Our California journey has come to an end. Today we're flying home. We had a great time exploring San Francisco, Angel Island, the Pacific Coastline, Muir Woods, wine country and Oakland. Wish us luck on our flight home....
Marshall has now seen 14 MLB teams play in their home park, here's his rankings (subject to change):
1) Camden Yards (Baltimore Orioles)
2) Wrigley Field (Chicago Cubs)
3) Fenway Park (Boston Red Sox)
4) Comerica Park (Detroit Tigers)
5) AT&T Park (San Francisco Giants)
6) Miller Park (Milwaukee Brewers)
7) Yankee Stadium (new)
8) Citizen Bank Park (Philadelphia Phillies)
9) Nationals Park (Washington Nationals)
10) Tropicana Field (Tampa Bay Rays)
11) Hubert Humphrey Metrodome (Minnesota Twins)
12) U.S. Cellular Field (Chicago White Sox)
13) Shea Stadium (New York Mets)
14) Oakland Coliseum (Oakland A's)
Thursday, July 22, 2010
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Day 9 - Wednesday, July 21
Boston Red Sox vs. Oakland A's - Game time 12:35 WST.
Today we took the BART train under San Francisco Bay to the Oakland Coliseum. Oakland is only about 30 minutes from downtown San Francisco, and a round trip train ticket is $7. Leah wore her Yankees gear and talked trash to all the Red Sox fans. Here's Leah and daddy waiting for the bus to downtown SF....
The Oakland Coliseum is U-G-L-Y, especially the outside. There's actually razor wire on the arch of this fence, see for yourself...
Holy crap, we've never seen a professional baseball stadium that looked like such a dump! The A's share the Coliseum with the Oakland Raiders, so it's larger than a typical baseball park, but it's not just that, the place is a concrete graveyard. Not only is it ugly, but there's also nothing else to do around the area, no bars, restaurants, or other attractions. The stadium is similar to U.S. Cellular Field (Chicago White Sox), in that, it's just a ballpark plopped down in the middle of an industrial grid:
Every Wednesday during the summer, the A's have $2 tickets and $1 hot dogs. So, despite the fact that the stadium was horrible, the game was dirt cheap! The box office was all sold out of $2 tickets, but we bought some from a ticket scalper for $5 each. Here's some other pictures from around the outside of the ballpark:
The inside of the ballpark is actually a little better:
We sat in the upper deck and enjoyed plenty of $1 hot dogs (Marshall ate five):
The A's won 6-4. We had a great time rooting against the Red Sox, and we especially enjoyed booing Big Papi and Kevin Youkilis each time they came to the plate. The A's took the lead in the 3rd inning off Jack Cust's two-run HR and never looked back. Gio Gonzalez got the win, Michael Wuertz got the save and Oakland's defense made some spectacular plays, especially in the outfield.
Here's some pictures of us having fun in the ballpark:
Leah was tired, so she slept through the 4th-7th innings:
Today we took the BART train under San Francisco Bay to the Oakland Coliseum. Oakland is only about 30 minutes from downtown San Francisco, and a round trip train ticket is $7. Leah wore her Yankees gear and talked trash to all the Red Sox fans. Here's Leah and daddy waiting for the bus to downtown SF....
The Oakland Coliseum is U-G-L-Y, especially the outside. There's actually razor wire on the arch of this fence, see for yourself...
Holy crap, we've never seen a professional baseball stadium that looked like such a dump! The A's share the Coliseum with the Oakland Raiders, so it's larger than a typical baseball park, but it's not just that, the place is a concrete graveyard. Not only is it ugly, but there's also nothing else to do around the area, no bars, restaurants, or other attractions. The stadium is similar to U.S. Cellular Field (Chicago White Sox), in that, it's just a ballpark plopped down in the middle of an industrial grid:
Every Wednesday during the summer, the A's have $2 tickets and $1 hot dogs. So, despite the fact that the stadium was horrible, the game was dirt cheap! The box office was all sold out of $2 tickets, but we bought some from a ticket scalper for $5 each. Here's some other pictures from around the outside of the ballpark:
The inside of the ballpark is actually a little better:
We sat in the upper deck and enjoyed plenty of $1 hot dogs (Marshall ate five):
The A's won 6-4. We had a great time rooting against the Red Sox, and we especially enjoyed booing Big Papi and Kevin Youkilis each time they came to the plate. The A's took the lead in the 3rd inning off Jack Cust's two-run HR and never looked back. Gio Gonzalez got the win, Michael Wuertz got the save and Oakland's defense made some spectacular plays, especially in the outfield.
