St. Louis Game Time - Game Time World Tour: Lil' Louie's Big AdventureWe're one ugly bastard.https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/10753/gt-fave.png2016-04-11T15:50:13-05:00http://www.stlouisgametime.com/rss/stream/93816532016-04-11T15:50:13-05:002016-04-11T15:50:13-05:00Li'l Louie's World Tour: Peace Up, A Town Down
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<img alt="Just a couple of mascots, hanging out." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/gXKMdeAJfSJh47gQShS70WdVMxY=/0x25:1280x878/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/49284097/IMG_0179.0.0.JPG" />
<figcaption>Just a couple of mascots, hanging out. | Laura Astorian</figcaption>
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<p>Louie's at his first stop in Hotlanta and visits a known eatery, sees some traffic, and takes in a game at The Ted.</p> <p>Louie found himself in my mailbox last week, completely to my surprise. At first, I couldn't figure out if I had ordered something off of eBay from someone from Maryland or what the box in my mailbox was. I popped the box open and lo, there was the l'll blue pantsless bear, staring right back at me.</p>
<p>Louie arrived in time for my spring break (aka - my job perk), but unfortunately this week was dedicated to dissertation work, so he didn't make it very far. He did, however, get a chance to meet up with Thrash, or at least his tiny doppelgänger. Atlanta, you may remember, used to have a hockey team once upon a time. Sadly every bit of evidence that team ever existed has been eliminated from Philips Arena and the surrounding area, so a tiny Thrash bobblehead was as good as I could manage.</p>
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<p>This weekend, though, I was free, and the Cardinals were in town. Louie was going to be off to see the sights in Atlanta, and he was going to make it to his first Cardinal game of the year.</p>
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<p>He's ready to go.</p>
<p>Of course, this being Atlanta, he promptly got stuck in traffic.</p>
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<p>This was the theme of the day. My friend and I had a plan for Louie before the game - we were going to take him to some of the less tourist-y but still awesome areas of Atlanta. The actual real city. Instead, we got stuck in the nightmare hellhole that is the real city traffic. We tried several times to turn left to get to places, and every time we did, there was no lefthand turn signal, and traffic was a solid line in the opposite direction. <a target="_blank" href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=8&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwjJ2KTrtYfMAhXDOCYKHY4MDTwQFghNMAc&url=https%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FMurder_Kroger&usg=AFQjCNE3YnwTdXaIhFqd1lpFmtAcyxTx_w&sig2=SX7U0M7YYfqIM1KEHHRMJg">His trip to Murder Kroger </a>(we have a <a target="_blank" href="http://atlanta.curbed.com/maps/a-definitive-mildly-wrong-map-of-atl-kroger-nicknames">name for every local Kroger here</a> - it's endearing!) will have to wait for Amanda.</p>
<p>He did get a chance to head to the Varsity!</p>
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<img alt="Louie Varsity 1" data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/g9cbV6U3iGTmy4IdDKZ-kLHEBJ8=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/6321333/IMG_0255.0.jpg">
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<p>Whaddya have, Louie? How about a bacon double cheeseburger, some onion rings, a Varsity Orange, and a peach pie?</p>
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<p>Louie is obviously not watching his waistline</p>
<p>Afterwards, we decided to check out some gameday traffic - not bad downtown, but we knew it would be worse later on, so down the sidestreets to Turner Field we went.</p>
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<p>We got to The Ted a little early, tailgated, and then headed in. Louie's seats were ok, I guess.</p>
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<p>If you don't have the At The Ballpark app for upgrades, get it. These were $23.</p>
<p>The Cardinals absolutely stomped the Braves this weekend; Saturday night Louie got to see a 12-2 winner at Busch Stadium South. The entire third base side was composed of a majority of Cardinals fans.</p>
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<p>On the way out of the park, I heard someone yell "BLUES SUCK! GO SHARKS!" As I was only wearing Blues socks, I figured that there were fans nearby me. There was! A whole family of fans wore their jerseys to the game. The youngest member of the family had a jersey signed by Ken Hitchcock, who he was very excited about meeting. He's also a participant in the Blues camps for kids, and an all-around awesome child.</p>
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<p>Louie's adventures in Atlanta are just beginning. His next host has promised to take him to the storied Clermont Lounge.. Hopefully he'll have his shots before he's shipped off to his next destination.</p>
