Some Visitors from the Midwest (Part I)

As we mentioned in our last blog, we had a couple of visitors from the Midwest. Let me introduce my Dad and my nephew Zach (he is the one on the left)...

As you can probably guess, Laurie and I had a blast while these guys paid us a visit. My Dad and Zach arrived in Baltimore on Friday evening and our first stop was at the Inner Harbor in downtown Baltimore. We had some great sea food, including some of Baltimore's finest crab cakes and enjoyed the sights and sounds of beautiful Baltimore (which generally includes lots of sirens).

The next day, we packed up the car and drove north a couple of hours to the City of Brotherly Love. Our first order of business was to find the best cheese steak Philly has to offer. I can say without a doubt, mission accomplished! Zach was speechless, but he didn't feel so well afterwards...rookie.

After the cheese steaks, we headed to Citizens Bank Park to watch the Twins take on the Phillies. We also met up with some of our really good friends from DC: Mike, Ramala and their daughter Pria.

We watched the Twins jump out to a big lead, but then watched Slowey blow it. Before we knew it, the Twins were getting slaughtered 9-3 and it was only the third inning. Oh well, I guess there is always next time. Oh wait, the Twins stormed back to score six runs in the ninth inning and went on to win the game in extras! Hands down, the best Twins comeback I have ever witnessed!

As for Citizens Bank Park, the field was pretty awesome. Even the average Philly fan couldn't ruin this park. The sight lines were great and the food was spectacular. As you can see, there was nice view of the Philly skyline and the field is in great shape. Citizens Bank Park ranks up there as one of the best fields I have visited. Overall, I give it a 4 out of 5. 

Day two in Philly was spent seeing all of the historical sights. Our first stop was at Independence Hall, where we could sign up for tours and get information about the area. Zach also made a number of friends during this leg of the trip...we will get to Samuel shortly.

Next up, Independence Hall. Known primarily as the location where both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted. This building was completed in 1753 as the Pennsylvania State House for the Province of Pennsylvania. It became the principal meeting place of the Second Continental Congress from 1775 to 1783 and was the site of the Constitution Convention in the summer of 1787.

The room below, the Assembly Room, is where both the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution were signed. This building was very impressive for being built in 1753. This building served as the national capitol for a number of years, before the capitol was permanently moved to Washington DC. In addition, on June 14, 1775, delegates of the Continental Congress nominated George Washington as commander of the Continental Army in the Assembly Room.

Of course we made a stop by the Liberty Bell, which is a must see in Philly. The Liberty Bell is one of the most prominent symbols of the American Revolutionary War and has been a familiar symbol of independence for the US for a very long time. According to tradition, its most famous ringing occurred on July 8, 1776, to summon citizens of Philadelphia for the reading of the Declaration of Independence. The bell had also been rung to announce the opening of the First Continental Congress in 1774 and after the Battle of Lexington and Concord in 1775.

We made a few more stops around Independence Hall, which included Zach being selected from the crowd on several occasions. To begin, he was asked several times during the Independence Hall tour about general US history. He did his Mother proud and was able to answer most of the questions. His crowning moment came when he was asked to be Samuel, a tanner born in 1775. Zach was chosen by a storyteller during our tour to help act and tell the story of what it was like to grow up in the 1770's. Zach did great...he even got a few winks from the crowd...

On on our way out of town, we were able to catch a few more of the sights...

Overall, Philly was great!

- Bobby

June, where did you go?

The month of June has been hectic to say the least. Normally I don't think work is very exciting to blog about, but I've gotten the privilege of attending some really cool events in the past month and wanted to share them with you. Also, this is our excuse for not blogging very well in June, or otherwise being very good about calling/emailing friends and family. While the experiences gained through travel are fun and unique, it feels really good to be back at our home and get into our routine again.

First, La Quinta...

Just a week after our San Diego trip I headed back to California to La Quinta, a upscale resort community near Los Angeles. Hilton has a Waldorf Astoria Collection resort/golf course which was the headquarters of the City of Hope charity golf invitational, for which Hilton is a sponsor. I was excited to attend and host a foursome of Hilton HHonors Diamond members - some of our best customers in the area.

This was also a 'celebrity' pro-am, and I use the term 'celebrity' loosely because the caliber of celebs was such that I had heard of just one or two. We were fortunate to get to play with one of the best celebrities there - Al Geiberger, known as Mr. 59 because he was the first person to card a 59 in a PGA tournament. His record still stands, although three others have tied.

Al was an absolute pleasure to play golf with - he is 72 years old, recently had knee replacement surgery, but still outdrove and outplayed everyone by carding a 69 at La Quinta TPC Stadium Course at PGA West, a very challenging course.

The course itself was gorgeous - we played in 110 degree California desert heat! You actually don't sweat because it evaporates too quickly.

