Official(!) Road Trip Stop #6: Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, Oakland, CA

8/31/2009
Royals 5 @ A's 8

Turns out I picked a real doozy to start off the official ballpark tour.

To put it nicely, there aren't many nice things to say about the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

Opened in 1966, the stadium definitely shows its age. It has undergone a pretty extensive renovation in order to accomodate the Oakland Raiders football team, but it probabaly isn't a very viable option for either team anymore.

The grandstand is reminiscent of Dodger Stadium, in that it is built into a hill, and you are able to enter all levels from the ground level without having to climb many stairs.

There is also a pretty cool Irish pub on the main concourse, and a good beer selection throughout the park. Pizza is provided by Round Table - very nice! The other food looks OK, but is pretty standard ballpark fare.

That's about all the good things I can say about the Coliseum.

It costs $17 to park at the Oakland Coliseum, almost more than what I payed for both tickets - combined. I recommend taking BART, which drops you off right at the ballpark.

Tailgating is allowed, but with how bad the A's have been, there wasn't much of a scene.

The crowd was nearly non-existant and very, very quiet. Granted, this night happened to be a matchup of two of the worst teams in the American League in late August, but even still, not even the die-hards were showing up for this one.

In short, don't feel too bad about missing a game at the Coliseum. It's not the worst stadium that I've ever been to, but definitely not worth a return trip.

I'm glad to cross this one off my list and look forward to Seattle's Safeco Field tomorrow!

Day #1: HOME to Oakland, CA

Hello all! We're OFFICIALLY OFFICIALLY kicking this thing off today!

In about an hour, I'll be leaving the heat and smoke of Southern California to explore the rest of the United States.

Today we start off with a fairly easy drive to Oakland, CA, where an oh-so-exciting match-up between the last place Kansas City Royals and the last place Oakland A's awaits us. We'll be catching tonight's game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, crossing it off our list, and then moving on to Seattle.


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Happy Driving!

(UN)Official Road Trip Stop #5: Angel Stadium, Anaheim, CA

8/26/2009
Tigers 2 @ Angels 4

So what's the best way to see one of the best teams in the American League without having to listen to one of the worst baseball broadcasters the game has ever known?

Well, that would unfortunately mean taking a trip to Angel Stadium of Anaheim to see the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim play.

This is the first venture into the American League on the trip. On a lazy Wednesday afternoon in late August, two of the American League's best teams did battle in front of, well, almost nobody, it seems.

Anaheim Edison International Angel Stadium was opened in 1966. It has undergone two extensive renovations - one to make it compatible for football, and one to make it not compatible for football. On the surface, it certainly looks nice and new enough, but the fact remains that it was built in 1966, and its age still shows in some spots.

The best way to get to Angel Stadium is with the car. There is an Amtrak/Metrolink station in the parking lot of Angel Stadium, but this option is absolutely useless if you happen to come to a night game. I've often thought about spending a day at Disneyland and catching a night game at Angel Stadium, or vice-versa, but have never acted on it, but it's still a pretty good suggestion, I think.

Angel Stadium isn't necessarily a bad place to watch a baseball game, but it isn't as good as some people might tell you. The Angels organization does a lot of things right. They don't overcharge for parking or beer or food (then again, how much is a Weinerschnitzel dog worth, anyway?), and they have been putting a winning team on the field for the better part of a decade, without pricing out their fans.

My problem with the Angels isn't so much with them, but with their fans. Yes, the Angels have done considerably better than the Dodgers in the past decade or so, but the fact remains that nobody would admit to being an Angel fan before 2002. Many of today's Angel "fans" either converted or have been rooting for both teams, which, really, is such a timorous way to be a fan.

The Angels do a pretty good job of showcasing their lack of history. The team is introduced by a couple of cool video montages showcasing some of the players who have come through Anaheim through the years. The line-ups are introduced to "Spirit in the Sky" by Norman Greenbaum and the video is set to "Calling all Angels" by Train. Nice touch. By watching the video, you realize that a lot of really great players have worn Angel uniforms throughout the years, just not at the right time of their careers. The video also has a nice tribute to pitcher Nick Adenhart, who died tragically in a car accident in April.

