Summer Travelin' Checkin' off stadiums

STL & ATL: two cities near and dear to my heart!

Beginning with St. Louis, I have to honestly say that SAL and I did not do this city the justice it deserves. I originally grew up about an hour and a half outside of STL so I had been there hundreds of times. Also, we had a LOT of rain delays the weekend I visited so time outside the ball-field, or just outside activities in general were difficult to squeeze in. I am very pleased to share the adventures we did enjoy, but just know, I will be back to STL to share all the hidden gems the city has for you!

Y'all, these little tacos were everything! After finishing up a workout we were discussing lunch options within walking distance of the gym. One member mentioned The Twisted Ranch, also seen on Facebook, where they make each dish using some type of Ranch dressing! Although that spot sounded cool to check out because of all the Internet hype, neither one of us really eat or like Ranch so we decided no on that one. Another member mentioned this taco spot and we didn't even need to discuss it any further, haha. SAL and I are always in for tacos! The place above was called: The Mission Taco Joint. They had two different roasted tomato salsas, one a bit spicier than the other, that were very tasty. The tacos were pretty small but very filling! I chose: a sautéed mushrooms and poblano peppers taco (hands down my favorite! it had arugula and goat cheese on top, yum!), a vegan chorizo taco, and a grilled mahi taco. SAL chose: a regular chorizo taco, a pork belly taco, and a steak taco. Like normal, his favorite was the steak taco. We were not able to indulge in beverages at lunch, but the margaritas I saw going out looked fantastic! This spot was quick, delicious, and the staff was very friendly. There are actually three locations for Mission Taco Joint in STL so you should definitely find one to try!

When SAL and I were discussing what gym we were going to go to in STL, he mentioned that found Crossfit Gambit online. I could not believe that I had forgotten that this gym was in St. Louis. If you are a Crossfitter, or even just follow it for fitness, then you might know that a few Games Athletes train here. I knew that we had to check it out for a killer workout.. which is exactly what we got. The workout itself involved a lot of cardio: rowing and the assault bike. However, after the Saturday class was open gym so we were able to stick around for our own lifting session and socializing with the members. That is one thing we truly love about Crossfit: how welcoming the community is to new comers. The gym itself was pretty large. It had two parts, one air conditioned and one not.. take your pick, haha. They had very friendly coaches who paid attention to details of your form, highly important. Also, previously mentioned, the members of this gym were very friendly. We enjoyed our time at Crossfit Gambit and think that you would too! Drop on in for a good workout if you are ever in the area.

From working out, to tacos, to... beer! I mean, life is all about balance, right?! Another man on SAL's crew suggested this brewery because it was close to the hotel. He said he had been there before and the beer was pretty good. It was a pretty large brewery! They had an upstairs and a downstairs, and we chose the upstairs because it seemed to be a little more lively. They had a bunch of tables to sit at, as well as arcade and board games. It was really neat! One thing I actually liked about this spot: they only had a short, two-page menu to choose from. It made my decision making much easier! The bar tender was very knowledgeable about their beer and gave honest feedback on what he thought of each one we asked about. We tried a few different brews that night and were pleased with our choices. 

National Ice Cream Day fell on Sunday while in St. Louis. Not much more needs to be said! I would not miss that holiday!

One of the best adventures about this trip was going to the baseball games! As I said at the beginning of this post, I was raised very close to St. Louis. Since it was close I grew up watching some Cardinals games. Where I come from, half of the state are Cardinals fans while the other half are Cubs fans. I never really followed either team, however, St. Louis was WAY closer than Chicago so going to Cardinals games was a whole lot easier. This trip was the first time I got to watch a game in the new Busch Stadium! The fact that my heart was on the field made it even more incredible! The stadium was amazing. It was huge! There was an area called "Ballpark Village" that had a bunch of restaurants and giant TVs playing all types of sports games, which I'm sure showed the game as well once they started. It was a nice option for families whose little ones might get hot and restless inside the stadium, but would still be able to be at the stadium and enjoy the game. They really did a nice job with the new stadium, and it was great getting to experience it now, from a new perspective of baseball with SAL. 

