVE4&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="420" height="258"></embed></object><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>I'd also like to introduce the first of many in the "Andy Messer Speaks His Mind" video series. Today's topic: Ohio State football.</div><div><br /></div><div><object width="420" height="258"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/_DkyWcs0Mnw&hl=en&fs=1"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/_DkyWcs0Mnw&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="420" height="258"></embed></object><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Tonight:</span> Reds game against the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJA6JZ_TKaw">WFC</a> and Skyline Chili.</div></div>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06072938568216527556noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1925078994873173447.post-42434965962313638832009-05-18T23:06:00.008-04:002009-05-19T16:34:25.129-04:00The Dagwood Challenge<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">(Again, all bold links are pictures I took, since I still haven't figured out how to make them clickable on the blog.)</span></div><div><br /></div><div>I left Washington, DC at 11AM. Fourteen hours, nine episodes of The Wire, and one pre-packaged Amtrak hot dog later, I arrived in Cincinnati.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>After a long night's sleep, we woke up late, ready for the task at hand: traveling to Columbus and taking down the <a href="http://www.columbusdispatch.com/live/content/life/stories/2008/12/10/1A_DAGWOOD.ART_ART_12-10-08_D1_BKC6CNC.html?sid=101">Dagwood</a>, a 2.5-pound deli sandwich that comes with a pound of fries and a pickle spear. Finish it all in 30 minutes or less, and you get a free t-shirt, plus your picture on the wall. Honestly, we considered it a warm-up to Thursday's Pointersaurus, and didn't think that we'd have too much trouble taking it all down. In reality, we had severely <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHy6IZcleic">misunderestimated</a> it.<br /></div><div><br /></div><div>We rolled up to the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=oltzmzmokny&thumb=6">Ohio Deli</a></span> at about 3PM. The first thing you see when walking into the restaurant is the <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=txitwywzdhn&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Wall of Fame</span></a>, including the picture of <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=znddng4eugd&thumb=6">Adam Richman, host of Man v. Food</a></span>. We sat down at a booth, and when the waitress came to take our order, I confidently announced, "we're both gonna take down the Dagwood."</div><div><br /></div><div>We waited anxiously for about 10 minutes, during which time we met <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=3t1znyhz2jo&thumb=6">Linda and "Mom."</a><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; "> Ohio Deli regulars, they had never seen anyone do the challenge before, so they were as excited as we were. Even though they had finished their meal, they decided to stick around to watch us compete. Linda also graciously agreed to take pictures of our attempt, so our collection of action shots can be attributed to her. Thank you, Linda.</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div>Finally the sandwiches came out, and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=tztmwynymjd&thumb=6">wow were they huge</a></span>. They surprised <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=l2zzdiygunj&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">me</span></a>. They surprised <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=jotiimimmzk&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">Andy</span></a>. But we were ready for this. And after the requisite pregame pictures, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=bmzo2ylmxi1&thumb=6">we dug in</a></span>.</div><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjirMq47CgCIIDOPXl8prfw63fvuT0OdxoYsN5pnEPzT7r967j-BzjmTmsQgR2qNliEtjuP9pG0j_ypy6qv5eJ-csRx4D1HlEaky73Xee1tykcfvAzEEB0wt94IufCYKgr8madfP6BYI21l/s200/IMG_0189.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337635536035070610" /><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""></span><div><br /></div><div>The first half of the sandwich went down easy. Andy and I both finished it in roughly five minutes, mixing in bites of fries along the way. But it was all downhill from there. The fries were good, but they were heavy, and before long, these fries threatened to be our downfall. Even though we were both putting fries inside the sandwich, there were far too many of them to be able to eat all of them this way.</div><div><br /></div><div>I started on the 2nd half of the sandwich, but quickly switched over to trying to knock out a portion of the still-large fry pile on my plate. As my stomach finally started to send distress signals to my brain, I was able to get the food pile <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=rjdzljzrhgw&thumb=6">down to a manageable size</a></span>. As eating became harder, I decided to mix everything together, eating fries with turkey, onions with roast beef, and ham with what seemed to be a large part of my napkin.