Day 15: Detroit, MI

Due to the long 9 hour drive that we will have ahead of us between St. Louis and Detroit we will unfortunately be short on rest in order to catch the Tigers game.
We will arrive in Detroit at the earliest 3 PM with plenty of time to spare, as all of us have seen Detroit and really do not care for the city itself, especially at this time after the recession. We will drop our bags off in the hotel and hang out until the baseball game.

Comerica Park: Detroit Tigers vs. Washington Nationals 

One of the prettier stadiums in baseball, it opened in 2000 and seats 45, 010 and there is no issue in getting cheap tickets at the box office. The fans in detroit (if they show) are very passionate about their Tigers and it is said to make watching the game there very intense. After enjoying 9 innings or more, something at the Big Cat Food Court, elephant ears for dessert and beer I think I will be ready to go to sleep and head back home to Toronto tomorrow.

Day 14: St. Louis, MO

With a 7 hour drive ahead of us we will wake up at 6 AM and hope to arrive in St. Louis at around 1 PM.
After we drop our belongings in the hotel we will be exploring the city on foot. We will visit the Gateway Arch and ride up 630 feet overlooking the Mississippi River. We will treat ourselves to one of many potential signature foods coming from the city of St. Louis including toasted ravioli or a prosperity sandwich. With little time to explore more of the city it is time to get back to hotel to get ready for the game.

New Busch Stadium: St. Louis Cardinals vs. Seattle Mariners 
One of the newer ballparks in the league (opened in 2006), this will be our 2nd last ballpark we will visit and happens to be the one I am most looking forward to seeing. Not only are the Cardinals a very well-established organization and fun to watch, but the people of St. Louis are said to be kind and loyal sports fans which will make watching baseball with the Gateway Arch in the backdrop that much more enjoyable. In this ballpark we will splurge on our tickets, which we will pre-order for $136 each getting us some of the best seats in the house, well worth it for, in my opinion, the nicest stadium that we will see! The food of choice that I will purchase to help enjoy my Busch experience is the Hunter's Dog, famous at the stadium, and "when in Rome" I will help myself to a Budweiser (Busch product).

Day 13: Milwaukee, WI

As the trip starts to wind down and we get more tired, we will become increasingly lazy. Besides from trying Milwaukee's famous Cannibal Sandwich (made of ground beef, onions on rye bread) there is not much that I am eager to do in Milwaukee. If I am wrong and we happen to want to explore the city, I have no question that we could take in the culture and sites that the city has to show to tourists.

Miller Park: Milwaukee Brewers vs. Texas Rangers 
This ballpark, built in 1991 to replace Milwaukee Country Stadium, is not only the only stadium in North America that can open and close its retractable roof in 10 minutes but it also features a huge slide in the left field stands. Every time the Brewers hit a home run, their mascot slides down. We will enter the stadium of 45, 808 people and head straight to the concessions to snack on the park's famous bratwurst with secret sauce and wash it down with Miller beer while watching my favorite baseball player play, Ryan Braun.

Day 12: Milwaukee, WI

Leaving Chicago will be hard no doubt, so we will take as much time in The Drake as possible and get on the road by noon.
The drive to Milwaukee along Lake Michigan will take about 2 hours so we will hopefully be settled in to our hotel by about 3.
With Milwaukee once being known as a brewing powerhouse we will explore the roots of the city at a brewery.
The largest brewery, the Miller Brewery, will be our selection as they offer tours throughout the day. After dinner we will make a decision as to whether or not we would like to explore the nightlife of Milwaukee or call it an early night, after all, we will have been at a brewery all day long.
Miller Brewery

 

Day 11: Chicago, IL

After what will be a late night mingling with the locals and university crowds we will give ourselves a sleep in until about 11 AM. This will leave us enough time to shop in the amazing and raved about Niketown, which produces amazing sporting apparel amongst other items. After a couple hours of shopping we will have worked up an appetite and we will journey to Giordano's for some world-renowned Chicago Deep Dish pizza, a signature of the city and a must try from what I have heard! We will then spend an hour or so checking out the yearly, free Chicago Music Festival to get some more culture out of the trip before heading back to the hotel.

