Saturday, 8/18/12, 8:00am.  The boys slept as I moved around our suite packing everything in sight.  We are in the elevator by 8:00, have a quick breakfast in the lobby and grab a taxi for the quick journey under the river to Windsor, Ontario.

At the border, the Immigration Officer was vigilant to ensure i had permission to bring the boys into Canada.  She asked if I had a letter from Kate stating so.  Answering no, she sent us inside.  Driving up to the inspection station, there were three parked cars, the drivers standing on the curb at a distance, while their contents were being meticulously picked through and inspected by body armor-wearing customs agents.  Convinced we would miss the train, I was mentally calculating a “plan B” by renting a car and driving to Toronto instead.  Once we were inside, a different Officer was only interested in talking about baseball, so we were on our way in about three minutes.  Whew!

9:05am.  We are aboard Via Rail #72 and currently speeding through southern Ontario.  We just left Chatham and should be in Toronto by 1:15pm.

1:15pm.  Our train pulled into Union Station on time.  We disembarked and walked along Front Street to our hotel at the Renaissance in the Rogers Centre.  Our room on the 4th floor looks out over the field.   The Saturday afternoon game was already in progress; we watched a few innings from our “living room” couch, and then went down to the lobby for lunch.  The restaurant also overlooks the field, so we watched a couple of innings there.  For grins, we went outside to the stadium and bought three 9th row seats for $10.  We watched the last three innings, sitting in the sun, enjoying the open roof and party atmosphere.  The result was not good for the home team.  Blue Jays 2, Rangers 1.

At the end of the game, we queued up for “kids run the bases.”  Pete and Charlie circled the bases and we took a few cool pictures from the field surface.

5:00pm.  We are back in the room and looking forward to a swim and dinner.  After a solid 90-minute swim in the hotel pool, we walked across the tracks and sat outdoors at Baton Rouge.  After the meal, we decided to take advantage of a beautiful twilight evening and ascended the CN Tower, for a great, 360 degree view of Toronto and beyond. 

Sunday, 8/21/12 10am.  We were awakened by the light of the Rogers Centre roof opening.  Over the course of the 20 minutes required to open the roof, the stadium transforms from a dark, artificially-lit cavern to a sun-splashed open-air stadium.  We watched batting practice and then settled in for the 2+ hour game vs. the Rangers.  For the second day in a row, we see the Jays fall.  This time, it was not a fair fight.  Rangers 11, Jays 2.

After the game, we took another swim and then walked over toward the Air Canada Centre for an enjoyable meal at the Real Sports Bar. 

Monday, 8/20/12, 9am.  Opening the curtains, our baseball stadium had been converted overnight to a concert venue.  Gone was the Astroturf, revealing bare concrete, and two huge cranes assembling the stage for Bruce Springsteen on Friday, 8/24.

We got up, packed the room together, hit the C-Lounge for a quick breakfast and were out of the hotel by 10:15am.  We hired the hotel car service for a quick run to Toronto Pearson for our Noon flight back to Boston.  Kate picked us up and had us home in Wayland by 2:15. 

In all, a flawless trip, no delays, everything on time (even Amtrak!), no traffic jams, and no rain outs.  Together, we have seen 28 parks together and only lack San Diego and Oakland to complete our quest for 30 MLB Parks.

2013 awaits, and will include Kate and Ellie!