Next stop this summer: Hotlanta! Although I feel Atlanta is by far one of the worst cities to drive in, I cannot help but LOVE this city. As SAL has been coming up in the system, one of his Minor League cities is Gwinnett, GA located outside of ATL. Gwinnett is always a city I can go visit him in because it is in the radius of my max driving time by myself: six hours. As mentioned earlier, both of my MLB cities this summer have a special place in my heart. The main reason I LOVE the Atlanta area is because Gwinnett, GA was the first place SAL told me he loved me. <3 He was the one to say it first, and I remember the day and all of the details like it was yesterday.  For that reason alone, I will always LOVE this area. But, it does help that the city has a lot to offer too!

One of SAL and I's "things" are concerts. A Carrie Underwood concert was one of our first dates and it just seems to be something we enjoy doing together, no matter where we are or who is playing. When I got into town it was already halfway through the game, so I decided to do dinner and meet up with him afterwards. As soon as he got off the field, he texted me and told me there was a concert at the stadium and to get an Uber up there. Funny thing was, SAL had no idea who they were! He sent me a text "Avett Brothers?" on my ride up there and I knew it was about to be a good night.

Of course they played the song: "I and Love and You" which was extremely fitting. Forever loving this man and our adventures!

Just like in St. Louis, this was the first time I got to experience a game in the new Braves Stadium at Suntrust Park. The park was huge! There were 4 different levels which all seemed to be filled up each game. The crowd was loud, exciting, and very proud to be Braves fans. My favorite part was when they did the "Tomahawk Chop", that was fun! My only negative thing for this stadium, which is totally a personal choice thing, was that there weren't a whole lot of food options for me being a person who doesn't eat meat. I was a bit surprised by that with how big the stadium was. Overall, my experience here was very nice! They had a beautiful stadium with friendly staff and a crowd that brings excitement to the game of baseball!

Suntrust Park might not have had food I could eat, but they surely had a nice selection of beverages! They had various beer options, a lot from local breweries which you know I love, but I can never turn down a good frozen beverage during a hot baseball game! This was a frozen peach/mango margarita which was really good.

Suntrust Park celebrated "Christmas in July" while we were there!

It doesn't always happen, but often times when I visit SAL his family will be visiting as well. This is something that I truly enjoy! An obvious reason: I don't have to sit alone at the games! Secondly, living so far away from both of our families is hard. So when we get the chance to spend time with his family in different cities, it makes the memories extra special and the wait for holidays seem not as long!

Friends that make the trip to come to your games are great friends! We love spending time with this couple during the off season, and they follow SAL whenever they get a chance. 

If we are going to eat ballpark food, if we are going to drink local beer or any other beverages, we are going to workout! Fitness and staying active is something both SAL and I highly value. He is by far my favorite workout partner and I love finding new gyms with him. To be honest, Crossfit Resurgens was not my first choice when we were looking up gyms to try out. I thought SAL wanted to go there because it was close-ish to our hotel. But after hearing him keep pushing this choice, I could tell he really wanted to check it out, so I gave in and let him pick this time. Boy was I glad he did! Yes, I can admit when I'm wrong... sometimes! Crossfit Resurgens was a gym that succeeded expectations in all areas. Their coaching staff was one of the nicest we have met since we've been doing the whole drop in thing. They took the time to ask us about who we are, why we were visiting, etc. They showed us around the gym and made us really feel at home. The members of Resurgens were also very welcoming. They helped us set up the clock during open gym, asked us for our music preference, things that not just anyone would do when you are dropping in for maybe one or two classes. This is a gym that goes above and beyond to make your experience there enjoyable while getting in a spicy workout! We will definitely be back, Resurgens!

                                Loved the setup here:
                                              ATL
                                          Gym Rules
                                             PR bell   
                                            Weights

                      100% accurate! Needed in more gyms. Loved this!

