Events

Shows you how much I keep up with the news. It turns out, this is Shea Stadium's final season. I first went to Shea when I started school in New York in 1988, but I haven't been back since 1990. I hate Shea. It's uncomfortable, ugly, and the Mutts play there. Only, I just found out they're tearing it down after this season, so next season the Mets will play in their brand-new Citi Field next door. Now, I already knew about the new Yankee Stadium, and I'd decided that visiting the old one would count for...

The International Air Transport Association (IATA), in conjunction with national aviation authorities like our FAA, maintains the master list of three-letter airport designations throughout the world. (Another group, the International Civil Aviation Organization, maintains a parallel set of four-letter codes that pilots use. For example, the IATA code for London's Heathrow is LHR, but the ICAO code is EGLL.) The Chicago Tribune has a story today about unexpected and unusual IATA codes: The good people...

Just jiggled the 30-Park Geas schedule a little. After discussing with my cousing the pros and cons of visiting Miami in August, we decided to hit two Cubs games in Atlanta, whereupon I'll pop out to San Francisco to see Dad and catch the A's-White Sucks series. (Sox. White Sox. My mistake. Sorry, I live north of Madison.) So, with eight parks down, and seven scheduled, we go into the bottom of 2008. National League 9, American 6.

Our best friend (nationally speaking) is 141 years old today.

And the latter half of my trip: Four Courts Lord Edward Street, near Temple Bar Anyone seen Once? This is from the opening scene, on Grafton Street: Finally, something you don't see in the U.S. much:

As promised, some photos from last week. Nieuwmarkt: Oude Kirk: Spuistraat: And this guy, obviously late of a coffeeshop: