Actual trip-related content

The Devil Rays have an off day, and since I’ve got the AAA Tourbooks piled up around me, here are some questions for Levi et al. to ponder…

1. After the game in Davenport, when there are going to be four of us, do we want one hotel room or two? One room would be somewhat cheaper and would be a fun slumber party, but two rooms would mean two bathrooms.

2. How is Stacey getting from Detroit to Chicago — Amtrak? Greyhound? Teleportation device of some sort? The answer to this question may determine where we stay in Detroit, or perhaps I should say the greater Detroit area. (The one hotel that’s definitely within walking distance of Comerica Park is quoting what seems like a ridiculously high rate, so I’m looking elsewhere.)

3. Does either potential laptop have an Airport card (or other wireless card)? At least one potential place of lodging I’m looking at advertises free wireless Internet access.

Original comments…

sandor: 3. My available laptop does not, but perhaps you could borrow a card from someone else. Or buy one and return it a week and half later.

Levi: Ours has wireless Internet capability, if I understand such things properly.

thatbob: No, I don’t think you understand correctly. You’ll still need an Airport card. Which you might have, you should just ask Tony. But “wireless Internet capability” is a little like saying that my computer is “printer ready,” I would still need a printer.

Luke: One hotel room would be fine for this frugal hanger-on. More money for bowling.

Levi: Like, I mean that I’ve used it with the wireless internet here at work.

Does that mean I have an airport card?

sandor: Yeah, that means it’s wireless ready. It means it’ll pick up any wi-fi network it finds and allow you online, assuming it’s a free network.

stacey: monroe (our computer) will pick up any available network. also, i’m not sure if i’m going to go all the way to detroit yet . . . i was thinking maybe of just heading back from carmi. luke, want to travel together? which do you prefer?

Jim: Heading back to Chicago from Carmi with Luke will involve getting shoved out of the car at the University Park Metra station, so be aware of that. Unless you’re trying to keep your teleportation device secret from the government, wink wink.

AAA update

Things keep happening to thwart me from going to the AAA office on Monday, my day off, so today I went after work to get the Triptik and the various ancillary items, which I can’t get from the AAA web site because this trip has too many destinations for it to work correctly.

They’re going to mail me the Triptik, but I had, at one point, two AAA employees rummaging through filing cabinets looking for maps and Tourbooks for me. So now I have two plastic bags stuffed full of materials, including a map of Chicago and vicinity, just in case you don’t know your way around in a car, Levi. In fact, it may annoy you to discover that the AAA cartographers titled one of the inset maps, with Lawrence and Ashland at the upper left, “Lincoln Park.”

Original comments…

Jason: They might have been more helpful if you were going to any AAA parks, like Memphis or Albuquerque.

thatbob: And everyone knows that baseball-related Chase Park is actually at the corner of Lawrence and Ashland.

From www.chicagoparkdistrict.com:

“In 1920, the Lincoln Park Commission converted a deserted semi-professional baseball field into Chase Park. Known as Gunther Park, the ball field was home to the Niesen-Gunther team beginning in 1905. The facility went out of business in 1913, during the construction of Chicago’s north side professional baseball field, Wrigley Field. A community member suggested the conversion of the old ball field into a park in 1914, and several years later the Ravenswood Improvement Association and some local officials petitioned for the park. The Lincoln Park Commission finally began land acquisition in 1920. Within the next two years, tennis courts, a playground, an athletic field, a wading pool, and a fieldhouse were constructed in Chase Park. In 1934, the Lincoln park commission was consolidated into the Chicago park district. The Park district demolished chase Park’s original fieldhouse and replaced it with a new building in 1976.”

Stocking up, part 2

I thought I’d put this in the main body of the blog instead of in the comments to Levi’s post, since it’s important…more important for me, in fact, since it will be more inconvenient to turn back if I leave something behind before heading for the airport than if Levi leaves something behind before heading for Davenport.

You can’t get a car that runs on biodiesel and is comfortable for four people, or so Hertz claims. However, I believe every state we’ll be passing through will have cheaper gas than California, even Illinois, so I’ll claim it’s cheap every time we fill up. Ontario and Quebec will be more expensive, but it’ll still seem cheap because the price will be listed in Canadian dollars per liter.