There are fireworks and a fountain and a big obnoxious fake rock thing in center field. The rocks were put in after the renovation in 1997 by Disney, who owned the team at the time. They were intended to "pay homage to the Orange County coast," but really, they just serve to mock the Disney-fication that the Angels were under at the time.

Fireworks shoot off during the national anthem, after home runs, and when the Angels win. On this day it seemed kind of insensitive because you could see the smoke from the Morris Fire in the distance. Whoops.

The Angels strive to be a family entertainment event, which is fine, but the real purpose to come to a game is to watch baseball. Not fireworks, videogames, fountains, blablabla. It's an OK and rather harmless experience, but just sometimes feels tacky and forced. I didn't have to sit through numerous appearances of the "Rally Monkey" today because the Angels had the lead for pretty much the whole game.

An Angel game is relatively cheap and there's usually a good team playing (even if they're under the influence of performance-enhancing dieties*). Be careful when selecting your seat though, as you could end up with some awful obstructed views. Avoid the "terrace level," because the overhang from the level above it comes down so low that some seats can not track the flight of a fly ball.

Angel games aren't great, but they're good, and a good value for your money. Just don't claim to have been an Angel fan since birth if you can't tell me who Donnie Moore is.

*Easily the best performance of Tony Danza's career. Maybe Matthew McConaughey's too.

You can view all my photos from Angel Stadium here.

(UN)Official Road Trip Stop #4: AT&T Park, San Francisco, CA

August 12, 2009
Dodgers 2 @ Giants 4 (10 innings)

Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that the Giants and their fans call it home, Pacific Bell SBC AT&T Park would probably be my favorite Non-Dodger stadium in the league.

However, they do, so it isn't. But for the non-biased, the place is pretty amazing.

Set almost perfectly on the San Francisco Bay, an afternoon game taken in from the upper deck offers views of the water, the Bay Bridge as it collapses, and the drug deals and homicides that are no doubt taking place in Oakland. I only wish that they could have figured out a way to make the ballpark face northeast so that a view of the San Francisco skyline could be included as well, but the view it does have is already more than enough, and those wind experts at Berkeley who helped with the design are probably smarter than I am.

Pacific Bell Park, as it was known, opened in 2000 after years of masochism at Candlestick Park. I never was able to get to Candlestick myself, but I've always heard nothing but bad things, especially when compared to the nice new park on the bay.

Getting to AT&T Park is kind of tricky. There seems to be a pretty modest amount of parking beyond right field and McCovey Cove, and traffic around the ballpark around gametime looks like kind of a nightmare. The past few times I've gone, I've relied on the MUNI train that stops just outside the park. Public transportation in San Francisco is pretty good, but not as amazing as some people would have you think it is. For this particular game, I didn't get to my seat until about the bottom of the 2nd inning due to delays on the MUNI, though I probably wouldn't have fared much better by any other option. Basically, to get from point A to point B in the Bay Area, give yourself 3 hours. I'm only half-kidding.

Oh, and you can ride a boat from the east bay if you're coming from over there.

Once inside, everyone raves about the food. AT&T is famous for its garlic fries and burgers and chicken sandwiches that are served on sourdough bread. They even have crab sandwiches here. You can taste many of San Francisco's famous foods without ever leaving the ballpark. A far, far cry from a Dodger Dog.

There are some cool things to see, like watching players aim for the water in batting practice and the cable car that sits in center field. There's also a kid's play area in left field and that giant Coca-Cola bottle is actually a couple of slides. Because apparently nobody in this generation is interested in teaching kids about, y'know, baseball.

Don't bother sitting anywhere other than the Upper Deck, preferably down the first base/right field line. The view from up there is amazing, and probably better than the more expensive seats down below.

The game I attended this year was a classic Dodger-Giant match up. One that reminds fans of both teams why there is rivalry and why the game is so great. Due an injury to their ace Chad Billingsley, the Dodgers were forced to start Jeff Weaver, a long man from the bullpen who has seen better days. Weaver was faced with the daunting task of keeping the Dodgers within striking distance of Giants ace Tim Lincecum, who was in his Cy Young form on this day.

In the 5th inning, tempers flared, and it was awesome. Fatass Pablo Sandoval took exception to a James McDonald pitch that was juuuuust a bit inside after Eugenio Velez had needlessly taken out Dodger catcher Russell Martin on a slide at home.

