Last week, we made our annual summer trip to Houston. This trip always includes good food and a few Astros baseball games at Minute Maid Park.

Thanks to the hospitality of Steve Grande, Astros media relations manager, we were able to get extra access in Minute Maid Park. Immediately upon reaching the field at Minute Maid Park, we saw the new scoreboard in centerfield. Nicknamed, “El Grande,” it is 54 feet high and 124 feet wide, making it the second-largest scoreboard in major league baseball (behind Kansas City). It is spectacular and they use it well with great information, stats, pictures and replays.

The Astros organization has always been friendly to us, but even we were surprised when Drayton McLane, the Astros owner, greeted us and discussed baseball and travel. He named San Francisco, London and Lisbon as his favorite cities to visit.

Despite the Astros suffering through a very tough year, the players remain positive, the staffers optimistic and the fans loyal. The Astros won two of the three games against the Cubs, including Tuesday night on a dramatic 9th inning game-winning grand slam home run by Brian Bogusevic.

We also indulged in Minute Maid’s non-typical ballpark food. The others enjoyed pork sliders at Little Big’s (created by top chef Bryan Caswell), while I devoured the chicken enchilada macaroni and cheese at El Real. At the 7th inning stretch, we went to the Signature Carvery for hand-carved beef brisket, pork and turkey sandwiches. This food is as good as any restaurant offers.

I have been to most major league ballparks, and Houston’s Minute Maid remains my favorite. It’s clean, beautiful, and the staff is so friendly. If the park had a hotel in it, I would never have to leave for the duration of the trip.

— John Wroblewski, distribution specialist