Baseball Stadiums: Northeast Delta Dental Stadium

A day after leading a field trip of six geographers to Portland, Maine, as part of the 2017 AAG Annual Meeting in Boston (read about it here), I made a solo trek to New Hampshire for a baseball game.  Although I asked colleagues and friends to join me on the trip to Manchester to see the New Hampshire Fisher Cats, nobody was able to join me.  I never object to company when driving or attending a sporting event, but it was nice to be back in my comfort zone chasing down another ballpark.

Like my visit to Portland the night before, I had previously attended a Fisher Cats game during the summer of 2007.  As part of my week-long stay with a friend from graduate school, we attended a Fisher Cats game at Northeast Delta Dental Stadium (née Merchantsauto.com Stadium).  I was most excited because of the recent renovations made to the ballpark in advance of hosting the 2017 Eastern League All-Star Game (read the story here).

As excited as I was about seeing the new renovations, the first thing I noticed upon arriving at the stadium was snow.  I knew it had snowed heavily the weekend prior to my trip, but was surprised by how much snow was piled up in the parking lot right in front of the stadium and especially struck by the small pile in front of the main gate (see it on my Instagram account).  I got a bit closer to take my standard ballpark entrance photo for the blog, so you don't see any snow in this picture.

Ticket office and main entrance to Northeast Delta Dental Stadium.

The gates are adorned with banners of famous former players, so I had to take a photo of one of the team's most famous alums...

Right-handed pitcher Marcus Stroman came up through the Toronto Blue Jays organization,
and was a pivotal piece of the U.S. team winning the 2017 World Baseball Classic.

After climbing the stairs, I immediately saw some of the ballpark's newest renovations.  I saw the Sam Adams Bar & Grill, which overlooks left field.  However, the waterfall is the much more interesting feature.

A majestic waterfall greets fans following their ascent up the main staircase like fan ascended to heaven.

Behind the waterfall and facing toward the Sam Adams Bar & Grill is a tiki bar with a live music stage.  According to the Fisher Cats, bands will perform on the stage on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

A band performing on the live music stage by the tiki bar.

The band played some classic rock and '80s music, so I was in heaven.  Although I was the only person telling "Roll Tide Roll" at the correct spots when the band played "Sweet Home Alabama."

After enjoying some music, I decided to check out the concession stands so I could make an informed decision about my dining options.  I saw one stand that surprised me (Wrapery), but the other selections were the usual ballpark suspects.

I was surprised to see a stand serving wraps, but they certainly had a line on this chilly day.

I also found pizza and the usual lineup of hamburgers and hot dogs.

A bit later in the game I got picture of another set of concession stands featuring hot dogs, hamburgers, and BBQ.

While exploring the concourse studying my food and beverage choices, I stumbled upon the lineups and Eastern League standings.  I also learned something about the game, which I did not know when I hit the road.

Starting lineups for April 8, 2017.

Checking out the standings led me to discover that Binghamton and New Hampshire did not play their scheduled games on Thursday OR Friday.  So, as the lineups showed, there would be two games instead of one tonight.

Eastern League standings entering play on April 8, 2017.

Perhaps the most interesting thing I discovered while exploring the concourse is that the Fisher Cats cover just about everything conceivable with a team photo.  That includes Fungo on a vendor door, which may be excessive but is really cool because that's what a Minor League Baseball stadium should be like.  It should be a place promoting and celebrating that local team.

Photos of Fisher Cats mascots Slider and Fungo adorn doors in the ballpark.

Eventually after I felt like I had done enough exploring (and taking pictures), I decided to take my seat behind home plate and watch the start of the game (and season for these teams).

New Hampshire Fisher Cats starting pitcher Sean Reid-Foley delivering the first pitch
to Binghamton Rumble Ponies center fielder Champ Stuart.

I usually take some action photos of the game to show off the uniforms, but today's games presented a different opportunity.  The Toronto Blue Jays assigned five of their top eight prospects to the Fisher Cats to start the season (read the story here), so I wanted to be sure to get some photos of these players.