https://www.stlouisgametime.com/2016/4/11/11405972/lil-louies-slgt-world-tour-peace-out-a-town-downhildymac2016-03-15T09:00:04-05:002016-03-15T09:00:04-05:00Lil' Louie Livin' Large in Western Missouri
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<figcaption>Look at that skyline. | Jamie Squire/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>He thought he was just going to travel around Kansas City. Boy, was HE wrong. The late January and early February adventures of Lil' Louie in Kansas City and beyond!</p> <p>After making several stops in some exotic locations—such as Singapore and southern California—Louie made his way back to America's Heartland. In his stop in late January, that meant the home of great barbecue and the current World Champions of Major League Baseball . . . Kansas City, Missouri.</p>
<p>But his trip didn't stop in Kansas City. No, he was taken to the state capitol of Jefferson City, the college town of Columbia and the west-central Missouri town of Warrensburg, as BluesMay and I were in both areas to visit family.</p>
<p>Here's his trip in pictures:</p>
<p>His arrival!</p>
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<p>We live in the Red Bridge area of town. Here's the red bridge it's named after, and a few other shots from Minor Park:</p>
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<p>The World Champion Royals:</p>
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<p>The World Champion Broncos:</p>
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<p>We spotted Louie's "master" at the All-Star Game. Here's Lil' Louie's selfie with him:</p>
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<p>And a selfie with me:</p>
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<p>Taking a trip to my cubicle:</p>
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<p>We couldn't get Louie to Kauffman Stadium or Arrowhead Stadium or the Sprint Center. But we DID take him to the home of the Missouri Mavericks . . . Silverstein Eye Centers Arena in Independence:</p>
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<p>Visiting the outside of the World War I Memorial near downtown KC:</p>
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<p>Louie came with us to Warrensburg, MO, where he bet on the "horses":</p>
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<p>He lost, so he went and drowned sorrows at the Logboat Brewery in Columbia, MO:</p>
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<p>And then he fell over in the car:</p>
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<p>There there, big guy:</p>
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<p>Here's Louie on the Jefferson City Bridge, which goes over the Missouri River:</p>
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<p>Louie joined me for a recording of <i>Beyond Checkerdome</i>:</p>
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<p>But, he couldn't stay forever. Bye, Louie!:</p>
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https://www.stlouisgametime.com/2016/3/15/11224650/lil-louies-big-adventure-livin-large-in-western-missouriDonut King2015-11-05T13:29:18-06:002015-11-05T13:29:18-06:00SLGT World Tour: Blue Bear in the Beaver State
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<figcaption>John, aka, doubleduck</figcaption>
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<p>Lil' Louie's trip continues in Oregon. </p> <p><i>This is the third in a series of posts chronicling the adventures of Lil' Louie, the smaller, plush-ier version of everybody's favorite hockey-loving blue bear, as he goes around the world to meet <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.stlouisgametime.com/">Blues</a> fans in every corner of the globe. To catch all of his previous stops or to hear the genesis of this project, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.stlouisgametime.com/2015/10/26/9617612/st-louis-game-time-world-tour-lil-louie-hq">see here</a>.</i></p>
<p><i>Today's adventure come to us via John, aka doubleduck, in Oregon.</i></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Lil Louie made it to Bend, Oregon where one of the many mottos is "Your vacation is our life." Before we get to Lou's explorations, though, a bit about the guy that hosted him.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>I grew up in Iowa where ponds freeze and hockey is a thing people actually play. It wasn't until moving to Missouri at the age of 19, though, that I really had my team. I became roommates with a bunch of people from St. Louis and my love for the Blues began there. Decades later I live in a state where hockey is not nearly as popular. Portland has the Winterhawks, but that's about it. So, sharing my love of the Blues entails watching on my television at home as seen below and texting with a close friend back in Missouri. Here Louie got to watch Jake Allen's first shutout of the season with me.</p>
<p> </p>