I tend to have stomach problems for unexplained reasons, not after eating things like the Schmitter. When I do have them, though, Tums doesn’t cut it. I’m bringing Pepto-Bismol.

I’m pretty sure there is going to be a Canada-U.S. translation chart of some variety in the materials I’m going to get from AAA, if I ever manage to make it to their office.

Other things I should remember to bring:

1) The Red Sox and Phillies tickets for me and Levi.

2) Printouts of the hotel reservation confirmations.

3) My iPod and its various accessories, including the cigarette lighter charger, the AC charger and cable, and the cassette adaptor (on the off chance we get a car not only with a cassette deck, but with a cassette deck the adaptor will work in). In addition to the music (not solely radio station jingles), my iPod also contains my address book, and I’m going to put text files on it giving exact driving directions to the various places we’ll be staying, plus public transportation directions to stadiums (where applicable), and anything else I can think of that needs to be on there.

4) My digital camera and its battery charger.

5) My cell phone and its charger.

6) A bunch of nickels and dimes I have lying around that may come in handy for paying tolls.

7) My passport.

8) Sunscreen, since I have a giant tube of Coppertone Sport that’s still pretty full.

9) A rain poncho (which I need to buy unless I can find the one I thought I had).

10) Not directly related to the trip, but a videotape of television programming from a channel or channels that Levi and Stacey don’t receive, since they’d be disappointed if I didn’t show up with one. I’ve already got a 2-hour selection on my TiVo, although I have to get a working VCR between now and the trip. All I’ll say is that it’s not game shows.

Original comments…

maura: you are so organized! i started packing for my trip to seattle an hour before i had to leave my house, and i left my cell phone charger at home.

i did get to safeco field on monday night, though. it’s a very nice park; the roof was closed over the field, but there were gaps providing vistas into the city. unfortunately, we weren’t seated near the healthy food area, so we didn’t have the veggie dogs or ichirolls — we ate jumbo hot dogs. note to self: NEVER EAT JUMBO HOT DOGS AGAIN. not only were they, er, indelicately unwieldy, they were way too big. the garlic fries were great, though, and i had an iced latte as well (oh, whatever, it’s seattle, it’s okay there). also, i bought an action cam at archie mcphee, and i tried to take some photos of the game with it. we’ll see if they came out soon, i guess.

semi-related: that night, joe and i were sitting in our hotel’s bar/lounge area (we stayed at the w), and who should come walking into the lobby but: the entire blue jays team! i wonder if all the teams stay at this hotel, or if richer teams stay at the fancier places downtown.

Jim: You don’t think the W is fancy? The only reason I’ve ever set foot inside one is because that’s where Donna Cochener stayed when she was in L.A. for Maggie’s wedding, and Levi and I visited her there. You know she’s not going to stay anyplace non-fancy.

Did lots of trains go by while you were at Safeco?

maura: i saw donna on tuesday! we had lunch at noodle ranch. she is living in seattle now. anyway, the ‘fancier’ places i was thinking of were the boutique hotels with in-room jacuzzis and stuff. a-rod’s gotta soak!

only two trains went by while i was at safeco. both were freight trains.

Jeremy: I used to feel stupid for not owning a VCR that works, until I just found out Jim doesn’t either.

stacey: no game shows?

Jim: Sorry, Jer, I just bought a VCR on EBay. Of course, I still might not own a VCR that works, although the seller swears it’s an open-box item returned to the manufacturer because it didn’t work with RF cables, but it works great with RCA cables (which is all I need). Stacey: GSN, the channel formerly known as Game Show Network, has been very disappointing recently, even in the months before they shortened the name. I don’t know, maybe they’ll surprise me, or maybe some other channel will come up with some exciting game show(s), and I’ll have to bring two videotapes.

Donna Cochener: Always strange to find your name on the web… especially in a post on a baseball site regarding your proclivity to stay in hotels that provide a greater number of creature comforts. Jim, just so you know, I’ve stayed in some truly awful places. I even have photographic evidence — mushrooms growing from the ceiling of the bathroom, things like that.

If anyone has a desire to watch the Mariners lose a few games, you’re welcome to come visit me in Seattle. Hotel Cochener has one small room available — with en suite facilities, but no pool.

