Day 1; or Long Day of Ball and Food

 [Ed’s note: I don’t know right now how to change the sub header, but I will when I figure it out, and this trip’s “thing” will be semicolons in the titles, because, well, you know. :) ]

Day 1 of RR’s (now standing for “Really Retired”) second trip of the year was a good day.  With these exceptions:  we got up to be on a 609 flight at 330.  Ouch! ):  Stood in line at the Thrifty rental counter for, I’m not exaggerating, TWO and A HALF HOURS!!!!  And, in minor irritants, Starbucks in Podunkville GA was out of almost everything, then didn’t know that a mocha gets 4 pumps of syrup!!!!  #FirstWorldProblems

FYI this is a “baseball trip,” so Day 1 included a 410 game at Atlanta’s stadium.  There’s a rift here on why stadiums have stupid names, here it is Truist Park, which begs for a bunch of jokes, but there it is.  

I should start there.  It was a beautiful day at the park, sunny, and about 84 degrees.  It was a hike straight up a hill for 15 minutes (acc to Google), so we were warm once we got there, but that’s a different story.  (Overheard on the way “I’m 60 and overweight and so no I’m not in shape” :) ). 

Acc to RR, who was reading I think Wikipedia, Truist Park has the seats that are on average closest to the field of any in MLB.  The word “cantilevered” was used. We didn’t sit where that seemed to matter.  The park reminded us a lot of Philadelphia, with greenery in centerfield.  The same construction.  It is brick on the outside, which is probably a plus.  It was nice and a pleasant day.  A highlight, for some, is they have a big kids play area on the walkway in right centerfield, and that was a big attraction.  Including a climbing wall and a zip line.  I said I guessed they wouldn’t let us zip…but we saw an adult on it later, so maybe they would. (Where’s the crying laughing emoji?)

So, it was a good day at the park.  Here’s the requisite pic.

We were supposed to meet one of RR’s former student workers for lunch, but the car rental thing nixed that. 

But we ended up in what we think of as downtown at Joy’s Cafe, which was on Dinners, Drive-Ins and Dives, and which we went to on our trip here in 2017.  

So, here’s your food porn.  It did NOT disappoint.  

That’s chilaquiles.  The green sauce, made with tomatillos, was excellent.  A bit spicy, but not too much for brunch.

And here’s the chocolate caramel cake.  OC I had to have some after 330 AND the car rental line.  

Finally, I will mention Logan.  This is the guy who sat next to me at the park and talked incessantly.  I saw a story on a new study that says men average 7000 words a day, women 20,000.  (No footnote) Logan used his, mine, and at least one other guy’s.  Nice guy, first MLB game.  Had a good time.  But it wasn’t a quiet, solitary game. 

And, amongst the many lines of the day, a winner was the counter person at Thrifty, when I got there, asking “do you need a driver?”  After 2 and a half hours, I didn’t get it.  I had just given her and gotten back my license.   She repeated it.  “To Miami…I’d drive you.”  I told her I wasn’t ready for a joke. 😂

Today St Augustine