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<p>When I'm not watching them on TV, I spend my weekdays in the office reading SLGT. Louie got the joy of spending an afternoon at my desk staring at the trees out the window.</p>
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<p>If people don't spend every, waking minute thinking about hockey in Bend, then what the hell do they do there? Well, a lot. Central Oregon, and Bend in particular, is a vacation destination for many reasons, namely beer and outdoor recreation. The biggest drawing point is probably Mt. Bachelor where the US ski team occasionally trains and where I get some turns in on my snowboard.</p>
<p> </p>
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<p>Another renowned outdoor locale in central Oregon is Smith Rock, where rock climbers come from all over the world to test themselves. In the picture below, that black hill in the middle of the picture way off in the distance is actually Black Butte, which I'll reference later.</p>
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<p>Now, Bachelor and Smith Rock our outside of town but only by about 20 minutes. In town, however, are some other outdoor attractions. The Deschutes River flows right through the heart of Bend and downtown there is a small dam which creates Mirror Pond (yea, it's called a pond even though it's part of the river. Go figure.). Louie and I took a little walk in Drake Park in downtown Bend to get a shot of Mirror Pond, which will also be referenced later.</p>
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<p> </p>
<p>While downtown, I thought I'd swing by the local non-profit radio station I volunteer at. Shameless plug, Variable Velocity streams live online at kpov.org on Tuesday evenings (8 p.m. PST). I rotate with two other people so we each only have to volunteer every 2-3 weeks.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/sopMkoJl3glxPOk4R8a26mVRevQ=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4233865/KPOV.0.jpg">
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</p>
<p> </p>
<p>From there, I have to drive across town to get home. On our way, I figured I'd take Louie up Pilot Butte.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/FizRwZLNzEHZEreutbpJouXPlNk=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4233871/Pilot_Butte.0.jpg">
</figure>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>While up there, Louie got a good view of Bend and, to the west, the Three Sisters, Broken Top, and Mt. Bachelor were trying to peek through the clouds.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/GOC1LwN4j0P4SkrKaUg_SnYnbtI=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4233875/View_From_Pilot_Butte.0.jpg">
</figure>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>The outdoors are all well and good. But, you're probably fixated on the fact I mentioned beer earlier. Well, Bend is home to one of the larger craft beer brewers in the country, Deschutes Brewing, which is home to iconic beers like Black Butte Porter and Mirror Pond Pale Ale, each named after some of the natural landmarks noted above. The brewery just happens to be a few blocks from my office so I let Louie have a look at their facility.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/uqff0JeD3UE-q0wt-FmTsYc0bxE=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4233881/Deschutes_Brewery.0.jpg">
</figure>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Deschutes isn't the only brewery here, though. Central Oregon is home to (at last count, I believe) 24 craft breweries (18-19 of which are in Bend which has a population of about 82,000 people). While enjoying the Blues win over Anaheim, we sampled a local Bend beer, Worthy Brewing's Farm Out Saison (my neighborhood brewery), as well as another Oregon brew, Hop Valley's Citrus Mistress. Of course, my alma mater, the Oregon <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.anaheimcalling.com/">Ducks</a>, kicked off their football game against Arizona State during the final minute of the Blues game, so we watched that, too.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/om9Kcns0wELH8HNU39Fvrs49c7M=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4233883/Beer.0.jpg">
</figure>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Fortunately, although Bend doesn't have any hockey to watch, we will soon have an ice rink. Across from Deschutes Brewery (on the other side of the roundabout, which Bend city planners apparently have an infatuation with) is the rink which is supposed to open this winter. It's the structure in the background here:</p>
<p> </p>
<p> <figure class="e-image">
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/XMxYyijRLYjdZm0ZCxamXAM-ZFM=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/4233887/Ice_Rink.0.jpg">
</figure>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>It was a short but adventurous trip for Louie. I'm a little sorry to see him go as the Blues were 2-0 during his stay (and the Oregon Ducks won, too). But, he's off to Culver City, CA to visit Ashley, aka RealBadRobot, next. Bon voyage, Lil Louie, and Go Blues!!!</p>
<p> </p>
