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Petco is my favorite ballpark, and yeah, parking can be a nightmare on some nights when there are a lot of people there (opening, Dodgers games, etc). Always take the trolley if you can. Also, bring a jacket, because even a warm day can turn pretty cool pretty quickly when the sun goes down. Did the Randy Jones BBQ change the way it makes its hot dogs? They used to be all charred and blackened and awesome, but when I went last weekend they were just kind of bland.
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Apr 20, 2013 20:20
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Could someone do a writeup on US Cellular Field? I'm thinking of going down for one of the games against the Rays next weekend, and I've never been before. I'm used to seeing baseball at the Trop, so crappy stadiums don't really bother me.
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Apr 20, 2013 20:52
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Xenophon posted:Petco is my favorite ballpark, and yeah, parking can be a nightmare on some nights when there are a lot of people there (opening, Dodgers games, etc). Always take the trolley if you can. Also, bring a jacket, because even a warm day can turn pretty cool pretty quickly when the sun goes down.
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Apr 20, 2013 23:20
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My favorite food choices at Comerica: Chicken and fries basket. It's a basket of chicken and fries. I think this is like 9 dollars. Nachos in a helmet. Nacho chips and a whole bunch of toppings in a souvenir helmet. This is like 10-12 I think.
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Apr 20, 2013 23:41
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bradzilla posted:Target Field, downtown Minneapolis, MN, home of the Minnesota Twins You are doing a gigantic disservice to the Murray's Steak Sandwich, sir  Also if you are not a beer drinking man then you can also get Killebrew's Root Beer which is amazing.
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Apr 20, 2013 23:47
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Alright I'll do Safeco Field, home of the Mariners. Getting there: sadly there isn't a whole lot of public transportation around the stadium. If its during a weekend game, and you're either north (Everett) or south (Tacoma) of the field, you can take the sounder train which drops you off real close to the stadium and picks you up after the game ends. During the week, you'll have to drive there. There's a lot of parking in the area. My personal favorite thing to do is park on 4th street, and walk a small bit to the stadium. After the game, all I have to do is turn right and it's real easy to get on the I5 ramp from there. Parking around the area varies. It can be $15-35 depending on where you find. There are parking garages as well at Safeco and Centurylink that you can park at, but they tend to be expensive. Tickets: the Mariners use "dynamic pricing" so prices change depending on time of the game, or who is playing (get ready to be charged up the rear end if the Red Sox or Yankees are in town). My preference has been to use stubhub as I generally can find cheaper tickets there than what is on the Mariner website. I have no idea how much tickets run at the gate. It's generally about $7 for center field bleachers, $15 for left field bleachers, then $20 and on for other seats throughout the field. I prefer first or third base side, upper deck is fine. There generally aren't bad seats in the place. I once sat in left field and got upgraded to the terrace club because I got there early. Food: the best burgers are probably Kidd Valley and there are lots of Ivar's stands if you like clam chowder too. There's pizza places and some ethnic foods such as Thai and Japanese, but I haven't tried those yet. My favorite Japanese place got displaced when they redid the bullpen  Also, garlic fries. Those are amazing, and a weird tradition at Safeco Field. Mike Blowers will give out garlic fries to the fan that has the best garlic fries sign. The food isn't terribly overpriced. If you sit in the terrace club, you get premium food venues as well (but expect to pay for it). Outside of the stadium there are a lot of hot dog vendors, especially over by Centurylink. Their brats are delicious and you aren't getting hosed by the price either.Beer: My favorite thing to do is to head to the Pryamid Brewery beer garden prior to the game starting, which is right across the street. Additionally, if you enter the stadium early, you can go to The Pen, where its Happy Hour and beer is half off. You can also get mixed drinks here as well. They have the assortment of domestic draft beer with the local microbrews as well (Mac and Jacks and Mannys come to mind). Otherwise, expect to pay a lot for beer if you get it anywhere else. Other: they just upgraded the scoreboard in center field and holy poo poo it does own. Apparently the ushers aren't as assholeish as they used to be in years past? There's been a ton of open seats at most games. The second home game of the season broke the record for lowest attendance, which is really telling. They also moved the left field fences in, but it's hard to really tell. They added a restaraunt there called Edgar's Cantina. It's always been packed when I've seen it. Also, if you can, do your best to go to a game when Felix is pitching. Every home game he pitches they have the King's Court to the left of the LF foul pole where tickets are discounted and you get a King Felix shirt for free along with a K card. Even if you don't sit in that section, the energy that section brings to the game is awesome. Plus you get to see Felix pitch, which is glorious in itself. If any other Seattleites want to add anything, feel free to chip in. seiferguy fucked around with this message at 20:21 on Apr 22, 2013 |
