A Weekend of Working Out!

Another weekend came and went, and this one was one active weekend. While I wasn't exploring downtown Cedar Rapids, I did get a chance to put my legs to work!

Saturday was a beautiful day. The sun was out and the humidity was low. My friend Mariah and I went on a bike ride. Our destination was Ely, which, round trip ended up being about 20 miles. The trail was relatively flat and I had never been on that part of the trail before, so that was exciting. When we arrived in Ely, we went for a cup of coffee at The Retreat, a fairly new coffeeshop.

It's my favorite type of coffeeshop, aka built inside an old Victorian house. We ordered our drinks and then sat outside in their gazebo, chatting. When we were ready to hit the road, we made sure to take a picture first to remember the afternoon. 

On Sunday, I biked to the other side of campus to the football field. I wanted to get a little run in and ended up going for three miles! For me, this was a big feat (I'm not a huge runner). Since it was Sunday, all was peaceful and calm. I stood on the football field before I biked home and realized how much I would miss this atmosphere in a couple of weeks. 

My Sunday ended with another bike ride to the library and some roof reading. The library had some live music out on the patio, so it was nice to hear the music rising up to the roof while I read Rebecca Solnit's The Faraway Nearby. After a few hours of reading, I got back on my bike and made my way back to Coe. 

I went to bed on Sunday, tired yet relaxed from such a great weekend. My legs sure got a workout, but I was feeling great!  

Third Time's a Charm!

Woah, it's hard to believe another week has flown by. It seems like just the other day, it was Sunday and I was recovering from an awesome adventure filled weekend. Now it's Friday and I'm even more worn out!

Lots was a happening in Admissions this week. Iowa Private College Week is right around the corner (less than 20 days) and with July being a busy tour month, it seems as soon as I walk in the doors at 8 AM I'm moving! I've had the opportunity to tour some outstanding students this week and also I've been helping tour train some fellow Kohawks. I really enjoy walking around with my peers and chatting about their experience at Coe. It's nice to be able to "bestow" my tour guide wisdom and I feel sort of like a proud Mama Duck, watching her chicks grow.

For our incoming first-years, this was also a pretty big week. They not only found out their First-Year Seminar class, but also their rooming assignments. The Class of 2018 Facebook group blew up the other day as all the students starting posting where they were living and what FYS class they were in. It was fun to watch and I couldn't help but think fondly on my summer before I started Coe (circa 2010 everyone) and how excited I was.

On Thursday, I made my way back to Newbo Market for my third Meet Me at the Market. By coming a third time, I qualified myself for a FREE (yes, free) Meet Me at the Market t-shirt. It's beautiful and I was quite proud. This time around I was invited to do yoga with two Kohawk friends of mine, Mariah and Addy. I had also just acquired a new yoga mat so it was great to start breaking it in. Definitely different than biking but still a lot of fun!

Friday was another busy day in the office and I couldn't believe when 3 PM rolled around. I headed to Clark Racquet Center for my usual workout and then post dinner, attended the final Out Loud! Author Series.

From her website

The author of this final summer series was Elizabeth Berg. She is a well known and well published author. Up on stage, she was graceful and honest about all sorts of things. What I loved about her reading was how she bookended it. After reading a short section from her most recent novel, she talked about what it means to be a writer and the story behind many of her book titles. Finally, she ended with an essay about reading and writing. It was a great reading and while I definitely felt very young in the crowd, it was a nice way to end the series and Berg's books are being put on my summer reading list!

Sunday: Sun and Rain Always Go Together

I woke up on Sunday, well rested from a day of adventures on Saturday. Despite the fact having walked everywhere in downtown Cedar Rapids, I still felt a workout was needed before the sun got too high in the sky. I biked over to the track and field, which is open for Coe students. I ran a couple of miles, all before lunch!

Post lunch, I packed my bag and biked down to the public library. It was a beautiful day outside, a little hot, but better than all the rain we have been getting. My destination at the library: the green roof. The roof is all eco-friendly and has a nice view of Cedar Rapids.

Stunning, am I right? 

I was out there for about two hours (with sunscreen on of course). As I got close to the end of my book, I headed inside for some shade. Inside, as I was settling in, two things happened. One, my friend Rachel texted me about hanging out with her family at Newbo (who were visiting for the day) and the storm clouds began to roll in. 

There wasn't suppose to be rain! 

I thought, I'll just back back to Coe before the rain. As I walked outside, I began to feel sprinkles. Throwing my backpack cover on, I quickly unlocked my bike. The rain started to fall faster and I pedaled faster. Usually, I take the trail from the library to Coe, which isn't quite the most direct route. Sunday, I ignored rules. 

Up First Avenue I went, the rain coming down. I was soaked and never pedaled so quickly up a hill before. 

So it was an adventure. Back at Coe, I dried off and as I walked out, the rain was done. It was sunny again and as Rachel, her family, and I walked to Parlor City for appetizers (right across from Newbo Market) there wasn't a sign it had been raining. 

Midwest weather, what can we do about it? 

Appetizers were lovely and it was a lot of fun to get to know some of Rachel's family. My day ended with some summer reading and once again, I feel asleep in an instant, clearly exhausted. 

Definitely one of my favorite weekends this summer! 

