As a Dodgers fan and a baseball fan, each year, I, like many of you, try to make at least one road trip a year to the 30 MLB Parks and cities. In case you’re wondering, i’ve been to 15 different ball parks, including 4 that are gone by the way side ( Veterans Stadium, Busch Stadium, Jack Murphy/Quallcomm Stadium, and Candlestick/3Com Park ) .  With the Cardinals in town this weekend, I would like to report on my baseball experience in St. Louis.  Also, next month, I will be making a trip back to St. Louis to check out a Cubs-Cardinals game in the new Busch Stadium, as I venture on rail via Amtrak towards the Midwest and back out West through Denver, where I will check out a couple of games between the Mets and Rockies.  Once I have checket out Coors Field, I will have gone to each of the NL West Stadiums. All that’s left is to see a Dodger game there so I can say I’ve seen the Boys In Blue in action in all 5 NL West venues.  And speaking of the NL West , I will also be doing reports of each teams city and ballyard as well, as to give you roadtrippers out there an idea of what to do and where to go, hopefully giving you the reader an idea of the roadtrip experience from an actual fan rather than hearing it through various media outlets.  But my one advice is to always remember it’s your and perhaps your familys road trip and that to make your experience as unique to you as possible so that you too, can share in the excitement of going out there on the road.  So, here’s my experience in St. Louis

RECENTLY VISITED

MAY 9-12, 2005.  Dodgers vs. Cardinals, 4 game series at old Busch Stadium. 

REFLECTIONS OF MY VISIT

Much has been said about the ardent baseball fans of St. Louis.  But words alone don’t exactly describe the true feel of the quintessential baseball experience in America’s Gateway to the West. 

Last season was circular Busch Stadium’s last season in existance.  And of all the circular stadiums built during the mid-60′s to the 70′s, many have said that Busch should have been the one left standing, with everyone trying to out-retro each other these days.   While it did not look like much from the outside, the inside was another story.  After the Lambs, ahem, Rams left Busch Stadium to move into then the TWA Dome, Busch Stadium tore up it’s artificial turf in time for the 1996 season and returned to natural grass for the first time since the late 60′s.  One year later, after another internal facelift, which saw the interior go from blue to ballpark green, many of the upper deck outfield seats were eliminated to make way for a manually operated scoreboard, as well as an out of town scoreboard manually operated as well, and a flag monument honoring the 9 world championship teams as well as the retired numbers of past Cardinals greats.   With these changes, Busch Stadium, once looked upon as the generic cookie-cutter, was all of a sudden hailed as a baseball haven.  Also adding to Busch Stadiums charm were the 96 arches that rang atop the stadium, mimicking it’s big cousin by the Mississippi, the Gateway Arch.  The arches, in place since the stadiums opening in 1966, one year after the opening of the Gateway, was the one feature that actually distinguihed Busch Stadium from the other cookie cutter yards of it’s time. 

But when talking about the baseball stadium experience of St. Louis, in all, it’s really all about the fans that make St. Louis a truly great experience.  As my friend Josh and I were donned in our Dodger Blue gear throughout the trip, the people of St. Louis really went out of their way to make us feel welcomed.  In all the baseball cities i’ve ventured, never have I had so many people come towards me with such enthusiasm and just want to talk baseball nonstop.  While their love  for the RedBirds may be unconditional, their love for baseball and other baseball fans is just as equal to their love for their team.  Are you there to cheer on your team as they do battle with their RedBirds ?  No problem.  Heck, don’t even be suprised if you should have a whole section of fans  come toward you to talk about baseball, your road trip, the two respective teams on the field, or just anything you want to talk about, as was the case with us during our final day there, with just about everyone in the LF bleachers stopping by to chat with us.  ( Of course, our Dodger Blue shirts really stood out amongst the sea of red throughout the stands…)   These really are great people to be with.  Oh yeah, talk to the right fan, and he may even buy you a Bud.  ( They really like their Budweiser out there….).  My only regret about the trip was that there was only so much time we could spend talking baseball with these folks, that I actually felt sorry when I had to cut several conversations short, I did not want to sound so rude to these people. 

