Best Roadtrip Stadium?

[Leinie Lodge]

Factors include:

1.) Knowledgeable friendly home fans

2.) Stadium sightlines

3.) Ticket access

What's best (or lousiest) place for a summer roadtrip?

[bullox]

I really liked PNC in Pittsburgh. The first time I went there, I managed to walk up and get 3rd row seats directly behind the Visitors dugout (Brewers) for...wait for it...$35. Face Value. The stadium is gorgeous as well, opening up in the outfield for a great day or night time view of the downtown Pittsburgh area, which blows away the Milwaukee skyline if you ask me.

[GAME05]

if knowledgeable fans is a criteria, avoid Denver. lived out there for a couple years. the fans are so completely apathetic about the game and don't really even cheer. and that was before their pennant, so i'd imagine you wouldn't find apathy but fair-weatherness now. the brother lives out there now, said during the playoffs he'd see people decked out head to toe in Rockies gear asking each other what other teams played in the NL East.

 

but Coors field is in an absolutely gorgeous place to watch a game, the skyline immediately to your east and the sun setting over the foothills to the west--awesome.

[lcbj68c]

The worst...hands down is Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL. I really liked Camden Yards.

[Mass Haas]

I really enjoyed my visit to Philly, and the ballpark. The folks around us, despite our Brewer jerseys, were polite. Of course, we were polite as well, which helps.

[yoshii8]

I think St. Louis is a great place to go, the fans seem like great baseball fans, and the stadium is also pretty cool.

[brewcrew00]

I think St. Louis is a great place to go, the fans seem like great baseball fans, and the stadium is also pretty cool.

Well to each his/her own, but I have to disagree with this one. I lived down in St. Louis for a baseball season, and was more than unimpressed. No parking near the stadium, and what is available is over priced. The fans are snobby, boring, and barely even stand up and cheer during a game changing home run. The stadium is ok, the seating is very gradual so if someone of decent height is in front of you, good luck. Tickets are over priced in "baseball heaven" and they announce a sell out with 10k empty seats. It's one of my least favorite venues.

 

[bobskube]

I think St. Louis is a great place to go, the fans seem like great baseball fans, and the stadium is also pretty cool.

Well to each his/her own, but I have to disagree with this one. I lived down in St. Louis for a baseball season, and was more than unimpressed. No parking near the stadium, and what is available is over priced. The fans are snobby, boring, and barely even stand up and cheer during a game changing home run. The stadium is ok, the seating is very gradual so if someone of decent height is in front of you, good luck. Tickets are over priced in "baseball heaven" and they announce a sell out with 10k empty seats. It's one of my least favorite venues.

 

I think St. Louis is a toilet.

That being said, they still have some great fans. They are no better or worse than our fans. Therefore, lay off of them. We have some of the most uneducated, trashy fans in MLB too.

 

 

[Law Diggety]

Last year we went on a 6 day trip that took us to Kansas City, St. Louis and then Nashville to watch Yo throw 8 strikeout 11 and allow 1 hit in 8. Kansas City was horrible, going out downtown was decent and the barbecue was great. The best part of Kansas City was the radio, we were driving into town the day Billy Butler got called up and they had basically 2 hours of coverage for a prospect being called up. They even covered the press conference. It made me wish we had that type of coverage up here. We had to ask 10 people just to get directions to the stadium not even the hotel employees knew. No one pays attention to sports there.

 

To me St. Louis was awesome, we had such a great time we are going back for 4 days this summer and skipping other cities. It is a beer drinking baseball town, just like Milwaukee. We stayed downtown 3 blocks from the stadium so we didn't need a car for 2 days. They have open bar pavillions for only game days that replace the tailgating. It is different but there is probably 8 open bars within a block of the stadium that get crowded. We were there for the first game after Josh Hancock passed away. We also had a great time at the landing and we found a place that serves chili on eggs for breakfast.

 

Nashville obviously the stadium sucks and it was 90 degrees out. We were so tired and tried to cancel this leg of the trip but the hotel was already paid for; so we went and suffered through it. This was when Braun was hurt, but we got to see Yo throw a gem.

