I know this has been a few days ago, but I have held off posting about actual things we did until I managed to connect the camera to the laptop to transfer the pictures we made. I finally succeeded (little victory dance), so hopefully this will make for slightly more visual posts from now on.
Anyway, last Tuesday was the day we’d been looking forward to so much: we’d go to see a game at Yankee Stadium. Not only that, but we figured if we’d get there early enough, we’d be able to go on the stadium tour as well. Getting tickets to a Yankees game, especially for Europeans, turns out to be no easy feat: since the historic stadium is in its last year before being demolished, most games are sold out. There are of course altnernate means of obtaining tickets (stubhub.com, ebay, craigslist), but none of them prove to be what you would call travel-friendly; almost all require an American billing address. Of course, what happens invariably in these situations is that you end up with extra tickets: international help (thanks 
) to secure the ebay tickets wasn’t even necessary in the end, as we found a guy that sold us two tickets below face value, after meeting him in person (scary moment: the guy left, and we had 4 tickets to a game on August 1st in our hands. Luckily he realized his error soon enough).
So, with the assurance we’d be able to see a game, we set off for the Bronx on Tuesday morning. About 30 minutes on the subway, and then get off at 161st Street – Yankee Stadium.
Dieter at the subway stop on 161st Street
To our delight, stadium tours were still available. After a bit of a humorous introduction by a security guard (I was surprised I was the only one laughing at “We DO NOT bounce off the walls”) we went inside, for Dieter to see that green grass for the first time.It really is amazing the amount of sports history that has taken place inside the House That Ruth Built, the stadium that doesn’t even need a first name: the Joe Louis vs. Max Schmeling fights, football’s “The Greatest Game Ever Played“, Pele, Reggie Jackson’s 3 consecutive homeruns, the first November baseball ever, 37 World Series, All-Star games, and so on… Not to mention 3 masses by various Popes :eter and me in the Yankee dugout
The tour itself was pretty great: it basically consisted of going to Monument Park (where the Yankees put all the plaques, monuments, and retired numbers for some of their former players), a walk around the warning track (I never realized they let you “on the field”), inside the dugout and the press box. All in all, a breathtaking experience.
Dieter and me in the Yankee dugout
A few hours later, we returned for the actual game. It was a nice close game, with lots of exciting moments along the way. Unfortunately for us, the Yankees’ inability to hit with runners in scoring position (again!) cost them in the end, as closer extraordinaire Mariano Rivera gave up a run in the 9th (only his 4th of the year; on Tuesday, it was mostly a case of bad luck), handing Texas the win, 3-2. I guess we jinxed them: Dieter had bought himself a Rivera jersey, while my #2 jersey (Jeter) didn’t even get into the game, but stranded in the on-deck circle in the bottom of the 9th.
Everything taken together though, it was absolutely worth it, we’ll hopefully try to get one more game in before we head home.
Wouter
P.S. It’s 2.30 AM, and WordPress apparently is very stingy when you want text to wrap around pictures and their captions, so I’ll try to post some more photos of this tomorrow, because right now, it’s annoying me terribly.
). After one afternoon/evening of driving, we are in a motel somewhere a bit south of 