So I was happily surprised when I realized during the game that I had taken a closeup of the Jays' number two prospect Sean Reid-Foley, who was the first game's starting pitcher.

Closeup of Toronto Blue Jays' No. 2 prospect and Fisher Cats starting pitcher Sean Reid-Foley
with third baseman Emilio Guerrero in the background.

It wasn't until warm-ups for the second game that I started to take photos of the other top prospects. So I'll come back to those photos at the appropriate time because after getting a few shots of Reid-Foley on the mound I wandered around the ballpark to take some pictures of the stadium during game action.

People who closely follow Minor League Baseball know that the Hilton Garden Inn beyond the left field wall is the most memorable view from Northeast Delta Dental Stadium.  Unfortunately, I did not get to stay overnight at the hotel, but naturally had to take a photo of it from the ballpark.

The famous Hilton Garden Inn just beyond left field, as seen from the first base line bleachers.

The post wouldn't be complete without the Hilton Garden Inn, but the rest of the stadium has some great views, too.  Like the Sam Adams Bar & Grill...

The Sam Adams Bar & Grill was a key part of the stadium's renovations before the 2017 season.

Although people rarely come to the ballgame to see a beautiful grandstand, I think it's an important part of the stadium and gives people perspective on the seating bowl.

A view of the grandstand, press box, and luxury suites.

While taking some of the photos, the Fisher Cats celebrated a young fan's birthday on the field.  That meant he got to meet the team's mascot, Fungo.

A young fan celebrating his birthday on the field with Fungo and the team's on-field emcee Zwick.

With Fungo on the field, I quickly took advantage of him departing the field to have my picture taken with him.

Me with Fungo.

Finally after watching a few innings of play and exploring, I decided it was time to get a bite to eat and a beer to drink.  I settled on the Great North Tie Dye Ale, which is widely available at the concession stands, and the Live Free burger, which I got at Burgertopia.

The Live Free burger featured bacon, mushrooms, maple syrup sauce, and Swiss cheese.

The Live Free burger was truly a mess, but definitely enjoyable.  I expected the maple syrup sauce to be like pancake/waffle syrup, but instead it was much thicker and creamier.  It is a pleasant surprise, but also dripped all over my fingers while eating it.

The Tie Dye Ale was good, but did not live up to the description of a "summer ale" as described by the concession stand employee.  According to the brewery's website, it is a dry-hopped pale ale.  So it was quite a bit hoppier than I expected, although it was very true to the style.  It is a beer that hop heads would enjoy.

Ironically just after I finished eating my burger the crazy flamingo-riding hot dog vendor made an appearance and tossed hot dogs into the crowd.

The flamingo-riding hot dog vendor tossing franks into the crowd.

After a bit, I checked out the team store and talked with the store manager Jake Moore because I had hoped to find a New Hampshire Primaries hat with both the donkey and elephant on the cap.  I learned that the team only sells those items during presidential election years, so I was a year late.  So perhaps I'll return in three years to get a cap with the elephant and donkey on it.

I eventually got to see the end of the first game, so I snapped a few more pictures of the game action and the videoboard.

Binghamton right-handed relief pitcher Cory Burns on the mound in the bottom of the seventh inning of the first game.

A view of the videoboard in right field.

Following the conclusion of game one, the teams had a 30-minute respite before beginning the back end of the doubleheader.  I hadn't planned on taking more pictures, but decided I wanted to capture a few more pictures.  I wanted to get some shots of the Blue Jays' top prospects, and lucked out getting one of the New York Mets' top prospects (No. 22-rated P.J. Conlon; see the full list here).

Binghamton Rumble Ponies starting pitcher P.J. Conlon in the bullpen before the start of game two.

So back to my primary goal: capturing pictures of some of the Blue Jays' top-rated prospects.  Specifically, I was looking to get photos of No.3-rated prospect outfielder Anthony Alford, No. 4-rated prospect shortstop Richard Ureña, and No. 6-rated prospect right-handed pitcher Conner Greene.  I was pretty successful, too.