My body language reads = ball went in water.

The other exciting part of the day was dinner, where I got seated next to Se Ri Pak, one of the best female golfers of all time. Over the past month I've gotten to help out with her sponsorship deal, which was just finalized recently!

Next, Montreal....

Hilton is a sponsor of Formula One racing - which is essentially a high tech, upscale version of NASCAR. F1 is actually the worlds most expensive sport - half of the investment (up to $400MM per team, per season) by Honda, Toyota, McLaren-Mercedes, and Ferrari goes into engine technology, much of which goes into their luxury car models. The sport is big in Europe but is truly global, with races all of the world, many of them on a combination of tracks and public roadways.

The North American race was held in Montreal, and I was fortunate enough to attend in the sponsor club and get access to the pit lane prior to the race.

The best part was our drivers, Lewis Hamilton (dating Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger) and Jenson Button (reigning World champion) won the race in first and second place, respectively.

Here is a video of the race and shows how quickly the teams get through their pit lane stops:

The city of Montreal itself is really interesting. Most people speak French and the architecture and feel of the city streets is really European.

I discovered poutine (to be pronounced carefully) as a local favorite dish. There are many variations available but the basic version is french fries drenched in gravy and cheese curds - no kidding!

I think someone needs to bring this to the Minnesota State Fair, it would fit right in!

Next, Colorado Springs....

Hilton is also a sponsor of the US Olympic Committee (USOC) and because of this, we were able to use the US Olympic training facilities in Colorado Springs, CO for a team meeting location. In addition to our meetings, we received a tour of the training facilities, where several hundred athletes live and train full time. We also got some up close and personal time with some of the athletes and they demonstrated and we participated in their sports. We had a men's gymnastics demonstration but also observed and got to try our hand at judo, shooting (rifle and pistol) and fencing.

As if it couldn't get any better than this, I got to play golf at The Broadmoor East Course, site of the 2011 US Women's Open. This is by far the most challenging course I have ever played, and also one of the most pristine and beautiful.

Photo credit: Broadmoor.com

Next, Philadelphia....

Bobby's Dad and nephew Zach came to visit us in DC for the week, but we also all made the trip to Philadelphia to see some historical sights, eat lots of cheesesteak and of course, catch a Phillies/Twins game at Citizens Bank Park. There will be a separate post on this topic for the complete ballpark review and rundown.

Next, NYC Round 1...

The following weekend we headed to New York City to take in a Twins/Mets game. There will be a separate post with the complete ballpark rundown.

Next, Milwaukee, WI....

A coworker and I headed to Milwaukee Wisconsin for an evening at Summerfest for a airline partner event.  With 11 days, 11 stages, and over 800 bands, Summerfest is the largest music festival in the world. In addition, Summerfest excels at the other primary ingredients for a music festival - copious amounts of beer and fried foods.

I was excited to see Tom, my old boss from NWA, in attendance:

Next, NYC Round 2

Finally, most recently Bobby and I returned from our 4th of July trip to NYC where we embarked on a two night sailing trip on the brand new Norwegian EPIC cruise ship. I work with a cruise partner who invited us aboard the inaugural journey of the EPIC - so we were among the very first to experience it. This was our very first cruise and was a good test of whether we could cruise again.

More blogs to follow!

- Laurie

DC Edge

Remember this post about when I started skating again? Well, in the past few months I have been trying to skate once a week at the local arena by our house. I met a few nice girls, also adult skaters, at the rink who told me about DC Edge, a synchro team. They suggested I try out for the 2010-2011 team, and I just found out that I made the team!

But first, what is synchro? The technical term is synchronized skating. A group of 8-20 skaters performs a program set to music with coordinating turns and skills - all at high speeds. Here is a link to the US Figure Skating page describing the sport.

A video will probably explain it best. This is the Haydenettes of Boston, arguably the best team in the nation as they received 3rd place at Worlds in 2009.

If synchro becomes an Olympic sport in 2014, the Haydenettes are top contenders to represent Team USA. Synchro was a demonstration sport in Vancouver - typically a new sport is given a demonstration year first to test the waters.

The team I will be on is Masters level - meaning our team is comprised of adult skaters competing at the National level. While we won't compete with the Haydenettes at the Senior level, DC Edge has won second place at Nationals for the past two years. Hopefully we can continue to keep it up this year!

Our planned competitions this year include:

• December 2-5: Dr Porter in Ann Arbor, Michigan
• Feb 2-6: Eastern Sectionals in Lake Placid, New York
• Mar 3-7: Nationals in Ontario, California

I'm looking forward to meeting new friends, getting some exercise on the ice, and enjoying skating at a competitive level once again!

