Father-Son Baseball Trip -- Questions

[khalldog]

I am taking my father on a father-son baseball trip in June. I was wondering if any board members could answer some questions or give some advice. This is our itinerary:

6/12 - Leave STL - see Florida @ Detroit

6/13 - Arizona @ Toronto

6/14 - Syracuse @ Rochester

6/15 - Baseball HOF, then Pawtucket @ Scranton-Wilkes Barre

6/16 - Anaheim @ Pittsburgh

6/17 - Peoria @ Fort Wayne

6/18 - Day - Oakland @ Cubs, Night - Kansas City @ Schaumburg

6/19 - Field of Dreams, then Beloit @ Quad City

6/20 - Mid-Missouri @ River City

My questions about the towns are:

Detroit - We are staying in Dearborn. Is there plenty of parking at Comerica? How safe is the area after the game?

Toronto - We are staying at the Intercontinental on Bloor Street W. Is this within walking distance to the SkyDome? Is dropping by the Hockey Hall of Fame worth it if we only have a few hours?

Pittsburgh - Is there plenty of parking? I definitely want to make the trek across Clemente Bridge so do I need to park in a certain area? We will be coming from University Center.

Fort Wayne - Is it worth it to make a side trip to South Bend on our way to Chicago? Is the ND campus/stadium worth it?

Chicago - How do I find the best route to Wrigley? We are staying in Schaumburg so should I take METRA to Wrigley to safely make it back to Schaumburg for the night game there? Any tips on travel?

I collect pocket schedules so we will be stopping at several towns that have minor league teams to check out the stadium and grab some skeds. Any other "don't miss" sites that anybody could tell me about?

I appreciate the help.

Kevin

[gosioux76]

I can speak for Pittsburgh. I work in a building right by PNC Park. If you want to walk across the Roberto Clemente Bridge there's plenty of Downtown parking in the area of the theater district and there's a couple of big ramps near the end of the bridge on the Downtown side. Look for big ramp at Liberty Avenue and Sixth Street. (The bridge used to be called the Sixth Street Bridge). You shouldn't have any trouble parking there since most games don't sell out or come even close

The downtown ramps are generally cheaper than parking in the stadium lots, though it's a lot cheaper for Pirates games than Steelers.

I hope that helps. I don't usually pay to park since my company issues parking permits which allow me into the lots.

[CC97]

I have no idea where the Intercontinental is... can you provide an intersection?

The HHOF is awesome... if you like hockey.

[jkrdevil]

I went to Pittsburgh 2 years ago, if your hotel is in the city it might be better to walk to the park across the bridge. My hotel I stayed at was the Ramada next to the Igloo so I was within walking distance. Your going to have to see where your hotel is before you make your decision. What ever you do don't ask the locals if it is within walking distance becuase everything to them is too far to walk, when it is well within walking distance.

For Wrigley your best option is probably the train.

Have fun.

[clannhoran]

Toronto - The Intercontinental on Bloor is a few miles from the Hall of Fame. It depends on how far you want to walk, but it is a nice town to walk in. The Hall of Fame is very cool.

South Bend - You won't have to go too far off of your path to get to South Bend, and the Notre Dame campus is very nice. If you have a few hours to spare I would say it would be well worth the stop.

Chicago / Schaumburg - Definitely take Metra. You'll then have to transfer to an "L" train for the rest of the ride, but it's much easier than trying to find parking around Wrigley, and then trying to drive back into the assinine traffic madness around Schaumburg. You'll definitely enjoy the games, Wrigley is a must-see, and the Flyers have a nice stadium as well.

Have a blast.

[khalldog]

Chris - The website for the Intercontinental says that the hotel is in Yorkville near the University. Looks like it's between Queens Pk and St. George St.

I love hockey (Blues Fan) but I don't want to cheapen the experience by not spending enough time there. We planned to spend a lot of time at Cooperstown, but Toronto was a last minute substitution and the Hockey HOF was a last-minute idea.

[clannhoran]

You can get on a Metra train at the Schaumburg station, which is right next to the Flyers stadium. Take that train downtown to Union Station. From there get an "L" train, bus or cab to Wrigley.

Walk 0.1 mile NW from UNION STATION to ADAMS & CANAL

Take CTA BUS # 60 BLUE ISLAND 26TH EASTBOUND

Depart: ADAMS & CANAL At 09:07 AM Arrive: WASHINGTON & STATE At 09:15 AM

Take CTA RED LINE TRAIN (TO HOWARD) Depart: WASHINGTON/STATE CTA At 09:16 AM

Arrive: ADDISON CTA At 09:34 AM

Walk 0.2 mile W to WRIGLEY FIELD

http://metrarail.com/Sched/md_w/schaumburg.html

[fiasco!]

In Detroit, the area directly around the CoPa is very safe....i would recommend stadium parking, even though it's pretty expensive.....Ford Field is right next to CoPa, so there's a nice little sightseeing bit for you....Hockeytown Cafe is pretty fun and it's right across the street from the park.....you should drive all the way to the end of Woodward Ave. to Jefferson Ave. and see Hart Plaza, the statue of Joe Louis' Fist, the Spirit of Detroit and the pretty sweet view of Windsor across the river....Greektown is also a fun area to hang out in and gamble a bit.

if you go through Toledo on the way to Detroit, see the MudHens if they are playing...if you are taking I-94, stop and see the Whitecaps in Grand Rapids if they are playing.

