Answers to some of the questions I get frequently asked.
Why the MLS Stadium Tours and MLB Ballpark Tours?
If only I knew.
Hubby and I are big sports fans in general, and we both grew up playing sports and attending sporting events. We bonded over being kids from Chicago who were Green Bay Packer football fans (our parents are from Wisconsin and raised us right!), and we attended many sporting events throughout our courtship. Hubby actually had a soccer scholarship to our university, but opted not to play (that’s a long story), so it’s safe to say that he is a soccer super fan and he got me into it.
The MLB tour was something we just decided to do because we knew people did it, and had already started doing it. We had been to a half dozen stadiums when we decided to officially start the ballpark tour. My bro-in-law is also a huge soccer fan, and he and my sister decided that they were going to do a soccer stadium tour. We just invited ourselves along and the official stadium tour was born!
Really, sports have always been part of our travels too. Whenever I tagged along on Hubby’s work trips, we always found something “local” to do. Often, we figured out what professional or college sports teams were nearby, and would take in a game of whatever was in season. Through talking to other fans at the game, we’d find recommendations for great restaurants or museums to see, and we’d end up having a very fun weekend. We also traveled specifically for sporting events too, like the Maui Invitational and the Big East Tournament. But those were just excuses to go fun places like Maui and New York City!
Sometimes, sports are inherent to the culture of a city or a country. My first trip abroad with Hubby was to Spain, and he convinced me that in addition to museums and parks and food, we had to attend soccer games to get a feel for the culture. We were lucky enough to see FC Barcelona win La Liga, and our hotel was in the middle of the celebration. Because we had attended to the game, we really understood the excitement that reverberated throughout the city.
The reality is that we love to travel, and the stadium tour is a reason for us to get on a plane and explore a new city.
What MLB Ballparks have you visited? What is your favorite?
We’ve been to all but NY Mets, NY Yankees, Boston, Washington, Miami, Colorado, and Arizona. Arizona is the only standalone MLB stadium to visit – the rest will be part of the MLS Stadium Tour.
As a lifelong Brewers fan, my favorite stadium is Miller Park. I love the retractable roof, especially for a city that has weather like Milwaukee does. And is it really baseball if you can’t tailgate? But my Homer pick aside, I really like PNC Park (Pittsburgh), Camden Yard (Baltimore), Oracle Park (San Francisco), and SunTrust Park (Atlanta).
What MLS Stadiums have you visited? What is your favorite?
Seattle, Portland, Kansas City, Houston, LA Galaxy, San Jose, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Chicago, Columbus, and Dallas. We’ve also been to Cincinnati, but it doesn’t count because they will be opening their soccer specific stadium in 2022.
Avaya Stadium (San Jose Earthquakes) is my favorite stadium so far, but Seattle has been my favorite overall MLS experience.
Where have you lived?
- Chicago and several suburbs of Chicago
- Toledo, OH
- Memphis, TN
- Cedar Rapids, IA
- Davenport, IA
- Milwaukee, WI and several suburbs
- Ann Arbor, MI
- Charlotte, NC
- Correggio, Italy
- Cincinnati/Dayton, OH suburbs
Why don’t you use pictures of yourself or your family?
I’m usually behind the camera, and I can’t take a good selfie, so I just don’t have a lot of pictures of myself. Most that I do have are with Hubby and the kiddo. The kiddo isn’t old enough to consent to his picture on the internet so I limit his exposure, and by default I protect the privacy of Hubby as well.
Are you seeking collaborations?
Yes! Contact me via DM on any social media platform, use the Contact Me form on this website, or email me at people.places.memories {at} gmail.com