Park Bench Perspectives
Park Bench Perspectives is a conversation-driven podcast about making sense of the world without pretending to have all the answers. Hosted by Carlos Figueroa and Michael Hammer, two childhood friends who grew up in St Louis Park, MN =. Each episode feels like sitting down on a park bench—no scripts, no hot takes for the sake of it—just thoughtful discussion, honest questions, and a willingness to challenge assumptions. It’s not about being right. It’s about thinking better.
Episodes
Park Bench Perspectives - Episode 26 - Bee Stings, Butter Debates, and Fainting at the Fair
Carlos and Mike Hammer open with Mike describing getting close to double-digit hornet/bee stings at work and joking about claims that venom helps joints, then riff on butter vs. margarine, PB&J (including squeeze jars), Italian ice, and nostalgic frozen treats. The conversation shifts to the Minnesota Sta...
State Fair Strategies and Remembering Dolly Parton
Carlos Figueroa and Mike Hammer banter about why the Minnesota State Fair is the best, comparing it to the well-regarded Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport and criticizing other airports. They discuss opening day, fair logistics, and mobility scooters, including a story about Mike’s mom accidentally gassing a scooter into a...
Park Bench Perspective - Episode 24 - Showing Up, Getting Uncomfortable, and the Romance of Baseball
From a park bench conversation, Carlos Figueroa and Mike Hammer discuss how society and parenting can over-coddle people, leaving them reluctant to be uncomfortable, take risks, make phone calls, handle conflict, or ask someone out face-to-face, and they argue for developing grit by showing up consistently for yourself and others. They emphasize effort backed by value, asking for the sale, avoiding perform...
Park Bench Perspectives - Episode 23 - From Newport Beach to Little League Sponsors: Donuts, Old Teams, and Old Maps
Carlos Figueroa and co-host Mike Hammer open the Park Bench Perspective podcast with Hammer reporting from a bench in Newport Beach, describing crowded coffee and donut spots and local landmarks like Blackie’s and the pier. The conversation shifts to childhood baseball in St. Lo...
Park Bench Perspective: Serendipity, Youth Sports, and Showing Up
Mike Hammer and Carlos Figueroa chat from their “park bench perspective” about Minnesota’s heat wave, brief rain, and the Twins acquiring a reliever and a starter. They reminisce about high school—especially chemistry anxiety dreams, taking the ACT/SAT with little preparation, and life before the internet, AI, ...
From San Jose to St. Louis Park: Chuck Chastain’s Park Bench Perspective
Carlos Figueroa and Mike “Hammer” talk on their “park bench” podcast with guest Chuck Chastain, a St. Louis Park High School class of ’84 alumnus who moved from San Jose, California to St. Louis Park in 1978 between seventh and eighth grade. Chuck describes the culture shock of Minnesota winters, les...
The Random Show: St. Louis Park Support, Phobias, and Faith
Carlos Figueroa and Mike Hammer open with talk about extreme summer heat, humidity, and smoke affecting breathing, then shift to St. Louis Park community issues: a Helix apartment fire impacting 90+ apartments, prompting Carlos to donate July advertising revenue to the St. Louis Park Emergency Program (STEP), and road construction at Louisiana and ...
Surviving Rock ’n’ Roll: Concert Mishaps, Heat, and Close Calls
Carlos Figueroa and Mike Hammer trade “park bench perspective” banter before sharing stories about concerts being hazardous. They recall a late-’90s Bob Dylan/Paul Simon show at Canterbury where Carlos became dangerously dehydrated in the heat, was taken by medical staff for water and cooling, then returned...
Fourth of July Memories, Fireworks, and Dog Stories from the Bench
Mike Hammer and Carlos Figueroa reunite on the “park bench” to talk about Fourth of July plans, memories of the 1976 bicentennial mural at Elliott Elementary, and how fireworks have grown louder, longer-lasting, and more expensive for communities while also stressing anxious dogs like Sasha. They reminisce about St. Louis...