Wrigley Field: Chicago Cubs vs. Chicago White Sox 
Built in 1914, and used by the Cubs since 1916 this stadium has had many different names before settling on Wrigley. Seating 42, 000 people its ivy covered outfield walls are what is it most recognized for and is a huge part of the aura that this stadium is said to produce. While we could sit in the rooftop seats that look over the stadium from the outfield as a neat local experience, we decided to pay $54 for sub-par tickets in what will be a sold-out stadium. During the game we will dine on their signature Italian  Beef Sandwiches and wash them down with Wrigley's 'Old-Style Beer'.

Day 10: Chicago, IL

While waiting for the cubs to come to town we will take today to tour the great city of Chicago!
We will wake up at 8 AM and walk around the downtown area, touring the very noticeable Willis Tower (Sears Tower) and surrounding areas.
We will grab an early lunch at the suggestion of "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (Food Network)" at Smoque BBQ and then drive to North Chicago to spend the rest of the afternoon and Six Flags Amusement Park.

For dinner, we will be entertained with an evening at Medieval Times. We will finish off the night near the bars of the University crowd. They are closer to our age and we could really learn a lot about the city and its cultures while having fun and meeting new people! This is better, in my opinion then taking a tour guide around the city.

Day 9: Chicago, IL

We will have already been checked into our hotel the night before, but we will take our time getting up and settling into our Gold Coast Suite in the Drake Hotel! The facilities in the hotel seem amazing but they can not keep us occupied for the whole day so we will drive to the ESPN Zone to have some interactive sports fun. We will then head back to the hotel to prepare for the baseball game.

U.S. Cellular Field: Chicago White Sox vs. Detroit Tigers 
There is not much to this field, built in 1991, but being in a city with two teams in the same sport calls for going to both those stadiums! Seating 47,000 people with a sub-par team the stadium never sells out. We will purchase tickets at the box office for $20 which will get us seats in the second level behind the catcher. We will be sure to feast in the restaurant Tex Mex located in the stadium and get dessert at Winning Ugly is Sweet during the 7th innning stretch.

Day 8: Cincinnati, OH / Chicago, IL

Today we will have a sleep in, the first day in a while.
We will wake up around noon, in order to grab a bite at the beloved Camp Washington Chili.
We will then head to the only museum in town that caught our eyes: the Cincinnati Reds Hall of Fame and Museum, a perfect fit with the theme of our trip and quite the historic site as the Reds have a rich history.

We will be on the road again by the latest 6:00 PM driving through the state of Indiana, finally arriving in Chicago after a 5 hour drive. On the way we will pick up food from a popular fast-food chain in the U.S. called Sonic. I have been longing to try Sonic for a while! Yet another staple of the United States that we will have experienced so far this trip!

Day 7: Cincinnati, OH

This morning will be yet another early start, as the drive to Cincinnati from Pittsburgh is around 4 hours and 30 minutes.
We will hope to arrive in Cincinnati at around 3 PM, leaving us enough time to put our belongings into the hotel, and walk around downtown Cincinnati. We will grab a quick bite, but we won't want to fill up too much as the stadium has lots to offer

Great American Ballpark: Cincinnati Reds vs. San Francisco Giants 
Opening in 2003, right on top of the old Cinergy Field, this stadium has one of the better views when looking out and there is a flurry of red in case you forget which team to cheer for! We know that they do not sell out very often so we will go to the box office before game time and spend $17 on great seats, hopefully right along the third baseline. After walking the concourse after the game to check out the beauty of the stadium, we will, in my opinion, want some "world's-best post game ribs" at the Montgomery Inn. After hopefully meeting a few locals at the game and the restaurant, we will head to what they suggest is the hottest nightlife spot in Cincinnati.

Day 6: Pittsburgh, PA

Today we will rise at around 8 AM in order to have enough time to drive for 5 hours through the State of Pennsylvannia to get to Pittsburgh.
We will probably arrive at around 3 PM, get to our hotel and rejuvenate after the long drive. While we could spend an hour or two strolling through this old city touring the Heinz museum, the many bridges, and maybe a zoo, but we decided that the only thing the city has to offer we already have tickets to!