Here's some pictures of us having fun in the ballpark:
Leah was tired, so she slept through the 4th-7th innings:
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Day 8 - Tuesday, July 20
Sonoma Valley, California. Sonoma Valley is about 30 minutes west of Napa and has more than 300 wineries. As you can probably imagine, this area of the country is packed with grape growing and wine-making. Sonoma Valley seemed more laid back and easy going, whereas Napa Valley was more upscale and sheik.
Today's first stop was B.R. Cohn Winery & Olive Oil Company. We learned that the winery is owned by Bruce Cohn, manager of the famous band, The Doobie Brothers. Apparently, 40 years ago Bruce Cohn became the band's manager and has managed the band and owned this winery ever since. The winery had lots of Doobie Brothers paraphernalia and we learned some fun facts about the band:
Ledson Winery & Vineyards:
Overall, our Napa/Sonoma experience was great, albeit too short! If we ever come back for another visit, we'd probably prefer Sonoma, as it has a more friendly, laid back feel. The tasting fees in both valleys ranged from $10-$25 per flight, depending on the winery. The cost was a little surprising, as tasting fees for the NY Finger Lakes wine trails and Long Island wine trails are generally around $5 flight.
Before heading back to San Francisco, we stopped in Cellars of Sonoma, a wine tasting bistro in the heart of Santa Rosa. This place offered tastings of select wineries with very small distributions. Marshall enjoyed this, as if gave him an opportunity to taste some wines that are not available outside this area.
Crossing back over the Golden Gate:
Today's first stop was B.R. Cohn Winery & Olive Oil Company. We learned that the winery is owned by Bruce Cohn, manager of the famous band, The Doobie Brothers. Apparently, 40 years ago Bruce Cohn became the band's manager and has managed the band and owned this winery ever since. The winery had lots of Doobie Brothers paraphernalia and we learned some fun facts about the band:
Ledson Winery & Vineyards:
Overall, our Napa/Sonoma experience was great, albeit too short! If we ever come back for another visit, we'd probably prefer Sonoma, as it has a more friendly, laid back feel. The tasting fees in both valleys ranged from $10-$25 per flight, depending on the winery. The cost was a little surprising, as tasting fees for the NY Finger Lakes wine trails and Long Island wine trails are generally around $5 flight.
Before heading back to San Francisco, we stopped in Cellars of Sonoma, a wine tasting bistro in the heart of Santa Rosa. This place offered tastings of select wineries with very small distributions. Marshall enjoyed this, as if gave him an opportunity to taste some wines that are not available outside this area.
Crossing back over the Golden Gate:
Monday, July 19, 2010
Day 7 - Monday, July 19
Napa Valley, California. Napa Valley has more than 450 wineries, so this is only a drop in the bucket....
We talked to the locals, got some recommendations, and hit the road. Leah volunteered to drive, so Michelle and Marshall sat back, relaxed and enjoyed the wine - 1st stop, Luna Vineyards, known for Pinot Gris:
2nd stop, Trefethen Vineyards, known for Chardonnay:
Castello di Amorosa:
Rutherford Hill, known for Cabernet Sauvignon:
We talked to the locals, got some recommendations, and hit the road. Leah volunteered to drive, so Michelle and Marshall sat back, relaxed and enjoyed the wine - 1st stop, Luna Vineyards, known for Pinot Gris:
2nd stop, Trefethen Vineyards, known for Chardonnay:
Castello di Amorosa:
Rutherford Hill, known for Cabernet Sauvignon:
Day 6 - Sunday, July 18
Today our trip moved to stage 2 - Northern California and Wine Country.