Cooler heads unfortunately eventually prevailed, and the game moved on to the top of the 9th. Lincecum had been dominating the Dodgers all day, giving up just 1 run while Jeff Weaver and the Dodger bullpen had only given up 2.

Amongst the chant of "Beat L.A.," Lincecum came out to a standing ovation in the top of the ninth looking for a complete game win to send the home crowd home happy. Rafael Furcal came up with one out and hit a slow bouncer to shortstop. Furcal and the throw arrived at first base at the same time, and Furcal was ruled safe. The home crowd, already upset by the earlier confrontation and a few other close calls (he was safe) that had gone against them, was livid.

Lincecum was able to compose himself to get Martin to fly out, and Furcal tagged up to second on the play. With two outs in the top of the ninth, Lincecum worked the count to Andre Ethier to two balls and two strikes. And then this happened. New ballgame! Free baseball! There's not a whole lot of better feelings than being in the middle of 40,000 some-odd totally deflated Giants fans.

My joy was short lived, however, as Juan Uribe of the Giants would eventually win the game with a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th. I was oddly OK with the result, knowing fully that this particular game was one that the Dodgers had no business winning, they had already taken 2 wins of the 3 game series, and that I had just watched an amazing game of baseball.

Some of the drunk asshole Giant fans I encountered outside of the ballpark, however, weren't. A good amount of them wanted to whine about how the umpires were in the tank for the Dodgers and how Barry Bonds probably cheated, but is better than Manny because he never got caught or admitted to it, so its OK to cheer for him. (Uh, he did, and he did).

My favorite was the guy who tried to convince everyone on the MUNI train that Giant fans are just so much better and loyal than Dodger fans, despite the fact that nobody showed up to Giant games before 2000, and that the team almost moved to St. Petersburg, FL in 1992 due to low fan turnout. OH, and did I mention how many more Dodger hats and shirts I saw walking around the city before the game? Calm down spazzes, you won one game of a three game series in August.

Anyway, AT&T Park is a fantastic venue with a great backdrop for baseball. The fans are, well, stupid enthusiastic, but are easily dealt with when presented with facts. I highly recommend taking in a game at AT&T Park if you are in the Bay Area, especially if its a Dodger/Giant one.

You can view all of my photos from AT&T Park over the years here.

(UN)Official Road Trip Stop #3: Coors Field, Denver, CO

April 24, 2009
Dodgers 6 @ Rockies 5

I took this trip in April on somewhat of a whim. I had a free Rapid Rewards Flight on Southwest that was about to expire, so I picked a road date on the Dodger schedule and decided to pay my first visit to Coors Field.

The Colorado Rockies moved to Coors in 1995 after two years (well, one and a half, really) of playing at Mile High Stadium.

Coors Field and the city of Denver are well known for being situated almost a full mile above sea level in the Rocky Mountains. Due to the elevation, the air in Denver is much thinner, allowing a baseball to travel much farther when hit than if it were at sea level. Because of this, Coors Field has gained a reputation as a notoriously hitter-friendly ballpark, despite having some of the largest outfield dimensions in the league. (Oh, and steroids probably helped too.) To combat this in recent years, the Rockies have been given permission by Major League Baseball to store game baseballs in a humidor, in an attempt to soak the balls and make them heavier, thus negating the effect of the thin air and corralling the insane amount of scoring that was once commonplace in the Mile High City.

The outside of Coors Field is a brick structure, with a rotunda at the main entrance behind home plate. It is a design that is meant to evoke old-time baseball, despite the fact that the Rockies only began playing in 1993. However, the outside does fit its surroundings well, as the park is in the "LoDo" District of Denver, a district that is full of historical brick buildings that are now filled with yuppie apartments and offices that nobody can afford anymore.

The neighborhood around Coors Field is very white, and therefore has a lot of bars and other places to meet and socialize. It is a short walk from Denver's historic Union Station and the 16th Street Mall, a moderately interesting white people grazing area.

I arrived at Coors Field by taking a bus from the airport, but really, if you're able to, rent a car. The Denver International Airport is almost in the middle of Kansas somewhere, and public transportation options to and from there are very, very slim. There seemed to be a decent enough amount of parking for a downtown venue, and the neighborhood seemed safe enough, so the car is probably the best option if you can.

