There’s something about the words, “Opening Day” that get me so excited!! Maybe it’s the fact that it’s the first day of a long period of events coming to town, or perhaps its the fact that sooo many people feel the need to party like it’s 1999 on a beautiful Monday in Spring. Whatever the reason…the buzz in the air is impossible to ignore! 
Yesterday was the first of 162 games that the Padre’s will play this season. That’s right…162 games!!!! Really?! Are there any fans out there that will watch even half of those?! It’s hard to believe, but i like to think that there are…
So, Opening Day was huge! SD showed plenty of love to our beloved Friars. By the way…isn’t our mascot kind of odd? a FRIAR!! I mean, I get it…San Diego was somewhat founded by Spanish friars and military men, so it’s fitting, but you’ve got to admit that having a bald old man as a baseball team mascot is kind of unconventional. Good thing our football team isn’t the Padres! hehe!
The streets were flooded with people when we got to The Gaslamp! There were bands playing, sponsored street parties, and promo girls all over! We ended up at La Puerta for a qucik bite and some deliciously spicy Bloody Marys, and then we were off to go shopping for an Opning Day HAT! I ended up getting a shiny, satiny Padre’s hat at the Sport Palace on 7th and J! yay! I was decked, and ready to rumble!
If you’ve ever been to a Padre’s game, you’ll know that San Diegans don’t necessarily go for the game. We have a gorgeous stadium with some fantastic bars, all in the heart of Downtown San Diego! What more can you ask for? Opening Day is just a huge party. It helped that our team killed the Braves 17-2…people were in good spirits, and the drinks were flowing! I could not believe how many people were GOING ALL OUT! As if it were the middle of summer on a Saturday day!
We started our adventure at The Western Metal Co bar…a historic brick building that was preserved and stands as one of the bars within the modern stadium, Petco Park. Saw some friends there, and then it was off to our seats!
The game was pretty fun as soon as we sat down because the Padres scored I believe it was 10 points in one inning?! I’m not much of a BaseBall fan, but I don’t think I had ever heard of that happening. Later I found out that it’s common for teams to do great one game and then completely flop the day after playing the same team. Who can keep up with it?
We got our baseball watching in after 2 innings, then headed to the Omni Bar – The Premier Club. Party, party, party, without music! But it was fun!
A few spilt drinks later, and a victory from the Padres, and we headed to Altitude Lounge. I absolutely love this bar! It’s up on the 20-something floor of the Marriott Gaslamp, and it looks right into the ballpark. As we marveld at the view and sat by the fire pit, we witnessed a now empty Petco Park shutting down for the night. It was relaxing, yet satisfying to know that I had witness such a victorious game for Opening Day 2010. ..aahhh…what a life I live!
We weren’t ready to hit the sack quite yet, so we ended up at the Se Hotel – a gorgeous boutique hotel on 5th and Broadway that is impeccably designed. The lounge has an indoor wall garden, and everything from the ceiling and pilars, to the furniture and fire in the wall is absolutely worth the drink prices. We had some late night sliders and phenominal red wine, and called it a night!
I knew waking up Tuesday morning was going to be a pain…literally. Sooo worth it! 
