Toronto

The Good:
Stadium is easily accessible, close to the water and clean and well kept. They offer “value deals” at various sections throughout the stadium. I respect this idea. Keep it family friendly. It’s a smaller portion of popcorn, or a soda and they even have a 12oz Bud Light- and everything is five bucks or less. All of the stadium employees are friendly. And by friendly I mean, I want to be pen pals with our usher because he was so kind. It’s welcoming.
Bars near the stadiums have happy hour deals- even on game days! Yes, we got half price appetizers before the game at Gretzky’s and the happy hour deal after the game at The Pint was $4 shots. This is mind boggling for anyone who lives or works near Wrigley Field. 
The Bad: 
They stop serving food in the concourse before the 6th inning. Yes, the 6th. I didn’t even have the chance to get a dog with grilled onions- I had to settle for a kids hot dogs which I topped with kraut & mustard.
The Ugly:
It’s boring. Non-descript (see you can’t even tell where we are by the pic, and trust me, we took multiple) Only way you would know you’re in another country is by the Canadian flag hanging over the Center Field stands.

 

 Detroit

After a quick 5.5 hour drive from Canada to Detroit and an exceptionally long line at the border- we were in Michigan and ready to see what the mitten had to offer. Let’s start with the most perfect hotel available for any baseball lover. The aloft hotel directly across the street from the stadium. By the time we settled in we decided not to attend the Friday evening game (rain storms, exhaustion from traveling and the need for a casual night in was needed) and opted for the Saturday afternoon game instead. On the bright side, the rain ended up delaying the game for a few hours, so by the time we returned home from dinner and settling into our hotel room the game was finally ending- but wait! there’s more. FIREWORKS! It’s Fourth of July weekend and the game finale was a beautiful fireworks show that was visible from our hotel room! What a perfect show from the comfort of a King size bed with a beer & some pringles nuzzled between us.

 

Saturday morning we decided to head to an Irish Pub called McShanes. Perfect choice for us. Slide me a Jameson and some Rueben Eggrolls and I’m a happy woman. The pub was quaint- filled with Detroit memorabilia, friendly staff and a perfectly timed shuttle to get you to and from Comerica. Now it’s 85 degrees, rain has finally stopped and we’ve got four flasks just  burning a hole in our pockets- literally. We make it thru security (don’t get there in time for the bobblehead, obviously) grab a drink and start exploring. Not even ten minutes later the loud speaker announces there will be a weather delay. No big deal. We’re happy-go-lucky enough at this point to enjoy the stadium and potential food choices. After a bit we look at the weather radar and realize the oncoming storm wasn’t going to pass thru for a few hours. Now, we’re three smart, fun loving baseball fans who enjoy a good adventure- but enjoy a good deal even more. We decide that 3 standing room tickets for $23 is cheaper than the cost of 2 more drinks. Sold. We finish our cocktails, leave the stadium and head to the liquor store. Grab myself some White Claws, Captain Morgan and scratch off lotto tickets for our hotel room (remember how cool the view is- we definitely won’t miss anything). Begin rainstorm.

Rain is pouring down, we’ve won $25 on one of the scratch off tickets (yup – paid for our 2nd set of game tickets to return to the game after the delay), our PJs are on, and we have a fierce game of Heads Up going on in our hotel room. Apologies to anyone on floor 8 near our room, because somehow I think you’ll get my clues easier if I speak louder instead of changing my clue to be something else? 

  

Tick. Tock.

 Four. Hours. Passed.

We change back into our baseball gear and head back into the stadium. (How on earth did they not stop selling booze during that time frame? They let us buy drinks up until the end of 7th inning even after a four hour delay) Anyways, I get a hot dog (obviously) and find a seat up close and personal. I mean, who wants to sit in their 300 level seats when the stadium is less than half full after the delay? Note to fans- just because the stadium is empty, does not mean you should put your bare feet up on the seats. Especially when your feet are in desperate need of a pedi and you’ve been sitting in the rain for hours.

 

 Anyways, the Red Sox Won (or did we with our ingenious re-entry strategy?!), we’re full of beer, food and all the fun that Michigan has to offer for the day. We’ll see you again for a Bears game at Ford Field…