There wasn't anything that remarkable about the food at Coors, but it does have it's own brewery/restaurant (owned by the Coors Brewing Company, of course) on site. In fact, it's where Blue Moon Beer was first brewed.

Unless the Rockies make it to the playoffs (they're leading this year's wild card standings at the time of writing), there are probably going to be seats available, thanks to a very large capacity of 50,455 When I went in April, the Rockies were 5 games behind the Dodgers in 5th place. The attendance for this game was a respectable 36,151, but I was still able to walk up on game day and get this awesome seat for a relatively fair $50.

I liked my seat, but probably the coolest thing about the seats at Coors Field is the row of purple seats in the upper deck. The row marks the point that is exactly 1 mile above sea level. A nice touch for the team from the mile-high city. There is also a section of bleachers in deep center field called the "Rock Pile," and tickets for this section are $1 on the day of the game.

From what I experienced, the Rockies fans all seemed fairly intelligent and alert to what was happening in the game. They cheered at appropriate moments, booed Manny, and there wasn't anything like a beach ball to distract them. There was good conversation had, and one person even stopped me to tell me how awesome my jacket is. (It is.) The ushers were also very friendly, even allowing me to get closer to the Dodger dugout to try and see some of the players. Very un-Dodger Stadium like.

The place is even landscaped well, with a nice fountain area in center field that is surrounded by a miniature forest that extends to the bullpen. While I'm not normally a fan of this kind of stuff, it works well here and serves a nice little reminder that the game is being played in the Rocky Mountains for those watching on TV.

I even kind of liked Dinger, the mascot, even though he does sort of re-kindle some awful, awful memories.

My experience at Coors Field was a very, very good one. I liked the environment and the people a lot. Of course, it probably helped that the Dodgers won the game. However, I'm glad I was able to cross it off my list, because there is really no other excuse for me to visit the City of Denver again anytime soon.

You can view all of my photos from my trip to Denver here.

(UN)Official Road Trip Stop #2: Petco Park, San Diego, CA

4/9/2009

Dodgers 3 @ Padres 4

I really, really like Petco Park. Despite its name.

The home of the Padres, it has an interesting and rather original design, has plenty of good seats, and is generally a very nice and relaxed place to watch a baseball game.

Opened in 2004 to replace the aging and baseball un-friendly Qualcomm Stadium, Petco is situated right in downtown San Diego and has served as an anchor for revitalization in the formerly rundown Gaslamp District. Because there’s not a whole lot of things that white people love more than to be able to use the word “gentrification.”

Getting there is kind of a pain. Being downtown, parking is rather hard to find and expensive. I think I paid $20 the last time I was there. I’ve heard there’s cheaper, but good luck finding it. The San Diego Trolley makes a stop right outside of the stadium, but really, what self-respecting Southern Californian uses public transportation?

The neighborhood has become what looks like a pretty cool place to hang out before and after games. There are plenty of bars and other social grazing areas, and the San Diego Convention Center is a short walk away. You can get a nice view of the San Diego harbor and the Harbor Bridge from the Upper Deck concourses, and a nice view of the Downtown San Diego skyline from your seat.

The stadium looks like it belongs in San Diego, and, other than the Western Metal Supply building in left field, there aren’t a lot of stupid gimmicks that could drastically affect play. The field is huge though, which leads to its reputation as a pitcher’s park with a lot of low-scoring games.

I really like the option to sit at the Park in the Park, where you can pay $5 and pick a spot on the lawn beyond the center field wall. The only downside to this is that the batter’s eye obstructs most of the view of the action, though there is a video screen to help out.

Like Dodger Stadium, I enjoy the view that is offered by the upper deck. Shouldn’t be too hard to find a reasonably priced seat up there these days, as the Padres are kind of, well, bad.

Unlike Dodger Stadium, Petco is fun to walk around before and during the game. There are some interesting things to see, like the Park in the Park, the view from the Western Metal building, and there are games and stuff for kids to do (you know, other than shut up and actually learn about baseball) in right field. Oh, and if you get bored, you can look for the brick that PETA so graciously donated to the outside walkway. Those clever, animal-loving bastards.

