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Subject: OT: Bengals/Seahwks, 9.23.07, Seattle, Zen?bili? Posted by: Myboyjack - [8216923] Sun, Jul 08, 2007, 20:38 I always plan way to far in advance for things.... The Bengals' 2008 Super Bowl XLII Tour is making a stop in Seattle on 09.23.07 and I'll be there at the Kingdome or whatever y'all call your football field nowdays. I've got 4 tix 10 rows off the field. Obviously, I'm using one. Right now the plan is my 11 year old, Jack, to use one, but that may not work out due to his own football schedule. (He's a stud). The two (or three, as the case may be) other tix are available for trade for beer; Zen and bili - we've talked sorta informally 'bout ya'll going, so when you know for sure if that's going to work out for you, let me know. I have extra bright orange Bengals jerseys for whoever uses the tix (in case yours is at the cleaners or something). Hope it works out. | |||||||
| 1 | biliruben ID: 4911361723 Sun, Jul 08, 2007, 22:56 | I'm in. | ||||||
| 2 | biliruben ID: 4911361723 Sun, Jul 08, 2007, 23:04 |
Given the many unknowns of infanting, I may have Myboywest sitting on my lap, but I'll try hard to spare him the, uh, experience of pro football until he reaches 1. He's already been to 6 baseball games, however! Baseball is to football as Kurosawa is to SuperTroopers. | ||||||
| 3 | Seattle Zen ID: 49112418 Mon, Jul 09, 2007, 13:25 | I'm in with no babies. | ||||||
| 4 | Myboyjack ID: 8216923 Mon, Jul 09, 2007, 21:51 |
Cool guys. Jack's gone to virtually every home Bengals game since he was 6 (in an extremely rowdy section). Bring the babies as far as I'm concerned,; they'll love it and it'll reduce the likliehood of me throwing down with some loudmouthed Seahawks fan :) Be in touch with ya'll here in a couple of months. | ||||||
| 5 | Myboyjack ID: 59834610 Mon, Sep 17, 2007, 10:30 |
Jack and I are arriving in LeninLand on Saturday morning. We're staying downtown, within walking distance to the Stadium. I'm planning on letting Jack see the sights Saturday. Do y'all have a monorail that works now? Anything that an 11 year old shouldn't miss in Seattle that I wouldn't know about? What time do sports bars open on Sunday? If y'all are still planning on going to the game we'll need to work out a place to trade the tix for beer and/or spirits. Let me know. | ||||||
| 6 | Seattle Zen ID: 49112418 Mon, Sep 17, 2007, 12:41 |
The old monorail is up and working again. Jack would probably enjoy going to the top of the Space Needle, but it ain't cheap: $16 for adults. The view from the Bank of America tower view deck is actually better and cheaper. That's the huge black tower not too far from the stadium. Check out the library downtown, it's so strange/unique that even 11 year old boys enjoy riding the escalators. The Experience Music Project (EMP) and Science Fiction Museum is at the foot of the Space Needle and is similarly overpriced but can have some cool things to check out. He may enjoy the aquarium down on the waterfront. The sports bars are open before I'm awake, that won't be a problem. I'm driving up Sunday morning and will meet y'all where ever Bili suggests. | ||||||
| 7 | biliruben ID: 17502215 Mon, Sep 17, 2007, 13:00 |
Hmmm... I believe the monorail is up and running again. Ya know for a fixed track with no stops, they crash the thing surprisingly often. The Ballard Locks can be fun, and you can probably catch the Silvers and the first of King runs at the fish ladder:  I like to take the ferry over to Bainbridge Island, because it's much cheaper than the tours, and you can walk into Winslow, check out the harbor, and grab a pint at the pub. Not sure if my favorite pub lets kiddies in, but I can find out if you are interested. If you get a clear day, I have been told that the view from the top of the Columbia tower is both cheaper and better than the Space Needle. It's probably easier to get to and fewer lines as well:Columbia Center We also now have a Sculpture Park, which Zen is constantly doing battle with. Not sure if Jack would find it that interesting. As far a Sunday, there are a couple brewpubs that let kids in near the ballpark, Elysian Fields and Pyramid. Elysian Fields has better beer and Pyramid has better (well, more pubby) food. | ||||||
| 8 | Myboyjack ID: 8216923 Mon, Sep 17, 2007, 14:43 |
Thanks for the info dudes. bili - a salmon run, a ferry ride and a pub would be right up Jack's alley. Any details you might have off the top of your head, on how I'd get there from the Warrick downtown would kick a$$. Can I walk to the locks and/or the ferry or is that silly? You pick the place on Sunday. My plan for Sunday will prolly be to get up very early, your time, let Jack check out Pike Place market, go to an 8:00 Mass, then to a bar to eat, watch the early games and consume mass quantities. Where ever works for you, works for me. BTW, Seattle sports bars look so clean and friendly. | ||||||
