Tuesday, August 28, 2007

Mets Vs. Dodgers

VS

Well, you know, someone once told me that going to see the Mets http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=nym is quite interesting. Most baseball parks are friendly, happy places where it’s safe to walk. But Shea Stadium http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/nym/ballpark/seating_pricing.jsp is located in Flushing, yes, I said Flushing, New York. And it’s smack in the middle of a mini-china town. Or maybe we WERE in Chinatown, and I just didn't know it. We stayed at a Comfort Inn http://www.sidestep.com/hotels-rates-h05747-comfort_inn_flushing_flushing_ny and if you turn right or if you turn left, you just feel like you are either going to get jacked or killed - and no one would notice. ANYWAYS. Let me begin...

Our trip began with a nice breakfast at MaryAnn's http://www.maryannsdiner.com/. This is a great place for breakfast, and typically, my fiancé, his good friend and I go there before we go see the latest blockbuster movie. So the restaurant also serves as a good starting point for a long trip. After breakfast, we began our journey into NY. It’s about a 4-5 hour ride, depending on how fast you go. I was traveling at typical 70-75 mph. I have to tell you that its kind of a boring ride. The worst part, though, is driving through Worcester. Man, that city is always under construction and I don’t know why. They are always mapping out new routes using jersey barriers and I always end up asking myself, “Am I going in the right direction? WTF?” I do not mean to offend those that are from Worcester, but I think if you Worcester Natives take a long hard look, you’ll realize I’m right. ANWAYS. After stopping in Connecticut some where, my fiancé took over driving. He offered, and I didn’t mind. So he took us into Flushing, where we had a little trouble finding a place to park. The streets are narrow, only going one-way and people are always coming, so you don’t have a second to think about what you are trying to do. So we ended up going to an under-ground parking garage that was just around the corner from the hotel. I have to say it was kind of sketchy and I felt weird leaving my car with Johnny McAsian. Is that racist of me, if I’m Asian and I am skeptical of other Asians? Or does it just make me paranoid because of the area I’m in? Anyways, reluctantly, I gave the guy my keys and we walked around the corner to the hotel. The Comfort Inn was tiny with not many rooms. We had a room on the 2nd floor with the grand view of some sort of furniture store that looked like it had been empty for 50 years. Once we dropped our bags, we left to go on the ¾ mile hike to the stadium.

Walking through any city in New York is pretty scary. And I am the first to say that I was happy that I was accompanied by 2 guys. I know in this day in age where women are always fighting to get out from under the shadowy protection of men, that this is not the greatest statement. But I say it when only thinking about me and my own capabilities of protecting myself. Its always good to have back up, you know? Anyways. The walk to the stadium, as I was saying before, is rather scary. You have to pass by some rather pungent smelling stores that smell like they killed several animals and left the carcasses out to rot. Yum. And the fact that it was ninety-five degrees out with a humidity of 1000%. So that added to the deliciousness of the aroma that is Flushing, NY. It’s just odd because so many times, my fiancé has told me that Shea Stadium is located in a dumpy area, and each time he said it, I was always thinking, “well, it can’t be THAT bad.” Well, guess what, kids? It IS. Sometimes I guess, you have to see and smell things for yourself. I just really couldn’t imagine living in that area full time. It’s just a really rough and poor looking place. Its one of those places you take a look at and realize how good you really have it, even if you were to think that you live in a crappy place (which I don’t). So, to put the icing on the cake, so to speak, as we were walking along the narrow sidewalk, there was this guy standing there. He looked a little spaced out and I kind of looked at him and saw him kind of open his mouth and then I realized that he was puking. Most people, when they puke, they bend at the hip or crouch down or do SOMETHING that looks like they are puking. But not this guy. He looked like it was an hourly occurrence for him and let it just fall out of his mouth. Ew. Just now as I type this out and share it with anyone who’s reading, I feel like I’m going to puke…the RIGHT way, bent over a barrel. LOL. Well, I have to say that it just added to the atmosphere.