Post WOD sweaty selfie for the win! Big shoutout again to Resurgens for having us. We will see you again!

This Teacher Gives This CIty an AAA!

Let me start first by saying, I LOVE Charlotte, NC! This city and stadium are hands down my favorite in the International League. Charlotte was one of the first cities I ever visited SAL in so it will always be near and dear to my heart. However, it also has SO much to offer. They do a great job of keeping the city clean. There are a lot of young professionals in the downtown area. Plus, people are always out and about doing something in the city. How could you not love it? Tonight I am recapping my short trip to Queen City and highlighting some of our favorite things to do when we visit, some new places we checked out this time, and everything in between.

One thing we do each year I get to visit Charlotte is go to the US Whitewater Center. This huge outdoor place features: the world's largest man-made whitewater rafting river, zip lines, a ropes course, stand-up paddle boarding, kayaking, rock climbing, and so much more! This center is truly a playground for both children and adults who love outdoorsy adventures. This was our third year coming here and each year we have done different activities. This year we chose to do all of the water activities. Living in FL we get to do a lot of kayaking and stand-up paddle boarding. But, we had never done it here before . It was a BEAUTIFUL day when we went and we just really wanted to enjoy ourselves along with some sun. This was a good choice. However, if you are visiting and have never been then my suggestions for must do's are going to be the zip lines for sure. They have trained staff who walk you through how to properly gear up as well as secure you on each zip.  I believe there are 4 zips total and they are hands down my favorite activity there. I would also recommend the ropes course. Do not overestimate your level of fitness here. Even the beginner level is a challenge. I felt like I was on that American Ninja Warrior show just trying to make it through! Extremely fun and challenging at the same time. You gotta give it a go.

Charlotte Knights have a lot of local brews at the stadium, which I love! However, at least one game of a series I have to get one of these bad boys. This stadium is one of the only ones I have found that have a drink like this. This is a Mango Lime-a-Rita frozen. Now, it tastes totally different than the malt beverage normally tastes in the can. This frozen beverage is way lighter on your stomach but still sweet and tasty. It is a perfect combination at a hot baseball game! They offer them in: mango, strawberry, raspberry, and original lime flavor.

One would think that because I do not eat meat that there isn't much for me to choose from food wise at a baseball stadium. When you think of stadium food you think of hot dogs and hamburgers. Well, I have made it almost like a game for me to scope out stadiums and see what type of non-meat foods I can find and make as a snack. The Knights stadium does actually offer a black bean burger, which sounded tempting. But, I am a big Mexican food gal and that is probably the easiest food to make vegetarian or even vegan. So that's what I went with! :) Here I had the street tacos, also offered as nachos, but without chicken or steak. I had rice, black beans, lettuce, onion, tomato, and salsa, and voila! A simple and delicious dinner right there at the ballpark.

The kids play area at the stadium is quite large and very impressive! Here they offer the little fans various activities such as a rock climbing wall, a jumbo Homer bounce house, a speed pitch, a large slide, and other little activities for the kids to do. In previous years I have even seen a carousel there! This area of the stadium is always packed with parents and little Knights fans. BB&T ballpark definitely draws a crowd for the whole family!

My favorite thing about Friday night baseball: the fireworks after the game!

We found out that Charlotte has 45 local breweries! Wow.. 45. That is a lot. There was no way that we were going to be able to visit all of them, but we definitely started marking off a few while we were there.

Birdsong Brewing Company is the official beer for the Knights. Therefore, we had to go check them out! I love that SAL and I have very similar tastes in beer because we can each get a flight and sample a little of everything the brewery has to offer. We enjoyed all of the beers that we tasted and the company from our bar tender. We will definitely be back!

The second brewery we checked out was called The Wooden Robot. This place was super neat! One side of the building was the brewery and the other side was a Gastropub for food. We obviously checked out both!

The Wooden Robot had probably the tastiest Brussel sprouts I have ever had in my life. This was SAL's choice, which was surprising because he loves his sprouts with bacon. However, we were both highly pleased with this choice. The Brussel sprouts were flash fried, tossed in an Asian vinaigrette, and topped with fresh parmesan cheese. The picture and description can't even do them justice. You have to try them yourself!

