Take me out to the ball game!

Since the days of free Reading Phillies tickets for every A on my elementary school report card, I have been a fan of minor league baseball. Not so much the actual game, but the atmosphere - sunshine, people cheering, cracker jacks and ice cream, fun games between innings and more. Over the years, the ball park lost some of its luster, but recently I have been getting more enthusiastic to get back out to the games (perhaps because of the bar behind third plate ... that's a story for another time). Anyway, imagine my excitement when I found out the Lehigh Valley was getting its own Triple-A affiliate of the Phillies, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. I'll admit, the team name leaves something to be desired, but with a new team, new park and an excited fan base, this was going to be great. The first pitch was thrown March 30 in an exhibition game versus the Philadelphia Phillies.

Recently I had the opportunity to go to a game versus the Toledo MudHens (it was quite the barnyard brawl) AND sit in a luxury quite above home plate. The new Coca-Cola Park is gorgeous and its great to see so many local businesses taking an interest and sponsoring the team.

For the most part, a night at the ball park is easy on the wallet. Lawn seats in the outfield come as cheap as $6! Add in a few hot dogs and beverages, and you're looking at less than $30 for two people (including beer). That comes in cheaper than an average date to the movies. Although the team's record isn't exactly stellar (2 - 13), an evening out in the beautiful spring weather with a few thousand of your closest friends right in the Lehigh Valley can't be beat. Play ball!

Queen of the Bar Crawl

As many of you may know, there are few drinking adventures I enjoy more than a good bar crawl. During my later college years, I was the first to e-mail everyone with upcoming dates and details, where to be, when, and what themed-attire was necessary for that weekend's particular downtown bar crawl. Some of my favorite college memories include sombreros at Rumours for Cinco de Midtown and the obvious stop at Chipotle to refuel on carbs during each tour. So it was with deep distress that I realized this was one of the things I would be missing when moving away from the city.

But have no fear! The tradition has traveled... Just as I was planning on creating my own bar crawl for the suburban newbies, someone beat me to it! A few weeks ago I received an e-mail inviting me to be part of Team Callaghan in Allentown's first St. Patty's Parade Pub Tour. I could hardly contain my excitement. Finally! Something to get me excited, out and exploring the nightlife in the area.

The night finally came, I arrived in themed attire of course - my Temple Bar Dublin t-shirt (although I was very dismayed that my Shamrock Sunglasses have gone MIA), to find that most of the crowd was over 45. Very disappointing... (Not that the older crowd can't party with the best of 'em - but it was definitely not what I expected). However, as we registered and got our first drinks, I was filled in on how this was working.

Instead of the free-for-all I was used to, this bar crawl had organization! We were shuffled into teams, color-coded with wrist bands, and shuffled from bar to bar by bus to avoid overlap. What a great idea! My team was awesome, we commandeered the community bus for our team, I found some great new bars, and overall had a great night. Although different than my usual bar crawl adventures, it was still a great time and I can't wait until the next one!

My Entre into Blog-dom

I'd say I've been reading blogs now for about a year or so. Blogs about food, and travel, and living greener, etc. You get the idea. The thought of creating my own blog never really occurred to me.

However, when I moved from Washington, DC, to Whitehall, Pa., after college graduation last summer, I ran into some major life roadblocks. It's tough starting over anywhere. But coming from a major city with everything I could ever want at my fingertips (friends, museums, public transportation, jobs, Starbucks, etc.) to a cluster of suburbia in Northeast Pa., was a bigger change than I ever imagined. My friends were all over the country, every career contact I ever had was in DC, yadda yadda yadda. Starting over was looking pretty intimidating. I managed to luck out in a few ways, though. First, I had my wonderful boyfriend of over five years to hang out with and listen to me whine about being bored, then force me to find things to do. I also made a few great friends who helped me find a job, so important. And my family is now only an hour away. So I had a few points in my favor.

But the move was still a major adjustment. I'm still trying to find ways to make suburban life, well, more urban. So my goal in this blog is to get out and explore, find places to go and things to do that make this place unique and less cookie-cutter. I want to help others in my situation but also make fun things more accessible for everyone in this little corner of suburbia. If I find a great restaurant, farmers' market, happy hour, running trail, etc., I plan on talking about it. Basically, I want to discuss the benefits of living here and how to live it all healthier, happier and better. So enjoy and please share your thoughts at any time! Cheers!