Stuck in the Middle With You: Keystone State Travels

Even Abe Lincoln will tell you there's a lot to explore in the state of
Pennsylvania between the cities of Pittsburgh and Pennsylvania

Leaving Pittsburgh and traveling eastward through Pennsylvania, we firmly had several National Parks in our sights as our main destinations. When it comes to the United States, the amount of and virtual age of this history tends to grow as you trek toward the Atlantic Ocean.

On this trip, we ended up spanning the historical timeline, from an unexpected find related to a conflict barely covered in the lower grade levels (the French-Indian War) to an event which has become a modern time "Day of Infamy" in the terrorist attacks of 09/11/2001.

Viewing nature's beauty was also prime on the docket, as we dropped by a state park with plenty of outdoor charms and a world-renowned architectural work whose best quality just might lie in how it blends in with the natural flora and fauna surrounding it.

Everyone needs a little curveball to break up the routine, and for us, that came in the form of a minor league baseball game and craft beer on an evening which scared away many due to the weather.

IWD 500: Traverse City Area

2019 Update: social media links have been updated as well as Google Maps info added. 

Our recent journey into Northern Michigan took us into Traverse City, one of the prime cherry-growing regions of the world and home of the National Cherry Festival in July.

Of course, Traverse City has much more than this fruit to recommend it to travelers; some of our more interesting encounters are documented below:

Cherry Republic: we had missed out on the peak of cherry season in Traverse City, though there were plenty of roadside stands still selling their harvest. However, all is not lost - if you want anything (and I mean anything) remotely cherry-related, you'll more than likely find it at this local institution. A place like this was a must stop for us, with my spouse being a self-proclaimed cherry-holic.

Cherry Republic has four locations spread out over Northern Michigan. Dropping by their location in downtown Traverse City, we found out that similar to a place like Costco, customers can sample an array of their products, including beverages, sweets, salsas, trail mixes and preserves. And who are we to refuse such generous circumstances.

You might be able to find specific products more cheaply at other places, but if you've got a wide and varied gift list, this is probably as good as it gets for getting all your shopping done in one fell swoop. Bonus points if you can spot their salute to the country of Poland on their store interior (apparently their country's farmers came through big time after a freak weather pattern killed off most of the state's crop in 2012.)

Cherry Republic
154 E Front St (Google Maps)
Traverse City, MI 49684
(800) 206-6949
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Wuerfel Park: this baseball stadium looks more like a modern-styled apartment complex or shopping mall from the outside, but the inside reveals a little gem of a ballpark. Home of the Frontier League's Traverse City Beach Bums, this stadium has varied seating options and are quite affordable (even a private suite or table will run you only $20-$25 per person if you max out the capacity.)

Likewise, food is very respectably priced and covers all the standard stadium staples. A few more unique beverage choices can be found at Wuerfel, including some Bell's Brewery craft beer and soda pop made by Grand Rapids based Northwoods.

Those attuned to baseball's major leagues will be able to see that the talent is generally a notch lower. However, this does not detract one bit from the effort and passion put out by the players as they perform on the field. Perhaps for some of these folks, dreams of getting picked up by or receiving the call back to the major leagues will be realized (almost 30 players who have played in the Frontier League have received that call in the league's 21 years of existence.)

Nor does this lessen the fun a family group or baseball fan can have at these games. We both sensed that everyone associated with the league knew that pleasing the fan was the prime directive, a refreshing change from most bigger money sports. The ultimate example of this was a player from the visiting Lake Erie Crushers (currently the only Ohio-based team in the league) handing a no longer usable bat to a boistrous (in a good way) home-team-rooting child sitting next to us. The sheer joy and thrill he expressed after receiving his prize could not help but bring a smile to your face.

Wuerfel Park
333 Stadium Drive (Google Maps)
Traverse City, MI 49685
(231) 943-0100
Website

2019 Update: The Beach Bums are no more; the team and stadium was sold to new owners and will now be known as the Traverse City Pit Spitters of the Northwoods League.  For more information, please check out their website.

The Little Fleet: This was a completely chance find, as we headed into Traverse City with no definite lunch plans nor any real prior research as to the town's lunch options. However, we were absolutely thrilled to find something that promised a change of pace from what had been restaurants heavily weighted toward American and bar food items.

Essentially (with slight variations) Traverse City's version of Columbus' Dinin' Hall, visitors will find a parking lot anchored by The Little Fleet bar filled with eight locally-based mobile food trucks and/or trailers. Food items and non-alcoholic drinks are ordered at the individual trucks or trailers themselves. An intriguing option exclusive to this food court (which I later regretted not trying) was a specially bottled grapefruit-jalapeño soda pop.

Those who are seeking something alcoholic with their meal can order something inside the bar. My spouse and I opted for this option and found a gem in the Northern Natural Cranberry Ginger Cider. I went for the New Holland Full Circle Kolsch, which fit the bill of something lighter to go with my meal.

The spouse and I went different routes in breaking up our culinary ruts; she went with the most unconventional thing on the Anchor Station food truck's fairly conventional menu (burgers, dirty fries, and nachos) and was rewarded with a solidly made falafel sandwich. On the other hand, I went completely unconventional and ordered up the most strange sounding grilled cheese from the menu of the EZ Cheesy trailer: the Tampopo ($6), which consisted of ramen, kimchi, shaved brussel sprouts, plus melted mozzarella and cheddar on brioche. Personally, I would've preferred if the sandwich had more prominent kimchi and brussel sprout flavor profiles, but it was enough of a curveball from what I had been eating that it satisfied my taste buds in the end.