Our other option on the Gastropub side was the veggie flatbread because, pizza. This was also a very delicious and tasty choice. We were very pleased with both the beer and food at the Wooden Robot!

Being a foodie we have certain places in cities that we like to frequent. We also love finding new places to try. Where we stay in Charlotte is conveniently located to both some of our favorite food spots and new places that have been going in as the city is growing.

SAL is a big breakfast guy and found this place, Hazelnuts Creperie, when he first started coming to Charlotte a few years ago. He introduced it to me 2 years ago and it is always a must have when I'm in town now. Each crepe is cooked to order. They have an extensive menu of sweet and savory options, or you can simply build your own. We normally like to get one savory and one sweet and share! Hazelnuts also offers freshly brewed hot and cold coffee to pair with your crepe.

We do love us some Hazelnuts crepes. However, we try to only have it one morning per visit as we eat a bit healthier the other mornings. This trip we waited until my last day in the city to enjoy crepes after a workout. I think my face shows how excited I was to finally have this crepe! Notice there is even a bite already missing!

This visit someone at the gym we went to told us about a new market called the Rhino Market and Deli. This place was fantastic! They had draft beer, bottled beer and wine, healthy snacks galore, and a fresh market. The market had breakfast options, salads, and lunch sandwich options. Yes, they definitely have vegan and vegetarian options, just like my sandwich pictured here. An all fresh and raw veggie sandwich with a hummus base on sourdough bread.  We ate here twice while we were in town and were pleased each time.

Also, apparently I'm an impatient eater and can't wait for a picture before trying my food. That or it was right after a workout and I was starving. Either way, oops!

Another new place we tried this visit was a place called B.Good. This place was located right next to the Rhino Market and Deli and conveniently close to where we were staying. B.Good was particularly awesome because everything was local! They get all of their food from North or South Carolina and rotate ingredients depending on the seasons and harvest times. Their saying is, "Food with Roots." If you've been following long, we love to support local. Not only was B.Good a great choice for that, but their food was fantastic. I chose a grilled tofu salad while SAL opted for a burger that day, which he said was delicious as well. 

One thing we capitalize on during my visits are off days! These days are rare so when one happens to fall in the schedule while I am in town, we try and make the most out of it. The off day we had in Charlotte ended up being rainy. But, we still had a great time! We started off our day with a workout. Later on in the afternoon we went to check out the Birdsong Brewery and we ended our evening with a little date night at Duckworth's Grill & Tap-house.

This place was awesome! The upstairs of Duckworth's was a little sports bar. They offered a variety of beer and specialty cocktails as well as a bar food menu. Downstairs at Duckworth's was a completely different restaurant scene! The downstairs portion was a speak-easy restaurant and craft cocktails kind of spot. Everything we had from our appetizer to our dessert was phenomenal. The restaurant portion was very dimly lit, so I do not have pictures, but I think that makes it even better.. the suspense of having to go see for yourself!

Staying fit and healthy is something both SAL and I are passionate about. Therefore, finding local gyms are always on the top of our to-do list. During our visit to Charlotte this time we dropped into a crossfit gym called Reebok Crossfit Charlotte-Uptown. This facility was large and very nice! It was located in the city to where we could walk to and from each day. They also offered classes late enough in the day that this teacher on a break could sleep in a bit, but not too late to conflict with baseball game times. It worked out very nicely. 

Partner workout with a partner farmers carry for 100 meters each. I surprisingly had less struggles than imagined when we had to switch places! You should have seen the looks on the peoples faces having breakfast across from the gym. Maybe their cheers of encouragement gave me more strength than normal!

A big thanks again to Reebok Crossfit for having us while we were in town!

Another glorious trip to Charlotte, NC is in the books! Let me know if you check some of these places out next time you're in town and what you think about them. Also, feel free to send me some other great things to do or see in Charlotte in case I get a chance to make it back this season!

