The Major League Baseball season is a long, winding road that starts in late March and concludes in late October. When the grueling journey ended this year, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the star-studded defending champions, and the Toronto Blue Jays, a feisty bunch that hasn’t been to the World Series since 1993, were the last teams standing.
While baseball fans will be spoiled with big names — like Shohei Ohtani, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Mookie Betts — and intrigue over the seven-game series, off the field the two host cities will be filled with nearly as many stars at their high-end hotels and remarkable restaurants. For revelers venturing to either destination, we’ve put together a game plan for where to stay and play during baseball’s most exciting week of the year.
TORONTO
The Winning Hotel
It may be a blow to American pride, but this year, Canada has home field advantage. And as much as U.S. baseball fans might hate to admit it over the next week or so, Toronto has a lot to offer — like a stunning skyline, delicious food and plenty of ways to enjoy the game outside of Rogers Centre.
For a memorable World Series weekend stay, Forbes Travel Guide Recommended 1 Hotel Toronto is right in out-of-town visitors’ wheelhouse. The hotel features spacious, light-filled rooms; a lush, jungle-like lobby; and a state-of-the-art fitness studio (ideal for stretching to catch foul balls).
On top of all that, you can attend a watch party without even having to leave the building. Harriet’s, the hotel’s trendy rooftop bar (developed by the L.A.-based hospitality and lifestyle brand behind Delilah), hosts a World Series watch party on October 24 and 25. Cheer for your team from this stylish 16th-floor venue featuring a big-screen TV, special game-day dishes and unique cocktails.
All-Star Bites
If you’ve tried unsuccessfully to get tickets to the game but still want to feel close to the team, consider following the advice of former San Francisco Giant and Blue Jay Brandon Belt. He recommends visiting Four-Star The Ritz-Carlton, Toronto. In 2019, Belt, then a Giant, shared on his blog, “The Ritz-Carlton in Toronto had the best chicken tenders I’ve ever had in my life. Just the right amount of crisp and super tender. I had a homer and a double in that two-game series, and I think it was the tenders.”
Belt is likely referring to the chicken tenders available on the room service menu, as San Francisco is known to use the hotel as its home base. But even if you aren’t staying overnight at the property, you can still enjoy the adult version of Belt’s favorite menu item at the hotel’s EPOCH Bar + Kitchen Terrace. The Vietnamese grilled chicken thighs, served with a flavorful blend of star anise, chili, cilantro and a fish-and-coconut pandan sauce, knock it out of the park.
Of course, if you’d like to venture further afield, the vinegary, twice-cooked pork belly and the addictive thyme truffle Parmesan skinny fries are sure to score at the table as well.
Best of all, for Games 1 and 2, the Canadian gastropub hosts watch parties at 8 p.m. Gathered in view of the inviting terrace, curled beside the roaring fireplace with a warming cocktail in hand, there’s perhaps no better seat to catch the game — Rogers Centre included.
LOS ANGELES
The Winning Hotel
For Games 3, 4 and 5 (if necessary) this coming week, the scene moves to sunny Southern California. And while Hollywood is mere minutes from Dodger Stadium, there may not be a bigger star in the world than Ohtani, the dynamic player who can slug the ball 460 feet and pitch it 100 miles per hour. He and his Dodgers teammates have back-to-back titles on their mind, and they’d love nothing more than to celebrate the wins in front of their home crowd.
If you’re looking for guaranteed proximity to the excitement, consider staying at Forbes Travel Recommended InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown. Ticket holders will be relieved to know that the ballpark is a relatively short ride from the comfort of the hotel’s soothing sky-high guest rooms. For fans of either team, the view from Spire 73, the tallest open-air bar in the Western Hemisphere, offers a breathtaking vantage point of the sprawling city. And if you look closely enough, you can even spot the stadium lights.
All-Star Bites
On those nights when you want to cheer but without the smell of beer, Pijja Palace comes through in the clutch like Freddie Freeman. This spot on Sunset Boulevard provides a welcome take on traditional pub grub served with an Indian slant. We’re talking a lineup of Hari Mirch masala wings, dosa onion rings and a paneer parm sandwich, all served in a stylish space with subtle nods to sports bars, like leather seats stitched in a way reminiscent of baseball gloves, cricket bat-shaped beer handles and a line of flat-screen TVs.
Although the restaurant is usually closed on Tuesdays, it will open to screen what could be the series-clinching Game 4. But no matter the outcome, you’ll be among fellow fans, either commiserating or celebrating over a second order of masala wings.
