It was so fun and so small-towny and so great all around. One very cool thing about the Eugene Em's, as we call them here, is that they play in the historic Civic Stadium -- it's 71 years old! And it really is as quaint as you would imagine, from the manual scoreboard to the location right in the middle of town.
We of course had ballpark food and beer for dinner. Now this was my first minor league game; I wasn't expecting anything special food-wise at all. Especially as my previous experience with ballgames had been Pacbell Park, home of the San Francisco Giants -- you seriously can get gourmet food there. And the garlic fries! To die for.
But I learned a little ballpark food lesson that night, I think: it's the heart of the ballpark and team that make the food taste good. Because the hot dog and fries that I ate were absolutely delicious.
So here's a little photo essay of our lovely evening, with a special focus on the FOOD, of course.
The view from the footbridge walking over.
They have these adorable little stands strewn about right outside.
OH YEAH!
This hot dog was so perfect.
I think it was the green grass, big lights, and cheers from the stands
that added just the right seasoning.
Oh and did I mention?
We had GREAT seats -- right in front of first base.
Only $9 each. Can't beat that!
With our Em's commemorative cup, of course.
Life is good.
Go Em's!
We love the Trenton Thunder...too bad they don't play the Eugene Emeralds! I can vouch that a soft pretzel tastes better at the ballpark than in the comfort of my own home!
ReplyDeleteno one wd think this about me, but when i used to have to travel more to conferences in smaller cities one of my have-to's was a local, evening, minor-league game. especially for someone from nyc, the culture, the community, the accessibility to the game, the old and small stadia, and of course the food! local, honest, and sometimes sold not only by local vendors but sometimes local not-for-profits or civic groups. thanks for sharing this great photo essay! another thing i'll have to do in 'gene!
ReplyDeleteLiz, I wish the Trenton Thunder played the Em's too! :-) Wish we could share a pretzel with you and the family.
ReplyDeleteWinston: GET OUT! Never in a million years would I have guessed that. BUT I completely concur on everything. There is just something so lovely about it without being trite or overcommodified or merely stylistic without substance.
Hey Dena,
ReplyDeleteGreat post. It's AT&T park now. It opened originally as Pac Bell, then became SBC, and is now AT&T Park. Love the pics of you smiling.
Hi Charles! I do know this, but to me, it will always be PacBell Park.... The good ol' days. :-)
ReplyDelete