Land of the Raising Sun, Phoenix not Japan:

I ask the cab driver how long he has lived in Phoenix, Arizona? "Close to ten years" he replies. He asked me what I was doing here in the middle of June. What a great question. It's only 105 degrees in the shade.

Phoenix is one of many stops in my quest to see every Major League Baseball Park in the United States. Why I choose to come in the middle of June is beyond me. I was only going to be there for three days, so, it's not that big of a deal. I figure I was going to be stinking drunk most of the time anyway. It's much easier to deal with most things if you are under the influence.

The city is rather boring. The freeway is needed to get to anywhere. I think I had to drive five minutes to get to the lobby of my hotel. All the streets in Phoenix are wide enough for marathon training. I am from San Francisco. Market Street in SF is half of the width of a normal street in Phoenix. I really don't understand why everything needs to be so spread out.

If I wasn't coming to Phoenix to see the Diamondbacks, I would have died from boredom. I can honest ling say The Arizona Diamondbacks Baseball Club saved my life.

If you have an allergic reactions to shopping malls, Phoenix can kill you. Shopping malls are more then a place to keep cool from the heat. It's a place to be get notice. $150.00 distress jeans are the entrance ticket. Shopping malls are completely useless. Shop online so you don't have to wait in line. I did my fair share of mall time in Middle school. If you are a grown adult and your main source of entertainment is to look cool at the mall, you need to make some big changes in your life. I would start by stopping your love affair with your sister.

Chase Field as it is known today is very Phoenix. The two games I attended, they roof was close. There is very little natural light when the roof is close. There are tons of shops all over the ballpark. I think they would have put a souvenir stand in center field if MLB would let them. The air inside is fake. It feels like watching a game in a dome. Chase Field is very consistent with Phoenix. It's a shopping mall culture. I feel bad to use culture in the way. It's more like a shopping mall nightmare for me. I wish I could have seen the games with the roof open.

The ball park is very family friendly. If I had a little Timmy or an Amy, the park would have kept them entertained for hours. Which would have allowed me to see the game stress free?

The best part about this trip was the heat. I am telling you the truth. I was expecting to melt. But I was some what comfortable. There wasn't much trouble crossing their wide streets by foot. The only problem was it took one hour.

I can safely say I will not be planning a return trip to the land of the raising sun anytime in my lifetime. The town does not know how to entertain. Please realize, I was only there for three days. I am sure the locals do just fine there. So, what I am saying is, don't go to Phoenix on a three day trip.
Glenn Davis