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Apr 21, 2013 05:03
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riht posted:Oriole Park at Camden Yards Other notes... Last year during the off-season, they renovated a good portion of the park. They installed wider seats in the upper decks and clubs levels (HAHA FAT PEOPLE). But this is cool, because for my money, the upper box seats in section 330-340 give the best view of the game and are in the $35 range. They also added a new rooftop bar above the batter's eye, accessible from Eutaw Street (when there are no home games and during the off-season, Eutaw Street is still open to the public, I believe the bar is also open during normal business hours?). There are two rows of seats above the eye that don't cost a thing, just get there first and you can sit there on Standing Room Only tickets and drink your heart out. Behind the bullpens, there used to be a picnic area that was always closed because no one ever used it. Well, that's gone too. In it's place is a new statue park for the 6 retired Orioles numbers: The Robinson Brothers, Earl Weaver, Jim Palmer, Eddie Murray and Cal Ripken Jr. The statues are pretty cool and I think are a great addition to the park. The final major renovation was removing the lovely wall above the right field scoreboard and replacing it with some nice fencing so you can actually SEE the field from the Standing Room Only area on the flag court. Also adds a few dingers a year. Eutaw Street is filled with food and drink vendors, plus gift shops and a bar in the Warehouse. Be sure to visit Boog's BBQ, Eutaw Street basically smells awesome during baseball season. If you're coming from the north Eutaw gate, there's a statue of Babe Ruth outside as Baltimore is his birthplace. This is next to the retired numbers (not statues, just large numbers) in the entrance area. A couple years ago, some people stole Cal Ripken's 8, tossed it in the back of their truck and thought they'd get away with it. All in the game. The two foul poles are the same foul poles from Memorial Stadium. Just sayin'. Around the city of Baltimore, you will sometimes see the 15 Stars and Stripes flags being flown. The Star Spangled Banner was written during the Battle of Fort McHenry in the Chesapeake Bay and this is the flag that Francis Scott Key saw. During the National Anthem, O's fans WILL scream "O" at the top of their lungs preceeding the "O say does that Star Spangled Banner yet wave" line. THIS IS OUR BIRTHRIGHT AND YOU WILL NOT BEGRUDE US IT. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6a5iPnapaA As a final note, in the video above, over the left field bleachers you can see the Hilton. This is an eyesore and blocks out our beloved clock tower. Anyone who burns this monstrosity to the ground will be regarded as a Friend of Baltimore and will be forgiven all sins and transgressions against the city. Yes, even you, Mike Mussina. No, not you, Cito Gaston. primaltrash fucked around with this message at 15:29 on Apr 21, 2013 |
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Apr 21, 2013 15:19
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armoredgorilla posted:Other notes... I went to the rained-out game on Friday against the Dodgers and the sudden O gave my party and I a massive collective heart attack. Other than that, it was a very nice experience and what looked to be a good place to watch a game, even if I was surrounded by probable Ravens fans. Stupid weather. I'd be happy to do writeups on
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Apr 21, 2013 16:21
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edit: Whoops. Wrong thread.
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Apr 21, 2013 17:17
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JediGandalf posted:Petco Park! Home of what will probably be the 70-92 (if that) San Diego Padres! Stub Hubs not bad for sniping the day of. People unload great seats for cheap around 2 hours before simply trying to cut their losses. I'll meet you for a few. Already been to three this year. Great write up though Gandalf. The only thing I'd add is the Park at the park which gives people a place to throw their kids who don't care about baseball. Also, Hodads has the cheapest beer in the park. When they agreed to set up a location they made the Padres agree to let them sell beer at the same price they do outside the park. Pretty sweet. thompson fucked around with this message at 17:30 on Apr 21, 2013 |
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Apr 21, 2013 17:27
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I'll do Turner at some point today.
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Apr 21, 2013 17:30
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armoredgorilla posted:During the National Anthem, O's fans WILL scream "O" at the top of their lungs preceeding the "O say does that Star Spangled Banner yet wave" line. THIS IS OUR BIRTHRIGHT AND YOU WILL NOT BEGRUDE US IT. I did not know this. This owns.
