Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Another Road Trip For Mike

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Posted by Michael Coate (Member # 757) on 09-04-2005, 08:30 AM:

Call me crazy with the price of gas, but I'm about to embark on another cross country road trip. This one has been planned for a while and I'm too selfish to cancel or postpone! Destination: Washington, D.C. to do some work at the Library of Congress and to take in a Washington Nationals game (some of you are aware of my baseball stadium quest obsession thing).

So, as with my previous road trips, if any film-tech members want to meet up for coffee or a beer or a tour of your theater, please let me know. Either post here or contact me via email.

My route: El Paso >>> Dallas >>> Memphis >>> Nashville >>> Lexington >>> Charleston, WV >>> D.C.

On the return: D.C. >>> Philadelphia >>> Pittsburgh >>> Columbus >>> Indianapolis >>> Quad Cities >>> St. Louis >>> Oklahoma City >>> Albuquerque >>> Phoenix >>> Los Angeles.

I'd also like to make it to New York City, but budget and time issues may prevent that visit.

Thanks.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 09-04-2005, 09:44 AM:

Posted by Adam Heath (Member # 2910) on 09-04-2005, 02:06 PM:

You're obsessed with baseball stadiums too huh??? I've only gotten to 10, but my goal is to hit one or two new ones a year. I'm in the Quad Cities so give a shout when you are coming through.

Adam

Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 09-04-2005, 02:43 PM:

Dinners on me in Columbus, Mike. Let me know when you are coming through.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 09-04-2005, 05:20 PM:

The only baseball stadiums that I would consider worthy a visit would be any that still have ***REAL*** grass. Any other place is just an imitation! Wrigley Field is still my #1 favorite and the pizza there is awsome! No other park that I've visited has the aura that Wrigley has. I sure miss Harry Carey though!

Mark

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 09-04-2005, 07:01 PM:

Thinking of Wrigley Field (where the Bears used to play before Soldier Field came in..), these classic old stadiums are getting far and few between.

Wonder how Chicago likes their new Soldier Field compared to the old one? Granted, it just doesn't seem the same.

-Monte

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 09-04-2005, 07:25 PM:

Louisville has an almost-new old style baseball stadium; grass Louis

Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 09-04-2005, 07:56 PM:

Mike,
I hope you post some pics of your trip... especially some with you in them... [Wink]

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 09-04-2005, 09:10 PM:

For those who like ballparks, Fenway is just as good as Wrigley (yes, I've been to both). Also, there are lots of really great minor-league parks scattered throughout the country, often in smaller cities and sometimes in more rural areas.

Fenway Park, circa 2003:

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 09-04-2005, 09:52 PM:

Mark,

RFK stadium has REAL grass so I guess it qualifies as a real stadium. RFK switches between soccer and baseball in 36-hours. Half of the seats are moved between modes (they are on this gigantic track).

Posted by Will Kutler (Member # 770) on 09-04-2005, 10:09 PM:

Hi Mike

Sent you a PM. Contact me when you get to Phoenix. Can show you around my Department at ASU

Posted by Shane Cooper (Member # 2510) on 09-04-2005, 10:43 PM:

Give me a shout when you get to Columbus. I will show you around the my theater.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 09-04-2005, 11:34 PM:

quote: Scott Norwood
Fenway is just as good as Wrigley (yes, I've been to both).

Great B&W shot Scott!! Fenway is a great place with a great history but..... Fenway doesn't have the beautiful skyline that Wrigley does... that adds ALOT to the aura of the place. I've been to Fenway, but that was a long time ago. To me you seem more closed in at Fenway but at Wrigley its alot more open.... even Wrigley's main stands are just more open because of the design of the park.

As I said Steve... any field with real grass certainly qualifies and that wold include JFK [thumbsup]

!! Our own Franklin Covey Field is just 1/2 block from our shops..... Great field and probably the best view of any ballpark in existance... but the team sucks(Minor League stuff), so I go mainly to enjoy the Crowd, the field and the view. Thats the Wasatch Mountains in the background and the peak in the center is Mount Olympus at just a bit over 9,000'.

Mark

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 09-05-2005, 02:01 AM:

...and as it happens, I'm doing something similar, but in the opposite direction - heading off for 10 days in California tomorrow to do some research in archives at San José and Los Angeles. For obvious reasons it won't be a road trip, though! I'm pretty much booked up for every moment of the Los Angeles days, but if anyone has any suggestions as to what to do with a couple of evenings in San José (any must-see theatres?), I'd be grateful for any tips.

Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 09-05-2005, 05:09 AM:

leo, if you can make it to palo alto, the stanford theater is worth checking out.

carl

Posted by Jim Ziegler (Member # 86) on 09-05-2005, 06:27 AM:

The Winchester Block domes in San Jose are pretty cool..

Posted by Jon Miller (Member # 163) on 09-05-2005, 08:56 AM:

Carl, are they still running the Magnarcs at the Stanford Theatre? IIRC, the owners went out of their way to have carbon arc when they restored the theatre in the late 1980s.

Posted by Leo Enticknap (Member # 534) on 09-05-2005, 09:06 AM:

Many thanks folks - I'll definitely check these out if I get the chance.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 09-05-2005, 10:03 AM:

I've seen MANY games at both major league and minor league parks...without a doubt, I prefer the minor league experience. The minor league parks we've been in are wonderful (seen parks from single-A up through triple-A). Just this year, we made it to Cedar Rapids to see the Iowa Kernals.

My wife and I had our wedding reception at a minor league stadium (Bowie Baysox, "PG Stadium") and have made it a point to be in a ball park on every anniversary. Even went to Rochester one year and watched with John Pytlak at Frontier Field (home of the Rochester Red Wings). Even on our honeymoon we made it to two games...Inidanpolis Indians (Victory field...a WONDERFUL park) and the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field. This year, we went to Frederick, MD to see the "Keys" (Harry S. Grove Stadium). We also have season tickets to the "Nats" .

Anyone that hasn't been to a minor league game and likes baseball or just needs to get out of the house and let the kids make noise...ought to go to a minor league baseball game...its a better deal than movies, if you ask me.

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 09-05-2005, 10:52 AM:

quote: Jon Miller
Carl, are they still running the Magnarcs at the Stanford Theatre? IIRC, the owners went out of their way to have carbon arc when they restored the theatre in the late 1980s.

Actually I think there is a pair of Phillips DP-70's there now. I convertd the change-overs fomr the old Phillips to custom Kelmars for them about a year ago.

quote: Steve Guttag
its a better deal than movies, if you ask me.

I 100% agree with that line! They almost pay YOU to go to the games here...

Mark

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 09-05-2005, 01:24 PM:

quote: Mark Gulbrandsen
Our own Franklin Covey Field is just 1/2 block from our shops

Can't remember the team's name, but doesn't LHM own them as well as he has the JAZZ?

Yep, there on 13th S. and Main (if this is the right address) - been there a few times.

-Monte

Posted by Carl Martin (Member # 1146) on 09-06-2005, 01:29 AM:

mark, i'm glad you fielded that one because i have no idea. i've been to the stanford once, a couple years ago. it's a great place, and kinda local, but not really local enough for me to frequent. i do know that they can show nitrate there, and i saw one that day. my most frequent haunt now is the pacific film archive.

carl

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 09-06-2005, 01:41 AM:

quote: Jon Miller
Carl, are they still running the Magnarcs at the Stanford Theatre?

Maybe not at the Standford, but I've still got them at the Oxford Drive-In. [Smile]

But not for long... [Frown]

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 09-06-2005, 05:53 AM:

quote: Jim Ziegler
The Winchester Block domes in San Jose are pretty cool..

That whole name sounds like a welfare based apartment development!

quote: Carl Martin
mark, i'm glad you fielded that one because i have no idea. i've been to the stanford once, a couple years ago. it's a great place, and kinda local, but not really local enough for me to frequent. i do know that they can show nitrate there, and i saw one that day. my most frequent haunt now is the pacific film archive.

Yea, am pretty sure thay have a pair there, I think they said someone donated the pair. Perhaps Sam Chavez knows for sure..... You can run nitrate on a DP-70 as Nitrate fire trap rollers do exist for them....

quote: Daryl C. W. O'Shea
Maybe not at the Standford, but I've still got them at the Oxford Drive-In. But not for long...

Don't tell me that Tekniwight is going to invade YOU'RE booth in the near future.... [Roll Eyes]

Posted by Daryl C. W. O'Shea (Member # 1303) on 09-06-2005, 08:45 PM:

I doubt it. The screen there isn't anywhere near the size of the other ones we've "done it" to.

Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 09-07-2005, 01:58 AM:

Leo: if you get a chance to get further north than San Jose, get a hold of me and I will give you the quickie tour of the local Cinema West theatres... [Smile]

-Aaron

Posted by Michael Coate (Member # 757) on 09-12-2005, 06:50 PM:

Wow, this thread sure got highjacked! [Smile]

I made it to D.C. Saw the game on Saturday (Braves 4, Nationals 0). I don't have the ability to post any pictures at the moment; maybe when I return home.