We got into the stadium – I was wearing my Manny Ramierz shirt – but by the time we made it to our seats, I was sweating quite badly. Luckily, I was wearing a tank top underneath. We sat in the upper deck, 3rd base line. The seats were good because in front of us were bars. So no one to watch out for in front of us. Part of the pre-game show was an Irish dancing crew. I can’t imagine that it would be comfortable in those uniforms. And then there was a singing Irish due – one sang and the other played some sort of accordion thingy. Needless to say, I was not terribly impressed. I’m not a fan of the Irish singing/dancing stuff. But I will say that it was good – didn’t hurt the ears and it looked pleasant. So after the pre-game festivities, we had the national anthem. And then its “plaaaaaaaaaaay baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaall!” The New York Mets were playing the Los Angeles Dodgers. These are two of my fiancé’s most favorite baseball teams. To be honest, I am not sure why, but I believe it is because growing up, he watched baseball and became a fan of his own teams, as opposed to just rooting for the hometown Boston Red Sox. So his love of these teams comes from himself, with no lineage of sports fan to base his opinions on. The pitcher for the Mets was Orlando Hernandez, who fans call “El Duque:” http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=133340. The pitcher for the Dodgers? Well, I’m going to have to look that one up because I can’t remember. Anyhow. The game was quick – national league games tend to be quicker because the national league does not have a designated hitter – the pitcher has to hit. So in some cases, this is an automatic out and it moves the game along. Plus, national league teams tend to steal bases more often and use a different offensive strategy than the American league. I am not saying that the American league is inferior to the national league, I am just saying that they are different.

It’s also weird to watch the game live, as opposed to on television. It’s hard not to watch the players in awe as they play a game of baseball. If I had to choose a favorite Mets player, it’s definitely David Wright http://mlb.mlb.com/team/player.jsp?player_id=431151. He is a total cutie and only 25. Hey, I know I’m engaged, but that doesn’t make me dead. So. He had a good game – he went 2 for 2, driving in 2 runs. I also like their catcher, Paul LoDuca. And Carlos Beltran…and Carlos Delgado. Overall, if there were no more Red Sox, I would for sure be a Mets fan…But don’t tell my fiancé that. =]

After the game was over, we went back to the hotel and kind of just laid there. Our friend had one bed and my fiancé and I had the other. It’s just that we were sweating so bad throughout the game that it made us tired. But after a few minutes of rest, we went out to get something to eat at this place, Deluge http://www.delugerestaurant.com/. As you can see from the website, it is a pretty fancy place. Its located in the lower level of the Sheraton – but it is very fancy and romantic. Which struck me funny because when we were discussing where we wanted to eat, we agreed on Chinese – I mean, we were, afterall, in Tiny ChinaTown! We asked the front desk guy at the Comfort Inn and he told us to go here. There wasn’t an oriental thing on the menu! And I was looking forward to eating white rice and spear ribs! The meals all came out on these square dishes and they were all fancy like you see on the Food Network! Yeesh. So we ate and then headed back to the hotel for a long rest.

The next day, we checked out around 10:30-ish in the morning. We went around the block to collect my car and then we were off. Our friend had 200 points on his Mohegan Suns players’ card, so he made the suggestion that we stop there on the way back for lunch http://www.mohegansun.com/. We ate at this bbq place: http://www.mohegansun.com/dining/big_bubbas_bbq.jsp. It was good, and it was neat because they had both the Red Sox and Yankees playing separate teams.

But you know, we go there and it’s almost kind of instant that you feel the need to gamble your life savings away. HAha. I did not. I only gambled 60 dollars away. I was hoping to win at least enough money to cover our New York trip – its not like I was asking for a million dollars, you know? But the gambling gods do not see it that way. They will take your money and they will laugh in your face. I played black jack and lost it all in 15 minutes (and I think I’m being generous giving myself 15 minutes for time). Our friend lost 300 dollars in half an hour. My fiancé doesn’t like to gamble, so I knew he wasn’t having a good time, and I knew that he was tired, so I didn’t want to stay. If I had more time…well, if I had more time I’d have to push the marriage out two years because I would have gambled all my money away. Hhaha. Just kidding. I actually have more will power than that.

So thus began our final journey home. It was a great weekend – although Flushing, NY is not a place to send postcards from, I have to say that there are no mere words that could ever fully describe it. You really do have to go experience it for yourself. =]

And if you can believe this, next weekend we’re going BACK to New York! My mom’s cousin’s son is getting married and we were invited to Manhattan. My parents booked us rooms at the Millenium Hilton in New York City: http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/NYCMLHH-Millenium-Hilton-New-York/index.do. Pretty fancy, HUH? Well, I’ll have to tell the story next weekend, then.

Until then. TTFN.

2 comments:

Hanh said...

Holy sketchiness, NY is gross.
Glad you had fun though... you got that Asian gene in you were you gamble to win not gamble to have fun... sooo... another vegas trip? This time i won't sit with you i swear!
I'm actually learning how to play poker, wanna online sometime?

Hanh said...

OR....
You can do the holy marriage AND vegas at the same time.

;)