Spring Break + Spring Training = SpringMAZING!

Sitting here still on a Spring Break high that I don't want to come down from. My recent trip to Scottsdale, Arizona was nothing short of amazing!

Hohokam Stadium- home of the Oakland Athletics. This was my favorite stadium name.

Even got to stomp around with Stomper at Hohokam Stadium for a bit!

St. Patrick's Day at Sloan Park- home of the Chicago Cubs. They may not have had green beer, but they did have this fantastic green fruit drink concoction!

Really enjoyed the Cubs rendition of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" during the 7th inning stretch. 

My favorite green thing at Sloan Park was the green hats worn by the players and umpires.

Peoria Sports Complex,  home of the Seattle Mariners and the San Diego Padres. This year they celebrated 25 years of Spring Training in Peoria, AZ!

At first, Dinger the Dino set up for our picture like I did, back to back. Then, at the last minute he whipped out the thumbs up, haha! The confused look on my face is pretty hilarious.

I really enjoyed the game area at the Peoria Sports Complex. What a great idea?! There were oversized games like Jenga, Connect Four, and also had a Corn Hole set. This area was located in the back of the stadium behind left field. There was even a little bar behind all of the games. The whole family can enjoy this area while still being able to watch the game!

                 Salt River Stadium- home of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies. What a beautiful stadium to watch some baseball!

Crossfit BLUR "Takin' the Jiggle Outcha Wiggle!" We were able to finish up the last 2 weeks of the 2018 Crossfit Open out here at this awesome gym! 

This picture captures how we felt after many workouts at Blur! Not only do they have great coaches, but the programming here is unbelievablely awesome. Always a great workout! We would like to thank the owners for all their hospitaility! 

Big City Bagels and Deli is one of our favorite breakfast spots in Scottsdale, AZ. Bagel sandwiches and fresh hot or cold brewed coffee. Perfect morning breakfast!

This veggie bialy from Lox, Stocks, and Bagels was my favorite breakfast sandwich all week! A bialy is a lighter option to a bagel. Instead of being boiled before baked like a normal bagel, a bialy is simply baked. Major difference: the malt in a bagel converts to sugar. Bagels also contains more flour. The bialy was a great alternative to the bagel. This sandwich was tasty and did not leave me too full for the rest of the day!

Checking out local breweries is one of our favorite activities when we travel.. Four Peaks Brewing Company, located throughout the Phoenix Valley did not disappoint! SAL had the Oatmeal Stout while I tried the Chocolate Ale. Both brews were tasty, but the Chocolate Ale was definitely my favorite.

We went with the soft pretzel appetizer. These were paired with a beer cheese and a spicy brown mustard. The pretzels were cooked perfectly and I personally LOVED the mustard with them.

                                                     Not just lucky on St. Patty's Day with this one around. Lucky 24/7 with a love like this!

Clearly pretzels are my thing. This was hands down the best stadium pretzel I've ever had! This was a garlic gourmet pretzel with a sweet and spicy mustard and beer mustard. It paired well with the Four Peaks Peach Ale, I chose. Both of these goodies were found at the Peoria Sports Complex.

Our main adventure of the trip was stand up paddle boarding around Lake Pleasant! Go check out Jarred at Go Paddle AZ when you are in the area to give this a try.

Paddling on my knees because boats kept passing. I was not taking the chance of falling in!

As we were paddling around the lake, we came across these Wild Donkeys. What a "Pleasant" surprise... Pun Intended!

Our gym in JAX had a competition during the Crossfit Open. This particular weeks challenge was to get a photo of yourself doing a pistol squat outside of the gym. SAL and I thought on the paddle boards at the lake would be a cool photo op. However; it didn't turn out too well, I almost ended up in the water with this one!

SAL making it look easy!

Life with you is an adventure. An adventure I love every single day. Cannot wait until our next trip!