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Apr 22, 2013 02:31
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Sat on this a day waiting for someone who goes to the park more than I do to contribute, but... AT&T Park China Basin, San Francisco, CA  Getting There: The parking is a scramble. This place is well serviced by mass transit and you'd do well to get in and out that way if you can. If you're already downtown, MUNI inbound trains on T Third (and N Judah on weekdays) stop in front of the park. CalTrain to the south bay is only a few blocks away. The stadium has it's own dock entrance facing the bay, with ferries travelling to Jack London Square in Oakland and Larkspur up north, though these will likely benefit locals more than visitors. Getting In: Giants have to be one of the most popular teams on StubHub, though before the season the box office can have good deals on a limited number of games. The schedule is usually very predictable: If there's three games in a series, the third is almost always going to be a day game. This means a lot more 12-1PM starts on weekdays than most parks. Night games can be surprisingly cold, even in the peak of summer. As the season begins, they'll start loading up the calendar with free giveaway promotions and these will drive StubHub prices up. They have a lot of giveaways, and lines can stretch down the embarcadero for a block in the heat. This is largely unnecessary. Last year's most popular get was a Brian Wilson Gnome, and while people lined up hours before the gates opened, other people who showed up fifteen minutes before first pitch reported waltzing right in and getting one. Most interleague games command price premiums, you'll sometimes pay more if the DBacks are visiting and you will definitely pay more for the Dodgers. But out of division teams and the Padres/Rockies are usually fair enough. If there isn't a giveaway on a weekday day game, you might be able to sit high up behind home plate for $15 total. If you're broke but standing around a baseball stadium due to some circumstance, around by the water is a place where people can crowd together and scope some of the game through the arches in the right field wall for free. Seating: "There's no bad seat" has been a mantra since the first day, but I'll recommend you stay away from the left field foul pole anyway. The views there are often obstructured, the higher levels are bad enough that they are usually empty rows even during "sell out" games. I'm also not a fan of the Lower Box sections since the prices are high and the perks are few, though if you want to stay out of the sun during a day game the sections behind Lower Box Premium are almost entirely under an overhang. The cheapest seat in the grandstands is the last few right field sections on the 300 level, this also gives a nice view of the Bay Bridge and the city peeking above the roof (see picture at top.) If you want, you can buy a seat on the top of the big wall in right field. Over there, you may be asked to reach below and flip over the K sign when the home team notches a strikeout. Food: This place has a reputation for food that is too elitist to be sold out of a stadium concession stand. That's a bit misleading, there is a place selling egg rolls in there somewhere but for most sections you'll find typical stadium fare, just that the Burger & Hot Dogs stand also happens to have a crab sandwich on the menu. The signature of the park that everyone will tell you to try is the garlic fries, they're hyped up as somehow superior to every other stadium's. There's a few exceptions to the generic fare by the bleachers: Behind center field is a number of unique stands, including a place with an all-crab menu, a chowder place, a BBQ joint, and so on. There's also a number of Ghirardelli sundae stands for something unique/local in the treats department, but it's no substitute for the actual stores. Club Level buys you mostly the same hot dog and pizza stands as the regular seats, but in a climate controlled indoor lounge instead of utilitarian open-air concourses. Seats on the ground floor (Field Level all the way up to the mega pricey Dugout seats) get access to the Field Club: a dimmed, hoitier toitier lounge with fancier concessions. There's also a sports bar attached to the stadium. It's pricey yet convenient, and has it's own secret entrance into the park. Maybe someone else can speak for beer, I have no first-hand experience there. 21st Amendment microbrewery is a short walk away and is popular with fans who can rely on someone getting them home. The surrounding area has a lot of restaurants and sports bars, though some of them are ripoffs (Momo's) while others have lots of seating but are hit and miss (the pizza place, Paragon). It's all aimed at the dot-com offices and stadium crowds, so you won't find the restaurant culture of the Mission or Nob Hill. During the game: Of course, the big architectural feature is the right field wall and the gulf on the other side. The left field is overshadowed by a huge cola bottle celebrating rampant American consumerism. Hidden inside the Coke bottle is two slides. Whether adult persons can use the slide or not seems the vary on the phase of the moon. You'll likely be told that adults can't slide, then some day on YouTube find a video of drunken idiots sliding backward. Stadium entertainment is the standard stuff, usually cheesy but not quite embarrassing. Usual segments include a tape of Giants players answers Reddit AMA caliber questions, finding some people in the crowd and bribing them to get an ice cream headache for our amusement, and of course an eighth inning Journey singalong. I thought the Fist Pump Song had finally ended it's reign of tyranny, only for it to come back last July. Since they moved to an HD bigscreen they don't even do cable car races anymore, now it's boats just like everywhere else. Other: McCovey Cove gives attention seekers what they crave and so you may see some weird sideshow out in the water. There may be a lot of kayaks, a passing yacht, maybe even flying jetpack mans or a floating DeLorean. Outside of the park around to the other side of the water, you'll find a little point of land with a statue of Willie McCovey. This area is frequently used for news remote shots and is infamous for the amount of cigarettes that are smoked here, occasionally legally. Giants fans have an outward reputation for being too busy updating their Facebook status to pay attention to the field, but this park is fine for people who give their full attention to the game. The stadium hivemind at most regular season games is against "crowd fun" distractions like The Wave, thundersticks and noisemakers, and so on. The front office has some real hang-ups regarding low walls and fan interference on road trips; so though it seems every park has a boilerplate rule threatening to throw out anyone for touching a ball in play, they are maybe more serious here than some places about getting men in uniform to enforce it.
