Cubs Win! At least they did on Sunday. On Saturday they lost. But who cares? It's spring training!
Yep, last weekend I took a much-appreciated trip to Arizona to catch some spring training baseball and do some good old-fashioned boozin'. The whole trip was a great break and I've got a few things to say about the Grand Canyon State.
Friday we rolled into Scottsdale about 9 or so and headed to a place with a great outside deck where I got to enjoy a Margarita and an Ashton cigar (which I bought to celebrate my liberation from LA's smoggy grip). After that headed to a place called Sand Bar: wall to wall sand. Awesome.
Saturday we jetted down to Tucson to catch the Cubs take on the White Sox at Tucson Electric Park.
OK, at the risk of turning off more of my few readers (since Mike & Matt have claimed disrespect) I still have to say a few things about where the White Sox get ready to play ball.
Tucson SUCKS! It's 2 hours from the Phoenix-area, which is replete with bars, golf, and other fun things to do. Tucson has NOTHING, and the park is in the middle of nowhere. Literally, it's surrounded by rocky sand. Oh, and there's a state police outpost across the street. I guess I shouldn't be surprised cuz the Sux or so cheap they rival the Bears and Bill Hupp in the World Championship of penny-pinching.
[That's just unfair ripping on Bill, who actually went to Atlantic City last weekend and I am really jealous of, even though I've heard his performance at roulette described as Farnsworth-esque]
Anyway, we spent Saturday night in Tempe and had a blast. Tempe is the place to be. Tons of bars and restaurants, great atmosphere. It's right by Arizona State so it's got that college feel but not so much that it's Champaign-Urbana. I'd like to describe the details of the night but they are lost in a sea of cigar smoke and sake bombs.
So, to sum up: Scottsdale = nice, Tempe = awesome, Tucson = never again.
The whole weekend was a lot of fun, and really made me sour on Los Angeles. The Phoenix area just seems like a cleaner, clearer, funner, more picturesque, and better laid out version of LA.
Speaking of the City of Angels, I was quite skeptical about celebrating St. Patrick's Day in a town that doesn't serve alcohol past 2 am, but had a decent time at a pub called O'Brien's in Santa Monica. It doesn't in any way compare to Paddy's Day in Chicago, but then again, does anything?
Speaking of St. Patrick's Day, I leave you with one of my personal favorite "Simpsons" quote of all time, spoken by Kent Brockman:
"Top of the mornin' to ye, on this gray, grizzly afternoon. Kent O'Brockman live on Main Street, where today everyone is a little bit Irish, except, of course, for the gays and the Italians".
ps: if I have yet to directly disrespect you in the blog, please let me know, I'm trying to alienate myself from all 6 readers by the end of March.
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3 comments:
Mark, I read your blog regularly and I have yet to be offended. Everytime I read it, I think...I sure hope Mark goes to the Academy Awards one day and takes me. (You better take me). I'm thinking I have to take a trip out to California sometime soon.
Tuscon is an old cowboy out post that still smells like one, especially where the White Sux play. Been there, not impressed.
Where ya'all spending Easter?
We'll miss you at Easter brunch at Mon Ami Gabi.
This Old Cub
From Stetin on the Baltic, to Trieste on the Adriatic, an Iron Curtain has descended upon the European Continent.
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