Cedar Rapids Extravaganza Part II

The adventures continued on Saturday. While I had gone to the Wally Lamb event solo, Saturday was a friend-filled day. Earlier in the week, I had made up a fun invitation and sent it along to many of my friends in Cedar Rapids for the summer. A long list of places to go and things to see was on the invitation with the disclaimer that my friends could come to what they wanted (many had work or other commitments throughout the day). I would be happy for whatever they could come to and no matter where we went, fun would be had!

My day began with my friend Alexis. The two of us walked from Coe to the downtown area. Our first stop was the Blue Strawberry, a local coffeeshop. We grabbed some much needed coffee and a muffin to start our day. With beverages and food in hand, we chose a spot at the window so we could people watch. From there, we walked a few blocks over to the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art.

Now, I've blogged (briefly) about this museum before. I went with Heidi to it back when I was a freshman. I returned to the museum at a later date, with different exhibits. It is a neat place and I always wished I could have spent more time there. One of the perks of being a Coe student is free admission, all day, every day to the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art. What is even cooler, is that from now until August 31st, anyone can see all the neat art for free!

And if you're in the area, you should definitely take advantage of it. Currently there is a lot of Grant Wood displayed (and he is such a great artist with the ability to paint in so many different styles) along with an exhibit on American life, photography of stars, beautiful ceramic pots, and a printmaker. Of course, the permanent collection of Roman life is also there for you to enjoy. Alexis and I had a great time walking around exploring and seeing all the neat work.

Some Grant Wood

Post museum, Alexis and I stopped by the library briefly so I could drop off a few books and pick up a couple. Then, my friend Kat joined us and we stopped by the Lost Cuban to grab lunch. This was one of the top Cedar Rapids restaurants I hadn't been to yet. It was delicious and I would definitely put it on the list of great places for food in CR!

The three of us, food in hand, then walked to Newbo Market. The market was busy and it was Kat's first time there. I took her through the various booths and we ended up buying some cupcakes (aka the best cupcakes I've ever had, shoutout to That One Cupcake Place). At Newbo, we met up with Peter, Connor, Rachel, and Tim while Alexis left us to go work at Hyvee. While we sat outside, soaking up the sun, we chatted with a young boy whose parents owned the Caribbean Kitchen (the same place I had so throughly enjoyed on Thursday). He was on his scooter and was having a blast zipping along on the sidewalk. Somehow I was challenged to a race and had a blast trying to ride his scooter (see photo of me in a skirt). \

    

Nourished and ready to go, the group walked across the bridge to the Czech Village. The National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library was celebrating their 40th anniversary on Saturday. Their celebration consisted of family activities, live music at night, and free admission into the museum. This museum has been on my bucket list since 2010 when I visited Coe. Needless to say, this was a long overdue trip. 

This museum is legit. So much great information and displayed in such engaging and interactive ways. My mom's side of my family has some Czech heritage so there were many times where I could relate to the artifacts in front of me. I got really sentimental over the various lamb cake molds I saw. It was something my mom always made for Easter and I even got to make with my aunt when I was on New York Term and spent Easter with my family in New Jersey.

Lamb cake with my Aunt Julie

Again, definitely a place I would recommend checking out if you're in Cedar Rapids. They currently have an exhibit called Faces of Freedom that talk about Czechs and Slovaks coming to the United States along with a great and informative history about Czechoslovakia.

The rain looked probable, so the group elected to grab a drink at a restaurant in the Czech Village called the Red Barron. Then we ate dinner at another restaurant in the village called Smuggler's Wharf. Both places were great and it was nice to enjoy the outside and catch up with my friends. Olivia also joined us by the time we ate dinner.

As the storm clouds moved in, we headed back to Newbo to pick up cars and then it was back to Coe. I was so happy how the day turned out and so glad I got to spend so much time exploring Cedar Rapids. I fell asleep just like that, clearly exhausted from all the walking and FUN!

Weekend Extravaganza Part I: Cedar Rapids, Friday Night

If you know me, you probably know I like adventures. Really, any sort of trip where I get to move about, see things, talk to people, and maybe even learn a fact or two.

This past weekend ended up being the perfect three days to see all parts of Cedar Rapids. I went to bed on Sunday completely exhausted, but so darn happy from all the fun I had. Since I had so many adventures, I've broken it up. In this installment you get Friday night and you'll have to check back for Saturday and Sunday.

From Lamb's website

So let's begin...Friday night. I attended the second Out Loud! Author Series event of the summer. This time around it was author Wally Lamb. Now, I didn't know much about Lamb; I went to hear a little of his writing and also just to hear an author.

When I arrived, the place was packed. Most people seemed to be Lamb fans and it was hard to find someone without at least two of his (large) books. These were dedicated fans and as seven drew nearer, I got more excited to hear him talk.

As Lamb got up on stage, he seemed comfortable and relaxed. He wore jeans with a t-shirt, and a sports jacket on top, just to spice up his outfit a bit. The final piece of Lamb's outfit was his baseball cap, which he took off about half-way through his reading.

The reading was fantastic and Lamb's novels are moving to the top of my summer reading list (once they get returned to the library, I think every copy is currently checked out). Lamb read from his most recent novel, We Are Water. I think this novel was even more significant to many of the audience members because it is about a flood, something very relatable to Cedar Rapidians. It's a novel that takes place in Connecticut, where Lamb grew up. It's a story told in eight voices and Lamb read a section about the flood from one character's point of view.

