The Great Baseball Roadtrip of 2010, Part 3
Part one here. Part two here. Read one, or read them all. I suggest reading them all.
Dawn breaks over our third and final day of baseball. Dawn's a bitch like that. We slept right on through the sunrise and awoke to a lazy day spent finding food in the streets of NoHo and waiting for Jeff to finish working. We watched a lot of Dr. Who. Jeff and I had to explain a lot of it to Mina, as she'd never seen any of it, which is shame because it's been quite good. (it was also the end of David Tennant's reign and the man was the perfect Doctor.)
Of all the games, I think this was the one Mina was most looking forward to and also dreading the most. A life long Giant's fan, this was going to be her first foray into the heart of enemy territory. Sure, she's been to Giant's v Dodger's game before, but in the friendly confines of PacBell (AT&T) Park. This would be a whole new experience.
After walking around the entire stadium, we met up with Ivy and headed over to the store. Mina was reluctant to enter, but as I had gone into the Angel's store the day before, I figured she owed me a walk though Dodger World. We made a hasty trip through, then waited outside while Ivy bought out the store. (her most prized purchase being a stuffed animal snake/boa she named Quagmire.)
Last time I was here I wasn't eating hot dogs (it's a long story), so I was REALLY looking forward to finally having a Dodger Dog. These foot longs are the stuff of stadium legend, spoken of in lands far and wide. I had been looking forward to this all trip. I spotted the nearest food dispensary, and despite the fact that we were sitting on the exact opposite side of the stadium, I ran up and purchased a Dodger Dog. I then noticed they had Blue Moon on tap. I don't normally have beer at sporting events, mostly due to the price, but this was simply too good a chance to pass up. They serve you beer in a lidded plastic cup at Dodger stadium. We suspect this was to keep people from committing beer fouls, but we saw it as an invitation to stick straws in our beers and drink them that way. It's what civilized folk do.
I'd post a picture of this, but it's of me and I look like a dork. Who drinks beer with a straw?!? Oh...right.
The Giants, to Mina's delight, took an early lead. I clapped too, as I feel it close to impossible to pull for the Dodgers, what with being best friends with Mina and a long time supporter of the Giants as my National League team. (you can have two teams. Yes you can) Sure I love my A's first, but I don't turn down Giant's games just because their Giant's games. It's all baseball.
Anyway, I was also in wholly neutral deep purple, not wanting to revisit the experience of my last trip to Dodger stadium in 2004 which involved a very drunk fellow walking up to me and screaming "FUCK YOU!" so loudly in my ear I thought my eardrum might rupture. I was dressed in orange and black then. I wasn't really eager to tempt fate in that regard, despite the fact that we were going to be sitting downstairs and not in the loge.
Back to the Dodger Dog. It's not that is was bad, it's that it wasn't mind blowing. It was tasty, but not filling and really unimpressive in pretty much every regard but length. (I feel weird critiquing cylindrical foods) Still hungry, Jeff and I set out to find more overpriced stadium fair. We stumbled upon a booth that sold salads, dipping dots, and sushi. Odd combo to be sure, but I am all about Dipping Dots, so we braved it. Nothing like a beer and tiny bits of ice cream to make you feel like a classy gal on a Monday night.
A nigh full of back and forth banter between Ivy and Mina, as well as some back and forth with the very drunk, and very amusing gentlemen behind us (who invited at least Ivy to a party. I have no idea if she went) The Dodgers did score 2 runs to the Giants 4 and for awhile it looked as though the boys in blue might come out on top of the Giants, but thankfully that did not come to pass. I was not at all looking forward to the shit talking that would have followed that outcome.
On the way out I high fived some Giant's fans, which on me the immediate ire of Ivy, who grabbed my hand and drug me off towards her car loudly chiding me for being involved in such activities. Jeff and Mina headed off towards Mina's car, and we had an unofficial, slow moving race to see who could get back to Ivy's the quickest.
Rolling through the streets of LA at night, blasting gangsta rap from the interior of a silver Saturn gets one strange looks, especially when one is white. Oh a whim Ivy decided we NEED to drive through the park, so we embark on a twisting turning, u turn filled journey that nearly saw us run down a stop sign at the end of a road. It also involved a zoo and a small train.
Needless to say, we got back later, much to the confusion of Jeff and Mina. Ivy also had the only set of keys, so there was some grumbling about being forced to wait to get back into her place when we needed to leave in the morning, but we explained that a zoo and, later a train, had been involved, and that seemed to confuse everyone into silence.
We retired to Ivy's apartment floor once more, ready to head back home the following morning. It was a great trip, although short, perhaps too short, but totally worth it to see two great ballparks and one festering red wound on the face of Orange County.
We shall miss you Great Baseball Roundtrip.
Perhaps next summer we'll take a trip to see the park in Seattle. I hear they have a bridge troll.
