With a 4-2 lead, the Houston Astros win the 2022 World Series against the Philadelphia Phillies. This is their second World Series Championship their first one being in 2017. As promised, DLT! will visit the winning team's city, Houston, in the next Major League Baseball (MLB) season to attend an Astros game and share with you other fun things that can be done there. A little background: My family has always loved baseball. When we lived in South Florida, I recall attending many Florida Marlin games when they played at the Orange Bowl Stadium. Then, when we moved to Central Florida, we would go to Rays games at Tropicana Field - as they were geographically closer to us. So, for a while now, it has been my goal to visit each MLB stadium and attend a home game. This past MLB season we went to a Miami Marlins game and a Los Angeles Angels game.
Miami Marlins at Loan Depot Park
Location: Miami, FL
Parking: Garage - We paid $20 the day we went and had to pay online
Indoor or Outdoor Stadium: Both with their retractable roof mechanism, but the roof was closed when we were there
Team Colors: Black, Blue, Red, and White
Team Mascot: Billy the Marlin
Growing up almost every time we went to a Marlins game, I would see a Goodyear Blimp in the sky, similar to the one found here. As Matthew and I were driving to the stadium this summer, I noticed something flying in the sky and immediately got flashbacks. I told Matthew, "OE, I wonder if it's a Goodyear Blimp" and *BAM* it was! Per usual, we were running late to the game, so we went straight to the parking garage instead of riding around to find cheap parking around the stadium. In the garage, instead of the workers collecting the cash up front or swiping our card, there were signs that said I had to pay online. Unfortunately, the online payment was giving me a hard time - it took about 15 minutes to get that settled - pushing us further behind.
When we, finally, entered the stadium grounds, we noticed shipping containers stacked on top of each other with vibrant-colored murals painted on them. One of them had an opening with neon lights inside - that immediately caught my eye so we walked over to check it out. Inside the shipping container, they had the Miami Marlins' name listed in neon lights with the logo in the middle, pictured within. On the other side, they had a big red 305 along with different tropical designs and a big Marlin logo.
As we walked towards the inside of the stadium, we saw they had 3 batting cages outside where people could hit baseballs before the game. We didn't get the chance to do that since we were behind schedule and didn't want to miss the first pitch. Within the stadium, there were plenty of photo opportunities and food options. We snapped a few pictures and quickly found our seats.
Once the first pitch was over, Matthew quickly jumped out of his seat to figure out the food situation. They had plenty of food options like your typical ballpark food, Latin-inspired dishes, ceviche, sushi, BBQ, tacos, chicken, and more. The coolest thing we noticed was that they had a concession stand called 3o5 menu. Those unfamiliar with the Miami area, they use area code 305, and that specific concession stand sold typical ballpark food items for $3 or (o/0) $5. This was the first baseball stadium I've noticed that had an economical food option. We appreciated it, as we typically try to travel on a budget and purchased food there. We had plans to eat at Pinolandia (a Nicaraguan Fritanga near the stadium) after the game, so we ate light at the park. However, we still ended up purchasing an expensive MLB ball cap ice cream at the stadium for each of us. 😅
After a few innings, we roamed the stadium and found Billy's Boathouse and the Recess Sports Lounge. At Billy's Boathouse, they had a little play area for the kids and at certain times of the game you could meet Billy the Marlin. This section also had a home run derby simulator. Let me tell you, I wasn't the best at it, but Matthew was even worse. Disclaimer - if you wear glasses, you can't wear them when you have on the goggles and it will look super blurry. I assume that's why we didn't do too well, but let's be honest, it probably wasn't. The Recess Sports Lounge was practically on the outfield, although you couldn't 'actually' touch the field. It was mostly a sports bar, but it was pretty fancy, and the day we went there was a social networking event taking place, so it was FULL. As we checked out the Sports Lounge, we noticed a clear glass at the end that let you see some of the players in the Pitcher's Bullpen - that was pretty neat! Overall, we had a great time at the stadium and would go again! If I'm not mistaken, the Marlins lost, but that's nothing new. However, I will always be a Marlins fan - GO FISH!
Los Angeles Angels at Angel Stadium of Anaheim
Location: Anaheim, California
Parking: Surface Level Lot - It was free the day we went
Indoor or Outdoor Stadium: Outdoor
Team Colors: Red, Navy Blue, Silver, and White
Team Mascot: Officially, none but unofficially the Rally Monkey
As soon as you approach the stadium, you see two ginormous Angel caps welcoming you to the stadium, as seen below. Under the left cap, they had a DJ spinning tracks before the game. Under the right cap, they had Toyota sponsoring a photo opportunity in a white Toyota Tacoma truck bed.
Although their name is the Los Angeles Angels, they are located in Anaheim - the city of Disneyland. Because of that, they had a few Mickey Mouse Statues around the stadium, one seen below. Immediately seeing this I thought Mickey was their mascot, but during the game, I realized no mascot ever came out or was advertised on the screens.
Towards the end of the game, the Angels were down, and all of a sudden comes, a video of an older cowboy and an Angels jersey-wearing, screeching-jumping monkey pops up on the jumbotron. The crowd started going WILD, and a ton of stuffed monkeys rose from the seats. Matthew and I were so confused - I had to consult with the "Googles." I learned that the Angels do not have an official mascot. Instead, they have an unofficial mascot known as the Rally Monkey. Supposedly, in one of their games in 2000, the Angels were trailing behind their opponent. The two video board operators thought it would be a good idea to play a snippet of a monkey jumping around with the words "Rally Monkey" over it. As fate would have it, the Angels ended up winning the game. In 2002, a similar scenario arose, but this time it was the World Series! The video broadcasters played the Rally Monkey clip again, and they won the championship. The day we were there the Angels weren't doing the greatest, but once the Rally Monkey showed up, they turned around, and the game got real intense. However, I guess the Rally Monkey doesn't always bring good luck since they lost anyway.
Similar to the Marlins stadium, the Angels had a lot of good photo opportunities both inside and outside the stadium - make sure to check out the slideshow above. While we enjoyed the game, we got a delicious ballpark nacho in a big Angels cap and ice cream in a cone and a small Angels cap. It's now a tradition to get ice cream in an MLB cap with the team's logo on it whenever we go to a new stadium. As seen in slideshow picture number 2, they have a rock formation behind the outfield that serves as a calm waterfall. To the right of that, they have a green open space where people are able to sit and enjoy the game. Lastly, the night we attended had a firework show after the game and it was synced to famous/well-known songs. We truly enjoyed the firework show to end the night, but it would have been nice to see the home team win.
Bottom of the 9th
We enjoyed cheering on each team, eating ballpark food, singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," and exploring both stadiums. We cannot wait for next year to visit the Astros Stadium and explore their hometown! Have you attended an MLB game? Make sure to let us know in the comments below. If you haven't yet, make sure to share your experience on social media and tag us on our Dale, Let's Travel! pages. Speaking of social media... don't forget to follow us! 😊
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