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Apr 22, 2013 07:01
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A few points: You said this, but it's probably worth emphasizing even more - take public transportation to the game if you at all possible. The N and the T go right there, Caltrain goes right there, the ferries go right there, and it's much more convenient than trying to drive and find parking in and out. Take public transportation. Or walk, if you're downtown / in SoMa - it's like a ten, fifteen minute walk from there. The best place to sit (IMO) is in the left field bleachers. They have the best atmosphere on a consistent basis and are a lot of fun. If you are sitting in the bleachers, there's an entrance to the park around the back that has much shorter lines than the main entrance and goes right to the bleachers, I usually take that. The food is pretty solid, whatever you get. Good ballpark food. There's a 17 dollar crab sandwich if you want something crazy! It's not really worth it. I usually just get a bratwurst and garlic fries, or eat before the game. For beer, at the park, I usually just get Anchor Steam. It's reliably decent. I don't really know about most of the places near the park, I don't go to those places much. If I do go to a bar before the game, it's usually closer to Market / SoMa. Also, don't do the Wave at AT&T.
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Apr 22, 2013 08:37
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A few more points on AT&T: I come from Sacramento and we rarely ever drive all the way in anymore. It's usually drive to Richmond or Walnut Creek and take BART to Embracadero, then Muni or simply walk from Embaracedero. It saves money on gas, tolls, and parking and one drawback to AT&T is that they parking lots are anti-tailgate anyway. I believe you can only use a grill in the season ticket holders lots. Ticket prices are stiff and have gotten stiffer in the past couple years. I try to stick to mostly weekday day games against mediocre to bad opponents. Games against the Dodgers or A's will cost $50 for Bleachers, a similar amount for View Reserve, and better seats than that will stretch your wallet even further. I've sat just about everywhere, but the best value for the money seems to be Bleachers 137, the lower rows of View Reserve behind home plate, and the back rows of Lower Box. The Arcade has lost some of its luster since the days when everyone was desperate to sit there to catch Bonds home run balls; now it's just a place where people are always walking behind you and you can't see what happens on a ball hit to deep RF. Beer selection is quite good, Brats are good, the garlic fries are good but you should get them before the game or in the early innings. Later than that they tend to be lukewarm. Pregame, 21st Amendment is outstanding for beer and food.
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Apr 22, 2013 09:10
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Thanks for all the write-ups everyone. There's still a ton of stadiums we need write-ups on, let's keep them coming! NL East is the only division that hasn't had at least one done...
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Apr 22, 2013 13:48
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I'm going to Comerica for the second time tomorrow but my first time in the On Deck Circle right behind home plate. Anything special I should know?
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Apr 22, 2013 17:16
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bradzilla posted:Thanks for all the write-ups everyone. There's still a ton of stadiums we need write-ups on, let's keep them coming! NL East is the only division that hasn't had at least one done... Doing a write-up for Nationals Park now.
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Apr 22, 2013 18:03
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Dominus Vobiscum posted:Could someone do a writeup on US Cellular Field? I'm thinking of going down for one of the games against the Rays next weekend, and I've never been before. I'm used to seeing baseball at the Trop, so crappy stadiums don't really bother me. I'm going to a Sox game tomorrow. Although I could probably do the write-up from memory since I've been there a dozen times, if no one else does one by Wednesday, I'll do one since it'll be fresh in my mind.
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Apr 22, 2013 18:09
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Meltathon posted:I'm going to a Sox game tomorrow. Although I could probably do the write-up from memory since I've been there a dozen times, if no one else does one by Wednesday, I'll do one since it'll be fresh in my mind. Same thing with Nats Park.
