Whilst this isn’t the first post written from the comforts of my new car (that was of course done yesterday when arriving in Seattle), it is the first with me laying down completely and using the car as my “hotel” for the night in Portland Oregon.
I’ve never slept in a car and don’t know exactly what to expect, so I’ll have a more succinct break-down of it once (if) I make it through the night (if you’re reading this and I go missing here is my exact location).
Anyway, the 24 hours since I last blogged have been great. Immediately following that posting, I drove my car to a beautiful neighbourhood in Seattle known as Lower Queen Anne, where I went to this awesome little sports bar “Buckley’s” (which happened to be a Green Bay Packers bar….. Don’t worry, I didn’t hold this against them and was very polite), to meet with couples Scott & Connie and Tyler & Paige.
These four were introduced to me by a friend back home and were all proud residents of Seattle (although not born and bred), who were more than willing to share a beer, a laugh, and hear about the Thirty before 30 adventure and upcoming goals.
Upon finishing our beers and closing the tab, I was then treated to a guided walking tour of the neighbourhood that included highlights such as:
- The old Seattle Supersonics (NBA) arena
- The Space Needle
- The parklands around the Space Needle
- Upper Queen Anne and some of the exceptional views and houses that were in this area
Whilst my tour guides perhaps felt what they were showing me was underwhelming, I truly enjoyed the area, the scene and honestly wish I had more time in the city to check more of it out – please check below some of the awesome shots I was able to get from their neighbourhood (including one of the group minus Connie who had to bail and go train for her upcoming triathlon – good luck Connie!)
The next morning after a solid sleep and shower, I checked off the last Seattle “must do” and went to the Pike Markets. This place was awesome and certainly a haven for any seafood or general food lover. It reminded me a lot of San Francisco but for some reason felt a little bit more relaxed (and warmer). Again, I would highly recommend anyone to visit Seattle and check it for yourself as the pictures do not do the place or the people justice.
Next was a big moment….. it was time for game 1/30!
I was really excited as now it felt like I was finally kicking the whole thing off as the Mariners were set to lock horns with division rivals the Texas Rangers (this also represented a nice little culture clash with the progressive Pacific Northwest up against Red Blooded American Texas).
The game was exciting, with big plays from fielders on defense with plenty of hits getting so close to home runs. A highlight for sure was seeing “Big Sexy” Bartolo Colon pitch for the Rangers – I mean look at him, can’t coach that body composition!
My seats were awesome (shout out to foodora for hooking these up), and I met some really cool people who wanted to hear about my trip and where I was off to next.
The Mariners stadium as a whole was really unique with floating ceilings above the seats and also plenty of areas for fans to gather and socialise around bars with railings and unobstructed views of all the action on the field.
Ultimately, after 7 scoreless innings, the Rangers finally broke through in the top of the 8th with a single run, and piled on 4 more in the 9th to win the game 5 – 1 (the Mariners would get a solo Home Run in the 9th which is always fun to see).
Overall, it was a fantastic experience that has got me hungry for more baseball and what the next ballparks have in store (also check the sweet certificate that’s going straight to the pool room).
Tomorrow (today – as I didn’t post this from my car, rather I went into a gym to shower and am now in Starbucks), I’ll be checking out the city of Portland Oregon, and then begin the long drive down South to the Bay Area, where I’ll be spending a few days to watch both the Giants (San Francisco) and Athletics (Oakland) do their thing – please feel free to let me know if you have any tips, mates or want some cool things for content.
Thirty before 30 