Jim: You can’t fool me…only the most upscale hotels have mushrooms growing in the bathroom. That’s the in-room salad bar.

Stocking up

A discussion Jim and I had in the comments to the previous post led me to start thinking about what Jim and will need to bring on our trip. I’m going to leave out the obvious items (like clothes, money, and a toothbrush so that I can annoy Jim by brushing my teeth in the car, hotel room, and the stadium) that anyone would bring on any trip. So, off the top of my head, here are the items specific to the BRPA 2004 trip that I think Jim and I will need.

1) Our two iPods, including the snug St. Louis Cardinals iPod Cozy that Stacey crocheted me for my birthday.

2) Hostess Fruit Pies, because Doctor Octopus has already shown some interest in our trip, and neither Jim nor I is a superhero, so distracting Doc Ock is our only hope.

3) This collection of old radio shows about baseball, either on CD or on my iPod.

4) This collection of Jack Benny programs, to break up the nonstop radio station jingles coming from Jim’s iPod.

5) My score book, pencils, and a sharpener. Because keeping score is one way to keep sane on a long baseball trip.

6) Several gallons of biodiesel from one of Uptown’s greasy diners, because I’m sure the rental car Jim has booked can run on bio-diesel. Jim wouldn’t let me down that way.

So what else do you think we need?

Original comments…

Jason: -A camera

-Some green, black & teal yarn for Jim to knit himself a Tampa Bay Devil Rays iPod Cozy

-Milk to wash down the Hostess Fruit Pies

-Spider-Man Underoos to further frighten Dr. Octopus away

-A Canada-U.S. translation chart, so you can convert from miles to kilometers and from saying ‘about’ to ‘aboot’

-Hookers

Steve: -Tums (for Jim if he dares tackle the Schmitter)

-American dollar bills (because I hear Windsor has awesome strip clubs and American money is worth more than Canadian Money so you are more likely to be popular with the dancers)

-Stamps (to send postcards because even though digital cameras are cool and make for instant photos its hard to put a blog up on the fridge–don’t forget the address book)

-Peanuts (cheaper outside the park)

sandor: Are either of you bringing a laptop? Or are you planning on doing all your updates from the road through some bootleg blog-by-email set-up? I’d love to see what kind of shorthand l33t-speak you come up with for, say, Albert Pujols.

In addition to a laptop, you’ll need an account with some kind of nationwide ISP, so you can plug in in your hotel room and make a local or toll-free call. That’s how we did it on our trip. The alternative is hoping for either a) free wireless access in stadium (which I hear exists someplace [probably SF] but which use I can’t for the life of me see you condoning) or b) business centers in your hotels or c) extraordinary luck in finding Internet cafes. I actually have an extra, old laptop laying around if you don’t want to bring yours on the road, Levi. You’re welcome to borrow it.

Or are you planning on doing all your road blogging by postcard? I can see that. It’d be a good way to break up the tedium of all those miles: writing the same post over and over and over again on postcards and USPS’ing them to all of your fans.

sandor: Oops. I meant to say “… bootleg blog-by-phone set-up.”

Jim: As far as I’m concerned, we’d love to borrow your extra laptop. My plan was going to involve writing down all the posts longhand while on the trip and then back-dating them when I entered them into Blogger after I got back, then pretending they were there all along.

I happen to be on the Internet via Earthlink, which could not possibly be more of a nationwide ISP (in fact, I’m pretty sure they have numbers in Toronto and Montreal as well). It’s a DSL account that includes 20 hours of free dialup per month, which should be plenty for making posts to this blog, but the amount of time Levi spends looking at Cardinals-related news sites and blogs will have to be carefully rationed.

But I do like the blog-by-postcard idea. Hmm…

Levi: I was planning to bring our laptop, if only for the 9,000 or so songs on it.

But if Stacey thinks she’ll need it while we’re gone, I’ll take you up on your offer.

Toby: Here’s a shot in the dark, Levi – maybe a CAMERA??!!??

Toby

Jeremy: Thanks for posting a link to a website dedicated entirely to Hostess ads in comic books. I blew an entire afternoon at work before I knew what had happened.