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Apr 22, 2013 18:22
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Nationals Park Washington, District of Columbia  Getting There Nationals Park is located on South Capitol Street, just north of the Anacostia river and just south of the merger (divide?) of I-395 and I-295. As you have two high-volume roads going to the same place at the same time, traffic is usually reminiscent of rush hour traffic downtown, but isn't always entirely awful if you go past the "Nationals Park" exit on 395, get off at the House side/C Street exit, and then take New Jersey Avenue down to M Street. Parking is generally a crapshoot unless you get there early, but there is a $10-$15 lot at 7th and M Street SE that you can prepay for online or pay cash there. Closer garages can cost up to $45 and guarantee you'll be sitting in a shitload of traffic both getting there and back so I wouldn't do that (but then again I wouldn't commute from Stafford VA, either, but some people do that so  ). Opt for street parking if and only if you feel REALLY lucky. A better bet is to take some manner of public transportation: you can take the Metro Green Line to the Navy Yard stop (make sure you leave via the West Entrance at M and Half St SE), which is about a block north of the main outfield gate and lined with cheap merchandise and scalpers after you get off. If you live in the District and don't feel like taking the Metro (you know who you are) the 74 bus goes down 7th Street NW/SW from the Convention Center to the Park (among other Metrobuses that I can't be bothered to look up), and the DC Circulator goes from Union Station to the Park every 10 minutes, so you Red Liners don't necessarily have to transfer onto the cattle car that is the Green Line. Finally, you can bike there. If you have a Captiol Bikeshare membership, there's a dock right by Will Call on 1st St SE that usually fills up about 15-30 minutes before the first pitch, and there's a dock by the East entrance of the Navy Yard that fills up right around first pitch. If you have your own bike, a cool and little-known fact is that they have a free bike valet at Parking Lot C on 1st and N Street SE, which opens 2 hours before first pitch and closes an hour after game over. Though like any other valet I'd tip them because that job probably sucks. Getting In On your way to the park, you may notice a place made of shipping containers called the Bullpen across from the Navy Yard Half Street exit that has live music and alcohol. It's free to get in, and food and beer is cheaper than in the stadium if you want to pregame. It's technically family friendly (they have carnival games and stuff set up sometimes), but it's mostly used for pregaming/hanging around and waiting for your friends to show up because they got on the train half an hour after you did. Apparently they turn it into an outdoor market on non-game days, but that's just hearsay since I've never actually been there on a not-game-day. Outside food is permitted in Nationals Park if you adhere to the following little-known rule (from the website): "All food items must be contained in single serving bags within a soft-sided container or cooler that does not exceed 16" x 16" x 8"." Obviously, though, outside drinks are not permitted besides one factory-sealed bottle of water per fan, but it's a fairly cursory bag check and not even a wanding or pat down like they do at FedEx Field or the Verizon Center, so if you're right clever you can probably figure something out. Tickets/Seating Now that more and more people are jumping on the Nats'  , tickets are getting a little pricier. Gone are Dollar Days to sit in the outfield seats, but non-prime seating tickets are still affordable and give you a good view of the action. Divisional games (especially against the Phillies) are going to be more expensive, as are the O's games (which happen to be on Memorial Day and the day after this year). An average weekday night game runs about $20 per ticket if you don't mind sitting in the outfield or the upper deck, and closer in you'll be paying anywhere from $40 (infield)-$80 (dugout). If you want to know about club seats then you're probably not reading this part of the guide, because you probably got them through work or having more money than sense.Tickets on StubHub are usually cheaper than getting tickets on the Nationals website, but also more unreliable; you can usually get better seats that way if they're sold out at the box office. If nothing else, there are always scalpers around the stadium (especially on Half Street) who can be haggled fairly easily. Since I err on the cheapskate side of going to these games, I can say that there aren't a whole lot of "bad seats" in the park - it depends on how close to the action you need to be. I kind of like the outfield seats because the concessions are way better out there, but that's just me. If you get seats on the upper first base/right field side, you can get a pretty good view of the DC skyline (i.e. the Capitol dome and the Washington Monument, plus some cranes). Concessions Apparently Nationals Park got dinged recently for having the most expensive beer in the MLB, but it's not too far beyond the pale for what I'm used to - beers are $8-$10 depending on what you're getting for a pint, which is sadly not too much more expensive than non-happy hour prices at bars in DC. Food throughout is your typical stadium fare at most places, but there are some standouts (in more than one way) behind the outfield mezzanine: Shake Shack, Box Frites, El Verano Taqueria, and Blue Smoke BBQ. They're right next to each other behind Section 240, and the lines are usually about a half hour long each. Worth it if you go before the game or if you like food better than watching Dan Haren pitch. Other interesting places include Ben's Chili Bowl (a DC fixture), Shawafel (shawarma and falafel), Change Up Chicken (chicken and waffle sandwich!!), and the Sam Adams Brewhouse (if you like Sam Adams beer). The Red Porch is also a solid restaurant with an upstairs bar open to all ticketholders, but it gets crowded, loud, and all the views of the field are usually taken. I did see Brian McCann hit a home run onto the Red Porch once though, which was cool. During The Game You know the desecration of the National Anthem that Orioles fans do? Yeah, well, some people will do that at Nationals games. Not as obvious as at Wizards or Caps games, but it still happens. Real Nats fans (and patriots) don't do that. The real highlight of the game, though, is the Presidents' Race, which happens during the 4th inning and features 5 presidents - the 4 on Mount Rushmore and now William Howard Taft - racing from the bullpen to first base. It may sound silly, but it has seized the fanbase and even has its own wikipedia page. You are morally obligated to cheer for Teddy. Leaving the Game This gets its own section because trying to get home is frequently worse than getting here. Traffic will be awful of course, but if you drove you know what to expect. Metro will also be an insanely crowded situation at Navy Yard, and you'll probably have to wait for multiple trains. So to avoid that chaos, if you're getting home via the Orange or Blue Line, make the trek north to Capitol South, which will be far less crowded and ensure you get a spot on the train if you're going west. Walk up New Jersey Ave to D Street, go right, then go left on 1st Street SE. If you're taking the Green Line north or the Yellow Line north or south, it's probably better to walk up to L'Enfant Plaza and wait for all the transfers to the Orange and Blue lines get off the train and hop on your newly less crowded train. And finally, if you're taking the Red Line, you're probably hosed either way (as usual), but the Circulator can get you to Union Station from the Navy Yard station entrance at New Jersey and M, and might be a bit faster than waiting for the train at Navy Yard.
