Holiday Weekender

The holiday weekend kind of snuck up on me - I didn't think to make any special plans ahead of time. But despite being mostly improvised, it has been great so far. Both relaxing and fun. Yesterday, I slept in, and took an outstanding bike ride to Mount Vernon. Usually I do that ride at the end of the day. But yesterday I did it fresh and rested, so I was able to push a little harder. Made outstanding time, with only a few hiccups due to the increased traffic. And I only had especial trouble with 3 people!

(Don't walk out onto the trail without looking - it's like jumping into a busy street blindfolded. Don't take up the whole path with your friends, gabbing away so you don't hear someone try to warn you they are trying to pass. And give an audible signal when you pass. That is all.)

Today, I made my first trip to the new ballpark in DC. I bought the ticket on a whim Saturday night, and managed to get a good one. First row of the upper deck in left field. Great view. The only problem was it was not in shade until the 4th inning or so. Still, great seat for a decent price.

MIL @ WAS 5-25-08

I like the park quite a bit. It doesn't have the slightly gone-to-seed charm of RFK, but it was comfortable, didn't screw around with gimmicky junk, and there's excellent food (half smokes from Ben's Chili Bowl, for example). It has everything you could want from a modern park, I think. It only falls to the second tier because it lacks the history (Fenway, Wrigley) or perfect location (PNC, Pac Bell) of the very best ballparks.

I was a little disappointed in the local fans, though. Most seemed to show up around the 2nd inning, and lots of people were leaving after the stretch. The game was tied in the 7th and they were leaving. They missed a great finish. In the bottom of the ninth Dmitri "The Meathook" Young advanced Elijah Dukes to third on a pinch-hit single, who then scored on a wild pitch by Guillermo Mota, who took the loss. Not the most elegant of victories, but a win is a win.