Anyone ever see a game at Dodger Stadium?

[Kpanz20]

I'm going to LA at the end of this month and I wanna catch a Dodger game... anyone ever been there? Any advice or tips would be helpful.

[MarquesJohnson2000]

I saw a game there in '81.. Fernando vs. Gaylord Perry. Got Reggie Smith's autograph.

 

Even if I could remember anything that might have been useful to you, it would probably be way out of date anyway.

 

I remember thinking the Diamond Vision scoreboard was just about the coolest thing I'd ever seen.

[RayKingsForemanGrill]

Don't waste your time unless you really want to say "I saw a game at Dodger Stadium"...

 

Do yourself a favor and drive an hour down the freeway and take in an Angels game. Those fans know how to properly pack a stadium and have a good time.

 

I moved out here two years ago and saw the Brewers play there last year. I'm not saying I wouldn't go again, but here are my complaints:

 

1: Fans don't show up until third inning - not a myth

2: Fans leave after the 7th - also not a myth.

3: Very few fans I saw there actually watched much of the game - they were too busy "being there".

4: $6 hot dogs tasted like garbage.

5: Flat beer.

6: Fans constantly file in and out - not just during break between innings, but ALL THE TIME. Makes watching the game somewhat difficult.

7: Not a bad stadium, historically relevant but not really interesting.

 

GO see a game in Anaheim. Those are real fans and it's a much cooler stadium with a greater variety in concessions, etc...

[Gormans Gofer]

I live in The OC, home of the Angels, and pretty much agree with RayKingsFormanGrill. Anaheim Stadium is much better than Dodger Stadium, and you avoid the Raider-like atmosphere created by Dodger fans.

 

Prices are also way out of hand at Dodger Stadium. In addition to the $6 dogs, I think a decent beer was in excess of $10, and your garden variety Lite beer was around $8 or $9.

 

I would advise spending a day at Disney, then heading over to an Angels game - assuming the Angels are in town when you're here. If you do so, order some tickets in advance. The place is packed most nights.

 

Traffic is no picnic in the Anaheim area, but it's like a country highway compared to the area around Chavez Ravine. It is something that cannot be described adequately, you just have to experience it for yourself to truly appreciate how horrible it is.

 

Either way, don't plan on doing any tailgating, not if you want to drink some brewski's. Alcohol is prohibited in the parking lots. This point was driven home in no uncertain terms by the LA sheriff's dept deputies, when we went to see the Brewers play in LA recently.

[Jimbo]

I saw a game at Dodger Stadium last year. AJAY also knows the stadium well. What would you like to know?

 

I had a great time. I recommend it.

[Kpanz20]

Thanks guys... Dodger Stadium doesn't sound to great but I'd still like to go just to see what it looks like and all that.

Quote:

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Either way, don't plan on doing any tailgating, not if you want to drink some brewski's. Alcohol is prohibited in the parking lots

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That sucks...wisconsin is great.

 

I think I may take in an Angels game as well. I gotta tell ya, I'm not stoked about any of the prices in LA for drinks and food. I'm sure the bars and stuff will be just as bad as the 10 bucks for a beer and 6 for a dog at the stadium like you said. I think I may be getting a Russell Martin bobblehead on the day I'll probably go to the Dodger game... I'll sell that to help pick up the cost.

[qrk10000]

I went to a Dodger game 3 years ago and had a blast. I loved the palm trees in the background and thought the crowd was a lot of fun. J.D. Drew was a Dodger at that time and I laughed at how the fans would shout "J D Drew" in sequence with a drum beat. I believe they serve Miller products there to if that is your thing.

[LS Brewer]

I lived a summer in Southern California and went to both Dodger Stadium and Edison Field. I had a MUCH better time at the Angels game. I would agree with the RayKing.

[brewizard]

I've been to Dodger Stadium several times. I saw all three Brewers games there this year.

 

1: Fans don't show up until third inning - not a myth

2: Fans leave after the 7th - also not a myth.

 

These two things are true. But only because of traffic.

