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What are the best MLB parks based on personal experience?
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Author:  DannyB [ Sat Aug 02, 2014 10:38 pm ]
Post subject:  What are the best MLB parks based on personal experience?

Never been to Dodger Stadium but it's at the top of my list. The only ones outside of town I've been to are Fenway, Yankee Stadium and Miller Park. I need advice.

Author:  Hawg Ass [ Sat Aug 02, 2014 11:27 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What are the best MLB parks based on personal experience

It pains me with every fiber of my being, but St. Louis is really nice.

Author:  RFDC [ Sat Aug 02, 2014 11:30 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What are the best MLB parks based on personal experience

Kansas City

Author:  City of Fools [ Sat Aug 02, 2014 11:33 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What are the best MLB parks based on personal experience

I'm a fan of new parks. Pittsburgh and Cincinnati, I like both.

Author:  shirtless driver [ Sat Aug 02, 2014 11:42 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What are the best MLB parks based on personal experience

I've only been To Wrigley, Old Comiskey, New Comiskey, old County Stadium, Miller Park, and Comerica.
Wrigley and County Stadium were my faves, not that that helps you much. I, too would love to go to Dodger Stadium one of these days.

Author:  Keyser Soze [ Sun Aug 03, 2014 12:28 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What are the best MLB parks based on personal experience

Camden Yards and Safeco Field.

Edit: Target Field is really nice too.

Author:  denisdman [ Sun Aug 03, 2014 5:45 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What are the best MLB parks based on personal experience

I have been to all but three NL parks. I have only been to two AL ones.

Best:
Miller: Inside is clean with good sight lines. Best feature is football like tailgating. Downside is no surrounding bar scene.
PNC: Great bar scene and city scape views. Attractive inside. Crowd is quiet for such a good team.
Citi: This is the best designed park. The outfield areas end up being hangouts. You can see the game from the concourse while waiting in line. Tight design makes it comfy. Around ballpark area is bad.

Coors is getting old, but I still love it. LoDo is awesome.

Worst: i do not care for my home field of Great American (My employer), Petco, or Minute Maid. Rest are fine stadiums.

Author:  lipidquadcab [ Sun Aug 03, 2014 6:48 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What are the best MLB parks based on personal experience

I'm horribly biased towards Busch III in St. Louis, but if I had to go somewhere besides that, it'd be hard to go wrong with Miller Park.

Author:  bigfan [ Sun Aug 03, 2014 7:09 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What are the best MLB parks based on personal experience

DannyB wrote:
Never been to Dodger Stadium but it's at the top of my list. The only ones outside of town I've been to are Fenway, Yankee Stadium and Miller Park. I need advice.


Dodger stadium is pretty bad. It reminds me of a house built in the 60's and they have done a poor job on the remodel, but it is SO LA, with the seats behind the plate and box seats for $$$$$ and then the OF bleachers are dirt cheap, brings in the non green card core group.

The BOB, now Chase and Miller Parks are really impressive. Yes, the whole dome thing, but overall a good flow of places to eat, sit, watch, etc.

cinci and pitt, both kinda lame, felt like a AAA park.

Fenway is a dump with paint on it.

Author:  Hussra [ Sun Aug 03, 2014 7:51 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What are the best MLB parks based on personal experience

in terms of actually watching/enjoying major league baseball, haven't found a venue better than the lower bowl between 1st and 3rd at Wrigley.

Author:  pittmike [ Sun Aug 03, 2014 8:21 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What are the best MLB parks based on personal experience

denisdman wrote:
I have been to all but three NL parks. I have only been to two AL ones.

Best:
Miller: Inside is clean with good sight lines. Best feature is football like tailgating. Downside is no surrounding bar scene.
PNC: Great bar scene and city scape views. Attractive inside. Crowd is quiet for such a good team.
Citi: This is the best designed park. The outfield areas end up being hangouts. You can see the game from the concourse while waiting in line. Tight design makes it comfy. Around ballpark area is bad.

Coors is getting old, but I still love it. LoDo is awesome.

Worst: i do not care for my home field of Great American (My employer), Petco, or Minute Maid. Rest are fine stadiums.