<p><i>Lil' Louie will return next week in a California Adventure. For information on how you can get Lil' Louie to visit your corner of the globe,<a target="_blank" href="http://www.stlouisgametime.com/2015/10/2/9407725/game-time-world-tour-lil-louies-big-adventure/in/9381653"> see the original post here</a>. Although be warned, if you wish to sign up now you'll go to the back of the line, meaning you probably won't get to see him until at least April. </i></p>
https://www.stlouisgametime.com/2015/11/5/9657286/st-louis-game-time-world-tour-lil-louie-in-blue-bear-in-the-beaverJ-Mill2015-10-28T14:01:31-05:002015-10-28T14:01:31-05:00SLGT World Tour: Lil' Louie Conquers The North
<figure>
<img alt=""Who has two index fingers and got screwed out of a cool header photo because SBNation & VoxMedia sucks sometimes? HEY GUESS WHAT IT'S YOU!"" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-peG8KEvVQ9KWp967kM53AJ4dUw=/0x293:2692x2088/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47538343/GettyImages-137828569.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>"Who has two index fingers and got screwed out of a cool header photo because SBNation & VoxMedia sucks sometimes? HEY GUESS WHAT IT'S YOU!" | Matt Zambonin/Freestyle Photo/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The adventures of Lil' Louie continue as he visits Vancouver. </p> <p><i>This is the second in a series of posts chronicling the adventures of Lil' Louie, the smaller, plush-ier version of everybody's favorite hockey-loving blue bear, as he goes around the world to meet <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.stlouisgametime.com/">Blues</a> fans in every corner of the globe. To catch all of his previous stops or to hear the genesis of this project, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.stlouisgametime.com/2015/10/26/9617612/st-louis-game-time-world-tour-lil-louie-hq">see here</a>.</i></p>
<p><i>Today's adventures come to us via </i><b>Matt,</b> <i>usually one of our SoCal Game Timers, who recently got to take a quick vacation to Vancouver. Which was very fortunate for us, as this turned into our only chance to get Lil' Louie to Canada (so far). You can follow him on twitter <a target="_blank" href="https://twitter.com/LeGardien">@LeGardien</a>.<br></i></p>
<p>I'm not one of those guys with a bucket list that involves seeing NHL hockey in every single building around the league, but I admit I am one of those guys who will try to catch a hockey game when I'm visiting someone. Therefore, upon receiving yet another invitation from my friend living in Vancouver to come visit, my first impulse was to see when the Blues would be in town. It's Canada, after all. People will wear a hockey jersey to a wedding if their team is still playing in May. An opportunity to see the Blues play in a country as mad about hockey as I am can't be missed. I saw that the Blues would be in town in October and again in March. It was already mid-September but I saw that flights to Vancouver around the date of the Blues' October game were almost $100 cheaper than usual, so I had to pull the trigger. It was a sign.</p>
<p><br>It was only a week or so after I booked our travel I saw the call to action from the folks at Game Time Revue looking for Blues fans around the world to host Louie and share their stories. On a lark (OK, maybe I'd drank a few scotches that night), I decided to offer up a trip to Vancouver for Louie. I've been following Game Time all the way back to the mid 90s when my mother decided to buy me a subscription to the rather interesting bit of reading material I always brought home from Blues games known as "<i>The Game Night Revue</i>", Game Time's previous incarnation. She never really put it together that the magazine I would be getting every few days was written about a game that already happened, but that's my Mom for ya. I still loved reading the Top 10s and whatever musings had made it to press "in spite of Jeffio's liver." Fast forward about 18 years or so later and I'm still an avid Blues fan and Game Time reader, now living in Los Angeles, a city which pretty much had forgotten about hockey during the dark years between the last sighting of Barry Melrose's mullet in Inglewood and their first <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/nhl-playoffs">Stanley Cup</a>. I try to see the Blues play here whenever I can, or even down in Anaheim when I feel like sitting in terrible traffic and surrounding myself with people who you instantly associate with the word "Bro." Louie likely wouldn't fare too well in either of those buildings, but I had higher hopes for the hospitality of our friendly neighbors north of the border.</p>
<p> </p>
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</figure>
</p>
<p><br>My friend lives in the scenic Sunset Beach area of Vancouver, which is right on English Bay. It's a great place to live if you're into outdoor activities like bike riding, volleyball, kayaking, and getting stoned. Seriously. The whole beach smelled like a Widespread Panic show.</p>
<p> </p>