 

You see, the same people who engineered the former Brooklyn (Trolley) Dodgers' move to Los Angeles, also placed the new stadium in a ravine - the worst possible place to have a lot of cars going into and coming out of.

 

So the poor people of LA are so caught up in traffic, or caught up in the fear of traffic, they miss large portions of the game.

 

I recommend avoiding the traffic altogether by going early enough to see batting practice. If you insist on going into the stadium just before start time, try Riverside Dr. instead of the 5 freeway. Or, coming down the 110 South from the Pasadena area is a fast way into the stadium during heavy traffic periods. (4-8 PM is rush 'hour') Avoid the 101 freeway.

 

As for tailgaiting, no. But there is plenty of parking lot loitering before the games, if ya know what I mean.

 

3: Very few fans I saw there actually watched much of the game - they were too busy "being there".

4: $6 hot dogs tasted like garbage.

 

As for being there, there is nothing wrong with that. Dodger fans can be some of the best around. They can also be awful. I've met some great fans there, and had a fantastic time.

 

The DodgerDogs pale in comparison to Usinger's. It's true.

 

5: Flat beer.

6: Fans constantly file in and out - not just during break between innings, but ALL THE TIME. Makes watching the game somewhat difficult.

 

LA is just not a beer town for some reason.

 

Again, there are good and bad fans everywhere. If I were you, pay the extra money for something in the lower seats. There isn't a bad seat in the lower level. If you want all-you-can-eat, then go out to the right field seats.

 

7: Not a bad stadium, historically relevant but not really interesting.

 

Well, since the Dodgers have now played more games at Dodger stadium than they did at Ebbet's Field, one could say that the stadium is relevent both historically and currently.

 

I found it very interesting.

[rotoherb]

wow, I lived in LA for three years in the late 90's and had a completely different view than the previous posters. I loved Dodger stadium and hated Anaheim.

 

The games that went to see in Anaheim were always abysmal. The service was terrible and rude, the drive was twice as along (I lived just west of Westwood), I swear it was always hotter than heck, and I thought the "Disnified" stadium was lame. The whole fake rocks thing past the outfield fence really looked stupid. After my last game there I decreed that I'd never go back.

 

Dodger games on the other hand, were always really nice. I went to a lot more Dodger games than Angels games, so I may have just had some bad experiences in Anaheim. Dodger games were less crowded and I really hate being packed into a seat so that may be part of it. I don't know, check them both out if you can.

[SoCalBrewfan]

Getting to and from Dodger Stadium is a bit of a pain, which accounts for the late arrivals and early departures, but I like the park itself a lot better than the one in Anaheim.

 

The whole fake rocks thing past the outfield fence really looked stupid.

 

Yeah, no doubt...though as I recall there's a very prominent cell phone tower near Dodger Stadium that kind of ruins the view. Still, Dodger Stadium seems almost majestic to me as compared to the Disney version of baseball in Anaheim. YMMV of course.

 

The recent successes of the Angels brought a lot of more casual fans to Anaheim games, which for some people makes the experience better...for others it may be worse.

[Kpanz20]

Thanks for the comments guys.

[pogokat]

i've been to anaheim and dodgerland...

 

we sat immediately behind the fIair pole in anaheim, so we couldnt really see anything...

 

in LA, we sat in the bleachers in the outfield, which you are trapped in btw, you can't access any other part of the stadium, and melted. we were a couple innings late because my idiot friend told me he knew wher the park was, but actually having no idea...so, after being lost for an hour, we got to the park...we left after the 6th inning because it was literally 114 degrees...

 

i've been to a dodgers game! and i'm never going back..

[brewizard]

Oh yeah. Don't sit in the outfield bleachers during a day game in the summer. It will kill you. Ask Pogokat.

 

But Dodger Stadium is cool. Go on any random Tuesday night game, sit in the lower part of the backstop part of the stadium. (Pogokat is right about something else - the stadium is segmented in a way that doesn't allow you to move from area to area. If you're in the outfield, you're stuck in the boonies. If you're in the upper-seating area, you're stuck in the nosebleeds.)

