They hit the road to Rochester. As they pulled onto I-90 Toll Route, they were surprised to see no little booth dispensing a cardboard coupon they could use to pay their fare at journey’s end. What did greet them was a camera that promised to send their bill to the owner of the car’s licence plate.
“That could be trouble.” Ronnie mused.
“Don’t worry.” Donnie assured them. “I’ll figure it out.”
They usually stayed at the Adam’s Mark Hotel because it was an easy walk to the ballpark. Unfortunately, it closed during Covid so Donnie booked the downtown Holiday Inn Express instead. Further away but the Buffalo Metro Rail would take them to the ballpark for free.
Finding the hotel was a bit of a challenge. Finding parking was an even bigger challenge. Eventually, they worked it all out and were settled into their rooms – sipping on cold beer. No cold air in Donnie and Charlie’s room, but a quick telephone call to the front desk got them assurances it would be fixed in no time.
Soon it was time to head to the park. The train was free as long as they were above ground. Fortunately, they were one stop south of where it plunged underground. When they got to the park stop, Donnie and Young Dirk headed off to Sahlen Field to buy tickets while Charlie and Ronnie went to the nearby Pearl Street Grill & Brewery to secure a table.
The place was jam-packed. They ended up on an upper patio. Not surprisingly service was rather slow. Since they were close to the Canadian border, Charlie luxuriated in a most delicious Caesar. They ran out of time before being able to order a meal but did get in a second round of drinks and a monster pretzel suitable for four.
All went well at the game. The beer was cold. The dogs were hot. The bologna burg took them back to their youth. The Blue Jay-affiliated Bisons clobbered the visiting WooSox 8/1.
Best of all, the fireworks were to die for. Lasting for about an hour, they were accompanied by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and the US Army Jazz Ambassadors. Ooh! La! LA!
Donnie and Charlie’s room was still hot, but at least the beer was nice and cold in the cooler full of ice.
The hotel breakfast was rather ho hum but did have scrumptious cinnamon buns. They had a pleasant drive to Rochester, stopping to replenish their stock of beer. Thereafter, things went downhill. They were having electrical problems at Innovative Field, so they couldn’t buy their tickets in advance of the game. Their ever-most favourite Genesee Brew House was closed for Independence Day. Their beloved diner, Jines Restaurant, was closed for the entire week. What to do for breakfast? State Street leading up to the hotel was under massive reconstruction and very difficult to navigate. The hotel decided to renovate at the same time so looked like a war zone. Their rooms were back on the 6th floor, fortunately at the opposite end from the dreaded 666. The pool was closed. And they seemed to be having problems splitting their bills.