</div><div><br /></div><div>As I made my way to the finish line at around the 20 minute mark, I was feeling the burn, but <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=d0dwgzwmoo2&thumb=6">I was happy</a></span>. Bites at this point were becoming increasingly difficult, but I knew that if I could put away the final few pieces, I would take my place on the wall of legends at the Ohio Deli. After several more painful mouthfuls of bread, meat, and fry, I was <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=jdtzfhzybjn&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; ">down to my last bite</span></a>. And then it was over. At the 24-minute mark, I had <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=jxwdmj0yqmo&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; ">conquered the Dagwood</span></a>. </div><div><br /></div><div>As I looked over to Andy though, he was <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=omibm1514zj&thumb=6">still eating away</a></span>, a large pile of fries sitting on his plate. But to his credit, he did not give up, even when the situation looked bleak. With a minute left, he had only a handful of fries left. Doing everything in his power to finish, he balled them up, poured some water on them, and took them down. At the 30-minute mark, beating the buzzer by mere seconds, Andy <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=nyzdo5xtynn&thumb=6">joined the ranks</a></span> of the Ohio Deli immortals.</div><div><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;">What does immortality look like? It looks like </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=ddjnztiggk2&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:x-large;">this.</span></span></a></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 238); font-weight: normal; "><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjflIq6fxxN_9NXOwXlKEB64_HZJjNy5MNjibUaCRuFFk-M7ijNJbk7LOEOZVjifEPW-w_ouwTh1a1WtKar2KMN2HAsjxODgjaBmhTHDg7KW3N8XBZU8CCaJn3XHExyFfBN0_CkkS2LSCT/s400/IMG_0224.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337380207065938146" style="display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px; " /></span></span></div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Coming tomorrow:</span> The aftermath!</div><div><br /></div>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06072938568216527556noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1925078994873173447.post-31808450803209739362009-05-17T02:11:00.001-04:002009-05-19T00:22:29.820-04:00Caption Contest #1Alright, so I'll be on the train to Cincinnati all day tomorrow. No internet on Amtrak (really guys, it's about time....even buses have it), but I'll have Season 4 of The Wire to keep me entertained. To keep you guys entertained, here's a caption contest. Jeff suggested I do one here, so he's gonna be the subject of the first photo (<a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=lnjmmdynqzz&thumb=6">bigger version here</a>). Just post your caption in the comments. Go nuts, guys. His self-esteem knows no lower limit.<div><br /><div><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO4vUpmOhjObbNEkZFaxG7ivI4T8kwEC6A-ZLYlp0zcaOLOyVZdoJKb1pBWK8ihs8SB0OL0Ld1Ji3PHsZ4FN8J28Of8J5ft5_p7_hSSvdmQSRS1087_frpiAIFTHRYSgDL2P3o8GCsOlir/s400/IMG_0078.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337385515361511234" /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">My caption:</span> It's okay...the results came back negative.</div><div><br /></div></div></div>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06072938568216527556noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1925078994873173447.post-82585168406557612182009-05-16T19:31:00.022-04:002009-06-01T22:37:41.139-04:00Nationals Park<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikH-I4PLL7fMUFNRz3SCyIyrAAZPZhVxs_ink8jHQdS1Z5Fb-A_nvusWbvJeKddSIqU-d8slptywvFoy-ILVNMd0sHZ8w6k2PswKqtwLJ4NLVyvBoCGJsVMLIGIPT5BXh77NG-DQvSZKdy/s1600-h/IMG_0141.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikH-I4PLL7fMUFNRz3SCyIyrAAZPZhVxs_ink8jHQdS1Z5Fb-A_nvusWbvJeKddSIqU-d8slptywvFoy-ILVNMd0sHZ8w6k2PswKqtwLJ4NLVyvBoCGJsVMLIGIPT5BXh77NG-DQvSZKdy/s400/IMG_0141.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5342553810605917858" /></a><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-style: italic;">Note: This is a ballpark review, not a rating. Once the trip ends, I'll rank all the parks, hopefully in several categories, and also declare an overall winner.