For Taylor's 10th birthday, the boys were kindly asked to stay away. The last thing Taylor wanted for her birthday sleep-over with 9 other friends was her little brother hanging around. I think Deb was also happy to have us out of town so she could focus on the party.....who were we to argue?
So with the green light to make it a guys weekend, Ryan and I headed off to Dallas for a few games and a trip to the Dallas World Aquarium.
Our first stop after flying to Dallas Friday morning was to get lunch at a restaurant to watch some 1st round games of the NCAA tournament. Then it was off to American Airlines Center (which was within walking distance of the hotel) to watch the Mavericks take on the Boston Celtics.
The Mavericks are having an average season, by their standards (currently battling for the last playoff spot), but the crowd was extremely excited and pumped up. There were quite a few fans wearing green, as well and the Celtics sure got their fair share of cheers. It was my first time watching Dirk Nowitzki in person. He is pretty amazing. I swear that every shot he takes, he is falling over backward, but at 7-feet tall, nobody is going to block his shot. He finished with 22 points. Ryan called him the werewolf because of his long beard (in photo to the left). By the way....Shawn Marion has the ugliest shot in the NBA....I just thought I should mention that.It was also the return of Jason Terry to Dallas after playing the last 8 seasons there. The crowd gave him a standing ovation when he entered the game. The half-time show was a bit unique....a woman on a unicycle who put up to 5 bowls on her foot, flipped them in the air and caught them on her head....you don't see that everyday.
In the end, the Mavericks were too much for the Celtics and they pulled out the 104-94 win. I was a bit disappointed that our seats were too far away to see Mavericks' owner, Mark Cuban. He is always entertaining and usually gets quite a bit of attention....I don't believe they even showed him on the big screen.
Saturday morning / early afternoon was spent at the Dallas World Aquarium (also within walking distance of hotel). They have a lot more animals than just your typical aquarium - jaguars, birds, monkeys, to name a few. Somehow we managed to time it perfectly because when we left, the line to get in was two blocks long. If you are ever in town, check it out at: http://www.dwazoo.com/The rest of the afternoon was spent back at the hotel watching more NCAA basketball.
Saturday night it was back to the American Airlines Center to watch the Dallas Stars take on the Colorado Avalanche. One thing to note - during the National Anthem, the entire crowd screams "Star" everytime the word star is mentioned; much like in Baltimore when they scream "O" (for the Orioles). If you are not prepared, it can really catch you off guard. Our seats were pretty good; near the corner; 8 rows off the ice. The Stars scored early (first goal within 34 seconds) and often. Former Penguin, Jaromir Jagr had a pretty good game with 1 goal and 1 assist (man does he look old). At one point it was 4-0 Stars and they cruised to a 5-2 win.
It was a very exciting game, but by the end of the night Ryan was feeling the effects of a very long weekend.
American Airlines Center is a great venue. I really like the "spiral staircase like" feel in the concourse area and all the arched entryways. During the basketball game our seats were in the upper deck, but the view was still very good. When you attend games with a 6-year-old, you spend a lot of time "touring" the facility to kill time. Great shops, good food and lots of entertainment. Outside before games there is plenty of music and entertainment; not exactly appropriate for the little guy, but it would be cool for others.
Currently I would rank this as the best basketball arena I have visited. Although they also play hockey there, I don't rank it as the best hockey arena....if that makes sense to anyone. I still like Consol Energy Center - Home of the Penguins - as the best hockey arean. To read about Consol Energy Center, click here.
Thirty games now completed out of 122. My record for the home teams is now 19-11; more importantly, another $205 raised for cancer research. It was a successful weekend all around and I had one tired little guy on the plane ride home.
Please visit my fundraising page. I encourage you to donate. http://www.firstgiving.com/fundraiser/christopher-apel/christopherapel
No comments:
Post a Comment