We left SF and drove north across the Golden Gate Bridge, along highway 1, to do some hiking in Muir Woods. Crossing the bridge in the morning fog:
Muir Woods is an old-growth redwood forest that borders the Pacific Ocean - it's just a short drive from the Golden Gate.
These redwoods are enormous and according to our hiking map, the trees thrive because of the cool, damp, foggy climate. Many of these trees have burned out bases from fire damage (like the one we're standing in):
We hiked a 4 mile loop (1,000 ft elevation gain) that went through Muir Woods up to a lookout point, then back down through grasslands and a fern forest. After hiking was finished, we headed over to Stinson Beach. Highway 1 is incredibly windy, so we drove the 10 miles at a snails pace and enjoyed the gorgeous views. Here's some pictures of the Pacific coastline:
Leah's first ocean experience, the water was freezing:
We left SF and drove north across the Golden Gate Bridge, along highway 1, to do some hiking in Muir Woods. Crossing the bridge in the morning fog:
Muir Woods is an old-growth redwood forest that borders the Pacific Ocean - it's just a short drive from the Golden Gate.
These redwoods are enormous and according to our hiking map, the trees thrive because of the cool, damp, foggy climate. Many of these trees have burned out bases from fire damage (like the one we're standing in):
We hiked a 4 mile loop (1,000 ft elevation gain) that went through Muir Woods up to a lookout point, then back down through grasslands and a fern forest. After hiking was finished, we headed over to Stinson Beach. Highway 1 is incredibly windy, so we drove the 10 miles at a snails pace and enjoyed the gorgeous views. Here's some pictures of the Pacific coastline:
Leah's first ocean experience, the water was freezing:
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Day 5 - Saturday, July 17
San Francisco Giants vs. NY Mets - Game time 6:05 WST.
We headed down to AT&T Park around noon to pick up our tickets. Today was Tim Lincecum bobble head give-away day, so it was a sold out game, and thousands of people came to the park really early to make sure they got a bobble head. We heard the bobble heads are selling for $55 on E-Bay! We bought Standing Room Only tickets for $27 apiece (very pricey considering we didn't actually get a seat). We were kind of unsure how the Standing Room situation would work out, but we kept our fingers crossed....
Leah had a great time on the walk down the hill:
The area around the ballpark is really nice, it's right next to the waterfront, and there are quite a few bars and restaurants and other touristy things to do before the game:
Leah and daddy enjoyed a few drinks at the bar before the game:
This ballpark is in a fantastic location - it overlooks San Francisco bay and has some beautiful views. All these pictures were taken from inside the park:
We watched the game from center field - the Standing Room tickets were a great choice! Leah enjoyed climbing around in the cable car and ringing the bell throughout the game:
The game was really exciting. San Fran's up-in-comer, Buster Posey, had two big hits, including a solo HR. Ike Davis, from the Mets, hit two HRs, including one into McCovey Cove. The Giants won the game 8-4. Matt Cain got the win:
The lone kayaker in McCovey Cove:
We headed down to AT&T Park around noon to pick up our tickets. Today was Tim Lincecum bobble head give-away day, so it was a sold out game, and thousands of people came to the park really early to make sure they got a bobble head. We heard the bobble heads are selling for $55 on E-Bay! We bought Standing Room Only tickets for $27 apiece (very pricey considering we didn't actually get a seat). We were kind of unsure how the Standing Room situation would work out, but we kept our fingers crossed....
Leah had a great time on the walk down the hill:
The area around the ballpark is really nice, it's right next to the waterfront, and there are quite a few bars and restaurants and other touristy things to do before the game:
Leah and daddy enjoyed a few drinks at the bar before the game:
This ballpark is in a fantastic location - it overlooks San Francisco bay and has some beautiful views. All these pictures were taken from inside the park:
We watched the game from center field - the Standing Room tickets were a great choice! Leah enjoyed climbing around in the cable car and ringing the bell throughout the game:
The game was really exciting. San Fran's up-in-comer, Buster Posey, had two big hits, including a solo HR. Ike Davis, from the Mets, hit two HRs, including one into McCovey Cove. The Giants won the game 8-4. Matt Cain got the win:
The lone kayaker in McCovey Cove:
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