OTHER THINGS WE DID

No trip to St. Louis is complete without a visit to the Gateway Arch.  Sure, it’s touristy, but it’s also one of America’s landmarks as well, so you owe it to yourself to check her out.  And, you can also take a tram all the way up to the top of the Arch as well, or as one local described to me, a ferris-wheel w/out a view.  Once at the top, you can see the St. Louis skyline, as well as the new Busch Stadium, and , depending on the time of day, the Arch’s shadow on the Mississippi, where just across the river lies southern Illinois.  Also at the Arch is a museum that show’s an exhibit of the Lewis and Clark trail, as well a documented movie about Lewis and Clark. 

Also, about 20 minutes from downtown St. Louis is Grants Farm, free of charge.  Lot’s of wildlife can be seen here, as well as the Budweiser Clydesdales.  You can also have your picture taken with one too.  There is even a hospitality room where you are entitled to 2 free Bud’s.  ( ID Required, of course.  Sorry kids….). 

Across the street from Busch is the St. Louis Cardinals HOF and the International Bowling HOF as well.  Admission is $7 and includes both museums.  Of the many displays is Marc MacGwire’s ’62 Corvette given to him during his HR chase in ’98.  On a personal note, we could do without the exhibit of Ozzie Smith’s home run off Dodger reliver Tom Niedenfuer in game 5 of the ’85 NLCS, that caused the people of St. Louis to " GO CRAZY FOLKS "

DINING IN ST. LOUIS

In the DelMar district, one that felt like a college town, ( Is there a school in that area, for any St. Louisan reading this ? ), I really enjoyec Fitz’s restaurant.  Just simple classic American fare, but also, a root-beer factory as well, where they still use the same antique bottling system as they did back in the day.  And while dining, when asking for a refill of your soda, you can also ask for Fitz’s other soda options as well, you’re not just restricted to the drink you ordered.  In fact, they encourage you to try their other drinks too.  On tap are of course, it’s root beer, as well as it’s cream soda, orange pop.  You name it.  And while walking in the DelMar district, you will also notice a walk of fame there as well, featuring famous St. Louisans.  This is very reminiscent of the Hollywood Walf of Fame here on Hollywood Blvd. 

FINAL ANALYSIS

As I said earlier, words dont truly describe the St. Louis baseball experience.  After my visit their, I can honestly tell you that Cardinals fans really are some of the best baseball fans.  Though two of my more heart breaking moments as a Dodgers fan were through the Cards ( Games 5 and 6 of the ’85 NLCS) and more recently Albert Pujols walk-off in the 14th, I still hold a soft spot in my heart for the Cardinals, and it’s fans.  You must check out a game here and really love baseball to truly take in what everyone describes as the St. Louis baseball experience. 

Hey everyone.  I’m back.  I’ve actually found some time to come back for a few moments.  As a blogger, like any blogger, as devout a Dodgers fan as I am, I can only find so much time to come and share my thoughts with all you fellow baseball fans out there.  And since the last time I posted, when the Blue was in the midst of a 5 game losing streak, we have had outstanding contributions from our rookies Aybar, Russell Martin, and Andre Ethier.  And I can’t say enough about Nomarrrrrrr.  Our pitching has also been strong, however, like most of you, I am really concerned about our 5th spot.  As for Thomko, I am a believer that his struggles are just mechanical and he will make the necessary adjustments.  As for our bullpen, we’ve had our shares of peaks and valley’s , with Baez still trying to find his groove but Tak Saito filling in rather nicely in Gagne’s role. 

In the time i’ve been away, I had a chance to visit Fenway, Yankee Stadium, and Wrigley all in the same week, which i’ve dubbed the Classic Trip.  I had a chance to see a couple of Red Sox-Yankees game in the Bronx.  Here’s a brief quip from my friend Thomas and I.  Andre These fans sure make the Dodgers-Giants fans look like boy scouts….  Thomas  C’mon.  It’s no different.  When we were in SF, I saw 2 fights that day.  Andre Yeah, 2 fights in that day.  How many have we seen in just the last 5 minutes…   Overall, we had a great time.  And the people of New York were really great.  Not the stereotypical NY attitude we actually looked forward to.  And yes, there are actually Red Sox and Yankees fans who hang with each other.  Like any park, it’s always the few idiots who have to make everyone else look bad.  As for the 3 stadiums, I gave a slight nod to Wrigley over Fenway for the top of these 3, with Yankee Stadium, history aside, finishing a somewhat distant 3rd.  Well, more on my trip later.  Speaking of trips, I will be off on another road trip, only this Thursday will be playing the role of the Beatle song, Day Tripper, as I head down south to San Diego with lil’ bro and sis.  It will be a special trip for me, for big bro actually gets to spend time alone with lil’ bro and sis.  Lil sis will be a senior in HS next year, and as for lil’ bro, he turns the big 21 this summer.  Man, time sure flys.  And thanks for those of you and especially the fellow bloggers who have stopped by my yard and dropped a line.  And I will do my best to put in a word for your blog as well.  GO DODGERS!!!

