San Fran and Tahoe trip 2009

I have blogged about Tahoe and San Fran before, but I hit up a couple more spots on this trip so I thought that I would share my thoughts on them. The 10 day adventure out west included 6 days in Tahoe and 4 in San Fran. I got into Tahoe late on Friday night and stayed at Harrah's for the first time. It was a very nice hotel, with much larger rooms than Harvey's across the street. The rate that we got was excellent at $84 per night + tax. It's definitely the nicest of the casinos within the South Lake Tahoe area. Our first dinner of the trip was at New York Pizza on the Nevada side. The pizza was big and very meaty, which is very appealing to me. It had good flavor and was the best pizza that I've had in my 4 trips to the Tahoe area. Breakfast on day 3 consisted of Chicken Fried Chicken with biscuits and gravy and scrambled eggs at Cecil's. It was called country gravy, but was nothing like what we have here in the south. It was a good breakfast for the West Coast, but I would recommend Cracker Barrel to anyone that really wants a Southern Breakfast. Other stops on the Tahoe part of the trip included some fast food and a trip to Applebee's and Hard Rock, both of which were pretty crappy. The food at Northstar at Tahoe was marginal. The burger was terrible (tasted like the soy burgers that you would get in elementary school) but the Rosemary & Garlic Fries were very good. Barbecue (Beef Brisket) at the 360 degree smokehouse at Sierra was very good and was probably the best ski resort food that I have had. I have officially taken Heavenly off of my list for ski destinations as there is way too much flat ground. It is simply a pain in the ass for a snowboarder to have to skate across the flat terrain all day. I spent much more energy taking my board on and off along with the skating than I did actually boarding down the mountain. I think I was able to convince my dad and step mom to take it off their list as well which made the trip a resounding success. Northstar at Tahoe is a nice little resort on the north side of the lake. It doesn't have the vertical drop that some of the others in the area have, but for those that like a terrain park and blue runs, this is the place to go. Sierra at Tahoe remains my favorite of the mountains that I have boarded in the Tahoe area. We also got 6 days of fresh powder which was very, very nice.

After, 6 days of boarding in Tahoe, it was off to San Francisco for Valentine's Weekend with Caroline. I made a short trip out to Point Reyes National Seashore before getting into San Francisco. It was almost dark when I got there, but from what I could see, it is definitely a place that I would like to return to. The lighthouse was closed when I got there, but the view along the coast was priceless. I saw a ton of deer, a fox, a rabbit and lots of cows in the 20 or so minutes that I was there. The drive down Hwy 1 from Point Reyes to San Fran is a slow one and would probably be gorgeous in the daytime, but I couldn't see anything except for all of the curves. Meal #1 after picking up Caro from the airport was In N Out and it was nothing short of spectacular. I made my typical morning stop at Stella's Pastries on Friday and Saturday. We had lunch at Scoma's (Fisherman's Wharf) for a dungeness crab on Friday afternoon. At $26, it was very reasonably priced. Dinner was at Rogue Public Ale House for a Kobe Beef Burger (still the best burger that I have ever had). The beers were very good, Double Dead Guy, I2PA and Triple Jump IPA. There were also some very bad beers Menage Frog, Bullfrog Ale and a couple of others. Lunch on Saturday came by way of a recommendation from Guy Fieri. We went to Tommy's Joynt for a sandwich. The sandwiches were very good with freshly carved meats (roast beef, ham, turkey, brisket and several others). Caroline chose the Ham and I chose the BBQ Beef Brisket. Her side of choice was cole slaw, while mine was mashed potatoes. I ate all of mine and was quite miserable afterwards due to the amount of food that they give you. It was $19 for both of our meals which I considered an excellent price. I will definitely make a return trip the next time I go out. Valentine's Dinner included a trip to Trattoria Contadina, a small Italian restaurant at Mason and Union. The food was very good (better than Calzone's). I had a Gnocchi pasta with a tomato cream sauce and grilled chicken. Caro had some kind of meatball with marinara type of pasta. She enjoyed it, but even the small size was more than she could eat. The fresh sourdough bread with olive oil is a great starter, along with the Clams and Mussels in a white wine sauce. The prices are very reasonable as 2 appetizers, 4 or 5 drinks and 2 entrees was just under $100. I will make a return trip and try out some of the other dishes on the menu on my next San Francisco trip.

