2024-05-12 21:22:34
San Diego Trip (2) Baseball Stadium and Gourmet
The border with Mexico is just 50km away from Old Town San Diego, California, USA. Crossing the border is Tijuana, Mexico. So, people from San Diego go across the border to Mexico to have fun, and people from Mexico commute to San Diego to work and visit the zoo, safari, and Sea World.
Therefore, San Diego has developed a diverse culture and food influenced by Mexico. The cheering character for the San Diego Padres, who played the Major League Baseball (MLB) opening game in Seoul last month, looks like a Catholic monk with the top of his head bald. This is because the name San Diego was taken from Saint Didacus, a 15th-century Spanish Jesuit priest. Padres means father in Spanish, but in Catholicism it means priest. In the end, San Diego Padresser means ‘Father Saint Diego.’ At the Padres team souvenir shop, a priest character wearing a monk’s robe and playing baseball is very popular. Since California, including San Diego, was originally Mexican territory, you can taste Mexican food such as tacos and nachos everywhere.
San Diego Padres Home Stadium Petco Park Tour
Petco Park, the home stadium of the San Diego Padres, is located in the center of Old Town. Because it is close to the city center, it is ranked first among major league baseball stadiums in terms of accessibility and facilities. You can easily find Ha-seong Kim’s face hanging on placards throughout downtown San Diego.
It was originally located on the beach of San Diego Bay, but was rebuilt in its current location 20 years ago with state-of-the-art facilities. Petco Park, celebrating its 20th anniversary, is crowded with people looking around the stadium even during the day when there are no games.
For the stadium tour, you purchase a ticket and enter the historic red brick building located in the outfield of the stadium. This building, written ‘Western Metal Supply Co.’, was a steel company factory built in 1909, but was not torn down when Petco Park was built and became part of the stadium.
Although it is a state-of-the-art baseball stadium, it retains the old red brick building, showing that San Diego is a team with a long history. The corner of one wall of the building is painted yellow and is used as the left fence post that separates home runs from fouls.
The interior of the old building, which was reinforced with iron rather than destroyed and preserved as a historical relic, showed the Major League’s culture of emphasizing and preserving tradition.
The building has a bar where visitors can drink beer and a clubhouse for VIP visitors who purchase annual tickets ($15,000 to $50,000). In the VIP clubhouse, you can see bullpen pitchers preparing to pitch through the tinted windows. This is a scene that shows American-style capitalism, where services vary depending on money.
Gloves, bats, and trophies of Hall of Fame players such as Tony Gwynn (No. 19) and Trevor Hoffman (No. 51), who were called ‘Mr. Padres’, are on display throughout the baseball stadium.
Chelsea Deal, director of the San Diego Padres, said, “Hasung Kim is the player I love the most,” adding, “Because he is so good in offense and defense and shows passion.” He also gave a badge with Ha-seong Kim’s face engraved on it as a souvenir.
San Diego, the city of gastronomy
In San Diego, you can enjoy a variety of fusion foods, including Asian food such as Korean and Japanese. ‘Clock & Petal’ is an Asian fusion restaurant that serves Japanese and Korean cuisine. The interior decorated with colorful cherry blossoms and peach blossoms is overflowing with young hipsters. In addition to the American-style sushi California roll, there is also ribs, pork belly, and Korean-style chicken.
Chef Robert Cassidi introduced his family by saying that his mother is Korean and his father served in the U.S. Army in Korea. He said, “Ever since I was young, I learned how to cook from my mother. San Diego is a city that is open to various food cultures such as Mexico, Korea, and Japan, so I can constantly get new ideas about cooking.”
At ‘Puesto Inn Headquarters’, you can enjoy authentic Mexican food under an orange parasol. A variety of tacos containing chicken, lobster, shrimp, and fish (baja), as well as salads with passion fruit, mango, and shrimp, also attract attention. The representative drink is ‘Paloma’, a cocktail originating in Mexico. It is a long drink cocktail with a tequila base and grapefruit. People who do not want to drink can order a ‘mocktail’ without alcohol.
The Margaritaville Hotel San Diego, located in Old Town, a 5-minute walk from Petco Park, is decorated in Mexican style, from the lobby to the hallways and guest rooms.
It is filled with interior props such as a self-portrait with thick eyebrows painted by the famous Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, woven hats and plates, and parrots painted in primary colors.
At the hotel bar ‘Land Shark’, the main menu is Mexican food and alcohol such as tacos, nachos, guacamole, and tequila. Why is it called ‘land shark’? An official at the hotel pointed out, “It refers to shark-like men who sit at the bar and stare at women.”
San Diego = Reporter Jeon Seung-hoon [email protected]
2024-05-12 21:22:34