Stop 1: Miami

Sure tires a body out to fly all night and then be ready for a full day of activities but we embraced the weariness. We were greeted by a hot and sultry Miami, in more ways than one. I'll explain.

In my never ending quest for the cheap, I reseved a room at a hotel through Hotwire (where one doesn't know the name of the hotel until it is booked) named the Aladdin. It was inexpensive, had free parking and had fairly easy access to Marlin Park. What's not to like? What I didn't realize was that The Aladdin challenges its guests to "dare to step into a world of exotic fantasy. . .an experience that other hotels would never dare offer." Talk about hot and sultry. YIKES!!!

I called Hotwire. Hotwire called the Aladdin. Now Reese and I have a room with two double beds somewhere in the back forty with a housekeeping cart permanently parked outside our door. So far so good despite the flashing pastel lights that greet guests.

More important is the baseball. We were treated royally by the Marlins where Sabrina gave us a personal tour of Marlins Park and escorted us to the field for the Washington Nationals batting practice. What a kick. And by the way, can Bryce Harper ever crush the ball!

Another highlight that was completely beyond me was meeting a stud named Juan Pablo who apparenltly created quite a stir on The Bachelor. I had no idea who he was but Reese did and struck up a conversation with him around the batting cage. Turns out he played soccer in Salem and lived with a host family in West Salem. He was at the game as the leader of an effort to develop a baseball museum in Venezuela. He is collecting baseball memorabilia from Venezuelan players. He said he hopes to meet with Felix Hernandez tomorrow in Houston.

Marlins Park is colorful and unique. We loved the field layout with a lot of angles in the outfield. It's an intimate field that Reese commented feels like a big minor league stadium. Two issues we observed: 1) the roof and windows are closed whenever there is a chance for rain or the temperature is higher than 75. In South Florida that means an open stadium like twice a year. And a dramatic Miami skyline is hidden as a result. 2) the sound system is very poor making it very difficult for the PA announcer to communicate.

Still, what a wonderful day we had. The home team lost 6-2 and we saw some unbelievable plays including one being featured as a top play on ESPN.

Sleeping horizontal tonight and ready for the drive to St. Pete.