I’ve fallen behind again.
My last post was Tuesday morning in Peoria. It had rained and boomed all night. The weather guessers said it would keep raining all day, but, despite being cloudy, it only drizzled a bit here and there. We walked a few blocks to this really cool brewpub in an old church, Obed and Isaac’s, and had a Central Illinois staple - Horseshoe Sandwiches (Not Our Shoe) - for lunch (N.O.L.). Actually, “sandwich” is a bit of a misnomer (N.O.M.); it’s basically a pile of meat, cheese, and fries over a slice of bread. Yummy!
By game time, the skies were clear and sunny (N.O.S.). But clouds started moving in, and more rain started to fall in the seventh inning, after which play was stopped and the grounds crew began pulling the tarp over the field. That was when mother nature decided to really put on a show. The rain was coming down in sheets and the wind howled. The crew lost control of the tarp and it ended up in a heap in right-center field. A couple guys started to run after it, but the guy whom I assume was in charge put up his arms and yelled for everyone to stop and leave it be. Smart move; someone could have gotten very hurt.
I don’t think the game would have resumed anyway, but after losing the tarp, the infield was a muddy swamp, so that was that. We still waited under the shelter for nearly an hour until the rain let up enough for the ~1 mile walk back to the hotel. It was still raining pretty good, though, and we got thoroughly soaked. Changed into dry clothes and ducked across the street for a late-night pizza and a couple pints, and all was well.
Wednesday featured a day game in Springfield. The scheduled start time was noon, and we drove directly from our Peoria hotel to the Springfield ballpark, just over an hour. Rain was still falling steadily and we were resolved to the likelihood of losing out on the game altogether. But lo and behold, the clouds moved out just in time, and the game began a mere 50 minutes late. A fun, old ballpark with a great atmosphere.
After the game, we lunched at the famous Cozy Dog, then went to check out an interesting bar & grill on Route 66 called Motorheads. In a weird coincidence, TC happened to spot his nephew’s father-in-law at the bar! TC is close with his nephew and has become friends with his FIL. None of us lives anywhere near Springfield. We all enjoyed a pint together, but just one, since we still had to drive to the hotel. After checking in, we bar-hopped a little but not much was going on. Found a place with a dartboard and played a few rounds of Cricket. TC beat me two out of three, but it was very close.
Thursday we meandered down old Route 66 again and saw some of the sights. It’s not the most interesting stretch, though, and eventually we decided to just get on the interstate toward St. Louis. We enjoyed two Cardinals-Reds games on Thursday and Friday nights. Friday afternoon we hung around the Arch for a bit, then checked out the new entertainment district next the ballpark. It was OK, but pretty generic. We found a nice little dive near the hotel where we finished out our final night. Sadly, St. Louis isn’t the city I remember from years ago. Lots of empty buildings, abandoned parking garages, and run-down streets in what used to be a very vibrant neighborhood north of the stadium. I never felt unsafe, but it was just sad to see.
I am now sitting at Lambert International in a super packed terminal. There are about twice as many people here as there are places to sit (fortunately, I managed to snag a seat), and the air conditioning isn’t up to the task. I had totally forgotten there’s a holiday week coming up. Boarding is supposed to begin in 30 minutes, but there’s no plane yet. We’ll see.
Overall, this has been a great baseball trip. I might push for making next year’s a few days shorter, though. I is beat.
MetalMouse, it does you no good now, but I would have advised you to not bother renting a car in Chicago. It’s easy and cheap to get around via public transit, even out to the Brookfield Zoo. Glad you’re having a good trip overall. I’ve always loved the Museum of Science and Industry. Haven’t been there in many years.
Update: THE PLANE IS HERE!
As soon as I heard “chainsaw” I flipped to FCD using it in your yard, not the boatyard.
Hope the excitatement of the day is not too much for ya.