Once again, the food and beer options that San Fran has to offer are unmatched by many cities in the states. The culture and overall beauty, along with the food and beer keep it at the top of my list of favorite US Cities with Portland, New York, Denver and New Orleans rounding out the top 5.

Tempe, AZ

UGA vs. ASU on September 20th, the Bulldogs first trip outside the southeast for a regular season game in about 50 years and there was no way I was going to miss this one. I flew into Vegas for some work and made the 5 hour drive down to Tempe with a trip across the Hoover Dam and through the desert of Arizona. I was expecting a little more scenery from the drive, but was a little disappointed. There were a lot of saguaro cacti and small Joshua trees along the way, but that was about it. When I got into Tempe, I stayed just off campus at a small 4 Points by Sheraton. The hotel was very nice as it had just opened. The place was full of other Dawg fans that had made the trip from across the country. The bar of choice on the trip was the Library, check the website. Its basically a bar/restaurant with very scantily clad women. The beer choices were average with your typical beers on tap and in the bottle. The food was pretty good with your typical bar food. The burgers were good as was the appetizer sampler with the beef sliders. The main attraction at the Library is not the food, its not the drinks, its simply the girls. Other bars that we checked out were Zuma and Gordon Biersch, both of which are located along Mill Avenue. Zuma was more upscale than the Library. Gordon Biersch is your typical Gordon Biersch with good food and great beers on tap. The strategy of drinking one glass of water for every 1 to 2 beers is probably a wise one. I didn't use that strategy the first night and paid for it dearly the next day as I laid in bed for most of the day after trying to venture across campus when it was 100 degrees outside. Gameday was much more successful for me as I practiced this strategy the night before and throughout the day. The Tempe heat is nothing to mess with. Sun Devil Stadium is a pretty nice stadium, but fails in comparison to many of the SEC Stadiums that I have been to. The game was a lot of fun though as it was one of the few games that we actually came to play in during the 2008 season. We capped off the trip with a stop at In-N-Out Burger for a Double-Double with Cheese and some fries.

Road Trip 2008

It's been a while as I had a busy end to my year with all of the crappy football that UGA played throughout the fall. The baseball road trip of 2008 was simply awesome. Me and 7 friends started out in Atlanta and made our way up the east coast with stops in Washington DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Boston to catch 6 different baseball games in 6 different stadiums in 6 days. Based on that I guess you can figure out that most of our time was either spent in the well equipped mini van that we drove or at one of the 6 stadiums that we visited.

Game #1 on the trip was in Baltimore for the Orioles and Rangers. For those that have not been to Baltimore, they have done an amazing job with the area around the stadiums (Oriole Park at Camden Yards and MB&T Stadium Home of the Ravens). There are several bars that surround the stadiums and the stadiums sit near the inner harbor. Prior to departing for the road trip, we had Indians jerseys made with the names of several of the characters from the movie Major League. For this trip, we had Roger Dorn, Rick Vaughn, Jake Taylor, Rube Baker, Pedro Cerrano, Lou Brown and Willie Mays Hays. The jerseys were a big hit at most of the bars that we hit up on the trip. We stopped at a bar just across the street from Oriole Park in Baltimore and I am almost certain the name was Pickles Pub. We all had several drinks before heading over to the game. Oriole Park is probably my second favorite stadium that I have been to thus far (behind Coor's Field). The layout is great and there doesn't appear to be a bad seat in the Stadium. Pickles was the only bar we hit in Baltimore, but I highly recommend it to anyone that will be attending an Orioles game in the near future.

