DMENS wrote: Congratulations on your achievements! The road trip sounds like a great idea, one that will leave many here steeping in envy. I'm sure others will have many more tips than myself, but I must advise on one thing: summer in St. Louis is hot.

During your May window of travel we have a weekend series at home against Milwaukee. Their recent form of success over the last few years has renewed a rivalry and made their fanbase a bit more keen to away travel. I've enjoyed those series quite a lot, especially when you get a chance to harass Nyjer Morgan (he's still on the team, right?).

The reason why I advise to look in May as opposed to July is that the dog days of summer tend to empty out the stadium. It isn't quite as electric in Busch when the temperatures are 100+ with the humidity equally as high. Tickets are dirt cheap (literally $1-$5 in the upper levels) because the average fan doesn't want to watch a baseball game in an oven. The most attractive home series during that window is probably Philly or Houston, neither of which are as exciting as seeing us play Milwaukee.

So your call: weekend series against Milwaukee in mild weather, while everyone is still optimistic about the season, or midweek-July against PHI/HOU during the blistering hot dog days of summer. I'd pick Milwaukee in May!

pugsleyaddams wrote: Don't allow DMENS to wimp you out, SmileyPete. Real baseball fans go to the ol' ballpark on 100+ degree days, real football fans go to see games in raging blizzards and real NBA fans....are becoming extinct.

I went to a mid July week and saw 5 games one year, 2005, last year at the Old Bush. The 100 degree temps did not bother me one bit because I was just so excited to be there.

Point is, you'll have a blast no matter the heat. Just go man, just go. The only thing I wonder about is how you could stand to leave after seeing only one game. Better paln for at least two or you'll be disappointed that you didn't.

Side note; Let the fans around you know how far you have traveled to see the Cards. They'll treat you like royalty. They did me anyway.

Hurdleheel wrote:

I went to a mid July week and saw 5 games one year, 2005, last year at the Old Bush. The 100 degree temps did not bother me one bit because I was just so excited to be there.

 

Point is, you'll have a blast no matter the heat. Just go man, just go. The only thing I wonder about is how you could stand to leave after seeing only one game. Better paln for at least two or you'll be disappointed that you didn't.

 

Side note; Let the fans around you know how far you have traveled to see the Cards. They'll treat you like royalty. They did me anyway.

Lurking wrote: Smiley,

Congratulations on graduating from law school and good luck on the bar exam. I graduated from law school a mere 36 years ago, but still remember the excitement of the moment.

Despite our difference in ages, I have been on 2 road trips over the last few years that entailed part of your upcoming journey. Last summer I drove my middle daughter from eastern North Carolina to Denver. Unfortunately, I had no control over our schedule, and we drove through St. Louis when the Cardinals were out of town. However,if you go a Cardinals game and leave early enough the next day, you will hit Kansas City midday. Therefore, stopping for a game there will slow your progress west, but you may not care.

It is a good one days haul from St. Louis to Denver, but it can be done if you get an early start.

I have another daughter who I helped drive from Santa Fe to NC in 2010. We drove to Norman, OK the first day, then up to St. Louis for a game. However, it appears you taking the mid America route west and the southern route east. It should be fun.

My advice is go after the bar course and hopefully the bar exam itself. Then you can let loose and not worry about the legal stuff.

Again congratulations and best of luck.

Lurking

Hurdleheel wrote:

Lurking wrote: Smiley,

Congratulations on graduating from law school and good luck on the bar exam. I graduated from law school a mere 36 years ago, but still remember the excitement of the moment.

Despite our difference in ages, I have been on 2 road trips over the last few years that entailed part of your upcoming journey. Last summer I drove my middle daughter from eastern North Carolina to Denver. Unfortunately, I had no control over our schedule, and we drove through St. Louis when the Cardinals were out of town. However,if you go a Cardinals game and leave early enough the next day, you will hit Kansas City midday. Therefore, stopping for a game there will slow your progress west, but you may not care.

It is a good one days haul from St. Louis to Denver, but it can be done if you get an early start.

I have another daughter who I helped drive from Santa Fe to NC in 2010. We drove to Norman, OK the first day, then up to St. Louis for a game. However, it appears you taking the mid America route west and the southern route east. It should be fun.

My advice is go after the bar course and hopefully the bar exam itself. Then you can let loose and not worry about the legal stuff.

Again congratulations and best of luck.

Lurking

Lurking is a Tar Heel. Therefore, any advise from him should be considered as GOLD!!!

SmileyPete wrote:

Hurdleheel wrote:

Lurking wrote: Smiley,

Congratulations on graduating from law school and good luck on the bar exam. I graduated from law school a mere 36 years ago, but still remember the excitement of the moment.

Despite our difference in ages, I have been on 2 road trips over the last few years that entailed part of your upcoming journey. Last summer I drove my middle daughter from eastern North Carolina to Denver. Unfortunately, I had no control over our schedule, and we drove through St. Louis when the Cardinals were out of town. However,if you go a Cardinals game and leave early enough the next day, you will hit Kansas City midday. Therefore, stopping for a game there will slow your progress west, but you may not care.

It is a good one days haul from St. Louis to Denver, but it can be done if you get an early start.

I have another daughter who I helped drive from Santa Fe to NC in 2010. We drove to Norman, OK the first day, then up to St. Louis for a game. However, it appears you taking the mid America route west and the southern route east. It should be fun.

My advice is go after the bar course and hopefully the bar exam itself. Then you can let loose and not worry about the legal stuff.

Again congratulations and best of luck.

Lurking

Lurking is a Tar Heel. Therefore, any advise from him should be considered as GOLD!!!

Thanks for the advice Lurking. Funny thing, being a born and bred UK fan, I use to really dislike UNC because they are rivals and have such a similar stature in our states. Then when I became a student at UK (Grad and Undergrad so it was seven years ago) I started to meet UNC fans that traveled or attended and they were all a 100% pleasure to talk that I couldn't keep disliking the program. In fact, most seemed to say the same about UK and Lexington. I didn't really stop disliking UNC until I saw one UNC fan and his lady get harassed by Indiana fans at a Buffalo Wing Wings during the 2011 tournament and they came over and sat by us at the bar. Moral of the story: no one should have to put up with IU fans.

That little aside wasn't the real reason I came to post. I have another question and you all seem pretty well versed on the crowd etiquette. We've decided that we'll clearly want to do some tailgating at each stadium so we're bringing the necessary tent, cornhole boards, coolers, ect. We obviously want to taste the local food at each venue and we don't really want to haul a grill and cooler of meat cross country so I had this idea: 

I have access to a pretty good deal on some of my favorite bourbon (Basil Hayden 8yr). I know I've gone to tailgates at Auburn and Clemson with a few bottles of Kentucky Bourbon and been welcomed like family to a good tailgate. Do you all think 2-3 guys could join a tailgate and eat for free this way or would just get odd looks?

Congrats, Smiley!

I'm a fan of minor league parks.  All of them have been different, but I've yet to run into one I've not enjoyed.  Well, there was Tulsa for a beastly hot day game where I had to leave my seat for the shade....

If you want a Cards' farm team game, Springfield plays in Midland, Texas on August 16-18.  Haven't been to see a game there yet.  Just a thought.  I've seen the

Tucson Stadium and enjoyed it, but that's the only one west of Tulsa.   If you're in Tuscon, try at El Guero Canelo.  Alas, they don't serve 'em at the stadium, at least, not the last time I was there.

Trip sounds like a blast.  Enjoy!