Posts Tagged: Cincinnatti Reds

MLB Parks Tour #16 – Chase Field, Phoenix, AZ – 2013

We’re all caught up…thanks for following along with all of these. We’ll get back to regular posts soon.

The day we visited Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona was a packed day to say the least. We woke up in Las Vegas, about halfway toward the final ballpark in our 3 park journey that took us to San Francisco, Oakland, and Tahoe before landing us in Sin City. Our plan for the day was to get out of town early, so we could make it to the Grand Canyon before trekking to Phoenix for our 6:40 first pitch. We hopped in the car and drove off to the desert, to see the sight I hadn’t laid eyes on since I was a boy, the Grand Canyon. The best word I could use to describe the place would be disorienting. I know that’s not the word most people would use, but it fits for me. I think it’s because it’s just so vast, it becomes difficult to judge distances and depth. The view becomes a sort of painting; a two-dimensional space in a three-dimensional world. It’s about as awe-inspiring as any natural wonder I’ve seen. (Now that’s the word most people would use.)

The final part of our journey led us from the Grand Canyon south another 200+ miles to the Arizona capital of Phoenix, and to Chase Field, the home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. Chase Field is an indoor oasis in the Sonoran Desert. Thank God for the invention of the retractible dome in sports, because it was a closed roof day.

Read More

MLB Parks Tour #13 – Marlins Park, Miami, FL – 2012

All caught up! We’re heading to three more stadiums this month!

The Miami trip and ballpark visit marked a new chapter for us. In many ways, it was a rebirth and a new start. 2012 had been particularly unkind to us, and when we left for Miami in September, we were pretty much done putting up with the year. But bad vibes aside, the Miami trip marked a decidedly different push for us as a family, and it was the first opportunity to introduce our third member of the family to our little family tradition.

The trip on the whole was amazing. We spent time on the beach, ate great food, met new awesome friends, stayed on a boat, and of course caught a ball game. The most fun we probably had was doing the whole Airbnb thing and staying on the boat. We like the adventure of Airbnb, because you just never know what’s going to happen. The majority of our experiences have been great, and this one with new friends Michelle and Pat was no exception. And Baron made a friend in Mack, their furry child (who they love so much he has his own Facebook profile). 😉

Read More