Old-Time Baseball is Back in Philly
Written: Apr 18 '04 (Updated Apr 18 '04)
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Pros: Great site lines, beautiful aesthetics, REAL GRASS!!!
Cons: parking still very limited, not everything is finished yet.
The Bottom Line: If you can make it here to see this stadium, do so - it is a GREAT place to fall back in love with baseball.
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| martytdx's Full Review: Philadelphia Phillies Citizens Bank Ballpark |
April 3, 2004.
1:05 p.m.
Weather: overcast, cool
Forecast: joyous return to baseball in Philadelphia
Just a few days before, the symbol of all that was wrong with Philadelphia sports had come crashing down - the Vet had been imploded to make final the Phillies' and Eagles' transitions to their new homes. The debris of the memories from years past lay only a few hundred feet from the site where the new dreams and memories would begin to take place. Out with the old, and in with the new ... and with it, the hopes of the long-anguishing fans of Phillies baseball.
[ • the VET • ]
Few cities can know the love/hate that Philadelphia has with its sports teams. NO championships since 1983 in any of the major 4 sports, and only 5 appearances to the big game (Flyers x3, Sixers x1, Phillies x1). They've come close, but rarely make it to the finals - and never win it. To be a Philly sports fan was to ooze desperation and disappointment. And the Vet seemed to be the physical manifestation of that anguish - a dump that few players wanted to visit, let alone play in, its very essence infused with the sadness that had come from year after year of disappointment.
Then the word came that both Philadelphia and Pittsburgh would be getting new football AND baseball stadiums. The cry went out - hallelujah! Then the crap began, and the politics, and the always present delays with ALL Philadelphia construction projects. Declared on the same day, BOTH Pittsburgh stadiums were completed before the Phillies new park had even broken ground.
The first glimpse of the future glory of Philadelphia outdoor sports came with the opening of the Linc (Lincoln Financial Field) - the Eagles new home, which was spectacular. And the first vestiges of greatness for the Phillies started at that same time.
[ • the PHILLIES • ]
Regardless of how much you love the Phillies, they can often be a hard team to love. As the longest running team carrying the same name in sports (the "Phillies" started in 1883), they have nonetheless only given the city ONE baseball championship in 120 years. Heck, they've only BEEN to the World Series 5 times in that span. The Yankees have done that in the last 2 decades. Add to that the fact that over the 10 seasons from 1991-2001, their record was an astonishing .467 - and most of those wins came during the magical 1993 season.
But last year, the usually tight-fisted management finally loosed the purse strings, knowing that a new stadium was only part of the equation - they had to have a good product to put onto the field. The 2003 Phillies had their moments, shining until a late-season collapse left them sadly out of the playoffs again.
[ • the STADIUM • ]
In 2004, a new facet of the Phillies' run toward the World Series was created - Citizen's Bank Park. Lying next to the ashes of the old stadium and the new, amazing Linc, it sparkled with the old-time charm that so many had been waiting anxiously for. My first visit came at the first game ever at the stadium, a pre-season contest vs. Cleveland, where I had the opportunity to enjoy a penthouse suite. My second visit came yesterday, at a day game on a beautiful Saturday, when I sat in the stands to see that side of the park.
• the STADIUM
The CIT (as I'll call the park from now on), is a beautiful bit of architecture created by the local firm of Ewing-Cole. The park harkens back to the days of old, when heavy steel girders and intimacy were more of the game than concrete and huge crowds. Black-painted steel forms the superstructure of the park, with ample brick giving it the character that we, as fans, had hoped for. Walkways are wide, although they still get crowded, but their is definitely a more open atmosphere here - no more closed in walls like the vet.
And the seating is amazing. My first game from the suite was an experience, with great site lines from left field down to the plate with NO obstructions. The one minus was that from our location, we couldn't see the main scoreboard, and the other scoreboards weren't showing any information but the pitch type/speed. They seem to have gotten those kinks worked out since that game however.
My second game was in the top section on the 1st base line (section 413). Even from the top of the stadium, you practically feel like you are on top of it and have a GREAT view of every play on the field. From nearly everywhere in the stadium, the field is easily seen and admired.