Personalized guided tour of said bar scene. :lol:

Author:  Curious Hair [ Sun Aug 03, 2014 8:26 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What are the best MLB parks based on personal experience

I'm surprised you had a favorable opinion of CitiField. I felt like they sort of fell short of what it could have been.

Author:  denisdman [ Sun Aug 03, 2014 11:44 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What are the best MLB parks based on personal experience

Almost forgot, Marlins new park is the worst in MLB by a wide margin. I was there for a Cubs game two weeks after it open. It was less than half full. The only exception is the pool bar out in left field. Fun time after the game.

Author:  denisdman [ Sun Aug 03, 2014 11:47 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What are the best MLB parks based on personal experience

Curious Hair wrote:
I'm surprised you had a favorable opinion of CitiField. I felt like they sort of fell short of what it could have been.


You're second person to tell me that. In terms of park design, it is one of the best because of the simplicity. It has great sight lines and is very small. The outfield concourse is like a giant party. No one hangs out in their seats, but rather they stand at all the bar height tables and along the rails where there are places to set your beer down. The right field deck has a similar bar area. I went for two games, and it was fantastic.

Author:  Curious Hair [ Sun Aug 03, 2014 11:54 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What are the best MLB parks based on personal experience

How is Marlins Park other than the fact that no one goes there? Architecturally, it looks pretty cool. I'm a fan of new parks that get away from the tired-ass neo-retro movement which finally wore itself out with CitiField. Everyone can't play in Camden Yards.

Author:  donspiracy [ Sun Aug 03, 2014 12:01 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What are the best MLB parks based on personal experience

bigfan wrote:

Fenway is a dump with paint on it.

Then what does that make Wrigley Field?

Author:  good dolphin [ Mon Aug 04, 2014 10:15 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What are the best MLB parks based on personal experience

Camden Yards
Pittsburgh
Milwaukee
surprisingly, Arizona

Author:  rogers park bryan [ Mon Aug 04, 2014 10:19 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What are the best MLB parks based on personal experience

good dolphin wrote:
surprisingly, Arizona

That's my worst one. We went in a down time for the D Backs but it was too shopping mall-ey

Author:  redskingreg [ Mon Aug 04, 2014 10:21 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What are the best MLB parks based on personal experience

I enjoyed Coors Field, but that was 1995. The most recent one that impressed me was Pittsburgh.

Author:  T-Bone [ Mon Aug 04, 2014 10:24 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What are the best MLB parks based on personal experience

Miller Park is great for tailgating and very nice inside. I was at Camden back in 2000 and
really impressed with what they had. Really the first kind of "modern" ballpark and they
did it right.

Author:  Kirkwood [ Mon Aug 04, 2014 10:31 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What are the best MLB parks based on personal experience

Comerica Park - really like. The area on the outskirts the park of course are sketch but nearby bars were cool and the park is submerged (?). Love stadiums that are like that.

Jacobs/Cell - very similar. Both meh and empty so it's kinda fun to talk shit to players and you know they can hear you.

Miller Park is sweet.

Author:  man of few opinions [ Mon Aug 04, 2014 11:33 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What are the best MLB parks based on personal experience

miller park is a great stadium. I loved dodger stadium, had a great experience there, great sight lines, comfortable seating. i am not saying that this next park i mention is even close to a great stadium, it isn't even a good stadium, but i went to a game at tropicana field last summer and for all the talk about how awful it is it really wasn't THAT bad. it is dated and there are no frills, but as far as watching the game goes it wasn't that bad. part of that was that it was 100 degrees and 100% humidity outside so three hours in a climate controlled 72 degrees would have made almost any environment seem good. plenty of room to move around, thats for sure, it was only about 1/3 full.

Author:  Curious Hair [ Mon Aug 04, 2014 11:46 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What are the best MLB parks based on personal experience

Any discussion of Tropicana Field has to include this:

http://web.archive.org/web/200904291224 ... ont-shine/

Author:  bigfan [ Mon Aug 04, 2014 11:50 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What are the best MLB parks based on personal experience

donspiracy wrote:
bigfan wrote:

Fenway is a dump with paint on it.