 

PNC Park: Pittsburgh Pirates vs. San Francisco Giants  

Seating 38, 496 people, this stadium, although one of the more structurally gorgeous, is the second smallest stadium capacity-wise. The stadium is built in a 'traditional' way but what makes it so magnificent is its limestone facades, riverside concourses, and many local eateries. We are coming to one of the best ballparks in the league, and most importantly, one of the cheapest places to see a game. We will spend only $17 on our seats, which are right behind the catcher a few sections up. Although the Pirates are a dreadful team, we will try to enjoy the game of baseball in the most beautiful stadium in the league. My plan is to get the gourmet wings with a variety of sauces at Quaker Steak & Lube for the game, but there are so many options I do not know what my friends will end up choosing! 

 

Day 5: Philadelphia, PA

We will get up early today in order to get the 2 hour drive from NYC to the 'City of Brotherly Love' out of the way and arrive in Philadelphia for around 10:00 AM.
With so much American history coming out of this city, and only one day to see it, we will drop our things at our hotel and head out to determine what makes Philadelphia so great.

Tourists come to Philadelphia mainly for its sports and for "America's most historic square mile", referring to Independence National Historic Park. This "park" hosts Independent Hall, Liberty Bell Centre, Declaration House and Christ Church Burial Ground all of which tell a great story of the American Revolution. Other than that,  there is not much else to see in the city so we will try a traditional 'Philly Cheesesteak' and get ready for the game.



Citizen's Bank Park: Philadelphia Phillies vs. San Diego Padres  

With every seat in the stadium supposedly considered a good seat, we went with the cheapest tickets we could find, at $26. Fans of any sport in Philadelphia are known to be quite rough, and from what I have heard, they don't let up when it comes to their Phillies. Watching a World Series caliber team (they won in 2008), in one of the newer stadiums in baseball (opened in 2004 to replace their old Veteran's Stadium) to a capacity crowd of 43, 647 with the amount of facilities that are incorporated within it, it will be magnificent. We will not leave the stadium until we have devoured something along the lines of a soft pretzel (Philly's best snack), a hot dog (Dollar Dog Nights) or anything else that is part of Food Network 2007's award for "Best Ballpark Food".

Day 4: New York, NY

This city is too big and has too much to see, that we will need to stay here for another day and night (not to mention, we need to wait somewhere until our next destination's baseball team comes into town!).
We will enjoy a partial sleep-in today as the night before will be a late night and get our day started around 10 AM with a quick glimpse up-close of the third largest skyscraper in New York, the Chrysler Building. After we mosey on over to 'Ground Zero' and see the area that the massive Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre once stood on, we will head to lunch.

We will go to the famous Katz's Delicatessen to enjoy their signature kosher-style smoked meat sandwiches piled high in between two pieces of rye bread. I am very interested to see how it compares to Schwartz's Delicatessen in Montreal.

After our huge lunch we will want to walk off the loads of food inside our stomach's through the city's wonderful Central Park, a gorgeous 843-acre rectangle with tons  of foliage, joggers, bikers and strollers to discover. There are ice-rinks in the winter, bands playing, zoos, and even boat races. To kill the rest of the afternoon we will visit Canal Street to check out the deals, before heading back to the hotel to get ready for dinner.

As New York City has one of the higher concentrations of famous chefs in the world, it would be silly to tour the city and not experience one of their restaurants. We will be attending Morimoto NYC owned and operated by Masaharu Morimoto where we will no doubt see celebrities and locals mingling among the sushi, sashimi and other asian delights that this chef brings to a new level.

After dinner, we will subway downtown to see a Broadway show, Rock of All Ages, at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. This show will catch out interest as we love rock and roll and once again, is one of the major tourist entertainments. The show will cost us $100 for the cheapest ticket. Hopefully it's worth it!