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Apr 22, 2013 19:02
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Was there a reason they added Taft, and why Taft of all presidents if you're going to add one?
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Apr 22, 2013 19:56
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Taft was the first U.S. President to throw the first pitch at a ballgame. It is kind of ironic that Teddy is a loveable underdog considering the guy thought baseball was a wimpy sport. I'll still cheer for him though.
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Apr 22, 2013 20:15
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Pastrymancy posted:Taft was the first U.S. President to throw the first pitch at a ballgame. A popular story that may or may not be true is that he is the reason for the 7th inning stretch as well. Plus hes a big fat guy and would be funny to see in mascot form. Going to make a more formal writeup for Angels Stadium sometime today.
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Apr 22, 2013 20:18
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Barehanded Brother posted:Nationals Park You can't mention Nationals Park with out pointing out that it's surrounded by probably the biggest example of failed gentrification in the US.
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Apr 22, 2013 23:08
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Dusseldorf posted:You can't mention Nationals Park with out pointing out that it's surrounded by probably the biggest example of failed gentrification in the US.
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Apr 22, 2013 23:13
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I will have Coors Field writeup coming soon, unless someone else completes it first.
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Apr 22, 2013 23:47
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JediGandalf posted:Does this have to do with the fact that I was told to go nowhere near Anacostia when I was in DC if I valued the smallest modicum of my life? It was offseason when I was in DC so I never made it down there. Well right around when they were building the stadium around 2007-2008 they decided to put in a bunch of medium rise condos right next to the stadium in the thought that it could be the next hip area of DC. Well long story short those condos are still basically empty. The place has a feeling now like what Rosslyn Va would be in the neutron bomb hit.
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Apr 23, 2013 00:07
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will_colorado posted:I will have Coors Field writeup coming soon, unless someone else completes it first. Looking forward to this since with any luck I'll be making my 1st trip there Wednesday.
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Apr 23, 2013 00:26
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riht posted:Oriole Park at Camden Yards And it's worth noting that this ease of ticket acquisition isn't a reflection on Camden Yards' quality at all, it's a genuinely great stadium. It's just that after the O's were so bad for so long (and the Ravens being generally really good since 2000), Baltimore moved from being a baseball town to being a Ravens-crazed city. I went to my first O's game last week (the 18th, actually, we were both there  ) and sat in Section 83 (left field, lower reserve) for $15, and the sightlines were excellent. I just wish Baltimore's public transit weren't such a joke; I work in the Natty Boh tower and live in Highlandtown (no car), so actually getting out to the stadium is a bit of a pain in the rear end.
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Apr 23, 2013 01:39
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Splits posted:I'm going to Comerica for the second time tomorrow but my first time in the On Deck Circle right behind home plate. Anything special I should know? Go to the craft brew place if you want some beer but if you order food there be prepared to wait for a while. I think they cook to order or something, it takes a while.