During warm-ups, I got a pair of the prospects in the same picture.

Richard Ureña (#4) and Anthony Alford (to the right) are both top-five ranked prospects in the Blue Jays' system.

Fisher Cats shortstop Richard Ureña is the Blue Jays' fourth-ranked prospect.

Fisher Cats starting pitcher Conner Greene is the Blue Jays sixth-ranked prospect.

I was not able to get a picture of right-handed pitcher Jon Harris because he did not pitch in either game, but it was pretty cool getting photos of four of the five top-rated prospects assigned to the Fisher Cats.

Considering that the Fisher Cats lost the two games, top-rated prospects are maybe not the best close to my stadium visit.  Although I enjoyed my visit immensely, ate some great food, and drank a good beer, the game was really marked by the cold temperatures and a constant struggle to stay warm on the Opening Night of the season.

The pitchers in the Fisher Cats bullpen do their best to stay bundled up and their heads warm by wearing tossle caps.

I was also a bit cold from watching the majority of two games, so I opted to skip the fireworks and headed for my car for the hour-drive back to Boston and my conference.  Despite being a bit tired, I was quite happy about my visit back to Manchester.  The stadium renovations definitely added to what was already an excellent ballpark.

Final Score: Binghamton Rumble Ponies 2, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 0 - Game 1;
Binghamton Rumble Ponies 8, New Hampshire Fisher Cats 2 - Game 2
Box Score - Game 1
Box Score - Game 2

Baseball Stadiums: Hadlock Field

The springtime cliché is that April showers bring May flowers, and I'm sure that is the case for many people and places.  For me, April brings the AAG Annual Meeting and usually early-season baseball games.  As covered in a post previewing my trip (read it here), early April meant leading a field trip of fellow geographers to attend a Portland Sea Dogs game and meeting up with baseball author Josh Pahigian (Twitter: @JoshPahigian).

I had hoped to have about 20 people sign-up for the field trip, but alas only seven people besides myself registered for the trip.  So instead of riding in a bus, I ended up renting a minivan and driving to the venerable Hadlock Field with six passengers.  So after parking in a nearby lot, I was eager to have my photo taken with the statue outside the stadium.

Me with the Slugger the Sea Dog statue outside the stadium.

Although the rest of the field trippers had never been to Hadlock Field, it was my second visit as I attended a Sea Dogs game in June 2007 during a road trip with a friend from graduate school.  However, this was my first opportunity to blog about a visit to the ballpark, so I did my best to treat it like a brand new experience.

But before entering the park, I needed to get a photo of the main entrance.

Main entrance to the stadium.

After entering the stadium you quickly see the Eastern League standings above a concession stand.

Eastern League standings entering play on Friday, April 7.

Not far from the league standings was the Opening Night rosters for the Sea Dogs and visiting Reading Fightin Phils.  Minor League Baseball's Opening Night was Thursday, but heavy rain across New England led to the cancellation of Thursday's game.

Lineups for the Reading Fightin Phils and Portland Sea Dogs for Friday, April 7.

We arrived at the stadium about 30 minutes before first pitch, so instead of exploring in search of food I opted to take a seat and watch the end of Opening Night ceremonies.  Following the conclusion of the national anthem I headed over to a spot behind home plate so I could capture the game's first pitch.

Portland Sea Dogs starting pitcher Teddy Stankiewicz delivering the first pitch
to Reading Fightin Phils second baseman Scott Kingery.

I watched a bit of the game from our seats near home plate before exploring the stadium in detail.  So I captured some pictures of the grandstand and a few action photos before going in search of food and beverage.

Banners celebrating the Sea Dogs division and league titles adorn the suite boxes; the colors denote whether they were a Florida Marlins (1994-2002) or Boston Red Sox (2003-present) affiliate. The Sea Dogs also honor Portland city manager Robert Ganley, who was instrumental in the construction of Hadlock Field, with a retired number.

A collection of players who appeared in a MLB game appear in another area of the suite boxes.

