Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by michael schwartz (71) on January 4, 2015 at 8:58am

IMO, St. Louis is the best baseball town in America. K.C. has a very nice older ballpark, plus terrific BBQ, the Negro Baseball Leagues Museum and a museum of jazz next door. All your choices will be fun, but the SL/KC pair is special.

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Permalink Reply by Juan G. Ruiz on January 5, 2015 at 6:24am

Thanks for the feedback, Michael. Your input made the STL/KC trip a serious contender in my eyes and now I'm thinking it's going to be either that one or CIN/PIT, depending on what weekend works better for my ballpark chasing partner. Greatly appreciate your help.

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Permalink Reply by Bill Pritchard (29) on January 5, 2015 at 5:39pm

I'm doing the Houston/Texas trip this summer, and just from planning it I would suggest making it a 4 or 5 day trip. Between flying/being at the airport and driving through Texas, you might want more time to enjoy it.

Three days is really pushing it for two parks; I did the STL/KC trip last season and wish I would have had an extra day. I left early Friday, flew home late Sunday, but with schedule changes (Cards got moved to ESPN Sunday for example), in addition to wait times (restaurants/attractions) it felt really rushed. They are great towns, esp STL, but I wish we would have had an extra day to spend in KC.

That said, my choice would be to do STL/KC, but give yourself a fourth day if you can. After that, I'd pick PIT/CIN. Those are both really fun cities and good ballparks.

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Permalink Reply by Juan G. Ruiz on January 5, 2015 at 5:53pm

Bill, I've always done 2-3 days tops in some bigger cities with lots to do and almost always feel rushed but I am satisfied. But I think you are right, this year I may do a 4 day trip (leaving Thursday morning and coming back on Sunday)in order to relax and not feel rushed. I would love to hear how your Houston/Texas trip goes. I think I will eliminate it as an option this year but def do it in the future.

If I do PITT/CIN, I'm giving myself an extra day in PITT. I've long heard good things about how the steel city has reinvented itself (lots of good food, good bars, aesthetically nice).

If I do KC/STL, I am leaning towards an extra day in KC but really don't have a preference for either one. If I left on Thurs and came back on a Sunday, how would you spend your time between the two cities?

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Permalink Reply by Bill Pritchard (29) on January 5, 2015 at 6:12pm

I'd lend a bit more time to see STL, but not cheat yourself out of seeing KC. Depending on which one you fly into and what time it is, I would go see the other city first. (We flew into/out of STL, so we drove to KC after we landed).

If you are sightseeing, the Gateway Arch and Ballpark Village / Busch Stadium tour are good ones, and the Negro Leagues and Jazz Museum in KC are good ones too. Depending on your schedule, and the teams', maybe go to KC Thurs-Fri, and drive back to STL late Fri or early Sat. It all depends on how much driving you want to do during "peak" hours.

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Permalink Reply by Juan G. Ruiz on January 5, 2015 at 6:15pm

Is the St. Louis bar presence in the surrounding Busch Stadium area good? Is there a scene or is it just the ballpark? Thanks again for your input. I think this one is my last question.

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Permalink Reply by Bill Pritchard (29) on January 5, 2015 at 6:22pm

I only went to the Fox Sports bar in Ballpark Village, and it was pretty packed. They had the Missouri football game on (it was September) Saturday afternoon, then the Rams/Cowboys game on Sunday got even more of a crowd. Tables were full but you could easily find a spot on a drink rail, and it wasn't hard to get a drink.

Other than that I didn't really notice any noteworthy bars in the immediate area. It looked like a lot more activity was going on a few more blocks away.

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Permalink Reply by Juan G. Ruiz on January 5, 2015 at 6:29pm

Much appreciated! If you remember, please come back to this discussion and tell me about your Texas trip, When are you going anyway?

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Permalink Reply by Bill Pritchard (29) on January 5, 2015 at 6:35pm

Will do.

We're going the last week of May.

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Permalink Reply by Juan G. Ruiz on January 5, 2015 at 6:36pm

Have fun.

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Permalink Reply by Chris Kempf 13 on January 7, 2015 at 1:44pm

Juan
You asked about the bar scene in STL. We were there last September and went to Llywelyn's Pub in Soulard. It was very nice with a great beer selection and the added bonus of a free trolley to the game. Parking at the pub was free and we did not have long waits to and from the game. Also took the drive to KC. I actually like the KC experience much better than STL - a bit more mellow. Make sure you plan for a stop in Columbia on the way to KC. It's a cool college town with some good brew pubs. We particularly liked the Broadway Brewery and Restaurant. Had a really good lunch and a couple beers on our way to KC. If you are looking for a place to stay in KC, I would recommend the Drury Inn and Suites. It's right across the freeway from the ballpark and they have an awesome free breakfast with a cocktail hour in the evenings. Have fun!

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Permalink Reply by Joe Robertson 438 Bparks 47 MLB on January 8, 2015 at 10:48am

Juan,
I live an hour from both Cleveland & Columbus and 3 hours away from Pittsburgh Detroit & Cincinnati. If you fly into Columbus rent a car you may be able to see all 4 mlb parks

Good Luck,
Joe

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