Recently, I wrote a post giving some advice oh how to plan your summer ballpark road trips.  Well, I’ve just added some more pictures from last year, which include, St. Louis, Houston, and San Diego.  Oh yeah, and some pictures from here as well.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed taking these pictures.

If you’re an avid baseball fan like me and like to go out on a road trip at least once a summer to the various ballparks, here are some words of advice from DodgerDrei when planning a road trip, whether it be a family trip, a trip with your best bud, a father-son/mother-daughter trip, a trip with your college buddies, and so on….  Be advised, that these are just my words of advice.  Others who have done this probably have other ideas as well, and for those of you who do, please feel free to comment as well.  Because when it comes to planning a road trip, there can never be enough ideas to toss around.  So, here goes

1. Plan ahead.  In fact, plan as early as possible.  With all 30 teams having already released their schedule for the 2006 season,  it is never too early to sit down and brainstorm your ideas.  Heck, don’t be surprised if you spend more time brainstorming all your possible trips that you would on you’re acutal trip itself.

2. When planning trips, the best thing to do, since, if you’re like me, can’t do all 30 MLB Stadiums in one summer, is to do it regionally.  The common road trip for people who come here from back east is the SoCal trip, which includes San Diego, Anaheim, and L.A.  This is where the advance planning can really come in handy.  Oh yeah, for those of you wandering, San Diego is 125 miles south of L.A., and Anaheim is 30 minutes south, so watching the Dodgers, Angels, and Padres is definately possible. 

3. See what’s there to do in the city you will be visiting.  Here in SoCal, you will have your obvious tourist traps, like the beaches, Hollywood, Disneyland, SeaWorld, etc…But it never hurts to ask a local, wherever you road travels take you, what’s there to do in their city.  And since some of these attractions are not as obvious, they may not squeeze your wallet out so much either.

4. Take plenty of pictures.  As an avid baseball fan, I’m sure you will agree with me that these are some of the best times you’ll enjoy in your life.

5. Econo hotels are just as efficient as your 5 star hotels.  When on the road, a simple Motel 6, Days Inn, or any standard road side hotel will do your budget good.  There is really no need to stay in a luxury hotel if you don’t need to.  And with all the money you’re saving, you’ll have more to spend on the souveniers and the fine eats around town.

6. Chat with your fellow fans at the game.  Whenever you’re at a game, engaging in baseball talk with other fans is like a community social.  Oh yeah, don’t be afraid to where your favorite teams hat either.  And when they hear you’re visiting their yard, chances are, they will welcome you with open arms.  As for me, my favorite baseball town outside of L.A. has to be St. Louis.  All the talk you’ve heard about the Cards fans being some of the best in baseball is definately true.  But before you fully take this bit of advice, ask the fans around that teams fan forum and see if visitors are greeted warmly by the locals.  In my experiences, for the most part, this holds true.  But there are certain cities where the fans of visiting teams aren’t so welcomed.  I won’t mention names, but I was expecting to be treated with Brotherly Love here.

7. Most importantly, have fun.  Remember, it’s YOUR vacation.  Though I could give more tips on how to enjoy your road trip, after all, it’s you that’s going to be taking the trip.  And your experience will definately be different from all other baseball road trippers.  Oh yeah, if you have the time, you may want to visit some minor league parks as well.  As for me, I’m hoping to catch some local college games this year and post them on this blog.

For any one else out there who have done their share of road trips, what other ideas could you have that could be of use down the road?