While enjoying the game, I took a few pictures of the outfield, which is notable for a handful of reasons.  The primary reason the outfield at Hadlock Field is well-known is because of the "Maine Monster" in left field, which is a 37-foot replica of the famed Fenway Park Green Monster.  The Sea Dogs built the wall after becoming a Red Sox affiliate before the 2003 season.

The Maine Monster includes a Coca-Cola bottle like the Green Monster at Fenway Park in Boston.

In right field, the stadium features something that is unique to Maine: a L.L. Bean rain boot.  The outdoor recreation company is headquartered in Freeport, Maine, which is a 20-mile drive from Hadlock Field.

A view of right field, which includes the home team's bullpen, and a L.L. Bean rain boot.

From my spot behind home plate I got some excellent action photos that capture the dichotomy of Minor League Baseball: a hot, young prospect (Rafael Devers) and a former Major Leaguer trying to resurrect a stalled career (Mike Olt).  Devers is rated the Red Sox's No. 1 prospect and No. 14 in all MiLB according to MLB Pipeline while Olt last played in the Majors two years ago.

Sea Dogs designated hitter Mike Olt was a first-round draft pick of the Texas Rangers in 2010.

Sea Dogs third baseman Rafael Devers signed as a teenager with the Red Sox.

Eventually I went in search of a local craft beer and food, but I found some franchise history along the way.  The first stop was the Portland Sea Dogs Hall of Fame.

Outfielder Brandon Moss and manager Todd Claus, inducted into the Sea Dogs Hall of Fame in 2016,
helped lead the Sea Dogs to the 2006 Eastern League championship.

The second stop was the Road to the Show, which lists all 268 former Sea Dogs who have played in a Major League Baseball game.

The Road to the Show lists the 368 former players who have made it to MLB.

The third stop was the team photo wall, which is along the concourse behind third base.

Every team photo from the Sea Dogs's history.

After checking out the concession stands on the concourse, I heeded the advice of Portland-resident Josh Pahigian and opted for food at the Shipyard Grill.  The grill is off the concourse down the third base line near the visitors' bullpen and serves a selection of local craft beers (notably the sponsor, Shipyard Brewing) and some grilled meats.

The Shipyard Grill along the third base line.

I hoped to find a lobster roll or something else particularly unique to Maine and New England, but unfortunately it was not quite in season.  So I opted for my default and picked the most unique encased meat option available: an Italian sausage.

The Italian Sausage, which sits on top of a bed of grilled peppers and onions.

For my beer, I chose the Shipyard Export Ale.  Shipyard describes it as "a classic brew which leads the way as a drinkable, well-balanced, flavorful ale."  As I noted on my check-in on Untappd (User: geoSteven), it paired very well with the Italian sausage.  It balanced the spices of the Italian sausage quite well, but was neither too light nor too heavy of a beer.

I closed off my stomach with a sweet treat: a Shain's of Maine SeaDog Biscuit.  It may sound fancy, but it's a chocolate chip ice cream sandwich.  There are two variety, the classic or one that is half-dipped into chocolate.  Per the suggestion of the venerable Josh Pahigian, I went with the half-and-half variety.  It was a chilly night, but the SeaDog Biscuit did not disappoint.

A Shain's of Maine half-and-half SeaDog Biscuit.

After filling my belly, I continued to explore the ballpark and took a few photos from the third-base side of the stadium.  One provides a larger perspective about the stadium's location within downtown Portland while the other illustrates the weather on a Friday night in Portland.

A view of the grandstand from third base with the Portland Exposition Building abutting the stadium on the first base line.

The Portland Exposition Building, which opened in 1915, is the second oldest arena in continuous operation in the United States.  It is also home to the NBA D-League's Maine Red Claws.

Early season baseball games in the Northeast lead to players bundling up in heavy coats,
as the Reading Fightin Phils sip coffee while wearing heavy parkas.

