Reason 236

Safeco Field. Notice how I didn't list the Mariners as a reason, even though they play in Safeco when they're in town. Could be that they are currently the losingest team in the American League (no surprise there), which often makes attending one of their games a step below getting one's teeth cleaned on the fun scale. The team's one saving grace is the magnificant stadium they play in (and I use the term 'play' fairly loosely), located a mere hop, skip and a jump away from Seattlle's gorgeous waterfront. When the roof is retracted you may get a view of Mt. Rainier in all her snow-covered glory, and the occasional train horn blasting through the popcorn-scented air is always a nice distraction from the woefully pathetic antics on the field. Today I am attending the Red Sox-Mariners game, thanks to the generosity of my friend Christina, who has been a member of the Red Sox Nation since she was in her mama's belly. Obviously, Chris won't be rooting for the home team, but that doesn't irk me since my biggest concerns during game time are whether the drunk guy behind us will either puke on me or get in a fight, how I can get the coveted job of choosing music that's played when certain players are at bat, and which new food booths I'm going to scope out. When it comes to noshing, Safeco was actually nominated by the Food Network as having the best ballpark eats in America and an ESPN poll ranked the stadium as having the best signature ballpark food, so it makes sense that I'd ignore Ichiro when there are almost one hundred different stands to sniff out. This year several healthier options were added to menus around the park, but I am going to shun the carrot and celery creations for the french fries covered in gravy and cheese curds. I hear the dish is all the rage in Canada and, since the folks up north seem to know a whole lot more than us Americans, I'm going to act like a Canuck today. Safeco is also one of the greenest ballparks in the country, so once I'm done with my little dish of carbohydrate heaven I can probably compost it, adding a touch of righteousness to the whole baseball experience. I'm not sure if you're a fan of America's favorite pasttime, Jason, but I know you're a fan of food, so next time you're doing the tourist thing in Seattle let's plan on snagging some cheap tickets to a Mariner's game and then blowing our wads on the feast that awaits us on the concourse. Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jacks and I'll buy you a slow-cooked BBQ pulled pork sandwich. Play ball!

*Update: The Mariners actually beat Boston, which unfortunately meant I had to listen to Christina gripe about her team's inept management for at least an hour. I also skipped the poutine, thinking it would be wiser to try the fries when they hadn't been sitting out for 30 minutes covered in congealed gravy.