Levi: Jer- If you want to waste more time and laugh Coke through your nose, open a can and check out that same guy’s site about the comic Mr. T. and the T-Force. His commentary is a bit obvious, but the T-Force comic itself is hilarious.

spidey: I’m coming on part of your trip, so you needn’t worry about Dr. Octopus until after Detroit. Also, I recommend Hostess Crab Pies. Dr. Octopus loves those.

Twice the baseball?

I’m surprised Levi didn’t mention this in the previous entry: that Cardinals-Pirates game that was rained out on Tuesday is most likely going to be made up as part of a doubleheader when the Pirates next visit St. Louis…which happens to be August 19th through 22nd, coinciding with our planned visit on the 22nd. So what are the odds they’ll choose to do a Sunday doubleheader, and we’ll get to see two games?

Original comments…

Levi: Have you worked up a doubleheader itinerary, in case every game we see ends up being a doubleheader? Can we make all the games if that happens?

And, on a side note, you do have a passport, right? Because I don’t think they let you into Canadia without one these days.

Jim: If every game ends up being a doubleheader? I don’t think that’s going to happen unless we get some “Day After Tomorrow”-style weather within the next couple of months but things clear up by mid-August. For now, the doubleheader plan involves getting up earlier and/or driving faster.

Yes, I have a passport. Don’t you have every post on this blog memorized?

Levi: I know it’s unlikely that every game would end up a doubleheader, but do you want to be caught short if that happens? What’s the only thing more impressive than ten games in ten cities in ten days? Why, it’s 20 games in 20 cities in ten days!

Jim: I think you mean 20 games in 10 cities in 10 days, unless you’re thinking the doubleheaders are going to be long enough that the home team is going to relocate between the two games. Which is a possibility for the Expos, I guess.

Media attention

Maura has invited us to drop by the studios of WPRB Radio in Princeton, New Jersey, and join her on her radio show on Friday, August 27. Quite a coincidence that Princeton is between Boston and Philadelphia, and she’s going to have such a conveniently scheduled Friday afternoon time slot, isn’t it? Anyway, the itinerary has been updated.

Original comments…

Jon Solomon: I suggest a show of nothing but songs about baseball. Speaking of which, Levi I have a gift for you when I see ya…

Levi: Maura: Will Tim Zarazhan be there? ‘Cause I don’t know if I can do a show without Tim around.

Jason: I onced listened in on Maura’s show on WPBR through the courtesy of internet streamline broadcasting (or whatever you call it). I called in, and it took her 8 guesses before I told her who I was. I should probably keep in better touch.

maura: ooh, tim. shiver. i was hoping for an all-baseball-related show, actually. i thought that would be lots of fun. especially since i’ve had barbara manning’s cover of ‘joltin’ joe dimaggio’ in my head for a good portion of the weekend.

thatbob: Mr. Announcer and Nibbles, together again at last!

Your papers, please

In Boston, we’ll be taking the Green Line from our hotel to Fenway Park for the game. Therefore, this item is of particular interest: they are soon going to start random ID checks of transit passengers in Boston.

If this is still going on in August, as much as I’d love to protest against it, I think becoming a test case would ruin the rest of the trip. So I’ll grudgingly present my ID if necessary, although the real problem may be convincing the officer that the digital camera I’m carrying is for the purpose of taking pictures in and around Fenway Park, since some transit authorities are being a little touchy about photography of their property.

Original comments…

thatbob: Too bad the MBTA will be checking the *identity* of people riding their trains, instead of the *bomb-carrying status* of people riding their trains. I guess they just want to make sure that, in case of a bombing, all of the corpses can be identified?

Anyway, if I were you two, I wouldn’t set foot in an unfamiliar train. Very, very dangerous things, trains. Very dangerous.

Historically unsound.

Levi: Now, does Jim have high enough celebrity status among railfans that the ID check is going to hold us up because of the ensuing autographs, or is he just objecting on grounds of privacy, civil liberties, and silliness?

Jim: I’m certainly no Mike Schafer!