And what a field it is - pure, green grass that bring me back to what baseball should have been. No more cursed turf for us, no sir! The lines of the field are clean, and although the outfield has a tricky wall to it, it is still a masterpiece. Dual, tiered bullpens line up in the outfield (visitors on top, so they can be properly heckled by the Philly fans), and a beautiful scoreboard lines the right field wall. Lastly, a grand liberty bell display sits in dead center, ready to light up and sound every time a Phillie hits a home run.
• the CONCESSIONS
The concessions are a MAJOR improvement here over the vet. Taking the lead from other 'retro' parks (most specifically Oriole Park at Camden Yards, where many of the fine ideas for the Cit came from), the concourse is filled with a nice diversity of menu items. Cheesesteaks, hot dogs, burgers, pizza, ice cream - nearly any ballpark food item you could expect is here. If you travel to Ashburn Alley - Philly's version of Eutaw Street at Camden Yards - you get treated to more authentic Philly institutions. Here, you get Geno's Cheesesteaks and Tony Luke's Italian Pork Sandwiches, two Philly staples. Added to that is Bull's Barbecue, a Philly version of Boog's BBQ in Baltimore, named after fan favorite Greg "Bull" Luzinski. Food prices are a bit elevated ($3 for a pretzel, $6.50 for a cheesesteak), but no excessively so (well, no more excessively than any sporting venue).
The beer selection at the stadium is limited - for the most part, the bland domestics (Bud, Bud Lite, Coors Lite) rule the roost, although there are several kiosks that have Yuengling and other micros and imports. Unfortunately, by the 4th inning of Saturday's game, they were already sold out of the bottles; however, we finally tracked down a tap filled with Dock Street Bohemian. Beers run $5 for a 12-oz. domestic, $6 for their 16-oz. versions and $6 for imports/real beer.
In addition to concession stands, there are three restaurants in the stadium - the Hall of Fame Club is near the suite level and offers a higher end cuisine (at a higher cost - such as beef stroganoff for $9 and cheesesteaks for $7.50). Harry the K's, named after longtime announcer Harry Kalas is a seated concession area with better food. McFadden's is the pub onsite, complete with a nice decor for when you spent the money to go the game and get the feeling of sitting in your local sports den - i.e. why would you go here, except just before or after the game?
My food experience at the suite was a great one, as we were served cheesesteaks and foot-long beef franks, along with a selection of appetizers, cookies and sodas/beers. The prices are a bit higher than normal, but you can expect that in a suite.
BTW, you are allowed to bring in your own food, as long as it is in a searchable bag, but you cannot bring in any bottles or cans.
• the PARKING
Being Philadelphia, the parking situation sucks. It was bad before, but since they tore down the Vet and built two new stadiums, it has gotten worse. Get to the stadium area less than two hours before the game, and you can expect to be a good 8-10 blocks away, easy. Parking will run you $10-15, depending on how many events are occuring that day (on Saturday, we had the Flyers and the Circus in town, so parking was at a premium.
• the TICKETS
I got the suite tickets for free, and suites are pretty hard to get into, so I really don't expect you'll need that info. The upper level seats we had were $20 each, which is a pretty big leap from the $8 at the Vet (but you're closer now). Box seats will run you $35-40 a piece. Season ticket plans run $1,250 to $3,300 a season - but there are no personal seat licenses (PSL's) to buy.
• final THOUGHTS
Baseball is back in Philly, and this park makes me glad to be a fan again. The prices are a little higher than at the Vet, but they are worth every penny extra. The whole experience from the time you approach the stadium until you leave the game is a vast improvement over the old one. More than just a change in venue, it's a change in attitude, a remarkably tangible happiness that comes over you as you look at this field and dream - just a little more than before - that THIS could be the year.
• for more INFORMATION
team site: www.philadelphiaphillies.com
tickets: philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/phi/ticketing/phi_ticketing_info.jsp
Recommended:
Yes
Parking Availability: Better Get There Early
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Epinions.com ID:
martytdx
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Member: Marty
Location: New Jersey
Reviews written: 481
Trusted by: 179 members
About Me:
Doing what I can to try new places, restaurants, books and beers.
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