Of course, before we could hear the excerpt (which was quite moving and left the audience silent), we got some humor from Lamb. He started off with a hilarious tale at a Costco on one of his book tours and then some more background on how he came up with the plot for We Are Water. Then, after the reading, Lamb took some questions from the audience.

While a long line formed as Lamb signed books after the talk, I slipped out. I didn't have a book for him to sign and decided to just check out some of his books in the nearish future. I was very happy I went to the talk; I always love to hear authors talk about writing. It fires me up about writing and provides always helpful and needed inspiration.

The final Out Loud! author is Elizabeth Berg and she comes to town this upcoming Friday. I hope to make it (then I'd be three for three). I think it's great Cedar Rapids can bring such great authors to town and it's so great to see so many community members at these readings.

A Trek Up Mount Trashmore

Now what is Mount Trashmore you may ask? And why on earth would I go to place named so...elegantly?

Well, this is a fun story. Last week, I attended my second Meet Me at the Market. I biked down to Newbo and found the place hopping with people, all ready for an adventure. It was warm outside, but not too bad. No rain, thank goodness!

The bike ride was to Mount Trashmore, which is just around the corner from the Czech Village. It use to be a landfill and now is closed, yet open to the public to hike up. Back in 2008, Mount Trashmore became the home for debris from the flood and closed once the city was relatively picked up. Today, it's open for people to walk/run/bike and offers a neat view of the city.

There were about 20 bikers who decided to make the ride. It was quite a sight to watch us bike towards Mount Trashmore. We held up traffic a bit as we made our way along the bridge across the river, headed towards the Czech Village. The bugs came upon us as we made our way along the river towards the entrance of the landfill. The road turned from smooth pavement to pebbly gravel. I was bound and determined to make it up the hill, which gradually got steeper as it wound its way up to the top.

I didn't quite make it.

But I came close, about 3/4s of the way. I was huffing and puffing, while being eaten alive by bugs. However, I got this view at the top.

You could see Cedar Rapids, from the river to the Czech Village, and even Coe! It was a clear day and everyone took out their phones to snap a photo from the top. After chit chatting and rehydrating, it was time to head back down the hill.

It was a lot more fun than going up. While I was constantly braking, the wind helped keep the bugs away and cool me off after biking up! 

I arrived back at Newbo, hot and sweaty, with several new bug bites to prove it. I thought about biking home and cooking dinner, but decided to treat myself to something from the market. Upon a friend recommendation, I went to the Caribbean Kitchen. I ordered a Billy Goat wrap with their homemade pineapple coconut lemonade. I took my food outside and saw a few friends from Coe. We chatted while I ate my meal (SO DELICIOUS, highly recommend). With a full stomach, I put my bike helmet back on and made my way back to Coe. 

Meet Me at the Market has been by far one of my favorite parts of this summer. I'm headed back there on Thursday and I believe this time I'll get a free t-shirt! Woot woot!  

Cedar Rapids Food Adventure!

A few weeks ago, I stumbled across this article about best places to eat in Cedar Rapids. As I read through the list, I had been to many of the restaurants, and would be the places I would put on my own list of CR good eats. However, there were a few places I haven't been yet. My goal for the summer is to make it to all 10 places and then by the end, make my own top 10 list. Here's a quick rundown of The Culture Trip's Top 10 and how many I've been to.

1. The Irish Democrat: Been there! Delicious pub food (and a great reuben!) 
2. Zins: Been there! More of an appetizer place, but very fancy and tasty.
3. White Star Ale House: Been there! Took my family there during graduation and it was a big hit! 
4. Oyama Sushi: Have not been, but I'm always up for sushi. 
5. Cobble Hill: Also have not been.
6. Granite City Food and Brewery: Been there! Was sort of surprised this was on the list because it's more of a chain, but their food is still delicious. 
7. Cappy's Pizzeria: Been there! The newest addition to my been there list. The inside of the pizzeria has a great vibe and it's simple menu is perfect. 
8. Flying Wienie: Been there! A cute place in the middle of Cedar Rapids with all sorts of fun summer food. It's housed in an old garage and has a lot of character.
9. Croissant du Jour: Been there! When I'm feeling like I need some francais in my life, I can go here for some authentic French pastries. 
10. The Lost Cuban: Haven't been...yet. 

Overall, a great list with so many different (and great options). I'll make sure to blog once I visit the three I haven't been to yet.  

Texas Rangers in the Arlington

In typical fashion for this trip, we slept a little after the Astros game, woke up early, and hit the road for Arlington. We saw night game in Arlington, watching the Texas Rangers take on the Baltimore Orioles. One of the girls in our group, Katie, is an avid Rangers fan and it was fun to watch her get giddy as we approached the Globe Life Stadium.

It was a beautiful day in Arlington and since we arrived two hours before game time, there was ample opportunity to explore. I wandered around the concourse, ending up in the left field bleachers watching batting practice. It was one of those great moments where time kind of stops. I jotted some notes down, writing a little bit of my segmented essay from my spot in the outfield. I wished for a practice home run to land near me, but I was a little too far away for any action.

Our seats were on the concourse level and we had a decent view of the game.