[GAME05]

my Shea Stadium experience was ok. didn't get to talk to the fans, but it was the best live baseball game i've ever seen. down 2 in the 9th and we rally for 5 in the top of the inning. Mets score 2 in the bottom and we win by one. i was yelling the whole time, it was awesome. Shea, though, i really can't think of a worse stadium. man that place deservedly needs to be torn down; what a dump. just nothing redeeming about that stadium at all. the area around there ain't the greatest, either. at least it's easy to find via subway. i wasn't able to stick around because i had my backpack hidden in some bushes at a suburbia station and i was starting to get afraid it would be found and get stolen.

[Baldkin]

I lost all respect for St Louis fans when they decided to spent their time starting the wave in a game vs the Brewers (the last weekend of the season) in the bottom of the 9th in a game they were down 2 with the bases loaded.

 

The Spizeo game. When Coco blew his 2nd save as a Brewer.

 

I had a good time there. I want to try to go to Cincinatti or Pittsburgh this year.

 

The best I've ever heard, though, is Baltimore. I have never heard a bad thing about Camden Yards.

[Houlie24x]

The best park I've been to is PNC. The fans were very friendly and the stadium sight line was by far better than any other stadium I have been to.

 

The worst stadium I have ever been to is the Metrodome. The fans aren't that good, the food is terrible, and the stadium is horrible.

[Fatter than Joey]

but Coors field is in an absolutely gorgeous place to watch a game, the skyline immediately to your east and the sun setting over the foothills to the west--awesome.

 

I love Coors Field, and its accessibility. Like GAME said, the fans aren't baseball nuts -- but they are hardly drunken morons either. I like the Ballpark in Arlington as well. I hate the Metrodome.

[milwaukeesportsfan]

I've only been to one, Wrigley. I know there's a lot of history there, but if you don't have seats close to the field, you can't see anything. I had seats between 3rd and home plate in the lower level, 2nd row from the back, and this is what you see. Pitch comes in, batter hits a pop up, wait a few seconds because you can't see the ball, and the outfielder catches it. The one thing I did like about Wrigley is that the L drops you off literally a block away from the park, and the proximity of the bars are something we don't have in Milwaukee. Other than that, I didn't particularly like it. Oh, and the Brewers lost, so that didn't help matters any.

[Leinie Lodge]

Wow, I keep hearing PNC is a gem....

Anyone make it to Cincy's Great American Ballpark yet?

[packer4rob]

Last summer we road tripped to Cleveland, Pittsburgh and DC. In order of best to worst, it was:

 

Pittsburgh: Far and away the best, friendly fans, great views, the dowtown view with the Clemente bridge in the forefront is awesome, seeing on tv doesnt do it justice. Manny Sanguillens barbeque was amazing, but Manny wasnt in town that day so didnt get to meet him. Gotta try the Primanti Brothers sandwiches, a Pittsburgh tradition. We chatted with the folks around us all game, they were very knowledgeable and friendly, until they all packed up and left in the 8th inning after the brewers took a commanding lead. Also, take the boat to the game and avoid parking near the stadium, its a different experience.

 

Cleveland: Right up their with Pittsburgh, maybe a notch below. Another great view of the downtown area beyond the bleachers. John Adams still plays the drum like in the old municipal stadium. My son and i waited for him and chatted with him before the game, he let us take pictures holding his drums. They have a nice heritage park in behind center field dedicated to the all time greats of the Indians. We were wearing our brewer shirts there even the crew wasnt playing there and people commented "go brewers". I think they still remembered that we were their home away from home for 3 games last year.

 

DC: A dump, definitely needed to be torn down. Not much good to say. Its a football stadium, which really sums it up.

 

Sadly on this trip, the brewers won the game we saw them play in both Pittsburgh and DC, but lost every other game in each series.

[LaprilOne]

I'll add a vote for PNC. I also got a great seat right before game time on a beautiful summer night. Easy access parking, great site lines, friendly crowd. Brews lost 300 to one or something like that, but otherwise, a great time.

[yoshii8]

Well, I still thought the fans I talked to and saw in St. Louis were courteous, and way less drunk and obnoxious than the Miller Park scene. It was also cool seeing everybody in the park wearing red, and cheering for there team. I also loved the so called "toilet" city of St. Louis, you must have gone to the wrong places.

