A Yankee Farewell

Last week, the Woodruff family had a solemn, unusual mid-week gathering. For almost a year, we had been planning on getting together last Tuesday night to say goodbye to baseball's most famous stadium: Shea Stadium of the New York Yankees. It's not that any of us had ever really had an individual connection with the stadium or were huge fans of the Yankees. But as dedicated MLB enthusiasts throughout the years, we felt a desire to say farewell to such a historic landmark.
So last Tuesday, Nate, Dad, and I all drove up to New York from the south. Adam, Sarena, and the kids drove out from the north. Kyle flew in to La Guardia (after a lovely evening in Denver's airport), and we met Mitch Bates there. This was my first trip to the Big Apple, and I think it was Nate's and Kyle's, too. My first thought about the city as we drove over a bridge and it came into view was how big it was. It sprawled across the horizon. My other first impression had to do with the traffic... it was horrible! And people were extremely aggressive. So although it was not exactly enjoyable to drive in the city, by following the old adage of "When in Rome...," I was able to get us around without too much delay.
The game itself was nice. We had seats way out in the "bleachers" section of the outfield (which unfortunately we found out too late doesn't connect to the rest of the stadium). But we still enjoyed the game, especially when Kyle's and Jared's name lit up the big screen when it listed everyone who was having a birthday that day. Oh, and one other thing: the hot dogs were only okay there and the pretzels were a huge letdown.