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Apr 23, 2013 02:13
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Welcome to beautiful Coors Field!! Home of your Colorado Rockies!! Located in the Lower Downtown (LoDo) area of Denver. Construction began in 1992 and the park was completed in 1995. Coors was one of the first the early 90's "retro-feel" built ballparks. It is now the third oldest park in the National League, behind Dodger Stadium and Wrigley Field. It's listed capacity of 50,480, is also the second largest in MLB. Coors faces directly to the north, so you will only be able to comfortably see a view the mountains if you are sitting from about the infield dirt along first base and on out into the decks in right field. There is not really a bad seat in the house, it just depends on how close to the field level you want to be. How do I get there? Since it is within five blocks of Denver Union Station, the best, and usually cheapest way, is it to park at a Denver RTD Light Rail station and take the train in. This is going to cost about $10 for a round trip per person and less if you are at a station that is closer to downtown. Some of the stations charge for parking, so be aware of that, or they WILL boot your vehicle. On weekends and some holiday games, RTD runs direct shuttle buses to some of the metro area park and rides for $6 round trip. There is also a new rail line opening at the end of this week through west Denver to Lakewood and the western suburbs, so that should also add some parking. If you do drive, the park is connected off I-25 at the 38th Street and 20th Street exits. The highway can become a parking lot if you trying to get to or are leaving a game. Several Denver arterial streets are also good ways, but they are often just as busy: Broadway, Speer, Park Avenue, Auraria, and Colfax will get you into downtown. Parking There are two stadium parking lots: A and B. The game day cost is $13 for a spot in one of the two stadium lots on the northeast side of the stadium. These can get full rather quickly if a large crowd is expected. There is a ton of metered on-street parking and several lots all over downtown Denver. Expect to pay upwards of $30 to $40 or more for a spot up close to the stadium and less the further away you are. Again: cheapest way is to take the train in. Altitude There is a purple row of seating in the upper deck of the stadium. That row is exactly one mile above sea level. Because of the altitude and the dry climate, we have the humidor:  The natural environment of Colorado dries out the baseballs and they fall out of Rawling's specifications on how to store them. This is used to keep the balls at a constant humidity and temperature while in storage to keep them in the manufacturer's specification as much as possible. gently caress you Jon Miller Tickets For almost every game, outside of a few specific dates like Opening Day, the Fireworks games, and for the Cubs, Yankees and Red Sox series, there will usually be some tickets available at the walk-up windows. The tickets are set at a tiered cost depending on the opponents and dates. You will be paying a bit more for the games mentioned above. You can expect to pay $4 to $10 per ticket if you want to set out in the Rockpile way the hell out there beyond center field, around $40 to $50 for the best 100's level seating right behind the plate, up to around $60 to $80 for the club level seating, and around $20 to $30 for the best upper deck level seats; depending on the specific game you are going to. These prices go down the further away you are from behind the plate. There are some specials that Wells Fargo runs through some of the local grocery stores in town that can offer some cheaper tickets as well. Most of the scalpers outside the stadium are usually pretty fair on their prices also. Food and drink Outside Since Coors sits right in the middle of the city, there is just about any type of bar or restaurant you can think of. You may also find several food trucks along Blake Street. Fado's, Jackson's, Denver Chophouse, LoDo's, Sports Column, Wynkoop, Blake Street Tavern, the Breckenridge Brewery are some of the spots right next door to the stadium. If you are willing to walk the four blocks down to the 16th Street Mall there are several places along the way, in addition to most of your standard chains on the mall itself. Inside You are usually able to bring in with you most of the standard stuff: unopened plastic bottles, as long as it is not alcohol, bags of snacks: sunflower seeds, peanuts, etc. You will always find a ton of those guys selling them near and in front of the stadium. Go to the guy at 23rd and Blake that sells the roasted peanuts for like $3 a bag. Just do it. Coors does have it's own brewery: The Sandlot. Go in there and try some Blue Moon, it comes with a slice of orange. What, are you waiting for a permission slip? Get your rear end in there. It has your normal standard ballpark food: dogs, sodas, brats, beers, burgers, BBQ, Rocky Mountain Oysters.... Wait WHAT?!! Yes, you can get genuine deep fried bull balls:  They are served with a side of fries and a side of salsa. Just try it once you big baby. Monster chicken nachos are also sold here:  $7 will get you a miniature bathtub of nacho-ey goodness. Todd Helton has his burger shack out in the left field bleachers:  A burger with some kind of big-mac style thousand island sauce and grilled onions on it, served with onion rings and a milkshake. Make sure you also go the Camarena lofts out above the bullpen and have a purple margarita. If you want to set in the Mountain Ranch Club restaurant here:  Any ticket will get you in, but it does have limited seating. If you know you are going to eat up there, you can make a reservation. It opens when the home plate gates open: usually 90 minutes before game time. Between inning stuff: oh lord, hide your kids, this son of a bitch is always around somewhere:  There are couple of playground areas for little kids out in left field and underneath the Rockpile, take them there, keep them away from the dinosaur. Standard trivia and giveaways on the video screen with people in the crowd. Instead of maybe Colorado related animals in a mascot race, like say, a mountain lion, a bear, a ram, and a buffalo, we get this:  a loving toothbrush, a tooth, and tube of toothpaste.  Let's see, after the 7th inning stretch in a game in Colorado, after "Take Me Out To The Ballgame", what song would you have the crowd sing that is specifically "Colorado"?? 1. “Rocky Mountain High” by John Denver 2. “Rocky Mountain High” by John Denver 3. “Rocky Mountain High” by John Denver 4. “Rocky Mountain High” by John Denver Nope it's this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzaProlsvkk Also: Always prepare for offense LOTS AND LOTS OF OFFENSE, and really lovely pitching http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/COL/COL199507030.shtml http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/COL/COL199606300.shtml http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/COL/COL199808110.shtml http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/COL/COL199905190.shtml http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/COL/COL200807040.shtml http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/COL/COL201007060.shtml One of the most beautiful parks to watch a game in all of baseball. Come enjoy your stay, wear something purple, cheer for dingers, and ignore the mascot. will_colorado fucked around with this message at 06:21 on Apr 23, 2013 |
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Apr 23, 2013 06:00
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Dusseldorf posted:Well right around when they were building the stadium around 2007-2008 they decided to put in a bunch of medium rise condos right next to the stadium in the thought that it could be the next hip area of DC. Well long story short those condos are still basically empty. The place has a feeling now like what Rosslyn Va would be in the neutron bomb hit. Well, the long story id that the stadium and condos were built right before the recession hit. They're all filling up pretty rapidly now, all the apartments around there are at like 90-95% occupancy, and the townhouses they're building the area all sell before being built. There are a bunch of restaurants that will be opening within the next year or so. Basically that area is now at the stage it was meant to be at a year or two after the stadium opened. I think it's a bit unfair to call the area 'failed' since it , along with NoMA, is one of the two areas of the city seeing the greatest amount of development.