Globe Life was an enjoyable ball park. Lots of Ranger fans and they not only cheered on their team, but were also respectful of the Orioles' fans in attendance. However, our seats were in a spot where it was quite distracting to watch the game. We had the group that sang the national anthem behind us (high schoolers being high schoolers, aka loud and annoying), a marriage proposal that happened a few rows down, and some fans that just liked to move around the ballpark.

The Rangers and Orioles put on a good game. The final score ended up being 6-5, Orioles. They scored first in the first and the Rangers came back in the bottom of the first and scored two runs of their own off a homerun from Beltre. Scoring didn't happen again for the Orioles until the third; they added three making it 4-2 and then a homerun in the fifth brought the score to 5-2. 

Yet the Rangers weren't out of it yet. They came back and Beltre had his second home run of the game, bringing in three runs, tying the game up. In the sixth, the Orioles were able to put one more run on the board and take the lead.

The Rangers did their best to make a comeback, but it wasn't in the cards for that night. However, it was a good game, we saw some good plays, and even saw Beltre hit two home runs.

What was interesting about this game was seeing how dedicated Ranger fans were. One of the Orioles' players, Cruz, had been on the Ranger team before. However, due to some deals and disagreements and general MLB drama, Cruz left the team. Whenever he came up to bat, he received boos from his once dedicated fans. At the same time, we did see fans with Ranger tshirts supporting Cruz's number. The other player who was discussed was Josh Hamilton, who we had just seen the day before in Houston. He was another former Ranger who was then placed/exchanged/moved to another team. The woman sitting in front of us actually had a 34 Hamilton authentic jersey (and those are pricey) but she informed us that she had the Hamilton removed because he had "betrayed" them. It was fascinating to see first hand the dedication fans have and their inability (perhaps) to understand that while baseball is something fun to watch and support, there is an underlying capitalistic/money-making foundation that drives MLB along with the fact that teams and individual players have strategies to try to be on the best team possible and be the best player possible (and probably make the most money too). 

This game was almost four hours long, one of our longer ones. We headed right back to the hotel, well aware that we had a nine hour drive awaiting us in the morning to get to Kansas City for our final game.    

Another Dome: Minute Maid Park and the Astros

Our long drive from San Antonio put us in position to reach Houston at a reasonable time the next day. When we got to Houston, we discovered the humidity had returned to us, much to our dismay. Lucky for us, Houston also has a dome and for the second time in a row, we saw "inside" baseball.

The Minute Maid Park for the Astros was quite unlike any dome we had ever been in before. Many of my classmates remarked upon entering, how the stadium felt more like a mall as opposed to a ballpark. One of my classmates, Ryan A. and I, wandered around and found ourselves behind the dugout of the Astros, watching the Angels warm up. It was neat to be that close and per usual, Ryan A. had plenty of facts to help me be informed.

Our seats were up in the third balcony, behind home plate. It was a gorgeous view, especially because we could see the glass windows that make up part of the dome.

The Astros struck first in the third when Angels' pitcher Wilson ended up walking four batters. Add this to three singles, and you have some runs. The Astros scored five runs before the Angels brought in a new pitcher, Morin to help nab the last out. This was the first time in our trip when we saw a team go through the batting line up a full time (10 batters in the third inning). 

The Angels tried to mount an attack, but were unable to do so until the eighth inning. Both Cowgill and Hamilton hit home runs, creating some excitement in the crowd. 

But the home run show wasn't over. By this point, it was night enough and the temperatures had cooled to open the dome. See panorama below. 

Beautiful, isn't it? 

The Astros answered with two back to back solo home runs of their own. The first came from newly signed and making his MLB debut, Singleton. I had read about him earlier in the newspaper on the way to Houston so it was neat to see the man on the paper in the flesh. He hadn't had the strongest of debuts, committing to errors as the Astros' first baseman and striking out twice and getting on base via a walk. He stepped up to the plate and hit it out of the park. The crowd went wild and the Astros' home run celebration began. On the far side of the dome, is a train and with every home run, the conductor hops in the train and drives it down a track. It was exciting to see the train move. 

After Singleton was Carter and he also hit a home run. The crowd went wild. The momentum had fully shifted and when the Angels came to bat in the ninth, they couldn't pull together any more runs. 

Post game, it was back to our hotel and right to bed. We had to drive to Arlington the next day. The baseball trip was nearing its final inning! 

It's Getting Hot, Hot, Hot!

My Grandma Joan's strategy for life is simple: you have plan A and if that doesn't work, then you best have a plan B (and C, D, E, etc). The more plans you have, in theory, the more prepared you are for when life comes at you and changes must occur. 

At the beginning of this trip, we had thought yesterday would be a travel day. We would stop by the Grand Canyon and end up somewhere near Phoenix, AZ. Then, the next day (aka today), we would head to the city, catch our night game and then afternoon game the following day and then take about a day and a half (with two time zone changes) to get to Houston for our next game. 

However, upon looking at our trusty atlas, we discovered there's a lot of land between LA and the Grand Canyon and although the group enjoys a good long car ride, the thought of several long car rides in a row (the stretch from Phoenix to Houston is nasty) persuaded us to skip the Grand Canyon this time around and spend another day in Pasadena. With another night booked at the Saga Motel, we thought it might be fun to check out another park, like where the Angels or Padres play. However, both stadiums weren't offering tours so instead, we found ourselves back at Dodger Stadium for some Friday night baseball. 

