14/6: Our first night in San Francisco, Eric asked Hanna and me if we wanted to go to a baseball game the next day. This got Hanna all excited. Her brother is really into baseball, and he would be so jealous if she went to a real baseball game in the US. As for me, my philosophy while travelling is to say yes to everything, in the name of experience. So, the next morning, we packed our water bottles and sunglasses and took the underground downtown to the San Francisco Giants stadium.
When I hear sport events at big stadiums, I think crazy people screaming and fighting in the stands. That’s how soccer games are in Sweden. Imagine my surprise when we arrived at the stadium, found our seats and sat down to watch the game, and the people around us were behaving all civil and relaxed. It was as if people came there to spend time together as much as to watch the game.
And the game itself also seemed very relaxed. There was rushes of intense action, alternated with no action at all, and once Eric and his friend Tom had explained the rules to us, I had no problem following the game.
Unfortunately, the San Francisco Giants lost. But the audience didn’t really seem to mind. This was part of some kind of championship and this particular game didn’t really matter. Instead, people seemed to see this as a nice way to enjoy the sunny Thursday afternoon. I found it very enjoyable too.
So, we got to eat a hot dog at a real baseball game. If that isn’t a genuine American experience, I don’t know what is.
(I didn’t only get a real American experience at the baseball stadium, though. I also managed to burn my nose really really bad. So, the rest of my stay in San Francisco, I walked around looking like a clown. It is dangerous, the Californian sun.)
Katja Malmborg 