Game #2 on our trip took us to Philadelphia and Citizens Bank Park. After a quick stop at Jim's Steaks in South Philly (Best Cheesesteak in Town) and quick pose with the Rocky Statue, we made our way to the Stadium. I had been to Citizens Bank last October for the playoff series against the Rockies and the atmosphere was very similar this time around as the Mets were in town. We had seats in the upper deck behind home plate. We made friends with the guys sitting behind us and that turned out to be a great idea as they had brought in a flask of Ketel One. The game was extra long due to a rain delay that happened late in the game. After the game, we made our way down to the bar that is attached to the stadium, McFadden's. It is a very cool bar and is great place to grab a drink after the game while the traffic dies down. I honestly don't remember a whole lot about it due to the fact that the Ketel One started to kick in at this point. Based on conversations with other folks in the group, its a must stop for those attending a Phillies Game. Other highlights of Citizens Bank include the Cheesesteak concessions out in Right Center Field. Both Tony Lukes and Pats have Concessions at the stadium.

Game #3 required a stop in the Bronx for the Yankees and Red Sox. We stayed in Manhattan and hit up a couple of the bars in the Times Square area, none of which that I would really recommend to anyone traveling up there. We did make a stop at Lombardi's Pizza, the oldest Pizzeria in the U.S. prior to our trip up to the Bronx. The pizza was very good, but is still a distant 2nd to John's on Bleecker. There are a couple of other locations including one in Times Square at 8th and 44th. As for the game, we caught a good one as the Yankees came from behind to beat the Red Sox. As for the stadium itself, its probably a good thing that they are tearing it down because the place is definitely showing its age. The $10 beers are also a little steep for my budget, but I did have one. It was nice getting to experience Yankee Stadium in its final season. I am very much looking forward to the new stadium and hope to get by there sometime this summer.

Game #4 came at historic Fenway Park in Boston. We stayed at the Westin Boston Waterfront and ate at a seafood restaurant that was not far from there. The seafood restaurant was worse than Captain D's or Long John Silvers. I can't remember the name of the place but its near the Waterfront and most the seafood is broiled. After dinner we made our way to Fenway. We had one of our seats located behind one of the famous poles that sit throughout the stands at Fenway, obstructing the view of most of the field. Aside from that, there are very few sporting experiences like a baseball game at Fenway. I had a Fenway Frank, wasn't quite as good as I had expected, but it was still a solid hot dog. After singing Sweet Caroline and watching the end of the game, we made our way over to the Cask & Flagon, voted the #1 Baseball Bar in America and I would have to agree with them. We arrived just before 11, about 1 hour before the celebration of my 25th birthday. We met some very nice people and had several drinks with our new friends. It was a great way to kickoff the celebration of my 25th. I definitely recommend the Cask & Flagon for anyone going to a Bo Sox game.

Game #5 (My 25th Birthday) had us back in New York for a game between the Mets and Giants at Shea Stadium. Shea Stadium is one of my least favorite stadiums that I have been to. The place is a dump, has airplanes flying overhead at all time, the Mets play there and there is a lot of orange throughout. None of which excite me a whole lot. We did tailgate on the train while we made our way out to Queens for the game. After departing the dump known as Shea, we made our way down to Little Italy for my favorite italian meal, Lobster Fettucini at Il Cortile. It would have to be considered one my Top 3 Restaurants in the Country. The food is excellent, the beer is good (Peroni is offered) and the atmosphere is special. After a wonderful meal, we made our way to McSorley's, one of the oldest pubs in NYC. They offer two kinds of beer, light and dark. They are both cask ales which means there is no carbonation. This allows for a much smoother beer and allows you to drink them much faster which can be good and bad. Its good in the sense that you typically will develop a buzz faster, but bad in the sense that they aren't cheap. It costs $9 for two 10 oz mugs which are about 50%-75% full. The server brings them to the table about 10 to 20 at a time. Cash only accepted at this place, so don't go in with a card. Know what you want when you are ordering and in most cases, you will be sat with other people that you don't know. Its a good way to meet people and in most cases, the folks that you meet are very entertaining. This was the conclusion to my 25th Birthday which turned out to be a very good one.