I have to say, Dodger Stadium really grew on me. There was something about the place, how it's built into a hill, how it really hasn't changed structurally since being built in the 1960s, or maybe it's the pretty blue throughout the stadium that gives it a magical sort of feel. Whatever it is, we nabbed seats on the second level, first base side. 

It was a beautiful night for baseball. We saw the Dodgers play the Pirates and unfortunately, the Dodgers just couldn't pull together a win. They started with pitcher Josh Beckett, who about a week before had just pitched the Dodger's 21st no hitter in Pittsburgh. The jumbotrons showed a nice recap of the game and how excited the team was for Beckett's success. 

Beckett and the Dodgers kept things under control until the third inning, which started off with a hit by pitch, a walk and two singles (one bringing in one run). The Pirates continued to hit the ball and a solo home run by Davis in the fourth made the game 2-0, Pirates. However, the Dodgers just couldn't score, leaving up to three men on base (fifth inning). In the eighth, it looked promising for the Dodgers, a single by Chone Figgins to start the rally. Figgins advanced to second on Puig's (the big name for the Dodgers) sacrifice fly and eventually scoring on Hanley Ramirez's single. The crowd really got excited when Figgins came in. But the Dodgers couldn't bring Puig in. We hoped for a spark in the bottom of the ninth, but the Dodgers were at the bottom of their order and couldn't put anything together, the three outs coming all in a row. 

Post game, Denny's sponsored a fireworks night at the park. It was a nice display, accompanied by music about California. While fans could take the field to watch, our group chose to stay in our seats. It was pretty incredible how many people actually stayed for the fireworks and how many chose to watch from the field. 

This morning, the group hit the road about 7 AM, headed for Phoenix. It was only about a five hour drive and once again, we saw the topography change as we got closer to the California/Arizona state line. We arrived at our hotel safe and sound and let me tell you, it's hot out there. No humidity (which is quite weird for this Wisconsin chick!) but lucky for us, the stadium is a dome that is air conditioned. Looking forward to more baseball tonight! 

  

California Paradise

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. 

  

Waffles, Exploring, Free Pizza, and Baseball

Tuesday was our "free day" and I made sure to jam pack my day with things to do. In some way, the exploring began on Monday night. We are staying in Alameda, CA, an island which is about an hour and a half east of San Francisco (and a great city). Monday night, a few of us walked down to the local movie theater to see the newest X-Men movie. What we didn't fully realize was how historic the movie theater was. When we walked in, we were greeted with an ornate and beautiful theater. The movie was excellent and I won't forget that theater any time soon!

Tuesday morning, my day began with meeting up with my great aunt and uncle (and avid readers of my blog), Doug and Debby, for breakfast. They live about an hour away from San Francisco and stopped by for a visit. Our hotel is in Alameda and so for breakfast we went downtown to a cute diner called Ole's Waffle Shop. Not only were the waffles delicious, it was also amazing to see and catch up with Doug and Debby. We had a wonderful time and I was so glad things worked out.

Post breakfast, I spent some time wandering Alameda, checking out some of their shops (including this amazing bookstore and another vintage/used store with books, movies, and records), spending some time laying in the sun on the beach looking out at the bay, and even a little swim at our hotel pool. All in all, an excellent day. The group regrouped and before heading to the coliseum, we needed dinner. At yesterday's game, the grand slam by the A's meant a local pizza joint would give us a free personal pizza. We stopped by, ordered pizza and ate it on the way to the stadium. Our seats this time we in the bleachers and we sure had a different perspective on the game.

We ended up seating behind some bleacher regulars who brought all sorts of noisemakers to the game. While I thought we had great seats (a nice perspective of the whole field and especially of the batter) the people around us were sure distracting. The most distracting was this couple in front of us where the woman clearly had no idea what was going on in the game, being more interested in the man she was with and what food she had recently ordered. 

This game was very different from the one we saw on Memorial Day. First, O.Co was not sold out and we probably saw one of our lowest attendance yet. No grand slams and this time, the A's did not get a victory. Coming into the game, I was told to expect a good game between both the A's and the Tiger's number one pitchers -- Sonny Gray (A's) vs. Max Scherzer (Tiger's). While the pitching was good (both Gray and Scherzer lasted six innings), there was definitely an offensive front I was not expecting. The Tigers scored two runs in the first inning and the A's answered back with two runs in the second. Cabrera's homerun in the third put the Tigers in the lead and an RBI double from Avila brought in another run for the Tigers in the fourth. When the A's were up in the bottom of the forth, it was Jaso's homerun that gave the A's a 5-4 lead. From there, the Tigers kept coming back with a homerun from Hunter in the seventh and good base running in the eighth to bring in one final run.  

We return to our hotel late (it was a three hour game and typical CA traffic) and went straight to bed. We have a long drive ahead of us today to get to LA in time for our night Dodgers game. 

Toasty Day at the O.Co

While we didn't relocate our housing, we did change our ballpark yesterday. Instead of the grueling, stand still traffic into San Francisco, the group instead had about a 10 minute commute to the O.Co Coliseum. This giant concrete structure serves both the Oakland A's and the Oakland Raiders (football). We got to the stadium pretty early and found ourselves surrounded by a lot of families celebrating Memorial Day at the ballpark.

