Meet The Mets of New York Town!

One of the things my sister wanted to do when she travelled with me to New York City was go to a baseball game, and experience the full Americana.  As luck would have it the New York Mets were playing on the Sunday when we were there, and thus a trek out to CitiField (near the site of former Shea Stadium) was planned for.

We grabbed tickets online, and after playing around in Central Park we rode the subway out to the stadium, which is just across the tracks from the home of the US Open.

Spending some time in the gift shop to buy novelty hands to feel part of the action, and then grabbing a very disappointing and expensive hotdog on our way to our seats, we finally took our places well into the game!

In probably the fastest game of baseball ever, after I had told the girls it goes for hours, we watched on as the Mets and the Houston Astros did battle in the blazing sun and heat.

With all sorts of music and silly activities between each innings to kept the crowd into the match, we were entertained completely through the handful of innings that we saw.

It's a really impressive stadium, and with our foam hands we loved getting right into the spirit of it all - even if we didn't fully know what was going on in the match!  The Mets won 2-1, and so the crowd went crazy at the end, which just added to the fun!

Blue Jays v Red Sox

I went along to the Rogers Centre today, to catch a baseball game, and also to catch up with Curtis. Grabbing beers and lunch, we caught up on the last how-ever-many-years since we have seen each other, since dancing at the Heart in Cambodia when I was on my way to the UK. 2005! That's a lot of time!

A strange week, and weekend, here in Toronto, the stadium had a minute silence for the victims of the shootings at the downtown mall the day before. The player who happened to be at the Eaton Center at the time of the shootings, and managed the break the story via Twitter, was actually the only baseballer on the pitch whose name I knew - and it was only because of that.

We took our seats behind the plate, on the top level, and took in the match. Played indoors with the roof completely closed given the rainy Toronto weather this weekend, the sound of the 42 000 fans ebbed and flowed with the musically prompts throughout the afternoon.

The Toronto Blue Jays are having a good season, but in this Series against the Boston Red Sox they had lost the first 2 matches of the weekend. When we arrived, the Blue Jays were several runs up, with the Sox yet to score.

Taking in the goings on of baseball, and the base of my match attendance in New York, plus Curtis having to explain some finer points, I quite enjoyed the match. There was quite of lot more mind game playing out there than I remember, with the Sox asserting themselves in many instances.

The 'Jays took the match, 5-1, making the blue-clad local crowd very happy.

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

Yesterday I walked from Tali's place, through Central Park and past Strawberry Fields, down 5th Avenue, to the beautiful Grand Central Station. I could sit in there all day and take in the gorgeous interior and people watch!

Out into the rain, I walked down to the UN Plaza, and joined a tour of the UN buildings. Having been locked out of this on previous visits, this was another thing I wanted to do this trip, and I was hoping for some restoration in my faith and belief in all that the UN stands for. Taken through the Security Council, and into the General Assembly, our guide was great - although really didn't teach me anything I don't have a HECS debt for already! Would be great if I hadn't studied about this organisation, and knew very little!! A focus on landmines, and the emphasis that the UN is an action from all of us, including the vast array of countries respresented within of tour group was strong...but nothing new and hopeful for me! Sadly.

Finishing the tour, I walked out into the pouring rain, and started to give up hope for our evening plans. Stopping for another mammoth dose of caffine, and waiting it out, I met up with Talia when she finished work, and we decided to head out to Yankee Stadium anyway. They hadn't called of the game at that point, despite me being soaked from the downpour!

Riding the subway out to the Bronx, we emerged out of the tunnels into daylight and blue sky! Amazing! This season is actually the last one in Yankee Stadium, with a new version being built next door, so it was exciting reaching the ground amid the blue and white clad fans to fit our seats.

Sitting directly above home plate, we had a great central view, and settled in for the Yankees verses the Baltimore Orioles with beers. Refreashing the basics of the match, the first half of the first innings saw 7 runs scored, by the Orioles - apparently a massive score!

A slow game, the Yankees didn't score until around the 5th innings. The highlight was the potential of a bit of biffo, with a "wayward" pitch almost taking an Orioles head off, and a pitch invasion by both teams....but no punches. A rare event apparently! We finished off the night with more beers at Talia's local bar. All good for New York City this visit! Thanks so much for having me Miss Tali! (And for your photos!)