Game #6 was our final stop of the trip and it was along the Potomac in Washington DC at the new Nationals Ballpark. The ballpark was very nice and relatively empty as they are one of the worst teams in baseball. There are supposed to be considerable renovations to the surrounding areas that will give the stadium and surrounding areas a much needed improvement for gameday atmosphere. When in DC, make a stop at Old Ebbits Grill for excellent food and drinks at a place that has been around since the mid 1850's. It also has a great location near the White House. I have not had the opportunity to try any other pubs or breweries in the DC area, so if you have some that you recommend, please let me know.

After the game, we had an overnight drive back to the ATL. The trip was a fantastic one with a whole lot of driving, a whole lot of baseball and quite a few frosty beverages. 2009 will not see a baseball road trip, but it should be back on in 2010 with the midwest looking like the likely destination.

Portland and Seattle

It's been a while since I've posted, but thought that I would give an update on my most recent trip. I ventured my way out to the Pacific Northwest at the end of April. It was my first trip and added states 41, 42 and 43 to my list. Only Idaho, Alaska, Wisconsin, New Mexico, Arizona, Oklahoma and Kansas remain. I spent a couple of nights in Portland and one in Seattle. After getting in late Thursday Night to Seatac (Seattle Tacoma Airport area), we drove down to Portland. We got a hotel on the east side of town out near the Columbia Gorge. We woke up early Friday morning and took a little trip out the scenic 15 mile drive that runs along I-84. In all, we saw 4 or 5 waterfalls, one that was more than 500 feet and it was just simply amazing. If you have the time, it seems like a great place to hike. After spending a couple of hours out in the gorge, we headed to downtown Portland to check into our hotel. We stayed at the Westin, which is an older boutique type hotel that was very pleasant. The bar downstairs was nice, as were the servers and bartenders. There were very insightful on places and things to do in the area. After checking into the hotel, we went over to Widmer Brothers, Caroline's choice for the 1 of 30 something brewpubs within the area. We had an appetizer (a fantastic cheese dip with sausage) while enjoying a couple of samplers that included every beer on their list. I enjoyed just about all of them, except for their flagship beer, the hefeweizen. It's just not my style. After the samplers, we took the tour of the brewery. It was very entertaining and would rank just behind New Belgium overall. They gave out free pint glasses and bottle openers, which is always a plus. After leaving Widmer, we went to a place called McMenamins. It is also a local brew pub just down the street from Widmer. We had another appetizer (Scooby Snacks, little bitesize corndogs without the stick, simply amazing) while sampling a couple of their beers. The Hammerhead was my favorite of the bunch. After enjoying the beers at both McMenamins and Widmer, we went back to the hotel to get ready for our anniversary dinner. Before heading out to Portland Grill, we stopped at the Hotel bar for a couple of drinks. Caroline enjoyed some kind of fruity drink, while I got my first Fat Tire of the trip. It was as good as it always is. For dinner, there simply cannot be a better place in Portland. The Portland City Grill is located on the 30th floor of a large office building within the CBD. I had the best steak I have ever tasted and the view is simply top notch. It offers views of the Willamette River and Mt. Hood, an 11,000+ peak that soars over the city of Portland. After dinner, we went back to the hotel to relax. After waking up on Saturday morning, we went to Voodoo Donuts, a very unique donut shop close to our hotel. Caroline got a normal crueller, as well as a Cock'N'Balls. It's a very large penis shaped donut that was for her roommate would was celebrating her 21st birthday that weekend. I got a chocolate cake donut with cocoa puffs and a chocolate glazed with peanut butter and rice krispies. They were definitely some of the best donuts I have ever had, not to mention the most unique. They offer many different assortments including just about any kind of cereal, donut combination. After our donuts, we made our way up I-5 to Seattle. Along the way, we caught several nice views of both Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier. Mt. Rainier is amazing. It soars over everything that is around it. On a clear day, its visible from Seattle. Upon arriving in Seattle, we made our way to Elysian Fields Brewery. The food and beers were average, but it has a great location near Safeco. Safeco is one of the nicer stadiums that I have been to. We got seats about 30 rows behind homeplate for $25 each, less than half of the face value price. We didn't have any ballpark food, but the philly's looked really good. We also walked the waterfront area, which was nice. It reminded me a little of the Wharf area in San Francisco. After the ballgame, we grabbed dinner at All-Star Pizza. It's a local pizza joint that makes their dough out of sourdough. I would consider it better than average. We stayed out in Bellevue, which is just east of Seattle. Sunday morning we woke up and went to a little place called the Pancake Corral. Its in the Bellevue area. They offered up a fabulous southern style breakfast, which I was very happy about. If you are in the area, I definitely recommend the place. After Breakfast, it was off to the Airport. Overall, Portland and Seattle are two places that I would like to spend some more time in. I could spend a week just traveling to the National Parks in the area. Aside from Mt. St. Helen's and Mt. Rainier, Olympic National Park is also in the area. Skiing is available at Mt. Hood, near the top of my list in places to go for snowboarding. Portland has about 30 other breweries that I would like to try out and I would love to head south and make a trip to Crater Lake. It would be very easy to spend several weeks out there and not really get to see everything that you would want to see. Next on the list is the Road Trip which will include D.C., Philly, Baltimore, NYC and Boston. Stay Tuned.