Day 3: New York, NY

Just because we are on a stadium tour doesn't mean we can't tour a city for a couple of days right? Today we are going to wake up early, leave the car at the hotel and be true New Yorkers taking New York taxis. The first part of the day we are going to explore the face of the city, the Statue of Liberty. One of the biggest tourist attractions, I will be sure to have my camera on me as we walk through the exhibits and concessions that it has to offer. We will then hop on the Circle Lines ferry and roam Ellis Island until lunch time.  

 Statue of Liberty

After a quick bite, continuing on with our busy day of touring we will do a little more site seeing, kicking off with one of the most recognizable skyscraper in New York, the Empire State Building. We will pay the appropriate fare and head to the 102nd floor observation deck to take in the view of this eye-opening city. After taking a quick look from the 86th floor observation deck we are going to head to the Rockefeller Center in midtown Manhattan, which will take us until dinner to pass through its 22 acres of land.

Empire State Building

The dinner scene that we will enjoy eating at is going to be in New York's famous Times Square. After enjoying a meal we will take a stroll along the major intersection of shops, lights and buildings; particularly One Times Square.
As the night moves on we will check out the NYC nightlife, beginning with club 40/40, owned by Jay-Z. Be prepared for a late night!

Day 2: New York, NY

After a 9 AM wake up, we will be on the road by 10 o'clock with a 4 hour drive ahead of us. We will arrive in New York City by 2:00 PM. This will leave us enough time to check into our hotel, Trump International Hotel and Tower, and get settled in, as we will be here for the next few nights. We will stay in the hotel and enjoy its soothing suite until we need to get to the stadium for the game.

Yankee Stadium: New York Yankees vs. Baltimore Orioles 

Although I wish we could visit the 'House that Ruth Built' (built in 1923) as opposed to the new stadium which opened on April 2nd, 2009, this massive stadium seating 52, 325 is just as good. We ended up purchasing the cheapest tickets we could find at $72.92, which is relatively expensive but something that we had no problem spending on. Even though I, personally hate the Yankees, I know I will enjoy the loud, crude fans that New York is so famous for and, not to mention, one of the MLB's best clubs. While sitting back and enjoying the game, I know we will treat ourselves to a delicious and famous Nathan's hot dog with a few droughts.

Day 1: Boston, MA

Although we will leave a day earlier to enjoy the 10 hour drive from Toronto to Boston, I am still going to consider this Day 1 of the trip.

After spending the night sleeping off the long drive, we will have a few hours to kill in the wonderful city of Boston before the game.
We will quickly head over to see the beautiful campus that Harvard University has to display and take a stroll through it's libraries, residences and shops.We will walk through downtown Boston to witness the history that has passed through a city that was founded in 1630 and then enjoy some shopping. After getting ready for the game in the hotel, I will go and snap some photographs of the wonderful Black Bay view before the game.




Fenway Park: Boston Red Sox vs. Oakland Athletics 

This ballpark, located near Kenmore Square is the oldest in the league, opening in 1912. We decided to start the trip off with quite possibly the most famous stadium in the world. Seating 37, 472 people a night it is hard to come by tickets, but we have succeeded. One of the biggest attractions Boston has to offer is their Red Sox who are always a competitor.Our tickets will cost us $52 dollars to sit right atop the famous Green Monster (left field wall, shown above). While taking in the game we will be sure to snack on the park's famous kettle corn and Fenway Franks.

Mapping out the Tour

The following are the cities and ballparks that will be visited. The numbers correspond to the route on the map.
A: Toronto, ON, Canada
B: Boston, MA, U.S.A (Fenway Park, Day 1)
C: New York, NY, U.S.A (Yankee Stadium, Day 2-4)
D: Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A (Citizen's Bank Park, Day 5)
E: Pittsburgh, PA, U.S.A (PNC Park, Day 6)
F: Cincinnati, OH, U.S.A (Great American Ballpark, Day 7)
G: Chicago, Il, U.S.A. (U.S. Cellular Field & Wrigley Field, Day 8-11)
H: Milwaukee, WI, U.S.A (Miller Park, Day 12-13)
I: St. Louis, MO, U.S.A (New Busch Stadium, Day 14)
J: Detroit, MI, U.S.A (Comerica Park, Day 15)