The absolute best part of going to Petco was seeing Trevor Hoffman come in to close games. “Trevor Time” was a pretty awesome experience, even for a non-Padre fan. However, the Padres cut ties with Hoffman after 2008, and he’s now closing out ballgames in Milwaukee. (Or trying to, anyway)

I really don’t have many bad things to say about Petco (the park; I’m sure the company eats puppies and is working on a kitten death ray or something). I have sat in a pretty bad seat once, down the left field line on the field level. The Western Metal building tends to obstruct the view a little bit down there, and seeing the scoreboard is impossible. They have also retired Steve Garvey’s number, even though he will always be remembered more as a Dodger. The red dog and blue cat mascots from the Petco logo are kind of annoying too. Oh, and the name is stupid. But really, that’s it.

The fans in San Diego are pretty laid-back and docile. They usually greet you with a chirp or two if you are in your Dodger shirt (as I usually am) but calm down and are pretty nice to chat with. They won’t be able to tell you how many outs there are, but know when something is up whenever the scoreboard tells them to chant “Beat L.A.”

If you ever have a break from the Zoo or Comic Con, Petco Park is a very nice baseball stadium in a very nice city. It is definitely worth the time for a baseball fan or someone looking for a relaxing afternoon/evening to check out.

(UN)Official Road Trip Stop #1: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, CA

Greetings to those following my trek!
This first post is more of a test post. Since Dodger Stadium is my home park and I visit regularly, this post is more of an exhaustive guide than review. I'm trying to figure out how I want to review each stop on my trip, and hopefully this gives me a starting point. Comments are welcomed and appreciated!

Dodger Stadium is my home ballpark, and is therefore the greatest place to watch a professional sporting event in the history of mankind.

OK, so that statement was full of hyperbole and bias, but it is still a pretty nice place to watch a ballgame, despite now being the third oldest venue in Major League Baseball, behind Fenway Park in Boston and Wrigley Field in Chicago. The place isn’t that old, having opened in 1962, and great care is taken to keep it looking nice. There are even plans for extensive renovations to keep it around for “the next 50 years.” There are no real calls to replace the venue, and if Los Angeles’ internal battle to figure out how to get the NFL back is any indication, it would be extremely difficult to do so.

But arguably, the best reason to not replace the Stadium is that there really is no reason to. Dodger Stadium benefits largely from the foresight of Walter O’Malley, as it is centrally located in Chavez Ravine and is easily accessed from 3 major freeways. The story of Dodger Stadium’s location is not a pretty one, and largely a result of seedy Cold War politics, but was a great business decision as the location continues to pay dividends to this day.

First of all, you have to get to Dodger Stadium by car. There really is no other way at the moment. Also, thanks to a cornered market, it costs $15 to park. Nobody likes it, we’ve all heard the same complaints, but hey, gotta pay for Manny’s contract somehow, right?

The seating bowl provides a nice backdrop of the San Gabriel Mountains, which are often punctuated by a beautiful Southern California sunset at the beginning of night games. From the Top Deck and Reserve levels, the outdoor concourses provide a really cool view of the Downtown Los Angeles skyline.

There aren’t any bad seats in Dodger Stadium. I have attended many, many games at the Stadium in my 22 years, and don’t ever remember having an obstructed view of the action. The architecture is sound and functional, nothing funky or weird, no forced dimensions in the outfield, just simple, clean sightlines and fair baseball.

There are no distractions at Dodger Stadium, such as fountains, fireworks, or apes. (Looking at you, Anaheim). However, there is noticeably more advertising in the ballpark than there used to be. This is a sign of the times, as not even Wrigley is immune, but the corporate creep is still kind of annoying at times.

Something unique to Dodger Stadium is that we sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame”twice during the 7^th inning stretch, accompanied by a real Roland organ. Dodger fans generally really get into it, and it is probably one of the most underrated and enthusiastic fan experiences in the game.

In recent years, the Dodgers have rolled out some weird marketing tactics in an attempt to lure more families and casual fans to the ballpark. I’ve noticed this year that they have started to do things like play “God Bless America” before EVERY seventh inning stretch and play an eclectic mix of music videos during batting practice. If you show up for BP, you have to watch and listen to Taylor Swift sing about how she’s not pretty until she takes off her glasses or Zac Efron sing about how he sucks at golf. It seems like the marketing people are trying way too hard to come up with a definite Dodger Stadium family experience, but when the team consistently draws 3,000,000 fans, win or lose, it seems so very unnecessary.