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Apr 23, 2013 15:43
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will_colorado posted:
 I did not realize that was where Blue Moon originated. However, it's bad and you should feel bad. Go to Petco and have a Sculpin if you want to drink actual beer. Or just go drink an IPA somewhere.
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Apr 23, 2013 16:33
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OdinsBeard posted:
Thank God I'm not the only one. I thought it was just because I don't like Belgian Whites in general. I can't seem to convince anyone else of this, though. I'm slowly working on a thing about Turner Field but I don't want to rush it. Interesting things I can think of so far: Sweetwater Holman & Fitch La Taqueria Boners BBQ incident: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/01/restaurant-cries-yelp-after-feeling-heat-for-bad-review-of-customer/ An enormous jumbo-tron on which the only stats they can seem fit are: BA, RBI and HR.
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Apr 23, 2013 16:49
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will_colorado posted:Coors does have it's own brewery: The Sandlot. Go in there and try some Blue Moon, it comes with a slice of orange. What, are you waiting for a permission slip? Get your rear end in there.
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Apr 23, 2013 17:24
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I went to Angel Stadium in Anaheim for a couple of games over the weekend. On Saturday, my team got loving embarrassed from the first inning on. Then on Sunday, I was sitting in left field, where dozens of kids were yelling "TROUT!!!!!" every 10 seconds, and my team lost again. Overall, 0/10 would not go again
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Apr 23, 2013 17:36
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JediGandalf posted:Seconding what OdinsBeard says. Colorado is also know for craft beer. I know since it's "Coors Field" I'd imagine a poo poo-ton of Coors beers there but there are no craft beers anywhere in the stadium? No Great Divide for example? There's some "Beers of the World" kiosks around the park that have a bigger variety of beers like Newcastle and Guinness and stuff. I don't think there's that many microbrews or craft brews though, just mostly Coors and Coors-affiliated beers. They do have cocktails at those same kiosks (the big Beers of the World is on the concourse to the right of home plate).
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Apr 23, 2013 17:38
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If you need a craft brew while you're at a baseball game you're doing it wrong.
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Apr 23, 2013 19:09
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seiferguy posted:Alright I'll do Safeco Field, home of the Mariners. I go to a game a month at Safeco but have yet to go this year so I don't know the new LF area. However that was my favorite section to sit in (151) and now it's gone/reduced. Getting there: you do a good job summarizing the parking scene. However I don't understand why people keep saying transit sucks to get to the stadium. The stadiums are right by the LINK light rail (2-3 stops close by), Ferries, bus, Sounder train, etc. Most buses go through the bus tunnel or along 3rd Ave. Either the Link or bus I get off in Pioneer Square around Yesler and walk 5 mins to the stadium. For weekday games the transit can be backed up and take a while but that's because Seattle traffic isn't the greatest. I often have to leave the Northgate Park & Ride at 530 to make the 700 first pitch and that's less than 10 miles. Tickets: Buying from the stadium you don't have to pay Ticketmaster fees. Also tip! If you have a game you can't go to, Ms will exchange the value for you as long as the game has not passed. I often buy a 6-game pack in the off season and choose a few key games else all others at the end of the year. I show up with my Sept tickets in June and trade them in for new tickets for that day. Food: IF I get food inside it's usually BBQ sandwich from Dixie's BBQ on the main concourse behind 1st base. For drinks I mostly get the refillable pop for $9 and bring in a flask. Lots of food trucks outside on Occidental St accross from CenturyLink field. After the game most of the hog dog vendors give out 2-4-1 hot dogs (for $5).
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Apr 23, 2013 20:32
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