Favorite Major League Stadiums

[TheLeviathan]

 

It could have just been that weekend, but I felt the whole stadium was much, much cleaner in my last visit 2 years ago vs. my first visit 5 years ago. Going back this summer, though, so I'll give a report then!

 

It wasn't just the cleanliness, it was the layout and the convenience of it.  It's horribly cramped, almost impossible to get food or drink, tiny aisles and seating areas (which, if you've met your average Chicagoan, doesn't leave much room for the rest of us), and the weather can really alter your experience.

 

I'd honestly prefer the Cell over Wrigley.  

[Squirrel]

 

It could have just been that weekend, but I felt the whole stadium was much, much cleaner in my last visit 2 years ago vs. my first visit 5 years ago. Going back this summer, though, so I'll give a report then!

I'll be there on the 25th ... will see then. I think the port-o-potties are still in place, though. There is more that is being worked on and supposedly more being done over next off-season so maybe 2016 is the time re-evaluate Wrigley ... but other than looking out over the field and the ivied walls and the historic score board, the rest gets a 'worst of' vote for me. And the seats behind the pillars are laughable!! Really?

[formerly33]

 

I have only been to Target Field, so that is my favorite.

Same here. But someday I will go to all of them, if only they'll stick around and wait for me.

[nicksaviking]

 

Is Arlington Stadium a former Rangers stadium? Or is that their current stadium just renamed to Globe Life Park? I'd like to go to either Globe Life Park or Minute Maid when the Twins make their way down here, but it sounds like both are bad stadium experiences.....

 

That's their current stadium, I forgot it got renamed.  AT&T Park was also Pac Bell park when I went and US Cellular was the New Comiskey Park when I saw it.  Guess I may be a bit outdated with some of my stadiums.

[biggentleben]

 

Oh man, your wife sounds awesome!  If I attempted a ballpark trip for a honeymoon I don't know if my marriage would have lasted until the honeymoon . . .

 

LOL! Trust me that I know my luck.  She enjoys live baseball, but she could live without all the baseball I watch on TV, especially the minor league baseball I watch for my writing.  She was the one who actually chose the honeymoon as it's a set trip where you end up visiting Notre Dame's campus, Niagara Falls, spend three nights in Times Square, tour Boston and Philly, tour landmarks in DC, and visit the baseball and football hall of fames along with the games. It's all on bus, so we save wear and tear on our vehicle.

[biggentleben]

 

I'll be there on the 25th ... will see then. I think the port-o-potties are still in place, though. There is more that is being worked on and supposedly more being done over next off-season so maybe 2016 is the time re-evaluate Wrigley ... but other than looking out over the field and the ivied walls and the historic score board, the rest gets a 'worst of' vote for me. And the seats behind the pillars are laughable!! Really?

 

We'll be stopping there again on the trip, and I understand we're watching from the bleachers for that game, so that could be fun.

[Squirrel]

 

We'll be stopping there again on the trip, and I understand we're watching from the bleachers for that game, so that could be fun.

A bleachers experience at Wrigley is very different from a bad seat in the stands. Or any seat in the stands considering that part of the stadium. Imo.

[IndianaTwin]

My apologies for asking an administrative question in the wrong place.

 

This spring I finished off the circuit of visiting all 30 stadiums over the last dozen years or so. In addition, I've been to 12 stadiums no longer in use. This thread prompted me to start the ranking process and I put together a piece with brief comments on each. With 42 parks, it's WAY too long to share as a reply to this thread, but I thought at least a few folks might be interested in one person's ramblings. What's the best way to share it with y'all, given that I don't have (or plan) a blog to link you to?

 

[Loosey]

 

My apologies for asking an administrative question in the wrong place.

 

This spring I finished off the circuit of visiting all 30 stadiums over the last dozen years or so. In addition, I've been to 12 stadiums no longer in use. This thread prompted me to start the ranking process and I put together a piece with brief comments on each. With 42 parks, it's WAY too long to share as a reply to this thread, but I thought at least a few folks might be interested in one person's ramblings. What's the best way to share it with y'all, given that I don't have (or plan) a blog to link you to?

Just go into Forums at the top of the home page.  Click the type of topic, probably other baseball, then select start new topic.  It will then show up in the right hand column under topics.

[ashbury]

What's the best way to share it with y'all, given that I don't have (or plan) a blog to link you to?

TD provides blog space for all members. So you have one, even if you didn't realize you had one. OK, you have to take a few steps to activate it. Click on your username near the top of the page and select "Manage Blogs" and you should be able to follow your nose from there.