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</figure>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p><br><br>The view from our seats. We paid about $30 each including the fees, which is a little more than I'd like to pay for upper bowl seats, however it's "Canadian dollars," which I had to keep telling myself the entire trip.</p>
<p> </p>
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</figure>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p><br><i><b>SCENE:</b> Packing for our trip</i><br><b>HER</b>: <i>[looking at Louie in my bag]</i> What is that? <br><b>ME</b>: Uh, he's Louie. He's the Blues mascot and he's coming on our trip. <br><b>HER</b>: Why? <br><b>ME</b>: Because I'm a hockey loving dork and he's coming along for a Blues fan blog I am writing. <br><b>HER</b>: Oh...Cool.</p>
<p>And this is why she is my Fiancée.</p>
<p> </p>
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</figure>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p><br>During intermission they treat you to a nice slideshow of player photos on the ice rather than something like people being shot down the ice on sleds in giant slingshots.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> <figure class="e-image">
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</p>
<p> </p>
<p><br>For "upper-bowl" concessions, I thought the carving board sandwiches were a pretty gourmet touch.</p>
<p> </p>
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</p>
<p> </p>
<p><br>Because I'm a goalie, and this guy's jersey is great. <i>[EDITOR'S NOTE: I agree. Now that hat on the other hand...]</i></p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> <figure class="e-image">
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<p> </p>
<p><br>After the game, we spotted this guy in the Gastown district rocking an <span>Alex Pietrangelo</span> jersey. His name is Phil and he was visiting from St. Louis. I'm not sure if he's a Game Time reader, but if anyone knows him, please send him over! Gastown is one of the older sections of Vancouver, with great early 20th-century architecture and ornate street lights that that you can see in the background.</p>
<p> </p>
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<p> </p>
<p><br><br>The Gastown area was probably our favorite part of Vancouver thanks to it's wonderful variety of places to drink, which we did quite a bit.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
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</p>
<p><br><br>Lots of drinking that weekend led to some very lazy mornings, but thankfully on Sunday we were able to watch the daytime Blues-<a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.arcticicehockey.com/">Jets</a> game, and another victory (huzzah!). You may think Louie is sharing a Bloody Mary with me, but it's actually a "Caesar," which is what the Canadians call their version of the drink. They also make it a tad differently, but it's hangover relieving properties are the same, however.</p>
<p> </p>
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</p>
<p><br> <br>Tops on the list of things to do in Vancouver is rent a bike and ride the excellent bike path along the sea wall, as well as Stanley Park (pictured). Stanley Park is named after the same Lord Stanley who gave us the Stanley Cup, arguably the most badass trophy in all of sports. Setting aside this amazing section of land as a public park was one of the other great things he did.</p>
<p> </p>
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</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Sharing a nice farewell moment with Fin, the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.nucksmisconduct.com/">Canucks</a> mascot, at the Vancouver airport on our way back to LA.</p>
<p>Vancouver is an amazing city. If you ever get the chance to visit, I highly recommend it, especially if you can catch a Blues or Canucks game. You've got lots of great outdoor activities at your disposal like bike riding, kayaking, hiking, or skiing in the winter. There's also the beautiful urban center filled with terrific artwork, bars, and restaurants to explore. Plus this time of year you will still get days where you can wear a t-shirt and not freeze your ass off, which I don't think you can say about any of the other Canadian NHL cities. Sure, I'd still love to see Montreal, Toronto, or Edmonton (just kidding, <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.coppernblue.com/">Oilers</a> fans), but Vancouver was a wonderful experience I was lucky to share with Louie.</p>
<p> </p>
<p><i>Lil' Louie will return in an Oregon-themed romp entitled either "Hipster Halloween" or "Endor on Earth." Or maybe neither of those things. For information on how you can get Lil' Louie to visit your corner of the globe, <a target="_blank" href="http://www.stlouisgametime.com/2015/10/2/9407725/game-time-world-tour-lil-louies-big-adventure/in/9381653">see the original post here</a>. Although be warned, if you wish to sign up now you'll go to the back of the line, meaning you probably won't get to see him until at least April. </i></p>
