Royalty sees the 2014 MLB season officially open in Sydney, Australia!

Tickets to 2014 MLB Opening Series Game 1 at Sydney Cricket Ground

After enjoying an overwhelming welcoming gathering, the King & I as well as other people we met including Martyn Bailey all walked over to the Sydney Cricket Ground to see the Arizona Diamondbacks who were designated as the "home" team for the 2014 MLB Opening Series Games. They played host to their division rival, the Los Angeles Dodgers. We arrived there shortly after the gates opened at 5PM so we could take a walk around the inside of the venue, snap pictures & watch batting practice as we prepared for the official start of the new baseball season Down Under. In the process, we got to meet up with fellow ballpark chaser, David Schaffer who hung out with us before the game as we took in the pre game festivities & atmosphere together. We then proceeded to go upstairs to our seats in the upper deck which were right behind home plate the way we like it.

King & I at Tokyo Dome on March 29, 2000

The last time the King & I left North America to see the baseball season open up in a different country & continent was back on March 29, 2000 when we saw our beloved New York Mets host the Chicago Cubs at the Tokyo Dome in Japan. The Mets lost the first game they played there but thankfully they won the second one. They did so in dramatic fashion as Benny Agbayani hit a grand slam in the tenth inning to to send us back home very happy to say the least. What a thrill that was.

 King & I along with David Schaffer at Sydney Cricket Ground

Now turn the clock ahead almost 14 years to the day & this time we were in a new country & continent doing the same. For those of you back in the Northeast, the first pitch was scheduled to come at 4:15AM which was 7:15PM local time in Sydney live on Saturday, March 22nd. Thanks to mother nature, the season was delayed an additional 45 minutes as we had to wait out a rain delay. Finally at 8PM local time, Wade Miley of the Diamondbacks delivered the season's first pitch to Dodgers' right fielder Yusiel Puig & just like that baseball was back for real.

View from Bay 446 row W at Sydney Cricket Ground

As for the rest of the game, the Dodgers drew first blood on the young season as they scored the game's first run in the second inning as center fielder Andre Ethier grounded out to second base but it was good enough to score first baseman Adrian Gonzalez who lead off the inning with a walk. He advanced to third base on a double by leftfielder Scott Van Slyke. The Dodgers added two more runs in the fourth inning when Scott Van Slyke hit a two run homer to right field to give the Dodgers a 3-0 lead. The Diamondbacks broke the shutout in the sixth inning when they got a ground out to second base by newcomer & former Angel Mark Trumbo who they traded for in the off season. He made an impact instantly as he drove in the first run of the season for his new team. Unfortunately for the rest of the Diamondbacks, they couldn't figure out how to beat arguably the game's best pitcher, Clayton Kershaw who pitched well for the first six & two thirds innings of the game. He allowed just the one run, he walked one & he struck out seven in the process. The Dodgers' bullpen shut it down the rest of the way as they were victorious in their first game to start the new season.

Dodgers win, 3-1!

After the game, the King & I wandered around the ballpark. When we finally got back down to the lower level, we ran into Stacey Flores, another ballpark chaser who was looking around for her friend, Evan Bates who she made the trip with. Needless to say, she was disappointed that her Diamondbacks failed to come away with a win. I told her hopefully they'll get even tomorrow. She smiled & thanked me.

After we parted ways, the real fun began for the King & I. We needed to find out our way back to the DeVere Hotel we were staying at in Potts Point. Since we stopped off at the Light Brigade first we didn't know exactly which way we needed to go. Luckily we walked a short distance & we saw a bus stop. We asked a guy who was waiting which bus goes towards our hotel. He kindly told us to get on the bus that showed up shortly thereafter. We took it down Oxford Street. He told us where to get off. He said to walk back a few blocks then make a left. He said it's about a 15 minute walk to our hotel from there.

Ironically, we wandered down the block in the opposite direction when we got off the bus. All of a sudden, Gavin who was Ken Liu's host in Sydney noticed us lost souls on the street right outside a restaurant they were eating at right at that time. He told us to come in. So we sat down & we spoke to them for a little while. He went on his smartphone & he googled our hotel when I told him the exact address. He confirmed that we were told the right way to get there. Since we were new to the country, we wanted to make sure we were going in the right direction. After we finishing speaking to them, we walked the way we were told. Thankfully we did indeed get to the hotel eventually. It turned out to be an interesting walk as we passed through Kings Cross, which is the red light district in the City. It was an interesting area to say the least.

Once we finally got to the hotel, we went up to our room & we got some much needed sleep after a very long day.

Stay tuned for another special post that will recap the way we spent our Sunday in Sydney.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman

Royalty goes Down Under to see MLB baseball season start & then some!‏

Prince is ready to go Down Under from JFK

On Thursday, March 20th the King & I realized a dream when we boarded a Delta Airlines plane to Sydney, Australia that made a stop in Los Angeles, California from New York JFK airport. We left NYC at 4:45PM Eastern time. We arrived in LAX at 9:12PM Pacific time. We then wound up going right to our connecting flight that was getting ready to board for Sydney, Australia. We finally landed Down Under at 6:20AM local time on Saturday morning which is 15 hours ahead of our time zone here in the Northeast. In the process, we flew passed the equator & over the international dateline. By doing so, we didn't get to enjoy Friday the 21st. With that being said, on the way back we would make up the day we lost.