| 9 | Seattle Zen ID: 86541617 Mon, Sep 17, 2007, 15:15 |
You have to take a bus to the locks but you can definitely walk to the ferry. It's at the south end of the tourist-centered waterfront. Just head west down the hill from your hotel. I say Elysian Fields. | ||||||
| 10 | Species Dude ID: 07724916 Mon, Sep 17, 2007, 15:17 | mbj - I won't tell child protective authorities about your conspicuous drinking and the taking of an 11-year old to multiple bars --- if you don't tell them about me teaching my 13 year old about poker, bluffing, and general gambling habits - LOL | ||||||
| 11 | biliruben ID: 17502215 Mon, Sep 17, 2007, 15:29 |
The ferry you can walk to. It's closer than the ballparks to the Warrick. It leaves just down at the south end of the waterfront. The locks you can't walk to, unfortunately. Well, I've done it but it would take up most of your day. It's only about 5 miles away in Ballard, and there is actually a bike path for most of it, but I don't know of anyplace you can rent a bike downtown, so without a car it might prove a bit of a challenge. There is an actual cabbie stand pretty close to your hotel (5th and Stewart), if you want to go that route. I'm tempted to swing down and grab you, but I think I've committed to some stupid opthalmology open-house Saturday. Fun fun. As far as Winslow goes - sadly my favorite pub is 21 only. Washington has really, really stupid laws about kids in bars. It's okay if the taps are behind the bar or hanging from the ceiling, otherwise they can't trust that toddler to be so near beer! There are plenty of other restaurants and such (maybe even ice cream) along the strip in Winslow, however. The ferry ride is pretty cool at any rate. Another possibility is the Elliot Bay Water Taxi. It drops you off over on Alki beach in West Seattle. It's got bike and walking paths, but not much else right around the dock. If you take the shuttle (or walk a couple miles), you get to a strip of bars and restaurants up the beach a bit. The whole area's got incredible views of downtown and the mountains and sound. It can sometimes be windy, so dress warmly. There is one restaurant that's not far from the dock called Salty's, which supposedly has a great brunch. But other than that and a biker bar, there isn't much until the strip closer to the lighthouse.  Not sure what the best option is for lunch on Sunday. Let me ponder it. Both the breweries are apt to be crowded, so it would probably be wise to get to them early (11:30ish) if we wanted a shot at a table. Pyramid is across from baseball and Elysian, though newer and less crowded when I go to baseball, is across from football, so we may be better off with Pyramid even though it's typically more crowded. The other option is something closer to your hotel, but nothing jumps to mind. | ||||||
| 12 | biliruben ID: 17502215 Mon, Sep 17, 2007, 15:33 | Yeah, Elysian is fine with me. I may not be able to get there early enough to get a table but hopefully one of you will.The food is a bit higher end, but I'm sure they'll have something for us. | ||||||
| 13 | Myboyjack ID: 8216923 Mon, Sep 17, 2007, 15:54 |
I'll be there early - like when it opens, prolly, so if I know how to get there (and I assume the link you supplied has an address, which is all I need), I'll have a table. Cool. That gives me some great options for Saturday. I'll check back here before Friday with a cell # and plan on seeing y'all Sunday morning at some place called Elysian Fields? (That's quite a hoity-toity name for a bar; is there a dress code?) Thanks. Species - studies show that children who drink with their families are less likely to be abusive binge drinkers as adults. I consider it my parternal duty to show my son the proper use of a pint and shot glass. | ||||||
| 14 | nerveclinic ID: 105222 Tue, Sep 18, 2007, 09:47 |
I want to second the suggestion of the aquarium. It's right downtown, easy to get to. It's actually really impressive and educational for a kid his age and I have to tell you I really enjoyed it as an adult. The Ferry ride is a no brainer if the weather is nice. It's a beautiful ride and relatively cheap. If your lucky you will see seals on during the ride...definitely see them at the aquarium. 8 years in Seattle and I never made it to EMP or the Space needle. | ||||||
| 15 | Rendle ID: 457402414 Tue, Sep 18, 2007, 10:26 |
"Baseball is to football as Kurosawa is to SuperTroopers." Classic. | ||||||
| 16 | nerveclinic ID: 105222 Tue, Sep 18, 2007, 12:00 |
By the way MBJ. I guarantee it is a lock that after you visit Seattle, you will come away feeling like it's a great place. (Unless it's raining) 8-} You are in for a fun trip to a beautiful place. Just let go of that conservative shell for a couple of days and soak in the hippy vibe (Oh wait that's San Francisco) well this is SF reduced anyway. Zen make sure you hide your stash when he's around. | ||||||
