Location: Giants' Stadium, San Francisco
Weather: Clear blue skies, low 60s, slightly breezy
Vibe: Mellow, friendly, multi-ethnic. Jeans. Jackets, hats. Smiles.

Hot chocolate costs $5.50 and the beer (says Ravenna) is watered down. But the people are black, brown, yellow, white and red, including the dudes selling churros and cotton candy, and the vibe is inclusive. As cozy as you can get with strangers who are sober.

Women are not trying to out-fashion each other here and men aren't acting like they're competing for Testosterone King.

We grumbled a bit of the snail's pace of baseball compared to soccer. Also, the players hardly seemed to move at all except to amble on and off the field between innings. And there were too many f---ing advertisements that one is subject to, even when watching the game at the ball park!

But in fact, I sat there with a grin on my face most of the evening, and got up on my feet and cheered like an arden Giants fan. Five runs had scored before the end of the fifth. Not bad. The Giants were leading 3-2 when we left.

Driving home there was a beautiful amber moon as round as a dinner plate sitting on the horizon. The sky was all Giants colors: orangey moon, black sky.

There you have it: a summer night at the ballpark in San Francisco. I have to do this, once every few years, at least.