Mike and Carlos Figueroa talk on Father’s Day from their “park bench” perspective, reflecting on Carlos’s late father and how youth baseball has changed from inexpensive local leagues to costly, professionalized travel ball. They reminisce about St. Louis Park Little League memories, including injuries from hit batters, a city championship run, pitching limits, and the importance of...
Park Bench Perspectives - Episode 16: Beek's Pizza, Babe Ruth Baseball, and The White Shadow
Episode Summary: In this episode of Park Bench Perspectives, hosts Carlos Figueroa and Mike Hammer welcome a very special guest to the bench: their lifelong friend from St. Louis Park, Joe Riley. Take a trip down memory lane as the trio swaps hilarious and heartwarming stories about growing up in the 1970s and 80s, ...
In this episode of Park Bench Perspectives, hosts Mike and Carlos welcome a special guest to the bench: Mike’s older sister, Michelle. Bringing her "older sister female perspective" to the show, Michelle joins the conversation while recovering from a broken tibia after slipping in the shower, an injury that currently has her miserably confined to a straight-leg boot for six weeks.
The trio swaps hilar...
Memorial Day Bench Talk: Dad Jokes, Raccoons in the Attic, Fireworks, and Barter
On a Memorial Day in Minnesota, Carlos and Mike Hammer record “Park Bench Perspectives,” starting with a dad joke from Brady about “paranormal jeans.” They trade stories about critters in attics, including Mike’s suspected squirrels that turn out to be raccoons, a late-night raccoon at his daughter...
From their “Park Bench Perspective,” Carlos and Mike Hammer reminisce about growing up in St. Louis Park and early work experiences, starting with a childhood paper route and frustrations with school fundraisers, including a story about Melissa McCarthy opting to write a check rather than sell magazines. They compare fundraisers like paper drives and Girl Scout cookies and joke about shrinkflat...
St. Louis Park Summertime Perspectives (and the “Bare Ass Pool” Story)
Carlos Figueroa and Mike Hammer talk on Park Bench Perspectives about May leading into summer in St. Louis Park, recalling elementary track meets (relays, sack races), a tougher era of safety (asphalt playgrounds, no bike helmets, lawn jarts), and the start of summer baseball with Little League drafts, uniforms, openi...
On Mother’s Day, hosts Mike Hammer and Carlos Figueroa return to their “park bench perspective,” invite listeners to leave Fan Mail or voicemails on their Buzzsprout page to share St. Louis Park stories, and dedicate a mom-centric episode to their late mothers, Judy and Maria. They discuss grief and the ongoing one-way “conversation” after a parent’s death, including the...
Posters, Pop Cans, and Park Bench Perspectives
Mike Hammer and Carlos Figueroa reminisce on a “park bench” about teen bedroom posters (Farrah Fawcett, Led Zeppelin, Lamborghini, Easy Rider), poster-shopping at places like the Fun Shop and Ridgedale, and trivia that Fernando Valenzuela’s poster surpassed Farrah’s in sales. They recall collecting RC Cola baseball-player cans by...
Lady Gaga, Keg Parties, and Park Bench Perspectives
From their park bench, Mike Hammer and Carlos Figueroa catch up about Mike attending a Lady Gaga concert and joking about painkillers for his bad knee, then give a shout-out to classmate Ron Barry’s “BarryFin Day” podcast. They discuss building a listener community around their shared hometown of St. Louis Park, Minnesota, a...
From their “park bench perspective,” Carlos and Mike (“Hammer”) welcome Mike’s Gen Z daughter, Georgia, to discuss generations and music. They joke about Gen X vs. baby boomers, naming conventions like Gen Alpha/Beta, and how streaming and Bluetooth changed music discovery compared with radio. The group sets homework for a cross-generational song exchange to review next week: ...
Rockin' the SLP Park 2
Carlos Figueroa and co-host Mike Hammer chat on Park Bench Perspectives about how music and pets mark life’s timeline while reminiscing about growing up in St. Louis Park, Minnesota. They joke about their limited musical talent, Carlos’s LaBelle’s electric guitar that Mike borrowed for lessons, and invite listeners to submit a jingle for the podcast. Memories...
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