Chapel Hill (March 14th-16th)

Chapel Hill, the heart of Tarheel Country, reminds me of my college hometown. The campus is beautiful and they have a nice little downtown area with some bars, restaurants and shops. Franklin Street is the main corridor for the downtown area and would be similar to Broad or Clayton in Athens, however, they don't have 10 to 15 bars per square block. While the trip was originally supposed to be a laid back weekend traveling around the area to look at the campuses (Duke, UNC, NC State), things suddenly changed when the Bulldogs decided that they were actually going to play some basketball for a couple of days. The drive from Atlanta was about 8 hours with traffic, but it was alright, cause we had satellite radio and were able to listen to the basketball game (MSU ALA) and what turned out to be a Tornado that was hitting the Georgia Dome. I had tickets for the UGA UK game, but had to give them up due to the Chapel Hill travel plans. In hindsight, it was probably a good idea considering UGA didn't even play on Friday Night. It was the Tornado that changed the plans of what was supposed to be the relaxing weekend. My brother and I woke up early Saturday Morning to find out that the UGA UK game was to be played at Noon, which left us scrambling to find a bar in the heart of ACC Country that would have SEC Basketball. We called around and thought that we found a place in downtown, Carolina Brewery. We got down there, had a couple of beers (will discuss this more later) and found out they were not going to have the game. We then walked across downtown to Four Corners and found out that they too would not have the game. We were down to our last opportunity when Bailey's came to the rescue. After grabbing a Taxi to Bailey's, we arrived just in time for the last 30 seconds of the half. After what I considered to be a small miracle (UGA beating UK, we went back to downtown to grab some lunch), with a promise that we would return for the 2nd part of a doubleheader (UGA vs. MSU) at 8:30. Let's rewind a little now and talk about the initial trip to Carolina Brewery. We got there and they were celebrating St. Patricks Day, so I decided to celebrate with them in having a Shamrock Ale. It was basically their lightest beer dyed green. It was quite tasty. Although I had already eaten breakfast (terrible though) at the hotel, I saw their brunch menu and noticed that they had Biscuits n' Gravy. For those that don't know me, I am a complete sucker for that Southern low calorie delight. I must say that it was simply fantastic. Lari also tried it and was in agreement with me on it's superb taste. After the Shamrock, I went with the Copperline Amber, also full of flavor and a great beer. It was then that we decided to move elsewhere to try and find the game. Fast Forward now to lunch time as we arrive back at Carolina Brewery for Round #2. It was at this time that UNC and VT had tipped-off (I don't like UNC, but their fans are crazy, therefore Lari and I cheered). My mother, Lindsey (sister-in-law) and my brother all had lunch. My mom had a burger, my brother had Chicken fingers and Lindsey had a salad, all of which were considered good by the group. At this point, I had moved strictly to a liquid diet and was on beer #6 or #7 or maybe #10, but who's counting. I had another Shamrock Ale and Copperline Amber while they were eating. UNC had won on a Tyler Hansbrough buzzer beater, so the mood around the brewery was somewhat electric. The other 3 in my group decided that they wanted to go shopping and since I don't shop, I sat at the bar and watched the Duke Clemson game. It was fun, because they hate Duke, and Duke lost. I tried the Flagship IPA, very tasty and Santa's Special creation, a seasonal that was on special. It tasted like Pumpkin Pie and is probably one of the most unique and tasty beers that I have ever had. After about an hour and a half, they came back and told me it was time to go. Overall, Carolina Brewery ranks in my top 5, maybe even top 3 for local brewpubs. The food and beer were both excellent. After a quick nap at the hotel, it was back to Bailey's for part #2 of the miracle doubleheader. We pulled off another upset and we were simply amazed by what we had saw. I woke up the next morning with somewhat of a hangover, so we hit up a little waffle shop in downtown. I had an omelette and of course biscuits and gravy. It was nowhere close to what was offered at Carolina Brewery, but it was still good. After breakfast, we departed Chapel Hill for our return trip to Atlanta, stopping along the way to watch the last part of a very memorable SEC Tournament, and what turned out to be a non-relaxing but very entertaining weekend. For those that travel to Chapel Hill, there is also another brewery, Top of the Hill or something like that. The bartender (Adam) at Carolina said that I could put him on record as saying that they have some of the worst beer that he has tasted, hence, the reason that I didn't venture down there.