Then what does that make Wrigley Field?


It's a complete dump. did I even hint that it wasnt ?

One thing that makes going to a game is the overall experience and I do think stadiums in cities enjoy more success. The ability to stay by the park, walk to the park, eat or drink outside the park helps make it just another place to go. St Louis offers that as well.

Author:  denisdman [ Mon Aug 04, 2014 11:51 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What are the best MLB parks based on personal experience

Curious Hair wrote:
How is Marlins Park other than the fact that no one goes there? Architecturally, it looks pretty cool. I'm a fan of new parks that get away from the tired-ass neo-retro movement which finally wore itself out with CitiField. Everyone can't play in Camden Yards.



The paint color scheme is horrible unless you love that Southern Florida pastel thing. The stadium has the same feel as the Cell did when the seats were all blue. It just looks cold. The ramps leading up to the higher levels had the worst concrete white paint job I have ever seen. The outfield wall is jutted all over the place and unappealing. If I didn't know it was a new stadium, I would have guessed it was built in the 60's.

Outside the stadium needs significant redevelopment and investment. There is literally nothing around the stadium but low income housing.

Then you have the spinning fish thing that goes off in the outfield bleachers when the Marlins hit a home run. It looks like something you'd see at a carnival.

Yuk.

Author:  Curious Hair [ Mon Aug 04, 2014 11:55 am ]
Post subject:  Re: What are the best MLB parks based on personal experience

I do love pastels in Florida, actually! South Florida is colorful; the park should reflect that. I think the park should be even more colorful: lose the all-blue seats and use that yellow, light blue, neon green, and funky red-orange they have.

I agree that the wacky outfield walls don't match the modernism going on with the rests of the park. I'm not surprised that the construction/paint job was cheap, though. And yeah, Little Havana is not exactly a destination.

Author:  denisdman [ Mon Aug 04, 2014 12:00 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What are the best MLB parks based on personal experience

Curious Hair wrote:
I do love pastels in Florida, actually! South Florida is colorful; the park should reflect that. I think the park should be even more colorful: lose the all-blue seats and use that yellow, light blue, neon green, and funky red-orange they have.

I agree that the wacky outfield walls don't match the modernism going on with the rests of the park. I'm not surprised that the construction/paint job was cheap, though. And yeah, Little Havana is not exactly a destination.


Well if you like that color scheme, then you'd like it more than me. Aside from the outfield pool bar, there is nothing interesting about the stadium atall. Plus I think you are supposed to see downtown over the outfield wall, but it was overcast, so no skyline for me. The lack of a restaurant/bar scene outside the stadium is a big part of great stadiums. I find that having a decent meal and brew before the game, and then hitting the bars after really adds to the overall experience. It is a big reason why I love Coors and can't stand Petco. We ended up at Tilted Kilt after a Padres/Cubs game. Weak.

Author:  lipidquadcab [ Mon Aug 04, 2014 2:45 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What are the best MLB parks based on personal experience

bigfan wrote:
donspiracy wrote:
bigfan wrote:

Fenway is a dump with paint on it.

Then what does that make Wrigley Field?


It's a complete dump. did I even hint that it wasnt ?

One thing that makes going to a game is the overall experience and I do think stadiums in cities enjoy more success. The ability to stay by the park, walk to the park, eat or drink outside the park helps make it just another place to go. St Louis offers that as well.

I shutter to think how differently things would be if they followed through on their shallow threat to build a stadium on the other side of the river if the locals hadn't ponied up the cash.

Author:  Curious Hair [ Mon Aug 04, 2014 3:24 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What are the best MLB parks based on personal experience

When enjoying an Edwardsville Cardinals game, don't forget to soak up the neighborhood with a visit to Casey's General Store for what locals call their "surprisingly adequate" pizza.

Author:  lipidquadcab [ Mon Aug 04, 2014 3:25 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: What are the best MLB parks based on personal experience

Curious Hair wrote:
When enjoying an Edwardsville Cardinals game, don't forget to soak up the neighborhood with a visit to Casey's General Store for what locals call their "surprisingly adequate" pizza.

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

It's a convenience store, AND A WHOLE LOT MORE!!!

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