Back in my seat I got to talk all things baseball with Josh and the geographers who came to the game with me.  It was great getting to chat with some extremely knowledgeable baseball folks, but I got giddy as a schoolkid when the SeaDogs mascot Slugger came by.  Naturally, I had to get my picture with him.

Me with Slugger the Sea Dog.

Back to the action, the game was an exciting pitcher's duel with the teams trading runs and entered the seventh inning tied 2-2.  Thankfully Sea Dogs right fielder Aneury Tavárez belted a two-run homer to right and gave the home team a 4-2 lead they would not relinquish.  The homer also meant the fans would be treated to an appearance of the lighthouse in center field, which celebrates every Sea Dogs's home run.  I was too slow with the camera to capture the shot, but as Portland held on for the win I got to see the lighthouse again to celebrate the Opening Night victory.

The center field lighthouse that appears to celebrate Portland home runs and victories.

With an appearance by the lighthouse completing the gameday experience at Hadlock Field, myself and a group of road-grizzled geographers prepared for our drive back to Boston.  I owe a big thank you to Josh Pahigian for joining us at the game, as I know myself and others enjoyed talking baseball with him throughout the game.  Although I hoped to take a larger group on the field trip, I have to say six was an excellent number because it allowed us all to explore and talk while getting to soak in a great experience at one of my favorite ballparks in Minor League Baseball.

Final Score: Reading 2, Portland 4
Box Score

Lessons learned at my first TBEX conference

I've blogged in this space off-and-on since 2007 after my trip to visit a grad school friend in Germany.  However, I didn't start taking my blogging seriously until 2012 when I started to write about my baseball stadium visits.  So right on schedule (another five years later), I decided to try and "professionalize" my blog a bit more.  To me, professionalizing my blog meant attending TBEX North America 2017 and seeing what I could learn at a travel blogger conference.

Why I did it...
So why did I decide to spend three days in Huntsville, Ala., attending an event I knew little about?  Like I said, I wanted to make my blog more professional, and I knew that I could only learn so much from reading other people's blogs and participating in Twitter chats.

However, it was a Twitter chat and my interaction with some of the regular participants that pushed me to attend TBEX in Huntsville.  Since my visit to Chicago in 2015 for a work conference, I've regularly participated in #JAchat on Twitter (read more here) and interacting with Pola (Twitter: @JettingAround) and Francesca (Twitter: @WorkMomTravels) convinced me that I would learn more about blogging and interacting with convention and visitor bureaus by attending the conference.

Even after a few conversations, I was still on the fence about attending until I considered the pros of attending a conference that was only 2.5 miles from my home.  It's not often that such an event would land in my backyard, so I decided to bite the bullet and registered.

Tuscaloosa to Huntsville under ideal traffic conditions is under two and a half hours.

What I expected...
I signed up to attend TBEX about a month before the conference and with the end of the semester closing in on me (my "day job" is a college professor), I really didn't have a lot of time to plan and formulate expectations far in advance of the conference.  In talking with other travel bloggers, I expected there would be a lot of networking opportunities at the parties each night.

I knew that through speed networking sessions that I'd have the chance to get myself in front of people from CVBs and hopefully make a good impression that could lead to a fruitful collaboration in the future.

What I learned...
Lesson One: It is critical to have business cards.  People had told me about this in advance of the conference, but never having attended a travel blogger conference I really wasn't prepared for how important it was to have business cards.  Naturally I handed out my business card to people working with DMOs, but I also swapped a number of cards with travel bloggers.

Front and back of my business card for the blog, which features me with Portland Sea Dogs mascot Slugger.

Lesson Two: Take notes.  I was prepared with a notepad to write down what I learned at the different breakout sessions I attended, and while it has been about two weeks since the conference and I still have not converted my hand-written notes into a usable Word document, I at least have important lessons recorded for me to reflect upon later.

