LIFESTYLES

So, what's your hobby?

Former Montrealer Steve Lake collects places

By Anthony Bonaparte The Suburban In the years since Steve Lake graduated from Sir George Williams University (now Concordia) back in 1970, he's established a career that few of his former classmates would ever have imagined, and gone places none could ever duplicate. Lake, 60, now lives and works in Las Vegas, Nevada - as a pit boss at the famed Caesars Palace. He's also established a reputation as the champion of college campus visits, having set foot on more than 500. Lake has also visited all 50 U.S. state capitals and 46 Major League ballparks, but more on that later. The native Montrealer and Wagar High alumnus went to Jewish People's School (now JPPS) and was back in town recently to attend the 48th anniversary reunion of his graduating class. His first time back in almost 10 years also served as a chance to see family, meet some friends and show his wife Caroline, a freelance travel writer, some of the sights. It was also an opportunity for the campus trotter to visit his alma mater as a tour of both Concordia campuses was organized by the public relations department. "I haven't been to the school in awhile," says Lake. "Ten years ago I took a brief tour but now I'm taking an official tour." Lake grew up playing hockey in Montreal West and baseball in Côte St. Luc. After finishing his undergraduate studies at Sir George, he left for Vegas to work on an MBA. "I spent 2 1/2 years going to school. Unfortunately, I didn't complete it but being in a town where the main source of employment is casinos, I got a job in one." He came back to Montreal for a few years to wait for his green card and as soon as it came in, Lake was back in Nevada. He later spent 10 years in Arizona with his wife, where he worked in marketing and public relations, before moving back to Vegas where he's been a casino pit boss for the past 17 years. Lake says he was never really a traveller until his obsessive odyssey began back in the mid 1980s. "I had it in me but I never had the means or the ability to travel as much as I have over the last 25 years." On their 1984 honeymoon in Boston, he and Caroline visited some of the area's colleges. He had already visited a few schools but his main interest at that time was state capitals and baseball parks. His fondness for capitals came from his father, who used to quiz Lake when he was a kid. "One day, years ago, I drove through Helena, Montana and I said, 'Wow, that's the capital.' That was in 1973 and from that day on I vowed that I would visit them all." His love of baseball goes back even farther. Lake says he's always been a big fan and followed the Montreal Royals, a Dodgers affiliate, when they played at the ANDREW SOONG / THE SUBURBAN old Delorimier Stadium in the mid '50s. And he was thrilled when Major League ball came to Montreal in 1969. "I've always kind of been a collector of things... and I like to challenge myself," he explains. "So I challenged myself to visit every Major League ballpark." Lake actually achieved it back in 1997, but the owners threw him a curve. "They built many parks since," says Lake. "So I got back on the saddle and so far I've been to 46 - even though they have 30 teams. At this point I have seven more to go." The Minnesota Twins franchise saw Lake visit three different parks since 1981, the latest being the newly-opened Target Field. His favourite field is Pittsburgh's new PNC Park. "Not my favourite team, just my favourite new park. It's got a spectacular backdrop when you're watching a game. You see the downtown skyline." He sometimes marked his presence by having his name written on the scoreboard, which doesn't come cheap. "You donate something to a charity and I've had some that said 'Welcome Steve Lake, Las Vegas, Nevada, visiting his 43rd ballpark.'" As for the colleges, Lake hit number 500 back in 2008 - a nice, round number - and has only added a few since. On a cruise with Caroline last year, he saw schools in Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Stockholm, Sweden. Most of his school visits were planned around his being in the geographic area and on his level of interest. He would, at the least, take pictures in front of the school sign and, if possible, purchase a Tshirt or notebook. Sometimes he would tour the campus or have lunch in the cafeteria. At the University of Richmond, his alltime favourite, Lake actually spent two nights on the Virginia campus, sleeping at the alumni house. "It was spectacular," he says. "It was furnished in antiques, really lavish and I felt like part of the school." Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, and the University of Virginia round out his top three, but he holds a soft spot for all Ivy League schools. "I've been to them all with the exception of Columbia," he says, adding that for some strange reason he's never visited a New York City university. Steve Lake has set foot on more than 500 college campuses over the past 25 years. The Sir George Williams University graduate recently visited his alma mater, now named Concordia. And although he's been to capitals in Hawaii and Wyoming, they are the only states whose universities he's missed since his trips preceded his campus capers. "Now I have a reason to go back." If you're headed to Las Vegas, Lake says it would be his pleasure to point you in the right direction in terms of shows, hotels, and what's happening in the area if you email stevelake2@cox.net. Just don't ask for any favours at Caesars. n ANDREW SOONG / THE SUBURBAN THE EAST END SUBURBAN, THURSDAY, JUNE 3, 2010 * 19

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