Solo Home Run

I identify as a threadbare gypsy soul, satiated only by travel. Travel sets me free in a way that nothing else does. It sets me free from my anxiety, it sets me free from my depression, it sets me free from the everyday stresses and responsibilities that can really wear one down. The interesting dichotomy of this however, is my near obsessive need to plan out every "leisure" trip that I take. This includes weeks of research, budgeting, packing lists, and connecting with locals prior to my arrival. I have been extremely fortunate in my life reaching back as long as I can remember to have been given the gift of travel. My parents instilled in me a love of experiencing new places before I could even speak. By age five, I was writing hotel reviews in crayon and drawing "maps" of the routes we would take from our home to our destination. By 20, I was blessed enough to have visited 24 different countries and a good deal of the United States as well. And while I do love sharing these experiences with family and friends, there is definitely something special about taking a trip all on one's own. The travel time alone, whether a road trip or a flight, gives you the opportunity to attune yourself to what's on the road ahead and you do not have to answer to anyone or anything but your own sense of wanderlust. It's a beautiful thing, really.

I am eagerly awaiting a trip that will hopefully take place in 2021, Covid-19 willing. And odds are pretty high that I will be solo adventuring as none of my friends share the same love of America's game as I do. One of the many items on my bucket list in life is to see a game in every MLB stadium. There is something extra special about going to see baseball games outside of your "home ballpark." The field is different, the dimensions are different, the weather is different - it all adds an extra layer to the game that makes it even more exciting. A ball that might not carry into the stands in one park flies over the wall easily in another. There are so many mental and physical adjustments that have to be made from the visiting team because, just like you, they are traveling as well.

It's doubly exciting in cities such as Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles where there is not one impressive MLB park to visit, but two! The challenge that this presents of course, is lining up your trip to catch both teams at home at the same time. Luckily for me, that opportunity comes early in the 2021 season with the Chicago teams. Therefore, the next stadiums to earn a check-mark on my list will be Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs, and Guaranteed Rate Field, home of the Chicago White Sox. I've done my research and found a beautiful hotel to house me during my stay, The Gwen, located right on Michigan Avenue. Because let's face it, baseball may be taking me to Chicago but shopping on that historic street will definitely keep me there an extra two days! And hey! Solo adventuring means free reign on shopping, am I right? The really great aspect of travelling in Chicago however, is the plethora of public transportation options on which to get around. The hotel and both parks are easily situated along Chicago's famous L train, trusty and reliable to get where you need to go.

While I am definitely excited about seeing the White Sox play at Guaranteed Rate Field, the prospect of seeing the Cubs play at home is thrilling. There are few parks with as much history as Wrigley Field and while I have attended concerts in this historic park, I have yet to see a game played there. The only current park that rivals Wrigley's historic significance is Fenway in Boston, which I was fortunate enough to attend in 2018. Wrigley has been in operation since 1914 and can host over 41,000 fans to each game. The entire area is surrounded by bars with baseball themes that also have spots where you can watch the jumbotron in the park from these local watering holes. Wrigley is one of those fields that I was talking about earlier with the different field sizes - left field is longer than right field meaning that a ball hit into right field has a higher probability of becoming a home run than a ball hit with the exact same velocity and trajectory into left field. It's these little idiosyncrasies that make the game so exciting.

2020 has definitely been a difficult year for us all. One thing I can say, however, is that it has made me appreciate things much more than I did before. I took travel and gathering with friends and family for granted prior to this year and I can assure you, after being grounded from flight and kept off the road, this little threadbare gypsy soul will never take adventuring for granted again.