- Laurie

Sunny San Diego

Several weeks ago Laurie and I made a long weekend trip to San Diego, California. We stayed in the Gas Lamp Quarter in downtown San Diego, which was where the San Diego Padres stadium is located. Coincidence? I think not! One of the reasons for our trip to San Diego was to catch a Padres baseball game, which was one of the last four stadiums remaining on my Major League Baseball tour. The only three remaining stadiums include the homes of the New York Mets, Texas Rangers (Dallas), and the Florida Marlins (Miami).

The Gas Lamp Quarter is the perfect spot to stay in downtown San Diego. There are 16 blocks full of restaurants, bars and shops...a perfect location for a weekend trip.

Our first stop in San Diego was actually a short drive out to La Jolla Beach, which is north of San Diego by about 15 miles. Laurie and I took a kayaking tour in the La Jolla cove, which is adjacent to the historic Torrey Pines golf course. Our kayaking tour was awesome! The weather was perfect and we were able to see some wildlife, including a number of sea lions. We also went around some pretty cool sea caves. Our tour guide was great. If you ever head to southern California and are looking for a fun tour, check out there website: http://www.hikebikekayak.com/.

On our second day in San Diego, we met up with one of my best friends Dan. Many of you might recall Dan from our wedding as the groomsmen who cut his chin doing the "Worm." Dan drove several hours from his home in Los Angeles.

Once Dan arrived, we watched the Padres take on the Nationals at Petco Park. Petco Park was a beautiful ball field. The stadium was built in 2004 and is located in the heart of downtown San Diego. There are a number of unique features to this ball diamond, including a very large family picnic area beyond center field, which includes sand boxes, a playground area and even small baseball field. It was certainly the most family friendly ballpark I have seen.

Petco also featured a number of great food options. I devoured some of San Diego's famous fish tacos, along with a great slice of pizza. The Padres went on to defeat the Nationals in 13 innings, although we left the park a little early to catch the rest of the game from the Marriott Sky Bar, which was located across the street from park. As you can see why, this was one of my favorite stops on the trip!

  

On day three, Dan headed back to LA and Laurie and I made a few stops along the waterfront in downtown, including a stop at the USS Midway. The USS Midway was the first aircraft carrier to be commissioned after World War II and was active in the Vietnam War and in Operation Desert Storm. We took a self guided tour throughout the entire ship and was able to see everything from the Captains quarters to the kitchen and the control tower. On quick note, this was actually the same ship my Dad toured in Japan when he was stationed there in the 1970's.

More blog postings to follow, so stay tuned!!!

- Bobby

Finally, Outdoor Baseball

First of all, we wanted to say that we are sorry for falling behind in our blogging. We are planning on playing catch up this week, so be sure to stay tuned!

Laurie and I took a trip back to Minnesota a couple of weeks ago for Gene's retirement celebration. The timing of the trip couldn't have worked out any better (thanks Gene), as the Twins just happen to be in town for a four game series with the Orioles that same weekend. I flew in a little earlier than Laurie since Troy, an old coworker at KPMG, was kind of enough to take me to the game that evening. We sat in the Budweiser Roof Deck and watched the Twins stumble and lose to the crappy Orioles. However, the game was still a blast and it started off with a bang, since I made it on the scoreboard in the first inning! Here are a couple of views from the Roof Deck.

For those of you who haven't sat in the Roof Deck, here are some quick thoughts. First of all, there is a huge bar (that serves after the seventh inning) and a BBQ stand with pretty good food. There is also a fire pit and plenty of tables to sit, have a drink and watch the Twins. The sight lines are pretty good too. This is a great place to watch the game with a large group.  

                                    

As everyone is well aware, I am one of the biggest Twins fans you'll meet and am certainly the biggest Twins fan here on the east coast. You can only imagine how excited I was to finally watch the Twins play at home in the great outdoors. I absolutely hated the Metrodome so any change would be great, but Target Field absolutely blew me away. I have been to 28 MLB stadiums, and I can say without a doubt, Target Field is one of the finest stadiums I have been to. 

Since Gene was nice enough to schedule his retirement during a four game homestand, I was able to make it to another Twins game during our visit back to Minnesota. This time I went to the game with Laurie, my Dad and my nephew Zach. The weather was tremendous...it was 42 degrees at first pitch and it sleeted during the middle innings. We didn't care though since anything would be better than going to that Dome.

It was especially exciting to see Target Field with my Dad, since my Dad is also a huge Twins fan. Laurie has even turned into a huge Twins fan! (And yes, I had that stipulation added to our marriage contract). She certainly enjoyed the statues welcoming us to Target Field...

I could write for hours about how awesome Target Field is, but I don't want to put everybody to sleep! Everything is great about Target Field. The food is great (try the walleye), the beer is delicious and the Twins are one of the best teams in all of baseball. So what are you waiting for, go check out the new digs and cheer on those Twins to a World Series title!

- Bobby