Things I learned in Houston

The Astros don't know how to handle giveaways. In fact, they suck ass. Really, they couldn't be worse. Fans literally have to fight for the cheap pieces of crap. (God help them with the trash cans on Saturday.) But they DO have really good helmet sundaes.

Their first pitch tradition left something to be desired. I suppose the powers that be must have figured, "why have one first pitch when you can have THREE?" Seriously, they announced three first pitches. I guess no one told them that by the second pitch, it's not a first pitch anymore. That's too advanced for the Astros, though.

Non-fans of Texas (like Chanuck) would not care for the 7th inning stretch. After "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" is sung, there's a bonus song! Guess what it is?Minute Maid Park is an interesting place to visit, but it was so convoluted. My father explained that the park incorporates various features from other parks, like Fenway's Green Monster or the Wrigley Field scoreboard. Nice in theory, but in reality? It doesn't work. Still, I liked the idea of the food place that served the visiting team's cuisine. In case you were wondering, Colorado's signature food was not mountain oysters, but burgers:One Houston sculpture artist created his version of Teddy...
...not to mention 35-foot statues of the Beatles.Coming back was nice. I highly recommend flying on holidays; the plane was half-empty (for once!). Despite the earlier evacuations, the Mall at 8:15 was pretty busy.
Chanuck and I ended up watching the fireworks from 395 next to the Pentagon. I was floored that people were triple-parked on the highway to see the events. Unreal.

Happy Fourth!