You've gotta hand it to Nationals Park, DC's new baseball stadium. It's brand new, but it can still give you an accurate experience of what it was like to be a fan in the old days when stadiums were built in the rough part of town.
Park on the street and you might return to your car only to see your hubcaps have been stolen, just like at the old Comiskey Park in Chicago in 1985. Fortunately, we've got a full field guide for you post click.
The first pitch is supposed to coming out right now at Yankee Stadium but the dreary, sorta-rainy weather has the game start delayed. While we normally wouldn't think that a travel story, this is the last year for the historic ball field in the Bronx.
The best way to see the stadium is by booking a tour. (Games are fun, but you don't get to see as much of the park.) A Budget Travel writer took one earlier this month after discovering how cool these tours can be on a trip to Seattle:
The Safeco Field tour was much shorter than a game (45 minutes vs. three-plus hours) and easier to schedule (10 am vs. 7:30 pm). The tour also granted us access to areas a casual fan would never see. And it was a huge bonus not having to sacrifice a night of our trip for two teams we couldn't care less about.
It's the same deal at Yankee Stadium, with walkthroughs of the press box, the clubhouse, the dugouts and Monument Park, where you'll find shines to Yankee legends like Babe Ruth and Mickey Mantle. Definitely cool, even if you hate the Bombers.
Update: Opening day will now be tomorrow, thanks to foul weather in the Bronx.
For those of you headed to the U.S. Open for the "important matches" this week like tonight's match between Roger Federer and Andy Roddick, we've put together a short list of what to expect.
Getting There The tourney takes place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The best way to get there from Manhattan is of course the subway, specifically the Flushing-bound 7 train to Shea Stadium (which is next door to the center). Or you can take the LIRR to the Shea Stadium station. If you prefer to drive, parking costs $14.
We still think it's kinda curious that Finland thinks all it has to offer in summer is weird events like cell phone throwing and wife carrying. But it seems to be enough to get the tourists in and the World Wife-Carrying Championships are coming round again, with the big hoist-up happening on July 7.
Now in case you've never considered carrying your wife around a 275-yard track as the ideal holiday activity (and don't worry if you don't have one--any woman over 17 will do) then you haven't read Stephen Bleach's blow-by-blow account of his own wife-carrying experience. From choosing the carrying style (fireman's lift, the Estonian, or the piggyback) through to navigating the water obstacle, there's a lot more to wife-carrying than meets the eye. And it's worth the training, because the winner receives ... wait for it ... his wife's weight in beer. For the record, Bleach and his wife came in 39th ... out of 40!
For those of you who aren't hardcore enough to get on the surf board in Maine just yet, may we suggest a warmer weather adventure: mountain biking in Scottsdale. For a place known for its copious silicone, it's got quite a bit of natural beauty.
But don't bother packing your own bike and gear. A reliable tipster let us know that Brian Jump at Arizona Outback Adventures is the go-to guy for your biking excursion. He'll set up your itinerary, load up a van full of gear and swing by your hotel to pick you up for a day in the saddle.
Granted, it's not the cheapest bike tour we've ever heard of. (A group tour for four will run you $440.) But our tipster insists the price is worth it, saying, "Anyone can do it. And the guides will show you stuff you never would notice: plants, animals, cool sights. I loved it."
With summer vacation right around the corner, it's high time for The New York Times to devote an issue to family travel. And what better way to experience a summer vacay in England than watching your favorite soccer team lose to West Ham United?
That's what writer Henry Fountain did recently, and though Arsenal lost, he and his son had what sounds like a bang-up time at the team's new stadium:
There were plenty of cheers and some vulgar language, but the place was so big and open that the noise was hardly overpowering. Which left us to concentrate on the game.
We're especially impressed that he bought his tickets from a contact he found on Craigslist. You should have plenty of time to dig up your own tickets if you want to catch a game: the next Premiership season doesn't start up until August 11.
Fearing that the Santa connection appeals only to children, and the Finnair panda connection is, well, too unrealistic for anyone over 3' tall, Finland's tourist board will now entice you to visit by touting its many strange festivals and contests. Events such as the World Cell Phone Throwing Championships and Wife Carrying World Championships are how Finns celebrate summer and the sunlight it provides.
Additional events include air guitar, a Sex Festival, and a wintertime contest, the peculiar "topless winter jogging" (for which we haven't been able to find any additional information). Also, in case you were wondering, 2007 "might be the best year for sauna competition ever." Judging from the pictures on the Sauna World Championships website, we'd say no year might be the best year for sauna competition.
As it turns out, we were at Yankee Stadium when Roger Clemens announced that the Bombers "Came and got me out of Texas." And though not everyone--like the entire city of Houston and this guy--will be clamoring to get tickets to the Rocket's debut, undoubtedly there are plenty of baseball fans eager to watch the overcompensated has-been superstar don the pinstripes one last time. And so, after the jump, our down-and-dirty guide to catching a game at the House that Ruth Built.
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