Lesson Three: There are multiple ways to run a blog.  My blog has been sparse at times because I've generally focused on baseball visits, but I feel like each of my posts is well-written and thoughtful (i.e. quality over quantity).  During a breakout session, one speaker insisted that quantity and flooding the market was important in generating clicks and eyeballs.  During a keynote speech, another speaker said that it was more important to generate quality content instead of just a lot of content.  At a breakout session I did not attend because there was another session that was more interesting to me, a speaker spoke about running a successful travel blog while completing ignoring social media.  All of these comments seem to contradict themselves, so there's no way of saying who is right or wrong.  Coming into the conference I hoped to get some really poignant advice about ways to professionalize my blog and best ways to grow my audience.  Instead I was left with many unanswered questions, but also the knowledge that there really is no tried-and-true right or wrong way to operate a blog.

Lesson Four: Say "yes" unless you just have to say "no."  It may seem obvious that travel bloggers are extroverts because we are writing about visiting different places and interacting with a number of people.  However, that is far from the truth.  I identify as an introvert, but my day job requires I be outgoing when giving lectures.  My side gig as a learning travel blogger also requires me to be outgoing.  So I debated how best to approach the conference and opportunities that would be presented to go to after parties or just talk to people I knew nothing about moments ago.  I did my best to say "yes" when offered the opportunity, whether it was drinks out on the town following the Opening Night Party or to striking up a conversation with someone, but I also tried to strike a balance and say "no" when it came to heading to the U.S. Space and Rocket Center for the 2nd Night Party so I could have dinner with my fiancée at Bandito Burrito or exploring downtown Huntsville and having a beer on Saturday when I did  not have any speed networking meetings setup.

Doing it again...
I've had almost two weeks to reflect on my experience at TBEX North America 2017, and I've been contemplating the biggest question: would I do it again?

The simple answer is "Yes."  However, there are a lot of underlying issues to address before agreeing to attend a travel conference.  I feel like I made some good contacts with some CVBs that attended the conference, but wish I had come into the conference with a more organized plan about what I am covering with my blog.  I feel like I could have made more contacts if I had a specific plan about what I intended to add to my blog.

I wish there was a way to specifically meet bloggers who share similar interests.  I know that Blogger Bridge provides a platform specific to TBEX that allows attendees to setup speed networking appointments with the DMOs, and that it is also searchable to find other bloggers.  However, I felt like either the opportunities were lacking or I just didn't know enough in advance to take advantage of opportunities to meet other bloggers who write about sports, the Southeast, or historical sites.

Another shortcoming as a newbie was the FAM trips that TBEX organized with local DMOs.  I saw them in advance of my trip, but did not know how to apply for them nor did I see information to help a newbie sign up.  I am not saying this to lambaste TBEX, but to voice my frustration that some resources are needed for newbies to fully benefit from attending the conference.

Overall, attending TBEX North America 2017 in Huntsville was a really good experience.  I learned a lot, and I would recommend it to other travel bloggers.

Good Eats: Boston

About a month ago I was in Boston attending the American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting, which was hosted at the Hynes Convention Center in the Back Bay.  So during my stay for the week, I checked out a handful of restaurants and pubs in the area.  Some were places listed in guide books (thanks Lonely Planet's Pocket Boston guidebook) and some were just places I found or friends heard about.

Following a game at Fenway Park (read about it here), my friends and I wanted a beer and some food.  So we ended up at...

Bukowski Tavern (50 Dalton St., Boston, MA 02115)
As cliché as it sounds, a friend of a friend suggested we stop in there.  It was roughly on the route from Fenway back to our hotels, so we (my friends and fellow geographers Dawn and Jonathan) decided to make the stop.

FYI: Bukowski Tavern only accepts cash, so be prepared.  However, if you're not prepared there is a convenient ATM located inside the front door.  The pub hails its self as home of the "Dead Writers Society" with a neon sign displayed in the window.  There is a long bar on the left and tables on the right side with a smaller space by the kitchen.

I ordered a burger and a beer, specifically Berkshire Brewing's Dean's Beans Coffeehouse Porter that was served on nitro.  Maybe it was because we were all hungry or thirsty for a beer, but it was a great meal.  It was so good that a few nights later, Jonathan and I returned and had another beer.  However, I opted for a different brew choice, and ordered the Long Trail Brewing's Cranberry Gose.  It was good, but could have been more tart.