Swingin' into Arizona

     As Spring Training 2018 goes into full swing, I am reminiscing about my first trip to Arizona last November. With this being SAL’s second year of fall league I had heard so many wonderful things about it that I just had to check it out for myself! 

     Being a school teacher, I have a lot of perks with time off throughout the year when it comes to visiting SAL. So, last year we planned a special trip for my birthday and for me to make it out to Arizona! I can remember every little detail about that trip. I arrived super late at night with the time change. I came out of the Sky Harbor airport and did not realize how HUGE it was. I kept getting lost while trying to contact SAL. Both of our phones were about to die, and I was just praying I saw his vehicle soon.  Just like most events in life, it worked out! After a little stress and multiple loops around the AZ airport, I was reunited with my man for a wonderful birthday weekend.

     Of course with it being my first time in Arizona I wanted to do and see everything! However, I only had four days there and planning around baseball is not always an easy task. We started off most mornings with a workout and breakfast at a cute little bagel shop with local coffee. Most of the afternoons were spent at one of the six stadiums used for the Arizona Fall League. In the evening, we did a lot of dinners out to spots SAL had found before I came.  

     Now it doesn’t always happen, but every now and then I get lucky with SAL having an off day when I visit. Sure enough, this particular weekend he happened to have one! Off days are rare and we most definitely take advantage of not being tied down to a schedule and try and pack as much into the day as we can. If you have ever been to the Scottsdale area I am sure you have heard of Camelback Mountain. Heck, you’ve maybe climbed it yourself! Being very active people, this is what we decided to do after our morning workout and breakfast. I remember leaving the bagel shop and the sky was kind of cloudy. As I was asking SAL if we should try and hike the mountain or squeeze it in another day, he responded with, “It’s Arizona Haley… it never rains in Arizona. It’s the desert.”  So sure enough, off we headed into the desert to trek this mountain everyone talks about. SAL had hiked this mountain a couple times before so he knew what I was getting myself into. As we drove there he told me about how we have to park a mile or so away and walk up to the trail. He told me how steep the hike was going to be, but he also raved about the views of The Valley I was about to experience! 

     I was getting excited as we grew closer to the mountain according to my GPS. We pulled up, and he was right: it was packed! That’s one thing I loved that about Phoenix, there were so many active people in the area! We had to park just a little over a mile away and walk to the start of the trail. As we were walking away from our vehicle it started to rain! It was not a light drizzle either. I had this look of “are you kidding me” as I looked over at SAL. As I repeated his words, “It’s Arizona Haley… it never rains in Arizona. It’s the desert” we both could not help but crack up laughing. He assured me that the rain would not last long, so off we walked towards the mountain. We reached the beginning of the Cholla Trail rather quickly and began our hike. By this point the rain had lightened, almost completely stopped, and the sun had begun to shine. We stopped a few times for breaks as we hiked up this not-easy-at-all trail so that I could catch my breath, but most importantly, so I could take in the amazing views. There was desert land for miles! Cacti were on the actual trail as it inclined! As you got higher and higher on the mountain, the large city of Phoenix got smaller and smaller. Once we made it to the top the views were unreal! It was definitely a time in life where you stop and take it all in; all of the beauty of the world that God created and how amazing it is!

     As we were trying to decide our plan of action to get down the mountain, SAL had the idea to go back down the opposite way of which we hiked up. From memory he thought the other trail would be less dangerous on the way down. So, we started back down the mountain on the Echo Canyon Trail. Although the hike back down was not easy, I would have to say that SAL was right and that it seemed less dangerous than the Cholla Trail was on the hike up. We made it down the trail in pretty good time. Overall, our complete hike was about 2.5 miles. After getting down the mountain we realized our car was a lot further away than where we started from because we went down the other side of the mountain, haha! So we decided to Uber back to our car. That hike did us both in and walking was not about to happen.

     Although my first experience with Camelback Mountain began with a little “never-happens desert-shower,” it was an amazing and memorable experience. I am counting down the school days until I am back in Arizona for Spring Break and we can take on our next hiking adventure: Tom’s Thumb!