Atlanta

The ATL, THE DIRRRRTTTYY, HOTLANTA, aka the best city in the southeast is now my hometown. The traffic is pretty much the most awful thing on this planet, but just about everything else is amazing including the fact that it is just 60 miles from Athens, home of my beloved Bulldogs. Atlanta is much like L.A. in the sense that it is very spread out. For those that live on the north side, they very rarely travel to the southside and vice versa. Same goes for those that live on the east side or the west side. Each of the Atlanta suburbs is its own little city and has just about everything you need within a short drive. There are several highlights for anyone visiting the area including Turner Field, the Georgia Dome, Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta Zoo, Six Flags, White Water and for those that like to shop Buckhead (Lenox and Phipps Plaza). Turner Field is a nice stadium, one of the first along with Camden and Jacobs field. It opened in 1997 in a game against the Yankees ( I was there). They offer something like 21 different kinds of hot dog and now offer all you can eat and drink seats (a new favorite of mine). A trip to Turner Field is not complete unless you hit up the artery clogger restaurants known as the Varsity or the "V". The food is as greasy as possible, but its damn good. The Chili Cheese Dogs is heaven with a peach pie and Varsity Orange. Chili burgers are also mighty tasty along with the Onion Rings. I don't eat the Onion Rings, but am recommending them by word of mouth. For those looking for a little more upscale restaurant, Two Urban Licks off of Somerset is top notch. Its set in an old warehouse district with a fantastic skyline view of downtown. In the summer, there is a nice patio to sit on and enjoy the view. The prices are very reasonable and the atmosphere can't be beat. My dish of choice is the Pork Shoulder with New York Macaroni. Its in a word, awesome. I have yet to find something that I have tried that I have not absolutely loved. The Big Ass Cheeseburger is good and is in fact big. The calamari is one of the more unique dishes that I have as it has a sweet and sour taste. Steaks and seafood are also good. The menu is printed daily and reservations are pretty much required. There are a couple of breweries on the northside of town, one in Buckhead and the other in Sandy Springs. Rock Bottom, in Buckhead, is your typical franchised brewery with good food and good beer. It's the same owner as Big River in Chattanooga and Nashville. I really like the 375 IPA. 5 Seasons, in Sandy Springs, is a more upscale brewery with meals that range from $25-$40. The beers are excellent, but the food is a little too pricey for me when I just want to have some beers. There is also a Gordon Biersch in the Midtown area. The Buckhead area was forever known as the bar scene in Atlanta, however, due to recent real estate transactions, that has changed. Approximately 10-15 bars were shutdown in June of last year to make way for new mixed use developments with high end retail and apartments. In my opinion, a terrible idea, but unfortunately, I am not the one with billions of dollars to spend on a project like that. The East Andrews corridor was not touched and still has several hot spots including East Andrews, McDuff, 5 Paces, Churchills and several others. There is also Moondogs, a place where most of the college kids hangout. It's the upstairs of Peachtree Tavern and Hole in the Wall, a place where girls completely lose there inhibitions. Midtown has increased in popularity over the past several years with Cosmo/Lava, Twisted Taco and several other trendy bar/club types. For a late night food stop and one of, if not the best burger in town, hit up The Vortex with a location in Little 5 Points and another one in Midtown. They also have tots. All in all, Atlanta is a delightful place. If you are in the area, give me a shout, I have a couple of spare bedrooms.

