Messing with the blogging world since 2005
Sometimes, on a Monday … a photo is all you need for a post.
Took this photo in Avalon, New Jersey this past Saturday.
Hope you all have a relaxing week.
Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” A ‘lil HooHaa on Facebook! You can also follow me on Twitter @softball29!
If you are a fan of minor league baseball, I’m sure you’ll see what I did with the headline.
If not, read on.
This stop on the 2015 Summer of Baseball Tour took us to Arm & Hammer Park, home of the Trenton Thunder, the AA affiliate of the New York Yankees.
All ready!
This is one of those parks I’ve heard a lot about and have wanted to visit, so it was nice to be able to get to a game. Even better was this completed a weekend with back-to-back games in Lakewood and Trenton.
First, it’s not a hard place to find and the area seems nice. It’s right next to the Delaware River, so if you are there before a game, you can wander down to the water and take in a relaxing moment or two.
Once in, the stadium is a nice spot for a game and it’s definitely a baseball atmosphere, which is nice.
First, the concessions are quality. There are a lot of solid choices, which is good. Besides the normal, there are a couple of good selections for one to grab. The hot dogs are quality, which is an important aspect for me.
Seating is solid at this stadium and the sight lines are great. You are close to the action and feel like the game is definitely the focal point. Everybody wasn’t up and down the whole game, which I appreciated. It seemed like the Thunder crowd is a baseball crowd. That’s always a good thing.
You can see me on the big screen!
The stadium isn’t a full wrap concourse, but that was OK as there was enough room for the more than 5,000 people here this night.
We also got on the big screen, so that was cool.
The fans were into the game (it was a close game, too, so that made it fun) and made the atmosphere solid.
The team store is also pretty solid. It’s a tad small in regard to space, but there’s a decent amount of things to grab.
In the end, I’m glad I finally had the chance to get to see a game in Trenton. It’s a nice stadium. There is plenty of parking available and it’s easy to get into and out of before and after games. Prices were average.
If you are looking for a baseball experience and are close to Trenton, it’s well worth going there to watch a game.
Park Notes:
Arm & Hammer Park
Trenton, NJ
Home of the Trenton Thunder (Double-A affiliate of the New York Yankees)
Visited on: July 11, 2015
Opponent: Richmond Flying Squirrels (Double A affiliate of the San Francisco Giants)
Ratings (out of 10)
I am continuing the Summer of Baseball from 2014 and hope to blog about each new stadium I visit in 2015. Ones visited in the past can be viewed linked up in the 2014 version.
Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!
Camden has one of the coolest views.
There are stadium views — and then there are really cool stadium views.
Camden is the latter.
Campbell’s Field (yes, the soup) has the feel of other Atlantic League stadiums. It’s a nice place to watch a game and you are close to the action. The seats are nice (and decently wide) and there doesn’t seem to be a bad seat in the house.
Outside the park.
But it’s when you are sitting on the first-base line when you really notice something awesome — the Ben Franklin Bridge to take you into Philadelphia. It’s a unique setting, that’s for sure. And it made me happy we got the seats we did (front row, to the left of the visitor’s dugout).
This view is one of those things that separate stadiums from one another. And it’s something I’ve noticed at each Atlantic League stadium I’ve been to — each has the same sort of feel as the others, but at the same time there are unique features or offering that split them apart.
But, this is about Camden.
The game we chose was an 11 a.m. game on a Friday. This was one of those education days, so the stadium was filled with school kids. That made it an interesting dynamic as they sang along to modern music and seemed to have a lot of fun.
Play ball!
For me, I enjoyed the experience. The stadium is welcoming. The staff I dealt with were friendly and helpful. Nobody really got in our way and such while we were there. It was initially a dreary day, but it turned out to be pretty nice by the end of the game.
The food offerings were decent. Chickie and Pete’s fries are always a welcomed sight. I definitely indulged there. By the end of the game, I was digging into some Italian ice. And, as always, I had to test the hot dogs and I enjoyed them. Not bad in regard to food.
The team store was decent (prices were OK) and had enough offerings to keep fans happy.
I’d love to come back to see another game or two here, especially maybe catching a game with a sunset or something beyond the bridge. I am sure that would turn that view into something truly amazing — and it’s pretty cool already.
Park Notes:
Campbell‘s Field
Camden, NJ
Home of the Camden Riversharks (Independent – Atlantic League)
Visited on: June 5, 2015
Opponent: Long Island Ducks
Ratings (out of 10)
I am continuing the Summer of Baseball from 2014 and hope to blog about each new stadium I visit in 2015. Ones visited in the past can be viewed linked up in the 2014 version.
Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!
The Somerset Patriots on a nice spring evening.
I have known about the Atlantic League for a while. If you are a baseball fan, you likely have as well. After all, the league isn’t afraid to do things slightly differently to make it a fan-friendly environment.
When the Baseball Pass-Port Program added an Atlantic League book this year, I quickly grabbed it and knew I wanted to hit several this season. Somerset was the first of four planned trips (so far three … and hopefully the fourth a few days after this has published) and it was a good introduction to the Atlantic League.
