Tag: travel

Real Men Don’t Wear Small update: The Arizona Fall League

~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

‘Tis an odd time of the year for me to be making an update to this ongoing project, but the Arizona Fall League doesn’t operate on the same timeline as the rest of Major League Baseball.

Having never been to the state of Arizona in my entire life previously, the Arizona Fall League was a perfect excuse to go out there for a visit for the first time.  A glorified exhibition league of minor league all-stars, championing the notion of “tomorrow’s superstars,” the AFL is a mini league consisting of six teams spread out throughout the remote Phoenix area.  In my first ever visit out to Arizona, I managed to find time to visit five of the six parks, and subsequently write entries into my ongoing project of the pursuit of visiting ballparks across America.

As far as pure baseball trip experiences go, as I’m sure I’ve said it before, I’m pretty much ruined.  The cost-effectiveness, quality of baseball and relaxing nature are second to absolutely nothing else, and it’s going to be something, when I’m forking over fifty bucks to sit way far from the field at some Major League ballpark in future years.

Bryce Harper’s Monster Truck

~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

In short, the Arizona Fall League has more or less ruined me as far as live baseball experiences are concerned.  Parking is free at all these small, intimate ballparks.  There are only general admission tickets that are $7 a pop, and allow you to sit anywhere you want, including right behind home plate.  And unlike in Spring Training where there are veterans loafing it and not taking the games seriously, the Arizona Fall League is nothing but 19-25 year olds playing their hearts out, because every ounce of effort could possible get noticed and get them called up to the Majors sooner rather than later.  Baseball at it’s most pure and innocent, and frankly, most beautiful.

I also shagged five baseballs because hardly anyone is at these games, and got into one game free, because a stadium worker just didn’t really care and let us in, but it’s instances like getting to go right up to Bryce Harper’s douchy monster truck and take my picture next to it that is really awesome.

I look forward to going to Arizona again in the future, even if it’s boring as fuck outside of baseball.  At least the food is really good.

Oink Oink Arizona: Sacred Hogan’s Navajo Taco

~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

I’m not going to lie – the main reason why I went to this place in the first place was because it was called “Sacred Hogan.”  I know in redcorn-speak a hogan is something of a wooden cabin structure where ceremonies are held if it’s a “male hogan,” and food is made if it’s a “female hogan,” but let’s be real here.  Hogan is synonymous for one thing, and really just one thing.  Which is obviously the god damn Immortal Hulk Hogan.  And Sacred Hogan sounds just fitting as a shrine to the Sacred Hulkster himself.

But really, I’ve never really had redcorn food in my entire life, so this was as good as time as any to try some.  From the Hulkster’s sacred shrine.  In all honesty, this Navajo Taco wasn’t the greatest thing in the world, but it was far from the worst.  To give benefit of the doubt, I’m guessing my tastebuds are all sorts of fucked up and ruined by all the processed and unhealthy crap food I eat on a regular basis, so something so fresh, natural and redcorny like this Navajo taco go a little under appreciated and is construed as a little bland.  Adding some salsa helped a little bit, but overall, the flavor was a little light.  But not to say it was bad at all, because I ate it all, and I really wouldn’t do that for something I didn’t enjoy.

So in all, Hulkamania would approve of the Sacred Hogan.  Brother.

Oink Oink Arizona: The Del Ray from Torta de la Reyes

~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

Let’s see, cheddar, lettuce, tomato, egg, chorizo, ham, sausage, and pork.  The Del Ray.

Getting to Torta de la Reyes involves driving down a sketchy stretch of a redcorn road called Indian School Road, where you have to pass like 20 redcorn businesses, several sketchy strip joints, chop shops, and imigracion offices, but this sandwich made it worth it.  The entire place was entirely Mexican, but nobody seemed to notice white boy and chino wandering in to sample some of their foods.  Our waitress even addressed us in Spanish, before I had to bust out “no habla Espanol” before she switched to English.

The ironic thing is that this restaurant’s other location had the sandwich that was twice the price, and probably twice the size of this monstrosity that I initially scoffed at not being able to get.  The best analogy for this beast of a sandwich and how it dominated both Huzzard and myself is that we both thought we could take Shredder, but instead this Krang of a sandwich kept beating our ass, and we never even got to lay eyes on Shredder when the day was over.

It was a truly delicious sandwich, but I couldn’t finish it.  Granted, we had only eaten three hours prior, but even on a hungry, empty stomach, I don’t know if I would have been able to tackle this entirely.  Not to mention the absurd side of fries.

Oink Oink Arizona: Chompie’s Jewish Sliders

~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

Mini Challah bread, potato pancake, moist lean brisket.  Served with brown gravy on the side.

100% fucking awesome.

It’s not that I’m deliberately trying to be politically incorrect and tasteless, but the best way to describe what happened to these Jewish sliders is that I committed a holocaust on these motherfuckers, they were that good.  If they weren’t so tasty, I’d have saved one of them, just to take back to the privacy of my bed chambers and literally, place my dick between the bun.

I am completely serious when I say that I was almost in tears when I consumed the first one.  Maybe it had to do with the fact that it had been 11 hours since my last food prior to eating these, but I swear to god I might kill a homeless person to get my hands on three more of these delectable Jewish sliders.

Photos: Arizona Fall League Roadtrip

~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

Alrighty, I’ve got so much fucking writing to do throughout the rest of this month, it’s not even funny.  Well, actually it kind of is, because it’s almost entirely, self-appointed!  LOLME.

Anyway, despite the fact that I’m behind pace in my Nanowrimo story, I’m still confident that I can hit the 50,000 word mark.  Even if I am taking time out of it to brog in my personal brog that I love so very dearly.  It didn’t help any causes that I spent five days out in Arizona over the last week to watch baseball and probably gain about 20 lbs.

Continue reading “Photos: Arizona Fall League Roadtrip” →

Neko-Con Stories: Yoshi at the bar

~ dannyhong ~ Leave a comment

As far as Nanowrimo is concerned, amazingly, I’m off to a fantastic start.  After the first six days in November, I’ve already surpassed the first 10,000 word mark.  That being said, I feel like I’m in a fairly good place, and can take some time to play catch up with my precious brog.  And since I just got back from Neko-Con, I’ve got some things to say and show.

Firstly, to no surprise, I feel old as shit, because I’m 29-years old, and watching a bunch of 12-17 year olds parading around like retards or jailbait.  Clearly, I’m out of touch to some degree, as this is literally the first anime con I’ve been to in like 6-7 years.  I don’t understand why there is such an increase of fake wannabe ravers, why people are fascinated with animal tails, why people love wearing full-bodied mascot/animal pajamas, and most of all, why there are so many people running around wearing surgical masks with stupid pins, flair, and chains hanging off of them.

But anyway, more will be written when I get to it, or remember to write about it, but until then, enjoy the litany of random shit related loosely to Neko-Con in coming days.  Like ronery Yoshi sitting at the bar feeling melancholy and wanting the hard shit.