Ohio

Miserable destination in the winter time, simply miserable. In the summertime, however, its a pretty cool place. Cincinnati is typically my first stop when traveling to Ohio. There is a Westin downtown, about 3 blocks from the "Great American Ballpark" and just across the street from Rock Bottom Brewery. I have made two trips to Great American and both times I watched the Braves get beat. I sat in the club level section the first trip up and made friends with some OSU fans in the stands and the bartender in the Inner Club section. He would let me sample all of my beers before buying and would let me have a couple of sips before he topped it off as I headed back to my seat. Overall, aside from the Braves losing, the game was awesome. The next trip was on Road trip #2 of 2007 with Dave, Russ and Newby. We got some cheap seats along the first baseline. Jeff Keppinger, the shortstop for the Reds and former Georgia Bulldog, tossed me a ball before the game, therefore I was pretty much cool with whatever happened after that. The Braves went on to lose, but we had a good time. The game went into extra innings, therefore Rock Bottom closed before we got there. On the first road trip of 2007, Me, Dave and Russ were able to stop in for some drinks and some good food at Rock Bottom. I had some kind macaroni and chicken dish that was delightful. I was a little intoxicated, so I don't remember exactly what Russ and Dave had, but I do remember that it was tasty, cause I tried it. None of the beers were spectacular, but most were pretty good. After leaving Cincinnati, the next stop in Ohio for me is Cedar Point and that has already been covered. It is simply a must stop for anyone in the state of Ohio with some extra time on their hands. After a day at Cedar Point, I typically head east to Cleveland. Road trip #1 during 07' took us to Jacobs Field for the Braves and Indians. Jacobs Field, I refuse to call it whatever the new sponsors name, is a beautiful ballpark. We sat in the upper deck in right field and were pretty obnoxious to the Indians fans around us chanting 1995 (for those that don't know, we beat them in the World Series). They didn't care for us too much. The Braves had a come from behind win, which made things even better, and us more obnoxious. After leaving the game, we took off to the bars, an area that is very similar to Buckhead. One bar had bartenders that dance on the bar like they do at Coyote Ugly's around the country, with the only difference being that one of the bartenders was super hot. Dave took a liking to her and ended up taking several shots out of her cleavage. I think he really, really enjoyed it. Most of the night was a blur, but it was fun. Dave and I got locked out of the hotel room and Russ finally showed up to let us in. Dave and I passed out and woke up the next morning to a large pizza and some hot wings. Apparently Russ had gotten hungry during the night/early morning and ordered some food. It was either one of the best pizza's that he had ever had or the worst, can't really remember. I know that he only ate 2 slices and that is unusual for Russ. We stayed at the Hyatt in downtown, not too far from the bars or the stadium, which was very convenient. After leaving Cleveland, we made the trip up I-90 to Buffalo and Niagara Falls. I will cover that at a later date. Other stops in Ohio have included Toledo and Columbus. There is nothing to do in Toledo and my trips to Columbus have been in the winter time where it is too cold to spend more than 30 seconds outside. I hear that they have a pretty good bar scene and I have always wanted to go to the Horseshoe for a game (hopefully to see them get plastered like they do in the National Championship each year).