The stadiums have the same sort of feel to them, but there are definite differences, which makes it a solid all-around experience. Somerset was also a decent down-and-back trip (give-or-take three hours each way), so it was nice in that regard.
Playing ball at TD Bank Ballpark!
TD Bank Ballpark, built in 1999, has held its name since the 2009 season. With a seating capacity of a bit more than 6,000 it’s an intimate setting for a park. You are close to the action, which is always nice. As many stadiums are now, it’s an open concourse, so when you get up to grab a bite or drink, you can see the game.
The sight lines are good as it didn’t appear there were many places where you’d miss any of the action.
The one thing about this place – they lined up early! We got there a bit earlier than planned and parked. It was a warmer day, so we chilled in the car with the AC. A little before the gates opened, we decided to wander up and see why there was such a long line. Maybe we had missed a giveaway? Nope. People were just lined up getting ready to get into the stadium.
Overall, the atmosphere was pretty decent. People seemed into the game, which is a good thing. The players seemed engaging before the game started, which is always a good thing.
There’s a pretty good team store here and the food selections are solid. As with many places, I try and have something more “local” and I ended up trying a steak sandwich with bacon and ranch, which turned out to be a pretty good choice.
The seats in the stadium were fold down and a tad wider, so there was plenty of room.
It was easy to get out of the park after the game, which was nice. Overall, I enjoyed checking out a game at TD Bank Ballpark and could see myself going again.
Park Notes:
TD Bank Ballpark
Bridgewater, NJ
Home of the Somerset Patriots (Independent – Atlantic League)
Visited on: May 9, 2015
Opponent: Bridgeport Bluefish
Ratings (out of 10)
I am continuing the Summer of Baseball from 2014 and hope to blog about each new stadium I visit in 2015. Ones visited in the past can be viewed linked up in the 2014 version.
Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!
I’m not much of a gambler.
I can go to a Casino and play the slots for a bit. I especially like strolling around on the floor and watching others play card games or other casino games because it’s something I don’t have the ability to do well. It’s truly amazing how well people know the game of blackjack and others like it.
Winner, winner, chicken dinner!
I don’t do poker nights. I’ve gotten completely out of fantasy sports and I rarely, if ever, bet.
There’s no real reason behind all of this, but I’m just not a gambler. The most I do is the occasional lottery ticket and that is done not as a gamble, but because I am a massive daydreamer.
But on a recent trip to the Jersey Shore, I had planned to go to Atlantic City for a photo walk. Well, with weather a little iffy, the walk leader moved the walk to the following day. The problem there? It’s a one day worldwide photo walk event, the weather wasn’t that bad (it stopped raining around 2 p.m., the walk was at 4), and I was sitting in the parking lot when the e-mail arrived.
Needless to say, I wasn’t happy.
On the AC Boardwalk.
However, I had already paid for parking and I was there, so I should do something, right? I decided to leave my camera behind and head to take a peek inside some casinos and then walk the boardwalk on my own. I went with the iPhone figuring I could get some images that way and just kind of do my thing.
Turns out it was a fun way to spend an afternoon.
The casinos were rather entertaining. From the older ladies with the bright pink lipstick parked at the slots (or hovering around others to see when they’d leave a specific one), to the smoke wafting in certain parts, this was the kind of casino you see in the movies. I visited two that day – Resorts and Trump Taj Mahal.
I didn’t do much in regard to gambling. I played some slots and then hung out at one where my $20 lasted about an hour before I lost it all. In the end, it was worth the money because it entertained me for a while.
Time to play some slots!
It seems like photography isn’t such a no-no inside the casinos anymore, either. I took a few snaps with my phone, but I saw somebody else with a DSLR who was snapping photos with a flash and all. I thought that was interesting.
After spending a bit of time in the casinos, I took to the boardwalk. I snapped a bunch of photos on this drizzly fall day. There were still plenty of people on the boardwalk that day, so I had the chance to do some people watching. A bunch of guys walked by discussing the night of gambking and debauchery they had planned. People were being pushed around in covered carts. Vendors were trying to get people to come in and spend money.
Basically, just what you would think about a boardwalk.
Have a seat and people watch.
I strolled a good portion of it that day, and I saw some of the closed casinos. As a photographer, I’d love to get into one of those and take photos. But from the outside, even, it’s sad to see anything close, especially a place that generates that kind of revenue and employs so many people.
Going in and out of the shops or just peeking at things was enjoyable, too. So many different types of people were there. The beach is easily accessed, too. I
I also spent some time at the Ripley’s Believe it or Not Museum, but I’m going to save that post for a different day.
In the end, I did my own photo walk, albeit with the iPhone. I had the chance to see many different aspects of that area of Atlantic City, as well as a couple other areas I drove around before and after being at the boardwalk. I’d go back again to explore, but definitely on a day with more people and more sun
Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog [at] gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!