I'm a big dude. Physically, I am a mammoth. So going on a road trip isn't the funnest of things in my life. I have to have the right kind of ride to make it bearable. I need leg room and a place for my shoulders. Six hours packed in a car driving from Roseburg to Portland to Seattle can be uncomfortable. But it wasn't. I climbed into the 2011 Chevy Malibu from Clint Newell Auto Group and found a sea of leg room. Arvydas Sabonis could have fit in it.
Once comfortable, Brian Prawitz and I were off to a Seattle Mariners and Portland Timbers game in the span of two nights. This was the perfect way to end the BP&J Show. You see, I'm leaving Roseburg. I'm off to Atlanta, my home, for a new opportunity.
Admittedly, I've never made the trip from Douglas County to Seattle. The 'Burg to Portland? No problem. We've all done that. But for whatever reason, the thought of packing the kids into the car and driving another three hours north never crossed my mind.
This trip to Seattle put to rest any worries about a long trip. Brian and I made quick time from the Brooke Communications office to Safeco Field.
The game itself was a dud. So I won't bore you with the details. After deep investigative work…
MUST DOS AT SAFECO:
The International Wok You know you are going to spend a lot of money at the ballpark for food. More times than not, you get hosed for what you pay for. You stretch 10 dollar bills not dollar bills at sporting venues. I paid $14 for a spicy chicken dish from the International Wok and felt like I experienced Thanksgiving four times over. The spice kicked in around the fifth inning. Because of that, I missed out on…
Garlic fries You could smell these from across the stadium. A piling basket of fried potatoes covered in a garlic confetti (man, that sounded really foodie) looked amazing and worth every penny. I probably should have bought a basket but gluttony wasn't really on my to-do list for the trip.
Avoid the seagulls in the top deck Brian and I went to the top deck to get a bird's eye view of Safeco and sit under the roof as it closed. Cool experience. Until the dive bombers otherwise known as the seagulls came this close () to shaving my face with their razor sharp beaks.
The Pen I remember watching ESPN when Safeco first opened and the cast could not stop talking about the bar in left field. There was a slit in the outfield wall to watch the game. I had to see it just to say I sat at the wall.
The Mariners lost to the Tampa Bay Rays. That shouldn't come as a big surprise, really. Safeco emptied and all that was left were stadium workers, the seagulls and my pride. The International Wok simply stole that from me.
Seattle was gorgeous. Safeco was great. The Mariners? Well, not so much.
Malibu time. Off to Portland for the Timbers.
MUST DOS AT JELD WYN:
Sing a chant The Timbers Army sings long before kickoff and all the way to the final sound of the horn. My attempt at singing a chant on the BP&J Show was a failiure. I'll admit that. But you can fail all you'd like at Jeld-Wyn. There's 18,000 other people trying the same thing.
Have a drink at the Bitter End A friend of mine is a soccer blogger and he travels across the country for MLS matches. So, naturally, I asked him for his opinion where to go for a pre-game meal. Great soccer pub and the locals piled into the place an hour and a half before kickoff.
Buy an Army scarf You can find them inside the stadium. Or you can buy one right across the street from the venue. I won't give away the details but I'll give you a clue: four wheels and yellow.
Simply take it in I've been lucky enough to attend a number of amazing things thanks to sports in my life. I
stood on the sidelines next to Phil Knight at the national championship, I've been to the Final Four, I've been to the Super Bowl, I've been to the NBA Finals and I've even been to the national arm-wrestling championships (you never know what you'll find in Vegas) but I don't know I can compare the fan experience quite like what I witnessed at Jeld-Wyn. It was amazing. Put it on your bucket list. I'm glad I did.
Thanks again to Clint Newell Auto Group for the 2011 Chevy Malibu. My legs and Brian's patience thank you.
And thanks Roseburg for the last year and a half.