Sadly, I don't have any photos of the food because it was a darker tavern, but it's worth the visit if you're looking for a burger and beer place in the Back Bay.  Perhaps the coolest part about visiting Bukowski Tavern was finding it listed in the Lonely Planet Pocket Boston guidebook after I'd already eaten and had drinks there twice.

Saus Boston (33 Union St., Boston, MA 02108)
When you have a friend who really enjoys poutine, you end up eating French fries with cheese curds and gravy.  I'm not sure why Jonathan has a hankering for poutine, but he does.  Granted, I can't complain because I do love the ingredients separately and I'm almost always up for trying something new and different.

So after visiting the JFK Presidential Library, we stopped at Saus Boston near the Boston Public Market.  I opted for the regular poutine, but felt like it needed a bit extra and added a fried egg on top.  I struggled a bit to find a beer they offered, and eventually settled on ordering a tall boy of Jack's Abby House Lager.

Loved my poutine topped with a fried egg at @saus_boston. It goes great with my @jacksabbycraftlagers house lager. #eatlocal #goodfood #drinklocal #craftbeer #indiebeer #MAbeer

A post shared by Steven Ericson (@geo_steven) on Apr 7, 2017 at 10:17am PDT

I was extremely pleased with my pairing.  The House Lager is a Helles-style beer, so it's light and refreshing and not overly hoppy.  So I got to enjoy and savor the gravy and cheese curds of the poutine while having a beer.  I'd definitely go there again, and maybe try a few different toppings on the poutine besides the fried egg.

Atlantic Fish Company (761 Boylston St., Boston, MA 02116)
On my last night in town, I finally sought out some seafood.  I asked for recommendations from the concierge, and was told about a place right next to Bukowski Tavern.  When I checked out the menu online, I was less than thrilled.  So consulting my LP Pocket Boston guide again, I found a place that I had walked past a few times over the past week and decided to go to Atlantic Fish Company.

The patio seating and much of the restaurant was packed when I arrived about eight o'clock.  As I was dining alone, I opted for a seat at the bar.  Dining at the bar is usually my preference when dining alone because I don't stand out at a table by myself and usually bartenders can be a bit more attentive to solo diners.

I enjoy a variety of seafood items, so I often order a sampler plate that allows me to try different items instead of just ordering a fish.  I opted for the Captain's Platter, but didn't want everything fried and ordered the shrimp and scallops to be blackened instead.

Captain's Platter with corn pudding.

The meal was delicious, so I was glad I listened to the LP guidebook and chose Atlantic Fish Co.

Legal Test Kitchen Logan Airport (Terminal A)
After much wrangling regarding my flights and concerns about getting home because of travel issues related to Delta flight delays and cancellations from the week prior due to tornadoes near the Atlanta airport, I ended up at Logan International Airport around 11:30 a.m.  I knew I wouldn't have much time between flights in Atlanta, and decided to get something to eat before boarding.

The previous night I marked seafood off my list of "must-eat" foods, but still hadn't had New England clam chowder while in Boston.  Thankfully the Legal Seafoods Test Kitchen was extremely close to my gate at Terminal A, so I sat down to get a cup of soup and a pint of beer.

Finally having some New England clam chowder in @visitboston this week. @legalseafoods did not disappoint, even at #loganairport. #eatlocal #goodfood #seafood

A post shared by Steven Ericson (@geo_steven) on Apr 10, 2017 at 9:02am PDT

The soup was delicious, which I expected because of Legal Seafoods's reputation.  It was be easy to dismiss eating at what has become a large chain in the region that now has locations even in Atlanta, but they've grown so large because of their excellence.  Make no mistake about it, if you want a good cup of soup while in town you definitely need to try the New England clam chowder at Legal.  It really was a great meal to close my stay in Boston, and left an excellent taste in my mouth to return and try more of Boston's good eats.