 

I can't stress this enough: get tickets to the lower level! You can move around behind home plate, you're in the shade, and you won't be able to find a bad seat.

 

Dodger stadium is great when you know what you're doing...

 

And beware of traffic.

[RayKingsForemanGrill]

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These two things are true. But only because of traffic.

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This is a cop-out - Anyone with any common sense knows how long it takes to get somewhere in L.A. I've only lived here two years and I know that if I need to be at X location I absolutely have to leave no later than x:00. It's L.A. apathy at its finest... and while you may have a point on the start time, it's no excuse for people leaving en mass after inning # 7 - that's just being a lazy fan.

 

Don't get me wrong, there are some great, die-hard Dodgers fans who really know their baseball, but there are a lot of apathetic baseball fans.

 

And, I did sit on the lower level, 1st base side, and my experience was different than yours. Yes, good seats, great view, if it wasn't for people constantly getting up and moving around us...

 

As for Anaheim, sure, they may be "come-lately" fans... but the place was rocking, the watched the game throughout, and were there from pitch one to the final out... and traffic in and around Anaheim/The OC isn't much better...

 

So that's my two cents - I hold true to my opinion that Angel Stadium is a better experience...

[brewizard]

It's L.A. apathy at its finest...

 

I agree that people leave games early. But I really don't think it is apathy so much as fear of traffic.

 

I could be wrong, but people in LA have a paranoia of being immobilized in their cars.

 

http://www.johnnyjet.com/images/PicForNewsletterDodgerStadiumAug2005ParkingLot.JPG

[LouisEly]

My $0.02 since I've lived here 3 years:

 

1) Traffic is horrible. Depends on where you are coming from though. If you are coming from West LA/Beverly Hills, take Olympic east to Figueroa north to Sunset west and follow the signs to parking. If you are coming from the south, take the 110 freeway North to the Figueroa exit, then Figueroa north to Sunset west. The 110 will be fine until Figueroa. Avoid the freeway once you get to downtown, because you have the 10, the 110, and the 101 all merging just south of the stadium, and it seems like everyone is trying to cross three lanes.

 

Not sure about coming from the North or East of the stadium - I'm not sure there is intelligent life north or east of there.

 

2) Agree - get lower level seats. You can't walk around the stadium. But you can move around in the lower level. Don't sit anywhere in the bleachers - they are obnoxious and care more about tossing around a beach ball than watching the game.

 

3) According to the latest issue of the Leinie Lodge newsletter, they now serve Leinie's in Dodger stadium, but I'm not sure where. I didn't see it in the lower level - maybe it's in the restaurant in the club level. Call Leinies or Dodger stadium to find out.

 

4) There is no tailgating, and food is expensive. Best bet - find a Subway/Quizno's/In-N-Out somewhere along the way and bring it with you and fill up before you go in. You can't grill out, but you can eat in the parking lot. Or stop at McDonalds and get a 42 oz. drink for $0.69 (or a large cup from any fast food restaurant) and then pour your beer into that cup in the parking lot so it looks like you are drinking a soda from McDonalds.

 

Enjoy the game!

[AJAY]

I was living in California from 1996-1998 and my first game at Dodgers Stadium was a playoff game between the Dodgers and Braves. I had never been to a postseason game before so it was exciting.

 

When the Brewers switched to the National League. I was also able to attend the first ever Brewers game at Dodger Stadium. We won in extra innings. I still have a commemorative pin that they gave everyone.

 

I absolutely loved the place. The view of the hills was gorgeous. I also liked the overall setup of the parking and the councourses. It also felt like the big time because you were in a major market like LA.

 

There was no Miller Park back then and so Dodgers Stadium seemed like a huge upgrade from what I was used to at County Stadium.

[Big Reed]

i was there in 88-89. my eyes hurt for the next three days because of the smog. I believe it's a lot better now. the park and fans were great. I didn't think the traffic was any worse than going anywhere else in LA.