| 17 | biliruben ID: 4911361723 Tue, Sep 18, 2007, 12:11 |
To be clear, I highly recommend SuperTroopers. MBJ's been here before. He already knows we've packed that hippy vibe deep, deep into our most hidden souls. | ||||||
| 18 | nerveclinic ID: 105222 Tue, Sep 18, 2007, 12:18 |
MBJ back for seconds? Am I missing something here? Is there a side you reason you have to venture into this left wing heathen infested region? Business, relatives? What's a good conservative like you spending his money in a den of socialism for the second time no less? | ||||||
| 19 | biliruben ID: 17502215 Tue, Sep 18, 2007, 13:58 |
First time was for a Kurosawa film fest. Second time was for his beloved Bengals. Both allow him him to tolerate the moral degradation inflicted upon him from all sides. ;) You notice he will be attending Mass while here to bolster his defenses, btw. | ||||||
| 20 | Myboyjack ID: 8216923 Tue, Sep 18, 2007, 16:25 |
You guys are either seriously overestimating the libertine aspects of Seattle (where, I believe, nude dancing is restricted and, evidently, kids can't go to a public house) or seriously underestimating the adaptabilty and live-and-let-live attitudes of us here in the great unwashed Flyoverland. I do just fine in Leninland. Seattle's great; however it's not quite as exotic to me as you seem to think. Seeing feral sea lions would be a treat. I wonder how different the Seattle aquariun would be from the one we have here in KY. Prolly better. Just let go of that conservative shell for a couple of days and soak in the hippy vibe (Oh wait that's San Francisco) well this is SF reduced anyway. Conservative shell. LOL. I promise you there's a lot more moralist priggishness in Seattle than in any world built to my specs. Zen make sure you hide your stash when he's around Selfish? What's a good conservative like you spending his money in a den of socialism for the second time no less? See that's funny, 'cause I'm likely more of a socialist than you. bili & Zen - looking a the links to the pre-game bars....are y'all sure the the Elyssian place is a sports bar? They don't open until 11:30 etc. The other place mentions game on TV an whatnot. Whatever you say, just wondering. | ||||||
| 21 | biliruben ID: 17502215 Tue, Sep 18, 2007, 16:38 |
It's a brewery/pub. The last sports bar in Seattle I attended regularly was closed down by the cops for, as far as I could judge, catering too much to people of color. The problem is Jack. The places of more divey sports-barish nature down there don't let kids in, as far as I know. There is a chain sports bar, Jillians, that does take kids, but it's on the other side of town. The breweries are more family oriented, and have places you can sit with kids. They also have good beer. But you are right, the puritanical streak is strong - very strong - in Seattle. It has also more recently gotten overly Californified and a little too fancy for it's own good, imho. That said, there are some places that might open earlier than 11:30, but they are far from downtown (closer to the locks, actually) but I've grown soft and don't think I'm up for fights with fishermen. Lack of sports bars in Seattle has been a constant problem and complaint of mine since moving here. | ||||||
| 22 | Seattle Zen ID: 49112418 Tue, Sep 18, 2007, 17:05 |
The aquarium you linked to looked pretty nice, I'm not sure the Seattle Aquarium would top it. I'd recommend St. James Cathedral as it is very beautiful.  You don't have to be Catholic to appreciate fine architecture. | ||||||
| 23 | Perm Dude ID: 10845189 Tue, Sep 18, 2007, 17:08 | Damn. Makes we want to grab the two-day old son and book some tickets... | ||||||
| 24 | biliruben ID: 17502215 Tue, Sep 18, 2007, 17:08 |
After a bit of digging, Sluggers, which is next to the Elysian, opens at 10am and appears to let kids in. It is skinny and crowded with a lot of TVs. I generally only go there when I'm already good and drunk, but that could be a place to start if you wanted to start earlier and watch the east-coast games. I think I've recall going to Pyramid early on football Sundays as well, but I can't be sure. My guess is I won't be getting down there until closer to noon, but I'll do my best to get down as early as possible. | ||||||
| 25 | biliruben ID: 17502215 Tue, Sep 18, 2007, 17:11 |
Come on over, PD. Congrats on the fresh wee one! I was wondering why it was so quiet around here for the last few days. | ||||||
| 26 | blue hen ID: 16322314 Tue, Sep 18, 2007, 17:29 |
I used to live down the street from the Warrick, and actually stayed there after I moved away. Go out of the 4th Ave entrance (parking lot) and walk left. You can spend some time at the mall. I also second the Columbia Tower over the Space Needle, but the Space Needle ain't bad. | ||||||
| 27 | Myboyjack ID: 8216923 Fri, Sep 21, 2007, 12:43 |