If you arrive early, there isn’t much to do other than grab food, go to your seat, and watch batting practice. It is a baseball game, after all. One cool thing you can do though, is head out toward center field where they open up the gate for all fans to try and catch home run balls or taunt the opposing ball shaggers. You CAN NOT move freely from level to level at Dodger Stadium. This seems to be a problem for fans used to other stadiums, but really, there is no reason to move about the Stadium. If you want to sit on the field level, man up and pay to sit there for the whole game. Otherwise, the view you have is probably just fine as it is. The food is the same overpriced and mediocre food on every level so again, no reason to be moving around that much.

My favorite seats in the park are on the Reserve Level behind home plate. These tickets are getting pricier, but offer a great view of the action and the mountain backdrop. Again, there are no bad seats, but some sections may get rowdier than others. If you are a fan of an opposing team, I would strongly suggest avoiding the Top Deck, Left Field Pavilion, or the Field Level as it gets closer to “Mannywood” down the left field line. Yes it may cost a bit more, but Dodger tickets are still some of the more reasonably priced in the league, and there are often discounts to desirable sections if you pay close attention to Dodgers.com.

I refuse to group certain fans together based on race, but lets just say fans that think that Fernando Valenzuela is the greatest pitcher ever (he’s not) tend to sit in these sections and tend to like to make the Dodger experience more like a Raider one, especially when they have had too much alcohol. I honestly can not remember the last time I attended a Dodger game and did not see the Left Field Pavilion rise in unison to cheer on a fan fight that involved a drunk Mexican person of Fernando Valenzuelan descent, so be warned.

Also, there will be beach balls and the wave. As much as I hate it, there is often more attention being paid to trying to hit a beach ball than a key at-bat with runners in scoring position in the bottom of the 8^th.

The stereotypes of Dodger fans arriving late and leaving early and not being very passionate are slowly fading, but fans in sections other than the aforementioned will generally leave you alone as long as you don’t make an ass of yourself in your Barry Bonds Zito jersey. You may get booed or lightly teased, but if you didn’t want that, you wouldn’t be showing up in said jersey, now would you?

No, Dodger Stadium is not perfect, and as much as I love it, I understand that it is not for everyone. I’ve been to quite a few other stadiums and will go to quite a few more, but none of them will come close to Dodger Stadium in my personal book. Dodger Stadium is where I learned about RBIs, the squeeze play, and hating the fucking Giants. I still get excited every April when I come over the hill on Academy Road and can see the light standards and multi-colored tiers of seats for the first time in 6 months. It is my baseball home, and really, is there any place like it?

The Trip

The question really isn't why, but more, why not? On Monday, August 31, I will be leaving on a month-long road trip in an effort to see as much of the United States as I possibly can.

This is a trip that will help in my attempt to accomplish two admittedly cliche life goals; to set foot in all 50 states, and to see all 30 Major League Ballparks.

The current plan for this trip has me setting foot in 46 states, and seeing 18 ballparks. If you include my earlier 2009 visits to Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, PETCO Park in San Diego, Coors Field in Denver, AT&T Park in San Francisco, and Angel Stadium in Anaheim, that will make for 23 ballparks in 2009.

I will unfortunately not be seeing games in the following parks in 2009:

Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH
Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA
Land Shark Stadium in Miami, FL
Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL
Turner Field in Atlanta, GA
Chase Field in Phoenix, AZ
Rogers Centre in Toronto, ON, Canada

Time and schedule issues prevent me from visiting these parks this year, but they will most likely be visited in the near future. Also, I have seen games in Turner Field (many times), Chase Field, and Rogers Centre, so these parks were not of top priority in attempting to fulfill the overall life goal.

But this road trip isn't solely about baseball. It's about seeing the country from a view that isn't at a cruising altitude. Yellowstone, the Rocky Mountains, the Great Lakes, Mississippi River, New York City, Washington, and the Grand Canyon all seen on the ground level and from a first person point of view.

I want to see all the differences of lifestyles and people from region to region, and all the wacky and weird idiosyncrasies that make this country what it is.

I'll be posting my thoughts and reflections on what I see here, so please check back to see my progress and comments about my trip. I will try to make it as unique and interesting as I possibly can!