Our trip to the World Series!

As mentioned in our previous post, ‘Cats Intern rewarded…heading to World Series, 2011 Merchandise Intern and current Siena Student Tom Carmona won a trip to games one and two of the World Series in St. Louis. He went along with ValleyCats Fan Development Manager Michelle Skinner.

Below is Michelle’s recap of the trip:

On the morning of Tuesday, October 18 I set off for St. Louis for Games 1 & 2 of the 2011 World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Texas Rangers.  Merchandise Intern, Tom Carmona and I won the trip through the “Going for the Goal” promotion held by Minor League Baseball.

We had to take separate flights due to Tom’s afternoon midterm exam so I traveled from Albany to Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C.  After a short layover and some lunch, I made my way to St. Louis.  (Unfortunately Tom’s travels were not as smooth.  Delayed from Albany, he missed his connection in Philadelphia and spent the night in the airport; arriving in St. Louis on Wednesday afternoon.)

When I landed in St. Louis, I took a short “MetroLink” ride to the Stadium station.  MetroLink is a small train system that runs through St. Louis from the airport, across the Mississippi, to Illinois.  The train let me off right at Busch Stadium.  From the corner I could see the stadium, The Arch, and the Millennium Hotel.

The hotel was a short, two block walk from Busch Stadium and our rooms overlooked the Mississippi River and Arch.

After checking into the hotel, I did a little exploring.  First order of business was to research the merchandise.  I stopped by the Cardinals Team Store and walked to the Scottrade Center, home of the NHL’s St. Louis Blues.

Both stores were very impressive and offered some great ideas for SouthPaw’s Den.

Following those visits, I then walked through Union Station, which was once one of the world’s largest and busiest train stations, but in the early 80′s was converted into a shopping center, entertainment complex and hotel.

I read about the history of St. Louis as the Gateway to the West and then headed back towards the river for dinner in historic Laclede’s Landing (http://lacledeslanding.com).  “The Landing” is St. Louis’ oldest district and happens to be where the city was founded.  Fittingly, I had the “St. Louis Baseball Steak” at Jake’s Steaks (http://www.dinejakes.com).

Wednesday morning, while Tom flew from Philadelphia, to North Carolina, and finally to St. Louis, I went to the top of The Arch and ate lunch at Pappy’s Smokehouse (http://pappyssmokehouse.com), St Louis’ best BBQ joint.

After finally meeting up with Tom, we headed for the Pre-game Block Party outside Busch Stadium.

After entering the stadium, we were excited to watch the Tarp Crew remove the tarp from the field.

The facility is top-notch and the entire staff were friendly and helpful. The Cardinals run a great operation. Game 1 was an exciting game and the crowd went crazy at the final out.

On Thursday, Tom and I went to the top of The Arch (my second trip in as many days!).

We then ate lunch at Landry’s Seafood, and then hopped a bus to tour Anheuser-Busch.  This free tour is a “don’t miss” attraction for anyone visiting St. Louis.

We finished our tour and returned to the hotel just in time to make our way to the stadium for Game Two! Greeting us outside were the Budweiser Clydesdales!

After the win, the Cards fans were out in full-force.  Although it was another great game to watch, it was a tough loss for the Cardinals.

The fans cleared out quick:

After the game, Tom and I were invited by Eliot Runyon, MiLB Licensing Director, to attend the Post Game Hospitality Party upstairs. The next morning, we were on our way back to Albany. A great trip overall and definitely a rewarding experience!

I’ll leave you all with a shot of The Arch at Sunrise:

-Michelle

(Michelle can be reached at 518-629-2287 Ext. 15 or at michelleskinner@tcvalleycats.com)