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Today, Jeff and I visited Nationals Park. When it was built a few years ago in an empty warehouse district, the Nationals hoped that it would help turn the area into a trendy, upscale, developing neighboorhood along the banks of the Anacostia River. A quick walk around the park and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; "><span><span><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=nmthz4rimd2&thumb=6">a look at the surroundings</a></span></span> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">confirms that things haven't exactly gone to plan. Although if you want to rent a U-Haul, there are two stores directly adjacent to the park: one behind right field, and one behind left. Basically, when Ryan Zimmerman leaves in five years for a legitimate team, he'll have no problem getting his stuff out of there.</span></span></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Most people enter from the rear -- the centerfield gate -- because both the Metro and the two parking garages lead right to it. It's a <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=gk4ymzz532n&thumb=6">nice little plaza</a></span> where people can mill around and talk about Cristian Guzman's low on-base percentage. Also, there are ladies with accents giving out free samples of Nestea. Unfortunately, this leads to a situation where the three other gates are basically devoid of any people (not that the centerfield gate is all that crowded), and twenty minutes before first pitch, you can walk by a main gate that <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=yzygwnuyi4x&thumb=6">looks like this</a></span>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Through one of his friends, Jeff was able to get <span class="Apple-style-span" style=""><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=yfy5gmgymkk&thumb=6"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;">seats about 15 rows behind home plate</span></a></span> in the Diamond Club section. Great seats, plus the tickets came with a $35 credit for food and merchandise. Alright, let's see what we can buy with $35. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://picasaweb.google.com/2guys1roadtrip/TheRoadTrip?authkey=Gv1sRgCOSOn5CP5tqI2QE#5336555513779960690">Large soda, polish sausage, and W-shaped pretzel</a></span>. Total: $17. Another soda: up to $22. Milkshake: $30. Hmmm.....$5 left and I don't really need any more food....how about....a minibat! Perfect. All the food was pretty good; the sausage was cooked perfectly and the pretzel was buttery and delicious -- by far the best item of the day.</div><div><br /></div><div>And then of course, the Presidents raced. Based on the famous Milwaukee sausage race, this race involves people in giant head costumes of the four Mt. Rushmore presidents racing around the warning track, starting in centerfield and ending right in front of the Nats' dugout on the first base side. It's always a legit race....except for that Teddy Roosevelt never wins. Even though <a href="http://blog.letteddywin.com/">campaigns to change this</a> are going strong, Teddy has still never won a race since they introduced this a few years ago. Today was no exception. George, TJ, and Abe came out of centerfield first, followed about 10 seconds later by Teddy channeling his inner GOB and riding in on a Segway. Still, George powered through and <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=uhm5zdmlmak&thumb=6">won the race by a good margin</a></span>.</div><div><br /></div><div>We also went to go meet up with two of our friends from Duke, Gabe and Sam. Even though we had our Diamond Club bracelets on, and there were plenty of empty seats, an usher came over and said we couldn't sit there. We showed him our bracelets that showed we had good tickets, and said that we just wanted to talk to our friends for a few minutes. He didn't care. So I sarcastically thanked him for kicking us out and then <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=nhtolimoy2n&thumb=6">took his picture</a></span>. Suck on that, d-bag.</div><div><br /></div><div>There are also a bunch of weird statues in the centerfield plaza that are supposed to depict motion, but instead make <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=r5umymwimni&thumb=6">baseball players look like Hindu gods</a></span>.</div><div><br /></div><div>Additional Pictures: <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=vwolmnvjtzz&thumb=6">View from the upper deck</a></span>,<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"> <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=qnxkyqkgznz&thumb=6">View from the outfield</a></span>,<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"> <a href="http://www.mediafire.com/imageview.php?quickkey=joeyo2x2gox&thumb=6">Attendance Counter</a> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="">(wait for roaring laughter to subside)....</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: bold; ">Quick summary: </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="">The combination of an apathetic fanbase plus small crowds (there were noticeably more Phillies fans than Nats fans there today) makes </span>Nationals Park a very enjoyable place to watch a baseball game, provided you're not actually one of the four die-hard Nationals fans in the world.</div>Samhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06072938568216527556noreply@blogger.com3