[Blancofan1]

I was at Great American in Cincy the first year it was open and it was Ok for the most part. Not much going on around the stadium, and you had to drive through Kentucky to leave the parking ramp we were in which was odd. The biggest thing that I remember about it, was how clean the stadium and surrounding area was, probably because there is no kind of tailgating anywhere. Although the team was really bad then, the fans were fairly knowledgeable and friendly.

 

PNC was one of the best I've been to. Like everyone else says, great sightline and atmosphere. Plus the night I was there, professional hitter Matt Stairs hit a bomb over the soda bottle (I think Pepsi) that bounced into the river and the place went nuts.

 

Camden Yards was very neat. Not a lot of bars persay, but lots of cool little things around and inside the stadium. There for one of the last games of 03, and thought at the time that we were seeing Roger Clemens pitch his last regular season game. Plus it was $1 hot dog day, so that always means more fun.

[bball123h2]

My personal rankings:

 

1. PNC - The Onion article where the stadium threatened to leave the team was pretty accurate. It's a shame they can't put together a good team for that park

2. Camden Yards - Bottom 9, 2 down, Jack Cust, the game tying run, trips halfway between 3rd and home and is eventually caught in a pickle (v. Yankees)

3. Wrigley - May move down the list more if they put more ads up. True old-school baseball experience

4. Fenway - read above

5. Yankee Stadium - Only ever sat in bleachers, but was quite the experience

6. Cleveland (I got booed by the entire stadium for dropping a home run ball back onto the field, it was pretty funny)

7. Atlanta

8. Cincinnati - right along river, awesome chili dogs

9. Philly - Game time temp was 102, I was pretty miserable the whole game

10. Miller Park - I feel indoors during the summer.

11. Texas - Massive place. Only baseball park I know that is a massive square

12. Toronto - Felt like I was inside a pinball machine. Want to stay at the hotel sometime.

13. Tampa - I actually have a soft spot for this dome (that may be due to the fact you can sit right behind the plate for under $30, and that I saw Lou Pinella kick his hat around the infield).

14. Shea - If you like airplanes and garbage, this is the stadium for you.

15. Montreal - It's gone now, but you could bang the empty seats next to you together and make a ton of noise. Also, I saw Wil Cordero hit a gran chalel, which was nice.

16. DC - Will move up now that they have a new building

17. Florida - hot, miserable, and a football stadium.

[RightFieldCoder]

I also went to the GAB the first summer it opened. I was able to buy tickets from a scalper on game day for right around face value. It was nice, but as much as The Keg has too much green steel I thought the GAB had too much white steel. The stadium workers were 100% better than here in Milwaukee. The only other stadium I've been to is Wrigley, which is a dump, so I don't know how high the GAB should rank.

 

And I bought one of those mini-helmet ice creams down at the GAB. It was piled high with ice cream, cherries, chocolate syrup, tons of whip cream, and was $.50 cheaper than in Milwaukee.

[LetsGoBrewCrew]

I'm gonna have to agree with most of you on StL. There really isn't anything to do in the stadium. I just thought there was a lot of empty space where there could have been more food stands or entertainment junk (like we have the music on the move corner). Outside is fun, but the stadium itself I think is below average... especially since its so new. I really liked the Jake and AT&T Park (I went when it was Pac Bell Park). But I do have to say Oakland has some of the better fans in the MLB. Not the best, but pretty good.

[pitchleague]

I can only comment on 3 (well, 4 really) as they are the only ones I have ever gone to.

 

1. Miller Park is a road trip for me and I enjoy it alot. I have only been there about a half dozen times but it looks better every time. I still remember going there for Opening Night in 2001 and walking around the upper deck concourses and wondering, "is this it????" because it was so wide open and not much there that it looked unfinished. But it has greatly improved since then, that I can see.

 

1a. County Stadium. Yeah, yeah, I know it doesn't exist anymore but that place just has too many special memories from my childhood.

 

2. Bank One Ballpark/Chase Field. This is my "home" field since I go here most often. I love the park, even though you feel like you're inside of an airplane hanger at times. But in the desert, it is definitely neccessary. The only thing about the fans that I don't like is that most of the fans are trying to do the LA thing--arrive late and leave early--since going to a D-Backs game is kind of a "status symbol" thing (go to the game to "be seen"). Oh, and the fans just do not have a clue of how to cheer spontaneously--the darn jumbotron has to lead every cheer and tell them when to get loud, etc. I hate that. Otherwise, the fans are pretty friendly. Just not too knowledgable.