BH - Yeah, I stayed at the Warrick a few years ago. It's close enough to stuff for me. My cell ohone # is 859 582 7172. I assume it'll be functioning. Just tell me where and when to meet y'all at. I'll prolly be taking a cab from St James or St Pauls (which I htink was pretty close to he Hotel from my last time i town) straight to watch the early games; so vicinnity doensn't matter to much to me. I would like to be able to get inside the stadium early enough for Jack to be able to take it in before it's completely full of drunken pinkos furious at the a$$kicking their alledged football team has taken. | ||||||
| 28 | biliruben ID: 17502215 Fri, Sep 21, 2007, 13:45 |
206 724 254eight (that'll trick them bots!) I'll try and get down there around 11:30, and look for you two at Elysian. Sold out game. Unfortunately Clyde decided to sell his tickets and take the profits, so he won't be joining us. | ||||||
| 29 | Myboyjack ID: 8216923 Fri, Sep 21, 2007, 14:40 |
Bummer, Clyde. Sounds good . I may hit the Sluggers place first if it's close-by and opens earlier. See you there. I'll be the tall guy dressed completely in orange. | ||||||
| 30 | biliruben ID: 17502215 Fri, Sep 21, 2007, 14:53 |
Sluggers is pretty much right next door, and claims to open at 10. If I get down there earlier, I'll look for you there. My guess is they'll shuttle you upstairs if you are with Jack. It's a pretty strange bar. | ||||||
| 31 | Myboyjack ID: 8216923 Fri, Sep 21, 2007, 14:55 | Oh, I must have the wrong idea. We have a franchised chain of "Sluggers" sports bars around here. Obviously, not the same thing. I'll check it out anyway. | ||||||
| 32 | biliruben ID: 17502215 Fri, Sep 21, 2007, 14:58 |
 I doubt it's a chain. | ||||||
| 33 | nerveclinic ID: 105222 Mon, Sep 24, 2007, 09:02 |
Wow looks like you guys saw a great game...very exciting finish. Good fun eh MBJ. Hopefully the Seahawk fans had mercy on you on your way out. | ||||||
| 34 | Seattle Zen ID: 86541617 Mon, Sep 24, 2007, 10:50 |
Actually the finish sucked. It would have been much more exciting if the stupid Bengal returner had held onto the ball and given Carson and Company a chance to move down the field with a minute to go. I've got to think that Seattle is the nicest, most polite NFL city where visiting fans are the safest. MBJ caught plenty of flack on the way out of the stadium, but nothing nasty or particularly intelligent. There were a couple of "What was the final score" and a couple of "Ocho sucko". The Seahawks couldn't stop Carson, the four turnovers did the trick. There really wasn't much to crow about for the Seahawks fans.... sure helps to be the best team in the worst division in football. | ||||||
| 35 | biliruben ID: 17502215 Mon, Sep 24, 2007, 12:05 |
I had an excellent time - thanks for the tickets, MBJ. It was great to meet Jack, and to see he has your competitive instinct! He's seems like a great kid. Not quite enough offense for me. I was hoping for 38-41, since I didn't really care about the outcome. | ||||||
| 36 | Myboyjack ID: 8216923 Tue, Sep 25, 2007, 07:19 | We had a good time. Thanks for the hospitality guys. Thanks for being nice to Jack. He had fun. | ||||||
| 37 | nerveclinic ID: 105222 Tue, Sep 25, 2007, 11:44 |
MBJ Did you manage any side excursions between beers? | ||||||
| 38 | Myboyjack ID: 59834610 Tue, Sep 25, 2007, 12:56 |
Did you manage any side excursions between beers? You miss Seattle don't you, nerve. Between the short amount of time we were there and the fact that 11 year olds are succeptible to jet lag, we didn't get to pack a ton of stuff into Saturday and Sunday. Jack's made quite a few trips with me over the years and he seems to enjoy just kinda walking around different cities more than having a real set checklist of activities anyway. We walked down to Pike's Place Market and ate some fresh fruits. The tree ripened nectarines and apples and vine ripened berries were a real revelation to him. We took the ferry to Bainbridge Island, checked out the views and got to see a harbour seal on the ride back from there. Charlie took us on a quick walk through Chinatown after the game Sunday and we also walked over to the Space Needle and messed around there for a while. As for the beers - I didn't drink too many (though Cam and Charlie were very generous in the offering) I was a couple of beers into the morning at Elyssian when I reverted to Bourbon. | ||||||
| 39 | nerveclinic ID: 105222 Tue, Sep 25, 2007, 14:27 |
You miss Seattle don't you, nerve. You bet I do. I miss SF too. He11 I'll take Los Angeles at this point. 110 degrees everyday for the last 4 months here. Yeah Seattle will always be a place I would consider heading back to. I bet Zen misses it too...of course it's a little easier for him to get there for a visit. Sounds like you did fine with the side excursions, the ferry ride alone is a nice treat. I'm sure an 11 year old really liked it. That's pretty cool you get to share these experiences with your son MBJ. Props. Nerve | ||||||
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