[-kj]

A few hours to spend at the HHOF may not be "enough," if you're me, but it's enough time to see most everything in there. It's a great experience, speaking one Blues fan to another.

You can easily take the subway to the HHOF--take the Bloor line to the Yonge line, and get off at (I think, I'm working from memory here; it's the station before Union, I think) the King station. Head south a couple blocks, and you'll be at BCE Place, where the HHOF is. That's not very far from SkyDome, either, an easy walk/train.

[Phil]

When you're in Toronto, don't miss going up the CN Tower... obviously right next to SkyDome, so it's not out of your way, and it's an experience you don't forget. Heck, the elevator is an experience you don't forget. Like the Tower of Terror in reverse.

[CJR]

In Detroit, the area directly around the CoPa is very safe....i would recommend stadium parking, even though it's pretty expensive.....Ford Field is right next to CoPa, so there's a nice little sightseeing bit for you....Hockeytown Cafe is pretty fun and it's right across the street from the park.....you should drive all the way to the end of Woodward Ave. to Jefferson Ave. and see Hart Plaza, the statue of Joe Louis' Fist, the Spirit of Detroit and the pretty sweet view of Windsor across the river....Greektown is also a fun area to hang out in and gamble a bit.

if you go through Toledo on the way to Detroit, see the MudHens if they are playing...if you are taking I-94, stop and see the Whitecaps in Grand Rapids if they are playing.

I-94 doesn't go through GR, Joel. It'd be a bit of a detour to get to a Whitecaps game I'd think. But, just for the sake of adding another local minor league team to the mix (not that it appears you have time in the schedule for it), swing by Lansing and catch a Lugnuts game.

For the Detroit game, I'd say park at the Greektown Casino. Show up early, go to the casino first, play a buck in the slots and have them validate your parking. You'll be able to park there the whole night for just the cost of whatever you lose in the casino. It's a little bit of a hike from CoPa (or so I'm told, I don't mind walking so I've never noticed), but it's worth the money saved (or gambled away).

[clannhoran]

Too bad you can't check out the Lugnuts tonight. Mark Prior is pitching his first rehab game there, and the town is going nuts.

[jlucas4092]

Dude, I can't answer any questions, but I just wanna say enjoy this trip. My dad and I did a cross country trip from NJ to Colorado one spring break. Greatest trip of my life. He passed away 3 years later in a car accident, and going on that trip is probably the best thing that ever happened to me.

ENJOY THE TRIP!

[CJR]

Too bad you can't check out the Lugnuts tonight. Mark Prior is pitching his first rehab game there, and the town is going nuts.

Ahh, so that's why some of the guys at the office were making a big deal about the game. I should really start paying attention to the Lugnuts if I'm going to be staying in the Lansing area for awhile but I just haven't been able to bring myself to do it yet.

[fiasco!]

In Detroit, the area directly around the CoPa is very safe....i would recommend stadium parking, even though it's pretty expensive.....Ford Field is right next to CoPa, so there's a nice little sightseeing bit for you....Hockeytown Cafe is pretty fun and it's right across the street from the park.....you should drive all the way to the end of Woodward Ave. to Jefferson Ave. and see Hart Plaza, the statue of Joe Louis' Fist, the Spirit of Detroit and the pretty sweet view of Windsor across the river....Greektown is also a fun area to hang out in and gamble a bit.

if you go through Toledo on the way to Detroit, see the MudHens if they are playing...if you are taking I-94, stop and see the Whitecaps in Grand Rapids if they are playing.

I-94 doesn't go through GR, Joel. It'd be a bit of a detour to get to a Whitecaps game I'd think. But, just for the sake of adding another local minor league team to the mix (not that it appears you have time in the schedule for it), swing by Lansing and catch a Lugnuts game.

For the Detroit game, I'd say park at the Greektown Casino. Show up early, go to the casino first, play a buck in the slots and have them validate your parking. You'll be able to park there the whole night for just the cost of whatever you lose in the casino. It's a little bit of a hike from CoPa (or so I'm told, I don't mind walking so I've never noticed), but it's worth the money saved (or gambled away).

i know its a detour...but it's a nice detour.

[khalldog]

Unfortunately I won't have time to hit Grand Rapids nor Lansing, although both of them, along with Kalamazoo, were considered. To make the trip work time-wise and mileage-wise Detroit was the only possibility.

I had done trips like this in past - Memphis, Nashville, Bristol, Durham, Mudcats, Spartanburg, Birmingham for baseball in 1989, followed by a hockey trip in 1997 to Lafayette, Baton Rouge, Biloxi, Mobile, Pensacola, Tallahassee and Macon.

This will be the first of what I hope will be an annual summer baseball trip. For '05 we are considering a California or New England trip. With as many baseball teams as their are, it will be difficult to fit in every team in a region. But there is still nothing better than 9 straight days of baseball!

Thanks for all the great tips. Can anybody think of anything else that I should check out during the trip?

[CJR]

i know its a detour...but it's a nice detour.

True, it is a nice detour. I didn't know if you were doing like my sister likes to do, confusing I-94 with I-96. You never trust directions from her 'cause you never know where you'll end up.