 

3. Coors Field. The wife and I visited a few summers ago when the Brewers were in town. Very nice park and very friendly fans (with the exception of a small group that sat a few rows in front of us in the bleachers). It was very easy to get to and the bars and stuff in and around the park were very nice and not too pricey. I would definitely go back.

 

Sad that I'm such a baseball fan but those are the only ballparks I've ever been to (minus spring training facilities--maybe we should have a thread on those?)

[AJOHNSON104]

My list:

1. Wrigley - I know the fans suck, but for a pure baseball experience, a day game in the summer is incredible. Plus, its convenient for us in Milwaukee.
2. Fenway - Like Wrigley, it feels like history. Both places put me in awe the first time I visited them. The atmosphere around the stadium is great and the fans are hard core. Also, the area and food are very good, providing a great vacation opportunity.
3. Cleveland (Whatever they changed the name to) - not too far of a drive and there is a nice downtown to experience including R & R HOF and a great bar scene. Great fan support makes it a good time also.
4. New Busch - Tried to get the old stadium feel, but didn't seem to mix new in real well. I saw 2 games and just didn't "feel" impressed. My Brother-in-law goes to 10-15 games there a year and says the same thing.
5. Comiskey - Not very good, but if you want to see AL baseball and take a short trip, you can get there in 2 hours and walk up to get decent tickets. They run a lot of good specials during the week.
6. St. Petersburg - Nice weather and lots to do in the area, but the stadium is a disgrace. Bad food, bad everything.

My intended visits are Pittsburgh and both New York stadiums this year.

[hawing]

Of the baseball roadtrips we've taken, I still liked PNC the best, and here's why:

We took the tour before attending a game, and when the tour guide said that PNC was the most disability-friendly park in MLB, I kind of wondered (since as far as I can see, Miller Park does all right) - but then at the games we attended, I realized that the PA announcer's statements are captioned. I have immediate family members with hearing loss and this impressed me a lot. I haven't seen that enhancement elsewhere, and would love to see it at Miller Park. (Heck, captions would help make up for the inconsistent audio quality throughout the Keg.)

Anyway, we didn't see the Brewers at PNC, which may be part of the reason we had a good time. In one of the games, Pittsburgh beat Barry Bonds and the Giants - what's not to enjoy about that? Throughout that game, it was plain that the fans in attendance had not forgotten about Barry's history with the Pirates.

 

Kansas City was also a good trip. Our seats were so-so but the crowd was large and exuberant. This was at a point in 2003 when the Royals were within percentage points of first place. It was also a giveaway night (powder blue retro logo T-shirts - they gave away 40,000 in about 40 minutes), and the Royals put together enough hits to make all ticketholders eligible for a free dozen Krispy Kremes. The fan reaction to the 12th hit was like Badger hockey fans when Wisconsin gets the 5th (ice cream) goal, only about three times as big.

The crowd atmosphere may have peaked that night in August '03, but if that was going to be our only Kaufmann experience, it was a good night to have it.

 

I also have to give a nod to Safeco Field, in part because we had such awesome seats for the game we attended (thanks to a poster here - you know who you are).

 

We've also been to Coors (on a pretty chilly night in April, which is what I remember most about that game - though I did find a discarded schedule magnet from the Opening Day game the day before), Comerica, Wrigley and the Metrodome. I haven't out and out hated any stadium we've visited (my expectations for the Metrodome were so rock bottom low that even that facility managed to exceed them), but looking back, I enjoyed PIT, KC and SEA the most...so far.

 

Last March we took the stadium tour of Chase Field, but they were still racing to replace all the purple and teal with their new color scheme - so the tour felt largely incomplete; and, it being March, no games were scheduled there during our visit. We are likely to visit Boston in April, and hope to take the Fenway tour then. The Red Sox are on the road right then, so no game for us.

 

Finally, I'll add some love for Maryvale, which we visited last year. That was definitely a roadtrip tour. It was 13 degrees when we pulled out of town and in the upper 80s and low 90s throughout our stay (and the dry heat really makes a difference!) But weather aside, Maryvale did feel a little like home, since the Brewers were there.