My Passport Stamp

Upon arrival, we went through customs to officially get into a new country & continent. Lucky for us, the process went rather quickly. Once we finished, we proceeded to go to the Travel Concierge at Sydney Airport since we didn't have a preset game plan as far as sightseeing went. Without further adieu, I spoke to a young lady there named Fatima who was very helpful at guiding us along. First of all, she told us they had a shuttle bus that we would take us right to our hotel. I knew from doing my research that the Airport Link train they have goes to an area called Kings Cross that was a 7 minute walk to the hotel. That was $16.40 one way. Fatima told me we could take their shuttle bus instead one way for $19. It would have been $32 round trip but since we needed to leave early upon our return to the airport, we decided to take her up on her deal. In retrospect, it turned out to be a smart move. For a few bucks more, we got door to door service right to our hotel. It was better than dragging our luggage around more than necessary. Since there were other customers on the bus we got to take a ride around the CBD aka the Central Business District if you will. That's what they refer to as their downtown area there. After taking a joy ride we arrived at our hotel in Potts Point which is a classier suburb of  inner Sydney. The lady who sat next to us on the plane told us that it's a very nice area. I think she gave us sound advice when it was all said & done.

Prince at Sydney Airport

In addition, we also purchased a one day trip to go to the Blue Mountains & Wildlife Park Tour & the Australian Explorer which is a sightseeing bus tour for another day. By doing so, we had something set in stone for a few of the open days we set aside to look around the City & the surrounding areas during the time we planned to be there.

DeVere Hotel in Potts Point, Australia

As for the hotel, we stayed at the DeVere Hotel for six nights which also included breakfast each morning that we paid half price for since we were staying at that hotel. Their slogan is simply comfortable & affordable. It wasn't the top of the line nor was it the bottom of the barrel. It was somewhere in between. It suited us just fine since the location turned out to be ideal for our needs. Upon arrival early Saturday morning, we were able to get an early check in at 9:30AM instead of the normal 2PM check in time. In addition, since we got there around 8:45AM they even gave us a voucher for a free breakfast while we waited for our room to be ready. Right off the bat, I knew I made a sound decision when I booked the room online in the middle of February. 

I also want to personally thank our pal, fellow roadtripper & experienced world traveler, Sean MacDonald who was vital in helping me plan out this once in a lifetime journey. He guided me along as I found a way to piece together this excursion to foreign land. When I first knew I was going there, I didn't have a clue. As it got closer, I did the best I could researching online & I also read a book called Australia For Dummies that a co-worker of mine had given me. He used it when he went there on his honeymoon last April. It proved to be a very helpful & informative tool in finalizing my trip plans. 

Once we got checked in, we went to the room & we got to catch up on sleep since we were exhausted from the long plane ride we took to get there. We managed to get three hours sleep before we went out to meet up with some Ballpark Chasers that I arranged to meet on our way to the Sydney Cricket Ground where the MLB Opening Series games were taking place between the Los Angeles Dodgers & the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Across the street from the hotel, there was a Woolworth's store that sold tickets for the bus that would take us towards The Light Brigade in Paddington where we were going to meet these people at 3PM for pre game drinks. We wound up buying a ten ride pack for $18.40 which was a discounted price from the usual $2.20 they charge for each ride individually. It turned out that we needed to take two different buses in order to get where we needed to go. That plus some help from some perfect strangers aka mates as they call people there. Thankfully we were able to find a few who were very nice & helpful. Without them, we would have never found the place without wasting more time. We did arrive later than planned because we had to wait for the first bus for quite some time. In the end, it all worked itself out.

The Light Brigade in Paddington, Australia

When we finally arrived at the Pub, I walked in & I looked around for familiar faces but I didn't notice any right away. All of a sudden, I heard someone yell out & I quote "Casiano" it was none other than Eddie Bultman who was present & accounted for along with a table filled with other Ballpark Chasers. Among those people who showed up were David Schaffer who's also from NYC. I've met him a few times. I arranged to have him join us there. In addition, Ken Liu who I had been in contact with online also showed up. He lives in Los Angeles & he likes the Dodgers. He was there with a guy named Gavin who he hired as his host for the time he was spending in Sydney. Furthermore, a young lady named Stacey Flores who I spoke to briefly online through the Ballpark Chasers Facebook page was there with her friend Evan who now lives in Phoenix with her but he said he's originally from Seattle. They were Diamondback fans. We also met up with a guy from Toronto named Martyn Bailey whose been to 66 different countries he said. I remember him mentioning on the ballpark chasers  Facebook page that he was going too. It was great to meet him. Last but definitely not least was a gentleman named Paul Tyson who was there with his lovely wife Susan. Eddie & I knew him from Twitter. He lives in Melbourne, Australia. He & Susan came up to see the first game. As a result, he's the reason we wound up there in the first place. It turned out to be a memorable welcoming gathering for all of us. We all got to share stories of our amazing travels.

Ballpark Chasers meet up at The Light Brigade

When we got finished we made our way over to the Sydney Cricket Ground which was within walking distance. Along the way, we lost some of the group & since communicating was difficult because I didn't get a data plan while I was there, I had to rely on WIFI & random meet ups. Ironically the King & I managed to run into some of these people along the way at the game. 

Speaking of the game, please stay tuned for a special post that will go into detail about the first MLB game ever played Down Under.

Thank you for reading & following along.

Yours truly,

Gary Herman