O.Co was unlike any stadium we had been in previously. The seats were extremely close together and the way the sun was coming in made our 75 degree day feel like we were in the 90s. These hot conditions really changed how the fans participated in the game; the stadium was sold out and we saw a lot of movement as people in the direct sun (like us) moved into the shade every once in the while for some water. Thank goodness for sunscreen -- I did get some sun, but didn't burn too badly.

In our group discussion later that night, we decided we had some of the best seats on the entire trip. We were on the second level, on the third base side. Our view was great to see the whole game and the two big screens in either outfield. O. Co was also by far the most simple stadium we have been at (not a lot of flash mainly due to their lack of a jumbotron and screens built to showcase baseball, the screens were definitely more suited to football). 

The A's played the Detroit Tigers and the Tigers didn't stand a chance from the start. In the bottom of the second, the A's got their first runs with two solo home runs from DH Moss and first baseman Blanks. They followed this up with two more solo home runs in the third from third baseman Donaldson and left fielder Cespedes. More scoring for the A's continued in the fourth with three singles and a walk that helped to bring in two more runs. Then in the eighth, we witnessed a grand slam home run from the A's catcher Norris. Not only was that exciting (the ballpark went WILD), but it also meant that every fan in attendance can receive a free personal pizza from Round Table Pizza, a pizza chain in Western USA. Our group plans to take advantage of that later today for dinner. 

Our day ended with a group dinner of tacos and then a class discussion about both the stadiums we have been to and some more reading from our baseball anthology. Today is our free day and then we return to Oakland for a 7:05 night game. We wake up tomorrow and head to the LA area to see the Dodgers play. 

Another Sunny California Day!

The crew headed back to AT&T Park for another game of the Giants vs. Twins. We had already discussed how different this ballpark felt from the others. Sitting in the bleachers the night before, we felt that the fans were there for the social aspect, not necessarily for the baseball. At our afternoon game, we got a much different feeling from the third tier.

It was a beautiful day in San Francisco and our seats had a gorgeous look out on the water. We were surrounded by lots of families (although they left by the seventh or eighth inning). These were some of my favorite seats simply because I had such a nice view of the field (I really like the more arial perspective). 

For another sold out crowd (supposedly 42,590 in attendance), the Giants had a strong showing. With a quick top of the first, they got the bats going in the bottom with three hits scoring two runs. While the Twins answered with a run in the second, the Giant's right fielder Hunter Pence delivered a home run in the third to increase the lead to two. From there, the Twins were unable to score again, while the Giants put five more runs on the board (one in the fourth, three more in the fifth, and one in the eighth). 

The star of the game was definitely Giant's pitcher Madison Bumgarner who pitched for seven innings, struck out 10 batters, and only allowed three hits. For the Giant's offense, Michael Morse had three doubles and four RBIs. 

What was the most interesting was the announcement of Dodger's pitcher Josh Beckett who had just pitched a no hitter at Coors Field during the middle of the game. While I clapped (because come on, a no hitter is a big deal), all the Giants fans around me booed. It was incredible to hear over 40,000 fans boo a player who most definitely deserved applause. But a little bit different spin on Giants fans (at least for me).

Post game, it was back to the hotel. We walked next door to pick up some groceries and made dinner in the kitchen in Dr. Bob's suite. After dinner was class and we discussed some of the readings from our baseball anthology. It was a little weird getting some class time in, but it was nice to discuss baseball on a more academic level after seeing so many games. It was funny though, because sometimes the guys got into intense conversations about baseball players (past and present) and the four girls just looked at each other wondering how the heck the boys could remember all those stats! 

We have class tomorrow morning and evening, with a trip to Oakland to see the A's play as our afternoon break. Should be another nice day!  

Hello California!

After another six hour or so drive, our group finally ended up in California. The sun was shining as we pulled into the parking lot of our hotel. We'll be in the same spot for four days (our longest stretch) and this hotel has more of a suite style set up. We have our own living room, kitchen (if we need to use it), and then a bedroom and bathroom. The girls even have a deck!

We grabbed our stuff and headed out for the ball park. Traffic into San Francisco was horrible, I have never been in such stand still traffic. Slowly inching along, we passed the tolls and hit the open road. Our travels took us across the Bay Bridge and into the city. Finding parking, we walked several blocks to AT&T Park. The stadium was packed, filled with a sea of orange. Our seats were in the bleachers, behind left field. Over 41,000 people attended the game and the air was filled with energy.

The game moved along quickly, with a home run on the Giants side in the bottom of the second. Then in the bottom of the sixth, a sacrifice fly brought in a second run for the Giants. Their opponent, the Minnesota Twins, rallied in the ninth with a homerun but ultimately, they couldn't mount the offensive needed to force the Giants to bat in the bottom of the ninth. Game over, it was back to the van and back to the hotel. We're headed back to the park this afternoon to watch the two teams face off again.  

