California 2016: Day 5 (Dodgers Stadium)

Week 2 of hockey is over, and it was better than last week. Although Lucas's team lost 4-3 in a very similar fashion as the previous week--a breakaway goal with a couple of minutes left in the game--Lucas played well. He also had his first penalty of the season. I don't consider this a negative since it wasn't a "bad" penalty. Instead, he was working hard to get the puck and accidentally knocked down the opposing player when he tripped into him. It was kind of a questionable call, but the refs were young and looked like it might have been their first game so they were likely erring on the side of caution when calling penalties. 

Once again, Lucas's team played well overall and once they have some to time to gel and figure out which positions suit them best, they should get some wins. Last year, his team had 2-3 exhibition games before the game started whereas this year, they pretty much jumped right into it so I'm not too concerned about the 0-2 start, especially considering how close both games were.

The highlight of our 5th day in California was a trip to Dodgers Stadium to see the Dodgers play the Padres. There was a strong nostalgic vibe associated with this since my very first professional sports experience was my dad taking me to see the Dodgers when I was even younger than Lucas is now. The fact that I was going with both Lucas and my dad made it even more special.

Before we went to our seats, we went inside the stadium where they had a Dodgers museum. Note Lucas practicing his catching pose in the second photo.

After that, we went to our seats in right field. We picked there since everyone in the right field gets all you can eat hot dogs, peanuts, popcorn, and nachos, as well as all you can drink soda and water. All for just $15 more per ticket! If you eat 2 food items and a drink, you've already saved money since they are normally $6 each. It was a great deal though by the end of the game, I think I was eating some stuff just to feel like I was getting even more of a bargain.

Here's an attempt at a panoramic shot of the stadium from our seats.

And finally, some selfies because why not?

The Dodgers went on to win so it was a very fun afternoon. Afterwards, we went to yet another brewpub/restaurant where I had my favorite beer of the trip, a ginger IPA. Unfortunately, it was only available at the restaurant so I couldn't stuff my suitcase with it. 

See you soon for Day 6!