A snapshot of the current AAA venues where I've seen a game. The funny thing about AAA ballparks is I can't think of a single one I didn't really like. Well, at least not after a renovation gave me a second chance to form a first impression. Nor until attendance at unseasonably cold or damp April and May games in some of the northeast stadiums was remedied with second and third games at them in the summer months, rectifying any lukewarm perceptions I may have previously had. Yes, it may have taken a couple of ballgames at them, but each AAA ballpark left me with a very favorable impression. Unlike MLB ballparks, where my journey to see them all started 20 years earlier, my AAA chase is a more recent undertaking. With 5/6 of the AAA ballparks now under my belt, I thought I'd take a look back at the journey so far. Not long after moving up to the Hudson Valley in the mid 2000s, my MiLB ballpark chasing got underway, much like a ballplayer's journey might progress, fro...
I'm enjoying watching a few friends near the completion of their National Park quests. Earlier this year, while traveling through the three Florida National Parks, it was likewise enjoyable but also encouraging talking to fellow travelers pursuing their own such journeys: a father and son were hitting their 40th, and one woman was at her penultimate with plans to finish in September. That's all great stuff to me. These quests also lead to questions from interested observers. "What's the first #NationalPark you'll be visiting when this is over?", "What's your favorite National Park?", "What are your top 3/5/10?" These are some of the questions I see posted and get asked. With 44/62 seen, I don't know if it's fair to assemble such a list, but here's how I ranked the top 32 I've visited. Yeah, if I redid it, many spots could flip, but the top 4 or so are pretty well locked in, until one of the 18 I'm missing changes ...
From my home to Cincinnati is about 560 miles From Cincinnati to St. Louis is about 365 miles From St. Louis to Minneapolis is about 560 miles From Minneapolis to Detroit is about 690 miles From Detroit to Pittsburgh is about 285 miles From Pittsburgh to DC is about 245 miles From DC back home is just over 300 miles. Now check out this corresponding baseball schedule: The Reds are home on June 29 The Cardinals are home on June 30 The Twins are home on July 1 The Tigers are home on July 2 The Pirates are home on July 3 And, yes, the Nationals are home on July 4. The Pirates are one of the 7 teams I have not seen play at home, and the other 5 games represent an opportunity for me to knock off all at once the remaining "new stadiums" of teams I've already seen play in their old ballparks. Hmmmm. The stars are all aligned. That it is a late afternoon game in St. Louis is not a problem. However, losing an hour for the time change between Minneapolis and Detroit does make that ...
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