 

When we travel, we travel through three states

Yesterday, the group got up early and hit the road by 6:30 AM. We have a night game tonight in San Fransisco and needed to make the approximately 20 hour drive between Friday and Saturday. As we began the drive, I knew topography would be the theme of the day. Colorado stretched out in front us, with high mountains and beautiful cuts through the rocks. Then we entered Nevada, "Life elevated" (motto on their welcome signs). We stopped at a rest stop to go to the bathroom and play a little catch. Took this beautiful picture of the landscape around us (very different from Colorado)

The road trip continued, filled in good music, good (or bad) puns, and lots of laughing. I got some reading and writing done as well, so heyo for productivity! 

We kept plugging along, took the wrong exit and saw the Salt Lake City airport and eventually crossed another state line into Nevada. As soon as we crossed, we picked up an hour and also saw our fair share of casinos. Even the Arbys/Pilot gas station we stopped at had a giant room of slot machines for people who were interested. 

Around 10 PM, we got to our hotel, tired and cranky. I think we all pretty much just fell into our beds and passed out. Have another earlier morning today (7 PM departure) but sunny San Fran is in our sights! 

Raining Rockies

It was day two in Colorado and as I ate breakfast in the room off the hotel lobby, it seemed like a perfect summer day. The sun was out and the hotel's outdoor pool was being serviced to open up for visitors this weekend. While our group had seen the possibility of rain in the forecast, it seemed impossible based on what we could see out our windows. Nevertheless, I still threw my raincoat in my bag before hopping in the van.

We arrived at Coors Field about two hours before game time. Before going into the stadium, we had hoped to visit a museum about a block away from the field which featured different ballparks and items from these ballparks. However, the front door was locked and the lights were off -- apparently they weren't open today. We ended up in Coors early, which gave us the ability to wander around the park, snap some photos and enjoy the bright Colorado sun.

The game got under way and all seemed fine. Our view was from the third balcony, on the third base/left field side.

The game was slow. About an hour into the game, we still hadn't left the second inning yet. The group was groaning about the slowness, yet still enjoying the sun (and crossing our fingers we wouldn't get burnt too badly). We started to see clouds roll in, but thought little of it. Then, the wind picked up, the sun disappeared behind the clouds, we were all felt a chill. Must just be a little shade, we thought to ourselves, fully expecting the sun to reappear. 

It didn't.

Instead, the rain came and I was happy to have my raincoat to throw on. Lightning and thunder forced the third balcony to evacuate our seats and head to some shelter. As we left, the third inning ended and they threw a tarp over the field and the rain delay began. The group found ways to entertain ourselves until the rain eased up and we were told we could return to our seats.

By this time, the smart phones had been pulled out and radar checked. It appeared we were in a middle of a large storm cell, stretching farther than we could imagine. The rain was only going to stop briefly. Wiping the rain from our seats, we settled back in, hoping to see a few more innings. In the fourth, the Giants scored two and the Rockies couldn't answer until the bottom of the fifth to tie the score up at 2-2. By this point, the rain had started again, but nothing we couldn't handle. As the inning continued and went into the sixth, the rain got harder. The boys and Dr. Bob had abandoned their seats for drier conditions while the females stayed strong and held out. One by one, we got picked off until when there were two outs in the bottom of the sixth, I had to call it quits. As I was leaving, the third floor balcony was asked to leave and another rain delay began. By this point, the group decided to cut our losses, leave the game, and look for dinner. The game wasn't called until about 6 PM and they will start this game again when the Giants return to Denver in September. 

We ate dinner at a local pizza place and you could tell we were all a little tired from the all the rain and travel. An hour long class session followed dinner and we leave bright and early tomorrow to start our trek to California. We'll attempt about half of the 20 hour drive tomorrow and then the rest of it on Saturday. Never a dull moment here! 

Royals, Road Tripping, and the Rockies!

Tuesday we were still in Kansas City. Our day began with a trip to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in the jazz district of the city. It was a great museum and as I wandered through the exhibit, I was reminded of my May Term last year when I spent two weeks exploring museums. Kansas City took a lot of pride in their role as supporting the Kansas City Monarchs, a team that was part of the Negro Leagues. The exhibit was full of photographs, quotes, fun facts, and even a few videos.

The Negro Leagues Museum sat on one side of the lobby and on the other was the American Jazz Museum. Our tickets got us into both and the jazz museum and the contrast between the two was large. The Negro Leagues Museum had the Americana theme running throughout, focusing on the timeline as a whole, both in the United States and for the league. The jazz museum was flashier and focused more on the greats, such as Louie Armstrong, Duke Ellington, and Ella Fitzgerald. However, both museums were proud of both their accomplishments and that these events occurred in the United States.

With facts floating in our heads, we walked a few blocks down to Arthur Bryant's BBQ. We couldn't be in Kansas without having authentic BBQ. The place was hopping and we all waited in anticipation for our sandwiches. There wasn't much talking as we ate, BBQ sauce getting everywhere. For me, eating at Arthur Bryant's was sentimental because my great aunt and uncle live in Kansas and every Christmas a Kansas Sampler would arrive with this BBQ sauce. It was neat to see the home of the sauce!

We headed back to Kauffman for game two. This time, we got a little closer to the action with seats on the third base line.

It was a beautiful night and an exciting game. The White Sox came away with another win against the Royals, 7-6. We saw yet another game when the bottom of the ninth was needed to decide the outcome of the game. Many of the Royals fans left early, so we kind of had the place to ourselves by the ninth. 

