The Log Dog Blog: PNC Park

Last summer, C and I were reminiscing about all of the baseball trips we took to visit the 30 MLB stadiums. Given that we completed that travel checklist in 2005, with several ball parks having been visited in the years prior to 2005, we decided to look at which teams had new stadiums that we hadn’t visited yet. Well, we counted nine. This number was a bit surprising…almost one-third of the ball parks we’d gone to during our travels had been replaced? Pretty shocking.

We decided that we needed to do something about that and started with a game at Nationals Park last summer. So we were down to eight, which still seemed like a lot of places to visit, and we told ourselves we would get to one or two this summer.

We spent Independence Day hanging out with an amazing friend, and then before heading to bed, we started talking about what our plans were for the next day. And we had no plans. Which is EXACTLY how we like our weekends. I absolutely LOVE looking at my calendar and seeing nothing written on the Saturday or Sunday blocks. (And yes, I still use a paper calendar and colored pens…I have yet to convert to an electronic calendar and don’t foresee myself doing so anytime in the near future.)

We’d been talking about our next stadium being Pittsburgh, since it is an easy drive and we were planning on combining it with a visit to my dad, who is not too far from there. We didn’t even know if the Pirates were in town this weekend, because we hadn’t considered it, knowing my dad would be out of town for the holiday weekend. However, a search of the schedule, available tickets, and the weather forecast made the decision to go a no-brainer. So we purchased tickets at about 12:30 am, and nine hours later, we were in the car headed to Pittsburgh.

The game was bookended by lunch AND dinner at Primanti Bros. For those of you who have never experienced their sandwiches, I recommend you find a reason to go to Pittsburgh immediately. According to their website, they also have three locations in Florida and one in Morgantown, WV, so those are your other options. But you need to go. Seriously.

As the photos below illustrate, the sandwiches are insane. And I mean that in the best way possible. The one in the photos is a “double egg and cheese” sandwich with onions (yes, I had the same thing at lunch and dinner!), and all of the sandwiches come with coleslaw and fries on them. SOOOO good.

After lunch, we headed to PNC Park and watched the Pirates beat the Phillies 3-2. Although I still prefer the American League to the National League, the game was great and the stadium was absolutely beautiful (it goes without saying that it is a decided upgrade from Three Rivers Stadium!). Both the fans and the staff at the stadium were awesome, and so the atmosphere and the weather made for a perfect afternoon.

One of the fun things they do there is have the “Great Pierogi Race,” which is similar to the president race in Washington and the sausage race in Milwaukee. The characters are Jalapeno Hannah, Cheese Chester, Sauerkraut Saul, and Oliver Onion. It was a bonus that they ran around the warning track because when they were announced, I was plenty entertained just by their names.

Earlier that morning, when I was figuring out what to wear, I decided to go with my Crosby jersey. I reasoned that even if it was the wrong sport, at least I was showing support for the right city. I was not alone – we saw many other fans in Penguins shirts and hats, so I was in good company! Unfortunately, the jersey made me extremely hot, but I couldn’t take it off because the shirt I was wearing under it was my “We Are All Kings” t-shirt, which has been my go-to article of clothing for more than a month now. I didn’t think the Pittsburgh fans we look kindly upon a Kings fan in their midst, so I kept the jersey on despite my discomfort.

Dinner was once again at Primanti Bros. before we headed home. We owe a huge thank you to my mom for spending the day with our dogs (and I owe C a huge thank for doing all of the driving). It was a long day, but a good one!

Lunch - Monroeville