Mariner's Game and LA first impressions

We went to a Mariner's versus Angels game tonight in Anaheim. It was an exciting game; Felix Hernandez pitched for the Mariner's and did quite well; gave up two runs (only one earned) in seven innings and the Mariner's tied it in the 9th only to lose it in the 10th 3-2.

Angels stadium is pretty nice, although it's very commercialized. I know sponsorship is rampant in sports but there were actual TV commercials on the big screen between innings. And when an Angels player did something good, instead of saying something like "Ichirific" on the big screen, the play would be sponsored by some electronics store. I'm sure it's the future direction of sports, but I think Seattle is a little behind the curve on this so far. Also, I would say about 95% of the people at the game were wearing Angles clothing; the crowd was a sea of red. Of course partly this was due to the fact that it was "hat night" - Jaimee and I are now proud owners of Angel's caps - but mostly the red was from the jerseys people were wearing. This compares to probably less than 50% of people at a Mariner's game who wear Mariner's gear. Could partly be that the Angels are doing well this year, but I think it's more than just how well the teams are doing.

As for LA, my first impressions are that I like it. It has too many highways, traffic is as bad as people say it is, but the weather is good (hot and sunny, but not too humid), and from what I've seen so far, the architecture is pretty nice. Today we walked around Sunset and Hollywood Boulevards (saw people leaving flowers on Michael Jackson's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame), ate lunch at a vegan thai restaurant and went swimming in the rooftop pool of the apartment building where we're staying. I think what I like about LA is the possibilities and vastness of the city. There's a lot going on, even if it is all spread out. It's a place that I'd like to get to know better, even if it means a lot of driving, and at fast speeds; LA drivers are crazy.

Tomorrow, we plan on hiking up to see the Hollywood sign, then a visit out to the boardwalk of Venice beach.