Let’s hear it for spring . . . spring training, that is. If you’re a baseball fan like me, spring isn’t officially in the air until bats are hitting balls. And if again, you’re a baseball fan and if you live on the West Coast, the best place to get into a take-me-out-to-the-ballgame frame of mind is Phoenix, home of the Cactus League.
Cactus League teams include the Arizona Diamondbacks, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Indians, Colorado Rockies, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, Los Angeles Dodgers, Milwaukee Brewers, Oakland A’s, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners and Texas Rangers; and their stadiums (many of them shared) are scattered all over the Greater Phoenix area.
Tip: My pick for best stadium location: Scottsdale’s Stadium Park, home to the San Francisco Giants. It’s in the middle of the action and close to great shopping, good restaurants, fun bars and innumerable hotels.
Each stadium has its own flair, each has its own food specialties and all are fun . . . from basking in the Arizona sun while sitting on the grassy lawn or in the comfy stadium seats to drinking icy beers and sampling different food offerings each inning.
Tip: Don’t miss a hot dog should you find yourself at Peoria Sports Complex, home to the San Diego Padres/Seattle Mariners. The bun is fluffy and fresh, and the dog is hot-off-the grill. It’s so much better than what I’ll find in regular season at San Diego’s Petco Park; but don’t get me started on Petco’s food.
Spring training serves up a AAA+ casual atmosphere: players are more easily accessible, wins and loses aren’t the typical end-of-season’s do or die situations and after-the-game get-togethers at the local bars and restaurants are punctuated by laughs and levity regardless of which team’s jersey you are wearing.
Final tip: Stay alert—you just may run into a player or two, a well-known sportscaster or a hall-of-famer.
Play ball!
Photo: Cynthia Dial
As you may know, I traveled to the tip of South America a few months ago to begin my passage to Antarctica. Here's the recount of my visit, which appears in TraveLife, a Canadian travel publication. Enjoy!
“The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.”
Have you ever awaken and thought today I would love to be in Tuscany or Loire Valley or Napa, basking in the sun, sipping fine wines and overlooking acres of vineyards?
The U.S. deregulated the airlines in 1978 and in the 80s roughly 150 airlines were launched. Only one survived, which in 2005 merged with US Airways. Any guess as to which airline this is? 
Check out Live Fit Magazine's latest show, http://livefitmagazine.com/, featuring behind-the-scenes of the DSC Radio Show in San Diego on KFMB and Temecula's wine scene. I share the inside scoop on Temecula's wineries at 15:31 into the segment. Here's to Live Fit Magazine. Here's to the DSC Show. Here's to wine. Cheers!
Let’s hear it for spring . . . spring training, that is. If you’re a baseball fan like me, spring isn’t officially in the air until bats are hitting balls. And if again, you’re a baseball fan and if you live on the West Coast, the best place to get into a take-me-out-to-the-ballgame frame of mind is Phoenix, home of the Cactus League.
Irish Prayer
I first visited Berlin in September and one of the most memorable must-sees was the Holocaust Memorial. Here's how it's described in my article that will be posted tomorrow:
With the recent meltdown of the American Airlines' flight attendant (or FA, as they refer to themselves), I found this link interesting. Photo: Cynthia Dial
As I've mentioned before, I walk daily at Torrey Pines in La Jolla. And in the course of my morning ritual, I've seen a whale that's been beached, bikers, joggers, schools of dolphins, fitness enthusiasts standing on their heads next to trees, commercials being filmed, many things. But today I will most remember. As I desended the hill, I heard a group of runners approaching (not unusual); but as they passed I noticed they were Marines (noted by their closely cropped hair and a couple of Semper Fi tees; again I've seen the military here before). However, as they ran past, I noticed several of the 12 or so in the group were running on prosthesis. How can we adequately thank these men and women who selflessly serve our country, many times at great peril? Semper Fi!
Though it is not considered prime time, sometimes the best time to travel is when most stay home. True, the weatherman can’t promise perfection and it’s only wise to avoid extreme conditions, such as Palm Springs’ 115-degree summers. But off season is the time of year when the crowds are meager and the experience is pure local. Think about getting away when others don’t, because tourist season isn’t necessarily the best season to be a tourist. So, forget Paris in the springtime, and consider checking out these five popular destinations when it’s not popular to go there.
Booking travel can be a bit confusing, especially when you're seeking the best time to do so. Along those lines, there might be some tidbits in this article to help with the sometimes overwhelming task of making a trip happen. Happy travels!
When one describes the Tahitian islands, one hears them . . . bird songs at dawn, trade winds rustling through palms, the beat of drums at day’s end.