https://www.stlouisgametime.com/2015/10/28/9630352/st-louis-game-time-world-tour-lil-louie-conquers-the-northJ-Mill2015-10-26T15:11:07-05:002015-10-26T15:11:07-05:00SLGT World Tour: Lil' Louie Loves the Lou
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<img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/REIi02OL9oc_0caz_waMr0Y9SXE=/0x636:2448x2268/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47521989/IMG_1853.0.0.JPG" />
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<p>Lil' Louie explores St. Louis and the Blues home opener before being shipped off around the world. </p> <p><i>This is the first in a series of posts chronicling the adventures of Lil' Louie, the smaller, plush-ier version of everybody's favorite hockey-loving blue bear, as he goes around the world to meet <a href="https://www.stlouisgametime.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Blues</a> fans in every corner of the globe. For more information on the genesis of this project, <a href="http://www.stlouisgametime.com/2015/10/2/9407725/game-time-world-tour-lil-louies-big-adventure" target="_blank">see here</a>. </i></p>
<p>Lil' Louie is off on his 6-month plus journey around the world. As I type this, he's already en route to his third stop, Oregon, to enjoy tall trees, artisanal cupcakes, and recreational weed. Later this week you'll get to hear about his recent adventures at the Blues-<a href="https://www.nucksmisconduct.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Canucks</a> game in Vancouver.</p>
<p>But first, he needed to explore his own home town.</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> <figure class="e-image">
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</p>
<p> </p>
<p>When I first got the idea for this project, it was the middle of August. I initially wanted to start right away, to numb the pain of the slowest month in the hockey world. But the chance to take him to opening night just felt too right (it was also a Sunday, and I learned the hard way that the Blues Team Store is closed on Sundays). But more importantly, it gave me the excuse I needed to convince myself to keep a personal tradition alive.</p>
<p>I don't have any season ticket package (I'm poor as fuck you guys), but I still usually make it to about 8-12 Blues games a year. Most of the time it's a spur of the moment decision - I'm board at around 3:00, remember there's a home game that night, ask if I can leave work an hour early, then buy a ticket at the door, somehow getting away with using my student ID despite having not been out of college for 4 years now (surely the clock is ticking on that scam). But one tent pole has remained for several years now: opening night.</p>
<p>I've been to 7 of the last 8 home openers, with the only missing piece being the first game after the most recent lockout. I wanted to put up my own, personal if tiny and meaningless protest. My reward for doing so was missing the first NHL game of <span>Vladimir Tarasenko</span>'s career, along with his first two goals. After the embarrassing display the Blues put up against the <a href="https://www.hockeywilderness.com/" class="sbn-auto-link">Wild</a> last year, followed by the utterly pathetic attempt to fix things this offseason, I wanted to do the same this year. I wanted to vote with my money that I didn't like what the organization had been doing for the past few months. I wanted to break the spell this team has over me, making me believe again in the fool-hearty dream of competitive competency. When the Blues said "come back," I wanted to say strongly proclaim "no."</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
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<p><i>Welp, it's game day! Buckle up!</i></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Lil' Louie, unsurprisingly, was much more willing to give it a go. But first he wanted to look around.</p>
<p> </p>
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<p><i>"Clang-clang-clang went the trolley..."</i></p>
<p> </p>
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<p><i>Ol' Blue Eye</i></p>
<p> </p>
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<p><i>No Al, don't slapshoot Lil' Louie! (Side note: that is not my McDonald's on the right.)</i></p>
<p> </p>
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<p><i>Lil' Louie doing some pre-game reading. </i></p>
<p> </p>
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<p><i>The Heartland of Hockey</i></p>
<p> </p>
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<p><i>Everyone loves to start off with a win!</i></p>
<p> </p>
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<p><i>Some of us Game Timers went to Maggie O's after the game, where Lil' Louie enjoyed some toasted raviolis and this pose with Dan's new <span>Troy Brouwer</span> puck. </i></p>
<p> </p>
<p>Later this week you'll get to hear about Lil' Louie's trip to Canada, the first of 7 different countries he's set to visit. If you've ever followed my writings, you've probably caught on by now that I'm not great with deadlines. But the rest of this series will go up in a more timely manner. Stay tuned!</p>