 

[biggentleben]

For those curious, this is the trip my wife and I are going on:

 

http://wnax.com/events/best-baseball-trip-ever/

[Sarah]

I have about a dozen left and so far my favorites are PNC Park, Target Field and AT&T Park. I love Wrigley and am going to a Cubs game in Chicago in about a month but it's hard to compare the old parks to the new ones. I completely agree about Milwaukee's roof- even when it's open you still feel like you're inside. I didn't like that ballpark much and Kramarczuk's bratwurst is better than the one I had there. (Or maybe I'm just biased because I'm a Twins fan.) Most of the ones I didn't like are not around any more - I hated Riverfront Stadium but haven't been back to the new one.

 

I'm going to wait until Atlanta gets a new stadium to visit and then check out a Lookouts game at the same time and I need to make a trip to Texas to hit both of those stadiums. When I was in New York I went to a game at the new Yankee Stadium but the Mets were out of town and for some reason they weren't doing tours of Citi Field at the time. One lady I was talking to at Fan Fest last year was from Oakland and she suggested skipping that one. (And she was a huge A's fan from Oakland.)

 

PNC Park was the one I really wanted to see because it seems like it is always up there with Target Field. They are both quite spectacular- I give Target Field the edge on the amenities but PNC Park has a beautiful view of the river. I'm going to check out Busch Stadium when I go to St. Louis this fall. So many stadiums so little money. :-)

[biggentleben]

Sarah, I would absolutely encourage Turner Field if you're planning a trip to see multiple stadiums. The neighborhood issues and the lack of follow-through from the city of Atlanta to "clean up" those neighborhoods and encourage business growth there is the primary reason for the new stadium.  The current stadium is absolutely awesome, and it's definitely worth the visit if you're going to be in the area anyway. Plus, it's the Braves, so there's always good tickets available!

[Steven Buhr]

Every time I do these ratings, they tend to change some and I also seem to forget one or two that I've been to, but this is my 'off the top of my head' personal preference:

 

AT&T - SFG - the view and just being in SF gives it an edge over Target Field, for me.

Target - MN - they did it right, but there are too many restricted view seats for me to really say it's the best.

Camden - BAL - I went to a game in Camden's 1st or 2nd year and I've loved it ever since. Go back as often as I can.

Kauffman - KC - I thought Kauffman had held up better than any other stadium of its era and that was before the remodel job. Still not many places I would rather go to see a game.

Busch - StL - It was nice. I'm just not a huge fan of the city of St Louis, especially downtown.

Globe Life Pk - TEX - I've been inside but not for a game, so this is a little unfair to rate it, but I thought they did a really nice job with the ballpark. I'd be more anxious to go to a game there when I'm in DFW if they could do something about the 100 degree temps they seem to have all summer long.

Dodger - LAD - Granted I'm biased because my seats were first row, directly behind home plate (comparable to Champions Club at Target), but I really enjoyed my only trip to Dodger Stadium.

Fenway - Bos - Been well over 10 years since I was there. Maybe 15. So it may well be nicer now, but I just felt it was more "old" than anything else. Still, it IS "Fenway" so I have to rank it ahead of those below, I suppose.

Coliseum - Oak - Yeah, it's kind of a dump, but I've had a good time every game I've gone to there.

Anaheim - LAA - Nice, but nothing real special or remarkable about it.

US Cellular - CHW - I still think they call it "The Cell" because it feels kind of like a prison with a really nice exercise area in the middle.

Tropicana - TB - Ugh. Just ugh.

Rogers Ctr - Tor - Ugh-er (maybe if the roof had been open, I'd have liked it more than the Trop. Maybe not).

Wrigley - CHC - Like with Fenway, it was more than 10 years ago the last time I was there. Great time at the bars before we went in to the game, but I found nothing particularly endearing about the ballpark at all. I also hate the Cubs and have similar feelings toward their fans, so, yeah, biased.

 

 

 I've been to three ballparks no longer in use:

 

Metropolitan Stadium - MIN - You never forget your first big league ballpark. In some way, it will always be "the best" you've been to. That's how I feel about the Met.

Metrodome - MIN - Never liked indoor ball, but there sure were a lot of great memories there - with the game 163 being my best memory at the dome.

Arlington Stad - TEX - Today, the Rangers' old ballpark would not be considered a decent AAA stadium. In fact, even when I was there, it probably wasn't great by AAA standards. But I did see Nolan Ryan pitch there twice, including once where he had a no-no through 6 innings. So that was fun.

 

[ashbury]

The renovations at Kauffman Stadium remind me that my only visit was in 1996, so I may be underrating it now.

 

I forgot Met Stadium in my list of defunct ballparks. My lasting memory of the place is mosquitoes. That, and bad teams to watch; I arrived in 1978.

 

Riverfront and old Busch, too. I complain about Minute Maid, but cookie cutters are bad as well.

 

Oh, and Candlestick. How could I forget Candlestick. Extra innings at a night game there would make you wish you'd dressed in 4 layers instead of only 3. I don't know which was the bigger improvement, Metrodome->Target or Candlestick->AT&T.