I wonder if she goes out with one of the Yankees!

I ended up not making a Yankees game while in Detroit. I got in on Monday night so I only had Tuesday and Wednesday to make games. They were both day games and I wasn't able to get away from work on either of those days. Thankfully my friend David was coming in for the weekend so I still had something to look forward to. 

There was a barbershop within walking distance so I got to get cleaned up and I found myself some of Detroit's finest lasagna while in town at Giovanni's Ristorante. I love Detroit-style pizza but never wound up getting any. Next time!

When David got to town, we met up on Friday afternoon starting at his favorite place in all of Detroit: Imperial - Ferndale. He had a group of friends in town so it was a fun afternoon out and an early night home for this old guy!

In true Detroit fashion, I loved seeing Em every time I got on my elevator.

I left for St. Pete on Sunday and loved the warmth after Pittsburgh and Detroit. I stayed at a place called Mint House which was perfect for my stay. They have 12 properties in 9 cities and I would absolutely stay in any other cities I'm headed. This place dad a great area for me to work, a pool, and was steps away from the Central Ave strip. There was a little G-Bar right across the street so it was perfect! Pro Tip: they give a token for twofers from open to 9 p.m. Usable the next day. And the next. And the next.

What wasn't perfect is that I was staying right near the Tampa Rays stadium so it would have been a 5-minute walk...if the Rays were playing there. I was eating dinner on Thursday watching the Yankees/Rays game and as I was walking to dinner I thought to myself, "it sure is quiet in the area with a baseball game tonight." It wasn't until I sat down to watch the game and have dinner when I realized the game was not at Tropicana Field where the Rays normally play; Hurricane Milton did a number on the stadium so the Rays are playing all of their home games at Steinbrenner Field - the Yankees spring training facility.

While it was now 30 minutes for me to get there vs. a 5 minute walk, it ended up being pretty special. As I mentioned in my last post, I wore my great-grandfather's hat to the games this month and he had attended spring training for the Yankees in Tampa back in the day. This was the only time I asked someone to take a picture of me at the game. I had a great seat next to a nice couple. The seats came with free food and drinks so I knocked out a couple dogs and a few beers!

I did also manage to find some lasagna as well down the street from my place at Bonu' Taverna. I bellied up to the bar and there was one TV which was showing the Yankees game so I knew it was a good sign.

From St. Pete, I was back north to Cleveland where I stayed at an Airbnb downtown. The place was in a perfect location for everything I needed. I could walk for groceries and walk to Progressive Field for one of the Guardians/Yankees games. I had an incredible view of the lake and downtown from my workspace. 

I didn't do too much in Cleveland. I got in on Saturday and then Sunday was Easter. I found myself a little Easter brunch spot and basically worked the rest of the time I was in town besides going to a game on Tuesday. I enjoyed the ballpark. It was a beautiful night and it was very open. I just bought a standing room only ticket for the game and bounced around to different spots.

From Cleveland, I was going to go hang out in DC for the weekend and then head up to Baltimore to catch an Orioles/Yankees game. I flew into Dulles because I had a direct into DC and out of DC but I had never flown in there before and didn't realize how far it is not only from DC, but Baltimore. Since that was going to prove too costly and challenging from a time standpoint, I opted to just stay in DC the full time. I did a semester-long internship there back in college so I always enjoy my time there when I'm able to get back.

While I didn't get to see the Yankees in Baltimore, the Nationals were in town and I had never been to that park so I snagged a ticket for a weekend day game vs. the Mets. The stadium was about two miles from my hotel, but I walked to and from the game and took different routes to see some sights along the way. There was a rain delay so that got everyone crowded under the concourse roofs until play could resume.

You know I found some lasagna in the District, too! I ate at L'Ardente as it was recommended and within walking distance of my hotel. This was a 40-something layer lasagna and it did not disappoint!

The best part of my trip was dinner with my buddy Pete. We met living across the hall from each other freshman year at Iowa. When I left my small town, I thought I was pretty smart. When I got to know Pete and some of my other friends/peers that year, I thought..."you all are really smart." It definitely made me work harder!

Pete and I then lived together sophomore year with our roommate's Afton and Nina. I saw Nina last month while I was in Salt Lake City. It's been nice to be able to see them on my travels. I'm very proud of both them and what they've accomplished post-college (we all agree that can't be close to 20 years ago) and I've enjoyed meeting their young families!

Finally, the baseball journey this month is coming to an end but not before a home game in New York City! I had not been to "New" Yankee Stadium since it opened in 2009. I had been to old Yankee Stadium for games with my last one being in the final season in 2008 - a weekend for the record books! 

I stayed in Midtown East which worked out well. It's walkable to Times Square, Rockefeller, and other touristy stuff so there was always something going on.

I love New York. I love the action. I love the noise. I love the people. I love the accessibility of quite literally anything you want. If you replaced NYC with San Fran, I'd live there. 

I took the Subway out to the Bronx for the game. I of course got on the wrong train at first. It is not as simple as DC's metro but I also didn't stop and pay enough attention! I didn't go too far out of my way but got to the stadium super easy and plenty early to walk around and enjoy the stadium. There's a lot to see and a lot of history to enjoy. I also got to witness two women get into an argument on the subway and I loved how everyone was packed onto this train and completely unbothered by their quarrel. 

I really enjoyed the stadium. It was a lot of walking to get around the stadium and didn't feel as open as some other parks from a spectator standpoint. 

I don't need to say this every time but I worked a lot so I don't have a lot of exciting things to report from NYC. I did try and get out to walk around the city for a while each night and stop into different places for a bite or drink. I didn't get any lasagna in the city which is a shame, but the place I was planning to go just never fit into the schedule to get to that neighborhood. 

The best day came on the last day. I was flying out of Newark the day because there was a direct flight to SLC so it was going to be easier to stay by the airport that night rather than trying to get out of the city in the morning before my flight. I didn't want to just sit in my hotel room in Newark so I had the hotel hold my bags so I could go out and enjoy the city for the day. 

My bestie Rachel from back home messaged me and said, "Are you still in NYC? I just got to town for work and am about 10 minutes from my hotel." I asked which hotel and I was two blocks away at the time. I met her there and we went and had the best day bopping around the city. It was just what I needed for the last day!

I learned that I don't love the Eastern Time Zone compared to others. I keep my work hours based on Central Time and never have a problem keeping things straight with the time differences when I'm west, but it was more challenging out east. I also work late so by the time I get done on Eastern Time, it feels (and is) pretty late. When I'm on Pacific Time, I'm sometimes on calls by 6 a.m. local time so it makes for early mornings, but I don't typically mind.

What a month! It was a lot of fun visiting some new cities, seeing old friends, and watching some baseball. But I'm looking forward to not moving around quite so much in May. Next stop is Salt Lake City. 

To end, I'll leave you with some hopscotch from the streets of NYC.