The next day, Wednesday (all the days are getting mixed together), we were up early to hit the road. We had about a 10 hour trip from Kansas to Colorado. It was our longest ride and by the end, I think we were all ready to stretch our legs and give ourselves some space from each other. The drive was pretty nice, up until about 40 miles from Denver. It started raining and then hailing. Dr. Bob pulled off at the nearest exit and we sat in a parking lot, watching the small balls of hail pile up on our windshield wipers. When it subsided, we made the final hike to Denver, arriving around rush hour. Finding $10 parking a few blocks from Coors Field, we piled out of the van, our legs happy to walk. 

It was beautiful both in the stadium and Colorado weather in general. Warm with a breeze that made everything right. Our seats were on the second deck, between the right and center fielders. 

It was a pretty view, although any long doubles or triples hit to to right or center field were obstructed by the balcony we were sitting on. The Rockies were unable to pull out a win, with the Giants taking the first game, 5-1. With the game over, we struggled through more Denver traffic to our hotel a little ways from the city. It was right to bed for us, the past two long days were catching up with us! 

Back on the Road!

Arriving back in Cedar Rapids late Friday night, I had the chance to catch up on sleep, laundry, and even get some packing in. The weekend went by way too fast and suddenly, it was Monday morning and I was in the van ready to head west. I'm still struggling to wrap my head around the fact I'll be road tripping for three solid weeks. It's going to be fun no doubt, but also a lot of time in the car.

Today our trip was relatively easy: Cedar Rapids to Kansas City. It was fairly good weather (other than on odd rain storm near Des Moines). We had a picnic lunch at a rest area somewhere between Des Moines and Kansas City. I even got a nap in and I was *lucky* enough to have one of my peers capture my...gracefulness.

Let me tell you, it was a good nap. 

We arrived at our hotel and as we stepped outside, the temperature had increased. It's sunny and 80 some degrees. #glorious 

Currently the group is relaxing and soon we'll head to Kauffman Stadium. Maybe if we're lucky, we'll end up on TV game like we were at the Cubs game.

Can you pick me out in my red Kohawks hat?

Also, I want to direct your attention to two other Kohawk May Term blogs (you know, in case you get bored with hearing about baseball or just want a change of pace). My buddy (and avid reader of this blog) Bryce is visiting Serbia and fellow Writing Center consultant, Felicia, is with a group in Vietnam. Both have excellent blogs and are worth checking out.

All right, I should probably get some reading done. Don't forget to check out our group blog, we've got regular posts going and it's going to be an awesome addition to our trip! 

Nothing Like a Little Rain to Keep Things Interesting

Lucky for us, it does not take five hours to get from our hotel in Germantown to Wrigley Field. We actually got to sleep a bit, eat breakfast, and comfortably pack our bags before heading out. On our trip, we have three students from the Chicagoland area and they knew the route to Wrigley well.

Arriving a little after 10:30 AM, we had the biggest task of finding parking near Wrigley. After a few failed attempts (and Chicagoans politely telling us we couldn't park there), we found a street with parking regulations we could obey. And it was free! Since Wrigley didn't open until 11 AM or so, we ended up grabbing lunch in a McDonalds across the street from the stadium. The McDonalds was hopping, with Cub and Brewer fans. It was fun to watch everyone interact; each fan was more than willing to pronounce their love for their team (and for Cubs fans, they were more than willing to proudly say, "Next year is our year!").

I also might add that it was overcast, rainy, and only about 40 degrees outside. Our group was pretty well bundled up, and I know for me, the hope of warm sunny California weather in the coming week kept me internally warm (it will ALL be worth it, I kept saying to myself).

Our seats at Wrigley were in the bleachers in the outfield. The group decided that center field was our best bet. Since we were there early, we got good seats and had fun dancing to the pre-game music and watching the groundskeepers prep the field. Since Wrigley is celebrating 100 years this year, we also got Babe Ruth bobbleheads (another reason we made sure to come early).

As the 50-50 raffle man told us, "This isn't rain, it's a pre-game blessing." While the rain did stop before the first pitch, it wasn't quite enough of a blessing for the Cubs to win. The Brewers took the game 4-3, but the Cubs did put up a fight.

What was even more interesting was to listen to the fans around us. I knew Wrigley could get pretty rowdy and I know for a fact I did not see the rowdiest Wrigley. They loved to heckle the center fielder (especially Logan Schafer playing for the Brewers). Logan took the heckling all in good stride, ignoring the fans most of the time and when he thought about throwing us his warm-up ball, the largest grin spread across his face as he faked throwing it to us and then threw it back to the right field side. It was priceless.

Once the game ended, it was back to the van and then back to Cedar Rapids. Dinner was at Portillo's, a Chicago favorite. I had never been and I will say that the expectations set for this restaurant were exceeded. Good food and good atmosphere. On top of that, I even got to see an old friend. The Portillo's we stopped at was only a few blocks from my friend Krista's house. Krista and I were fast friends freshman year at Coe and I hadn't seen her since freshman year. I don't think words can express how wonderful it was to see her and attempt to catch up in a short period of time. We made plans for adventures in the near future and with one final hug, it was back to the van.

The group got back late Friday night and it was glorious to go back to my apartment and fall asleep. We have the weekend off. Lots of laundry, reading, blogging, and writing to do! We hit the road 9 AM on Monday, headed for Kansas City.