A thought on ballpark food

On Tuesday at Tropicana Field, I had a grouper sandwich; on Wednesday at Dodger Stadium, I had a Dodger Dog (included with the “family pack” ticket package); on Sunday at Petco Park, I had fish tacos. I think on the trip I’m going to try some local specialty at most of the ballparks, because even though my digestive system is used to me putting a lot of items consisting of meat and meat by-products down the hatch, I’m not sure it can handle a hot dog a day for 10 days. I’m also not sure what Levi’s going to eat on the trip, other than Tim Horton’s doughnuts while we’re in Canada, if he’s still practicing vegetarianism.

Original comments…

Levi: “Practicing”? I think I’ve got this vegetarian thing down by now.

And surely there will be enough to eat. Ballpark pizza is one of the worst foods in the world, but in St. Louis, for example, they’ve got a stand that sells veggie burgers and another that sells reasonably good burritos.

maura: i guess that seals the identity of the person who’s going to try the schmitter at citizens bank park, then….

Jon Solomon: There are GREAT veggie dogs to be had in Toronto at SkyDome. They’ve got a whole vegetarian stand down on the first level, in fact.

Steve: My long list of reasons why baseball should be contracted just got longer. Veggie dogs? inside domes? in Canada?!? Great American pastime indeed. There’s plenty of things vegetarians can eat at the ballpark–french fries, nachos, pretzels, peanuts, pizza, sunflower seeds, beer, big league chew, ice cream (if you aren’t vegan) lemon freeze (if you are vegan) free diced onions at wrigley….

Jim: A cheese steak on a Kaiser roll with fried salami, fried onions, tomato, and secret sauce?! There is nothing about that I don’t like, except that if it’s $5.25 at the actual McNally’s, I shudder to think how much they’re charging at Citizens Bank Park.

Levi: Let’s all give a moment of appreciation to Jim Bouton for inventing Big League Chew. That’s almost as great an achievement as writing Ball Four.

thatbob: My only quibble: I wish it had been called Big League Chaw. (God, it sucks to be me. I really can’t enjoy *anything*.)

thatbob: Re: veggie dogs inside domes in Canada. You know what Yogi Berra would say to that: “Only in America.”

Jason: You could always eat before the game…if you’re a COMMUNIST!

sarah: jon’s post brought back some very scary and sad memories of the near-deserted vegetarian food stand at the expos game we went to in montreal. the echo of fans banging empty seats followed me into the dark back alleys of the food court. the whole adventure took me close to an hour, since i believe they had to actually form the tofu into veggie-dog shapes by hand. plus, a mishap involving a foul ball spilled our whole dinner onto my shirt anyway.

good times. good times.

More actual road trip-related content

Maura will be joining us for the game in Cleveland as well as the previously planned Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. The itinerary has been updated. Hope she likes the Pennsylvania and Ohio Turnpikes!

Original comments…

Levi: Mo’ Mo! Mo’ Mo!

That’s gotta be a good thing.

Actual content related to the road trip

While I was in Tampa, I got to hear my mother complain, “I can’t believe you’re going to (insert city here), but you’re only spending one night there, and all you’ll be doing is going to a baseball game!”

In between the kvetching, she did bring up another point: a cell phone might come in handy on the trip. But you, Levi, don’t have one, do you? And I’m the only person in L.A. who doesn’t have one. I may get one of those prepaid, pay-as-you-go deals.

Original comments…

Luke: What, do you have tickets behind the plate?

Levi: Now–apologies to the Holderbys–while I’m sure that many people have said, “I can’t believe you’re going to Detroit,” I have trouble believing that anyone has ever said, “I can’t believe you’re going to Detroit, but you’re only spending one night, and all you’ll be doing is going to a baseball game.”

Jim: No, I would absolutely not call someone from a baseball game to tell them to watch me on TV. And I definitely wouldn’t get Nextel service, solely because their walkie-talkie feature is much more annoying for those nearby than a regular cell phone is (and I know this for a fact because of someone near me using the walkie-talkie feature at the Padres game I went to last year).

You’re right, although my mother’s family lived in the Detroit suburbs for some years, she was most concerned about Montreal, and to a lesser extent Boston and Toronto.

maura: ohh, i loathe those walkie-talkie phones. when i took the bus to and from work in philadelphia, they were like the plague.

i was debating leaving my phone at home for our trip, but then i realized that i needed a backup plan in case of train problems. alas.