Yesterday, we were up early and on the road. Our destination was Los Angeles to see the Dodgers play. While Route 101 was highly recommended (it goes along the coast), the additional two and a half hours that it would add to our travel was not appealing to our group. We instead took Route 5, which took us through central California, which was also beautiful. We saw huge, rolling hills and as we got closer to LA, the highways started to widen to accommodate all the traffic.
Our hotel is in Pasadena, and on the Rose Bowl Parade route. For me, the Rose Bowl brings back some heavy Wisconsin pride (despite the fact the Badgers haven't been too successful there the past couple of years). The hotel is beautiful and our room overlooks the outdoor pool. The girls decided to go for a quick swim before heading to the game. Excellent life choice.
The group made our way to the Dodgers Stadium. As I wandered the stadium with one of my classmates, Ryan A., I learned lots of neat history about the place. This stadium was built in the 1960s when the Dodgers moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles. It was built into the hill, so our upper deck seats were actually at ground level. The other neat thing was the stadium felt incredibly modern, although no major renovations have been completed since it was first built. Ryan said the team has just done a stunning job of keeping up with continual changes to keep the Dodgers Stadium to peak perfection.
Our seats were up in the nosebleeds, the fourth balcony. Despite being so high up, they were pretty decent seats.
A few observations about the Dodgers Stadium. First, it's the place for celebrities. George Lopez was at the game, the ceremonial first pitch was thrown by a Korean superstar named Suzy, and their code of conduct video featured all sorts of stars (including Hilary Duff [throw back to my childhood]). Second, most fans enjoy coming to the game for the second to eighth inning. It was weird but definitely part of the culture.
The game was pretty exciting, especially at the end. The Dodgers were playing the Cincinnati Reds. Both teams started with their stronger pitches, Kershaw (Dodgers) vs. Bailey (Reds). However, the Reds scored early in the first, a homerun from Phillips bringing in Fraizer (who doubled) and then Phillips himself. The Dodgers couldn't put a run on the board until the bottom of the fifth when Turner got a base and scored on a wild pitch. Reds answered in the sixth with a passed ball allowed Fraizer to come in. As the Dodgers made a rally at the end, a homerun from fan favorite Puig in the sixth gave the crowd hope. The Dodgers even brought in their best closer, Wilson to help finish off ninth. However, the Reds closer, Chapman (who can pitch 100 mph fastballs) kept the bats quiet on the Dodger side and helped his team keep their lead, 3-2.
We return to the park tonight to see the Dodgers play the Pirates, so it should be another interesting matchup.
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