The major embuggerance on the trip down was the hold-up at the Peace Arch border crossing. There was a long, long line of cars waiting to cross the border and it took over an hour to get to the checkpoint. Not an easy task when you are sitting in an open-topped Jeep on a hot day.
Further complications arose at the checkpoint as I had to get my visa validated which meant parking the car and entering the border protection building. The line was well out the door and you could feel the agitation in the air as just two officers served customers. This was bought about as there was some major incident at our time of crossing as a whole posse of police and Homeland Security guys bundled a fellow in handcuffs into the building. The lineup was a real united nations of people all trying to get into the USA and by the look and angst on some faces a few didn’t make it. Finally our time came at the front of the line and I dutifully handed over my passport. The guy behind the counter asked where I was going and I told him a MLB game in Seattle. He asked what team would I be supporting. A no-brainer that one. Seattle Mariners I said. Good answer he replied and I was in. Simple as that the gateway to the USA is supporting the correct sports team!
The rest of the trip was easy except for the traffic in downtown Seattle. We found our bed and breakfast which was located in the old and exclusive part of town called Capitol Hill. It was a lovely old house with a view to Mt Rainier, but no air conditioning and a shared bathroom.
The game started at 7pm so we caught a cab. It was just a short trip to Safeco Field which cost $10. It was by far the smartest way to get to the game as we were dropped out the front and we avoided the parking fee of $25.
It is not a cheap experience going to a MLB game. We had second tier seats which cost $55. Then they plied on a number of add on costs such as ground improvement and a few others that I had no idea what they were so the final cost with tax came out at over $70.
The field was huge with a retractable roof. When we entered there were throngs of people everywhere and the multitude of concession stands were doing a roaring trade. Whereas in Australia the food-fare at sports events is reasonably basic, here at Safeco it was a smorgasbord of many food types and variety. Alcohol stands were everywhere as was stands selling all types of souvenirs and game paraphernalia. Several universities had even set up information stands inside the stadium. Just what a person needs go to a ball game to sign up for university.
We found our seats okay and sat there for a while dumbstruck at the size of the stadium and all that was going on, both on the field and off. I don’t think any of us quite knew where to look and what to take in.
The Seattle Mariners were playing the iconic New York Yankees who are only behind Manchester United in sporting recognition around the world. They exuded confidence and arrogance as they practiced on the field.
A large proportion of fans had on their team colours and it was amazing to see almost as many NY Yankee fans as Mariner fans. They were vocal especially a group of young girls who sat behind us yelling out a Yankee’s chant that ended with a high pitched Gooooooo Yankeeeeeee’s! It was cute the first three or four times but by the third innings you wanted to strangle them especially if you were a Mariners supporter.
I must admit the game itself didn’t hold a lot of interest. There was just one home run and the rest was fairly predicable. Compared too many sports there doesn’t appear to be a lot of physicality in the game as the basemen and outfielders just stand around, waiting a lot of the time the only exercise some of them get is chewing their wads of chewing tobacco.
The attraction though was the occasion of a major American sporting event. There was just so much to take in to see and to hear. The biggest cheers and interest at times appeared to be the speedboat races and games that appeared on the big screen. It was just like a huge Playsation game and everyone appeared to get involved in the race or game and hooted and hollered for their choice. Weird!
Satisfied we left the game before the end to miss the mad-leaving rush. The Mariners were done easily beaten by the Yankees. On the way out we visited the Mariner’s store which is contained within the stadium. There is just one word for it….huge! The store was like a mini department store with every conceivable type of team merchandise. Amazing!
We did beat the rush and picked up a cab without any problems at all. The sun had just set and it was a warm, balmy evening, perfect for watching baseball.
Was it worth it? Damn right it was!
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