https://www.stlouisgametime.com/2015/10/26/9615832/st-louis-game-time-world-tour-lil-louie-in-lil-louie-loves-the-louJ-Mill2015-10-02T15:40:32-05:002015-10-02T15:40:32-05:00Game Time World Tour: Lil' Louie's Big Adventure
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<img alt="The Blues have been to Europe - now Lil' Louie will get his chance too!" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5mCJfq03dOtHUHPfNOvXa_ntA8Y=/217x0:3270x2035/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/47322078/GettyImages-91353310.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>The Blues have been to Europe - now Lil' Louie will get his chance too! | Paul Gilham/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>One bear will get to travel the globe - all he needs is your help!</p> <p>More than any of the other Big Four, the NHL is a global league. Players, coaches, executives, etc. come from around the world. Fans from across North America, Europe, and Russia stay up through all hours of the night to keep up with their favorite teams.</p>
<p>The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.wingingitinmotown.com/">Detroit Red Wings</a>. The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.secondcityhockey.com/">Chicago Blackhawks</a>. The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.pensburgh.com/">Pittsburgh Penguins</a>. The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.pensionplanpuppets.com/">Toronto Maple Leafs</a>. The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.habseyesontheprize.com/">Montreal Canadiens</a>. The <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.japersrink.com/">Washington Capitals</a>. All have well known national and international fan bases. But the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.stlouisgametime.com/">Blues</a> don't get the same credit. The overriding thought is that the Blues circle of influence stretches from the Mississippi River to Jefferson County.</p>
<p>Let's fix that.</p>
<p>Inspired by a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.gaslampball.com/sisterhood-of-the-traveling-jersey?_ga=1.81434519.1233963509.1443813502">similar successful project</a> by the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.gaslampball.com/">San Diego Padres</a> SBN site Gaslamp Ball and an even more similar though <a target="_blank" href="http://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/2012/12/3/3705378/introducing-the-everton-journey-project">less successful effor</a>t by the <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://royalbluemersey.sbnation.com/">Everton</a> blog Royal Blue Mersey, we're proud to introduce the Game Time World Tour!</p>
<p>Earlier this week, I bought an adorable stuffed Louie from the Blues team store at DrinkScotch (ok, the kiosk outside the building, it wasn't a gameday), pictured below:</p>
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<p>What we're trying to do is get Lil' Louie on a global trek to meet and get to know Blues fans and Game Timers around America and the world, then hopefully get him back home to Scottrade in time for game 1 of the playoffs, where his worldliness will hopefully help the Blues get their collective heads out of their asses.</p>
<p>What we need from you is to sign up! This project can't get off the ground if there's nowhere to send Lil' Louie. We'll send Lil' Louie to you, you spend a week or so with him - take him on adventures, to work, on vacation, to the bar you watch Blues games at, local landmarks, to the local NHL/AHL/junior/college hockey games you frequent, anything you like - and take lots of pictures along the way. Then ship Lil' Louie on to the next person on the list, write up a short email to me about your week, your routine as a Blues fan, how you became a Blues fan, or whatever you like, with all the pictures you took along the way. I'll post your story, and we'll all grow as a people, probably. Well, not Lil' Louie I guess, he's a bear.</p>
<p>If you're interested, please email me ASAP at <b>"jasonmcadams1120 at gmail dot com." </b>Please include your mailing info, your SBNation username and/or twitter handle, and since we do need you guys to pay for shipping, let me know if you're willing to ship internationally. In a week or so, I'll publish a list of people who have signed up along with the order and suggested dates for shipping.</p>
<p>The idea here is to get to know Blues fans outside of the St. Louis area, but that doesn't mean we don't want to hear from locals too. If we get a ton of St. Louis-area entries we might only put a few on the list, but don't let that keep you from signing up.</p>
<p>If all goes according to plan, this series will last all season (in an ideal world, it'll last longer than Ken Hitchcock), but we can't wait to get it off the ground. I'm excited, Lil' Louie's excited, and hopefully you're excited too.</p>
https://www.stlouisgametime.com/2015/10/2/9407725/game-time-world-tour-lil-louies-big-adventureJ-Mill