2017 Update: The Little Fleet Food Truck Court continues strongly, though EZ Cheesy may have given up the ghost based on their Facebook activity.  Updated social media information and the current food truck listings are linked below.

The Little Fleet Food Truck Court & Bar
448 E. Front St (Google Maps)
Traverse City, MI 49686
(231) 943-1116
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A League of Our Own: Hanging with the Clippers

Harold Cooper's Statue

While I love a good Major League Baseball game (especially when it involves the team I grew up with, the San Francisco Giants,) I find games at the minor league level as a whole much more entertaining. The "everything but the kitchen sink" mantra rules here as fan attendance is central for lower-level professional teams in terms of team value and the ability to pay the bills.

The smaller size of these ballparks is a bonus as well; one typically never feels too claustrophobic when the park is packed to the rafters, nor too isolated when a sparser crowd is in house. Finally, the motif of a baseball game in just about any format fits that uncomplicated summer task of lazing away in the day's warmth for a few hours with your favorite food and beverage at the ready.

While I have already attended a minor league game already last year in Ohio courtesy of the Akron Rubberducks (who were then known as the Aeros,) my spouse and I had never dropped in together on a home game for Columbus' very own Clippers until earlier this month during the Independence Day holiday weekend.

Huntington Park, home of the Columbus Clippers, reminds me a lot of another capital city's home park - Raley Field in Sacramento, California. Unlike Raley Field, Huntington Park has some of the outdoor touches of the San Francisco Giants' own AT&T Park, including the prominent brick structures and the little covey areas where fans can sneak a free peek at the game. The statue of Harold Cooper at the front gate, considered the patriarch of Columbus baseball, also reminded me of the quartet of statues surrounding my former home ballpark.

Something that was pleasantly NOT like the Bay Area was the parking price - we were quite happy when we only had to fork over $5 for a nearby parking garage (I paid five times as much for parking at the last Giants game I was able to catch.)

With the Clippers a Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, their games against their intrastate rival Toledo Mud Hens (affiliate of the Indians' cross-border divisional rival Detroit Tigers) tend to be more zesty than a typical league game. What had been a game that still had seat tickets available on Friday became a standing-room only affair by the time we got pay our admission the next day. These standing room only tickets ($7 each) proved to be a fairly nice buy however as there are plenty of walls, picnic benches and counters around the ballpark to set up camp. If one chose, more standing and seating areas were available beyond the left field stands if you decided some munchies at Bob Evans or Roosters were in the cards for you.

Before the ballgame started, the owner of the Clippers came onto the field to announce that since the Clippers were actually in town for the Independence Day holiday weekend for the first time, they were using the occasion to honor military servicemen and women from around the area. But as is the minor league baseball way of doing things, the first part of the kitchen sink was thrown in: WWE Wrestling icon Sergeant Slaughter (himself a former Marine and someone my siblings and I watched as kids) was introduced to the crowd first and would be available to sign autographs during the game. In addition, all fans received packages of baseball cards depicting many of those military service personnel introduced before the first pitch (a truly cool gesture.)

After these personnel were brought out and introduced (with nice ovations) to the crowd, another part of the sink came in the form of military paratroopers. Representing each service branch, the paratroopers launched themselves from a plane above, tantalizingly circled overhead for a couple minutes, and then glided individually onto the field. The final paratrooper ended the show perfectly by escorting the American flag proudly down against the backdrop of a setting sun.

Old Glory flies proudly into the stadium

We had had a late lunch before the ballgame, so as it turns out we did not partake of the food. We did see that besides the previously mentioned Bob Evans and Roosters, other Columbus institutions like City Barbecue and Donato's have food stands along with the stadium-based vendors. The prices seemed to be in the reasonable range from my quick glance of the boards with all the usual and one not too usual (couscous with veggies!) menu items.

The warm day did make me and the Mrs. thirsty for some locally-produced brew; however, the only option we were able to locate was a stand with a couple of Columbus Brewing handles. $9 for a large seemed to be a tad steep, but we weren't going to settle for anything less this evening and were happy with cups of their IPA and Summer Teeth seasonal.

Local food and beverage options can be found throughout the park

The game itself was a pretty exciting back and forth affair, but it really was just part of a larger show. Along with the military personnel tributes, there were people anticipating the fireworks at the end of the game plus the numerous in-between inning contests to get the crowd involved. Deep down, I really got the sense that people were out here because it was simply a gorgeous summer evening, and the ballpark was the perfect place to spend that time with your friends and family.

It wouldn't be a baseball game without the kids...

By the end, the proverbial kitchen sink for many of us was full. Along with a handshake and an autograph from Sgt. Slaughter (I couldn't resist) and the giveaway cards, everyone received a couple of coupons for a free games at a local bowling alley (as a result of a Clippers' pitcher striking out the side in an inning) and a pretty nice fireworks show to close it down. 

Suffice it to say, Mrs. 614orty-Niner and I had a really nice time at the ballpark, and we'll definitely be out there again. Perhaps these (paraphrased) words from a somewhat famous song by Chicago summarized our day there the best:

Saturday in the park

I know it was the Fifth of July

People reaching, people touching

A real celebration

Awaited for us all

Columbus Clippers
Triple-A minor league franchise of the Cleveland Indians
Home games at Huntington Park
330 Huntington Park Lane (Arena District - Google Maps)
Columbus, OH 43215
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