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 09-12-2005, 11:12 PM:

I was there too! Section 218.

Posted by Michael Coate (Member # 757) on 09-27-2005, 05:31 PM:

I'm back from my Washington, DC trip. Hard to believe I went all that way for a single game; all previous trips included at least a few games. But then, I did have other business to take care of in DC and RFK was the only stadium left that I hadn't been to, so the trip was designed with this in mind.

I met up with film-techers Mark Lensenmayer (whom I had met before) and Mark Marshall.

Steve G: What a shame it turned out we were at the same game and didn't know it until afterward. I paid a visit to the AFI Theater in Silver Spring hoping you might be there.

During the drive through St Louis I got a good glimpse of the new stadium being constructed. The outer portion looks to be about half-completed. It is right smack up against Busch, so the other half won't go up until after Busch is demolished following the season. (I predict the Cards will win this year's World Series, by the way.) Unfortunately, I didn't get any photos of this as it's located right where several freeways intersect and there really wasn't a (safe) place to pull over.

In Spring '06, I plan to attend EbertFest, film critic Roger Ebert's annual film festival in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. If I go, I'll certainly make the effort to take in a game at the new park in St Louis, which isn't too far from Champaign. (I have to keep pace with the new ones now that I've been to 'em all!)

quote: Will Kutler
Contact me when you get to Phoenix.

Why? Are you eager to take another stab at trying to convince me you saw a 70mm presentation of "Star Wars" in Tucson? [Big Grin]

Actually, Will, I didn't pass through Phoenix...yet. I made some adjustments during my trip and returned to New Mexico to spend some more time with relatives before I head back to California. The original plan was to travel through Oklahoma, northern Texas, Albuquerque, and then Phoenix and on to California. I'm currently in the southern part of New Mexico, close to El Paso, Texas, so I took a different route on the return.

quote:
The only baseball stadiums that I would consider worthy a visit would be any that still have ***REAL*** grass. Any other place is just an imitation!

Mark, most of the current stadiums do have real grass. Artificial turf is a thing of the past.

quote: Mark Gulbrandsen
Wrigley Field is still my #1 favorite

The most-often-asked question I get re my travelling to see these games has been, "Which one was your favorite?" It's certainly difficult to answer, although either Wrigley or Fenway, due to their age and uniqueness, would likely be my pick. Yankee was a dump, though it was fantastic to acknowledge the history of the place. My least favorite was probably Tropicana in Tampa (St. Petersburg, actually). Attending a game at Wrigley seemed like traveling through time...until I dropped seven bucks for a beer!

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 09-27-2005, 07:54 PM:

You made it to the AFI/Silver and only give it a mention as a passing glance sort of thing? Did yo make it into the booth(s) or anything. It is truely projection candy for most people in the biz and certainly one of my most favorite set ups.

Posted by Darren Crimmins (Member # 1116) on 09-27-2005, 08:59 PM:

Even some of the stadiums that still do have artificial grass have improved the quality of it. The old Metrodome (it has a new name now, not sure what it is) has put in a new surface to where a ground ball no longer acts like it was hit onto a trampoline and bounce over fielders heads.

Posted by Michael Coate (Member # 757) on 10-01-2005, 09:44 PM:

quote: Steve Guttag
You made it to the AFI/Silver and only give it a mention as a passing glance sort of thing? Did yo make it into the booth(s) or anything.

Nope; I was hoping you'd be there to give the grand tour!

quote: Darren Crimmins
The old Metrodome (it has a new name now, not sure what it is) has put in a new surface to where a ground ball no longer acts like it was hit onto a trampoline and bounce over fielders heads.

Yeah, it looks like the Metrodome has installed that same piss yellow/puke green-looking crap that Tropicana Field has.

Hasn't the place always been officially called the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome?

Posted by Mark Gulbrandsen (Member # 72) on 10-02-2005, 06:00 AM:

quote:
Attending a game at Wrigley seemed like traveling through time...until I dropped seven bucks for a beer!

Michael,
You can never visit anything in Chicago without taking in at least some of its corruption in the process..... I'd bet that 3.00 of thet 7.00 go to Richie Daley [Eek!]

!

Mark

Posted by Steve Guttag (Member # 268) on 10-02-2005, 08:59 AM:

Remember, I don't work at the AFI/Silver....just installed the cinema aspects of it. One shouldn't assume that I'm going to be there on any given day.