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We haven’t done a FanPost Friday for awhile now.
If you don’t remember, I suggest a topic and you write a FanPost on that topic, or around that topic.
Today’s topic: Tell us about the ballparks you’ve been too, and which is your favorite.
Here is my life, I’m going by team names, I can never keep track of all the companies that buy naming rights.
- Dodgers: I liked, but getting out of the parking lot after was terrible. It was years ago, and maybe they have improved things, but there was no mass transit way to get there. 40,000 people all jumping into cars, trying to get out of the parking lot at the same time. Everyone had the radio on, you heard Vin Scully's voice like it was coming out of the stadium speakers, except for the game we sat in the cheap seats, then it was the Mexican broadcast. But nice comfortable seats, even in the nose bleeds.
- A's: An ugly stadium in an ugly area. Not much for food choices, but lots of good micro brew beers. It was cheap to get good tickets and you can get a good hotel in Oakland cheap too. It's a quick ride on the BART system to get to San Francisco. Its one of the few places I’ve been uncomfortable waiting outside the stadium for the ride home. When I was there, Jays fans out numbered A’s fans.
- Angels: Very nice park. Tons of food choices. Great seats. Hotels within easy walking distance.
- Mariners: Maybe my favorite place to watch a ball game. Terrific food choices. They had a craft beer area. It was easy to get great seats. And, there were a lot of Blue Jays fans at the games. Seattle also is a beautiful city to explore.
- Phillies: Also a great park. I really enjoyed it there, other than the Jays played terrible. We had nice Phillies fans sitting around us, so that helped.
- Red Sox: Uncomfortable seats, pretty ugly stadium and, one game, we had obnoxious Red Sox fans sitting around us, just lousy people, but then all teams have some lousy fans. But there is the history, and we enjoyed taking the tour of the stadium, even if the old guy leading it used the same jokes from when the park was built. I got carded buying beer, so it has to rank as one of my favorite parks.
- Old Yankee Stadium: We went the last year of old Yankee stadium. Unlike Boston, we had very nice people sitting around us at each of the games there. Sat in the bleachers for one game and it seemed like a community of friends. But you could see why they wanted a new park. Concourses were narrow and ugly, there wasn't much space for concessions. Very much enjoyed the tour of the stadium. We got to sit in the dugout, look around monument park, and see the press box.
- New Yankee Stadium: A much nicer place to watch a game. And easier to get tickets, but they were very expensive. But, good food choices and they do most things right.
- Twins: Another really nice park. Good food, good beers, nice people. The park is downtown, so lots of choices of places to eat after. Another place where there were a lot of Blue Jays fans.
- White Sox: Nice modern stadium. Easy to get to go, right on the metro line. And nice older community surrounding it, so going for a walk after was pleasant.
- Rockies: Again a really nice park. And right downtown, so many bars, restaurants and shopping in easy walking distance. And close to the mountains, we spent a nice day in Vail after the Jays series was over. Vail is a lot like Banff....but even more expensive. 33
- Orioles: Another place it was easy to get good tickets. Sat right behind the plate one game and right on the outfield wall another (a home run hit the top of the wall, just in front of us, and bounced just over our heads). Great food, if you like crab and who wouldn’t like crab. They also had the best aquarium I’ve ever been too, not far from the ballpark.
- Tigers: The park was very nice, good food choices and nice comfortable seats. Getting to the park was tough. They have a series of parking lots, and you get told which one you are to park in, but no one working there knew where our lot was. Too much traffic for old, narrow roads. We got to the park in plenty of time, but searching for parking and the traffic made us miss the first inning.
Of the minor league parks, I really liked Nat Bailey in Vancouver. We did find it funny that the park was fun, but very few people seemed to be paying any attention to the game. But it is a beautiful park. I liked the park in Dunedin too, but maybe because it was spring training and I was getting away from a lousy winter to enjoy some sun. Lansing has a very nice park and it’s in a very pretty downtown area. Lots of good restaurants and cool shops to look in. It was a great place to spend a few days.
I guess I should mention Rogers too. I like the park when the roof is open. Not so much when it is closed. I find the seats are too narrow. You end up really friendly with the people around you. There could more more food and beer choices. The location is perfect, many, many very good restaurants and bars within easy walking distance.
Go here, and tell us about the park you have visited.