Happy Saturday, y’all! How has your April been going? Mine has been a bit of a roller coaster, but that’s because we are fully staffed (on my shift) for the first time in over three months. It’s been an adjustment, that’s for sure. But enough about the boring stuff! One of my personal goals for 2025 was to attend a sporting event. Another goal was to have monthly dates with myself. This week, I did just that. I took a solo trip to a Toronto Blue Jays game.
When I Decided to Take a Solo Trip
Thanks to the long weekend, Good Friday is a day off for most people in Canada, and I was off in the middle of the week. Sadly, that means I’m one of the few who had to work the holiday. But I digress. I realized last weekend that the Jays would be home on Wednesday, and they often have early start times on Wednesdays. On a whim, I decided to check out ticket prices.
As a joke, I mentioned to my husband that I was thinking of going to the game. He agreed that it’s something I should do. It would help me and my mental health. Why? Because he knows that I don’t always do things that make me happy, I put other people’s happiness ahead of mine. It’s nothing new. It’s something I’ve done for a considerable portion of my life.
I also researched the price of a train ticket, because I refuse to drive into Toronto. Traffic is always insane, and parking is a small fortune.
After all of this research, I was excited about the prospect of the trip. But I decided to wait to buy tickets, because I didn’t know how I would feel or what the crazy weather would do. Mother Nature has been all over the place with the weather this spring.
The Day Of My Solo Trip
I prepared my youngest daughter by telling her that she would need to figure out how to get home from school, since I usually pick her up, although she is also able to walk on her own. And that she would be on her own for dinner. She wasn’t too happy when I told her where I was going, because she hates changes to her routine. Such is life with a 17-year-old with anxiety.
After she was at school, I was spending time with my husband, who started peppering me with questions. Not in a nagging way, but more along the lines of: What time does the game start? When did I need to leave to catch the train? Those kinds of questions.
I started to talk myself out of going to the game because my anxiety was beginning to show itself. But before I knew it, I had grabbed the laptop and my wallet so I could buy the tickets. Once they were bought, there was no going back.
I hurriedly switched my necessary wallet contents to a cross-body bag and headed out the door.
My Journey
Toronto is about an hour east of where I live. But as I said before, I hate driving in the city, and parking is a nightmare. So we take the train, called the GO Train, which is a regional transit train. You can find more information here. The train station closest to me only has trains that run during rush hour, which didn’t work for me going to the game, as the first pitch was at 1:07 p.m. So I did what we always do when going to Toronto, I drove an hour to a different station. The drive doesn’t bother me, as it used to be my daily commute for a few years. And I got to see some swans out in a farmer’s field.
When I arrived at the train station, I had only a few minutes to get from where I parked to the platform. The race was on! As I was going under the tracks to get to the correct platform, the train was pulling in. Like many other transit identities, they only stop for a couple of minutes. I came up the stairs and was only a few steps from the door. Thank goodness, as they closed the doors right after I got on!
I then had a 40-minute ride to recover from the race to the train, and to prepare for the walk from the station to the stadium. The train ride was relaxing and gave me time to listen to an audiobook.
Upon arriving at Union Station, I followed the crowds and made my way to the game. On my way out the door, a family stopped me and asked for directions to the game. Why? Because I was wearing a Jays ball cap. I guess I was also giving off the vibe that I knew where I was going. Imagine their surprise when I told them I had only been to a few games and gave the same vague direction everyone in Toronto does: head towards the CN Tower. LOL! Sadly, those directions don’t work as well as they used to because the city has grown around the tower, and in some directions, it completely blocks it out.
The Views and the Food
After a couple of missteps on my way to the game, I missed the first pitch, but I was there!
I found myself standing in one of the newer areas of the stadium, the Corona Roof Top Bar. While the views there are great, the vibes in the area weren’t quite what I was looking for. Between innings, I went for a walk and found myself in Park Social. It’s another newer area of the park, and offers a similar view.
One of the things you need to know about both the Roof Top Bar and Park Social is that the seats are first-come, first-served. That means you may find yourself standing for a bit. And even then, the standing area is available on a first-come, first-served basis. I found a great spot near some people who were watching the game and having some conversations about the sport. After a couple of innings, my excitement of being at the game started to wane. I needed food!
I love pickles. And when you’re at a baseball game, hot dogs are a must. So, imagine my surprise when I found a pickle dog at the stand just outside of Park Social.
What is a pickle dog? It’s a ballpark-style hot dog, with mustard, lots of chopped pickles, and broken mini pretzels.
That hot dog was what dreams are made of!
After finding a seat to enjoy my hot dog and make a mess of it, I went in search of a spot to watch the game. I lucked out and found a seat in Park Social, where I was able to relax and watch the rest of the game. Vladimir Guerrero, Jr hit his first home run of the season and drove in two of the three Jays’ runs. At the top of the 9th inning, a notice came on the jumbotron to turn on our flashlights. So all the tiny lights you see in the pictures below are cellphones, while Jeff Hoffman, the closing pitcher, made his way to the mound.
Post Game Conclusions
After finishing the game and making my way home slowly, I came to a few conclusions. Conclusion one, I want to do this again! The only difference is that I don’t want to attend a 1:07 start time. The train out of Toronto after the game was insane, between people leaving the game and regular rush hour traffic. If I can swing a 3:07 start time, that would be better. Conclusion two, I want to give myself more time to enjoy things in and around the game. Like getting there earlier so I don’t miss the pregame stuff. But also to walk around the area outside the stadium. Next to the stadium are the CN Tower, Ripley’s Aquarium, and Steam Whistle Brewing. And a couple of blocks away is the lakefront.
That’s my solo trip to a Toronto Blue Jays game. Have you ever done something similar? Would you go on a solo trip, even for a day?
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Yay you! 🙌👍👏 love this! You must feel accomplished and daring! Btw.. comments were closed for this post in the WP app, so I’m going through a browser to comment!
Thanks Carol! I had a bit of anxiety about going to the game on my own. But it was an adventure that I hope to have again in the future. I was having issues yesterday leaving comments on other blogs. I wonder what’s going on with the comments and WP.
Pam
One thing I noticed is that you posted under “someone” rather than your usual “Pam” ….maybe that’s it? For some reason I have to leave WP reader and open your post in a browser to comment. Maybe try logging out and log in again?
Way to go, Pam. My husband and I used to go to a couple of game a year, but it is a 4 hour drive for me (I live in Windsor), so haven’t gone since he passed away. It sounds like it was a great day for you, even with the rushing around. I hope you do it again someday.