A Park for Citizen's
Written: Apr 03 '06 (Updated Apr 08 '06)
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Pros: Clean, original design, view, prices, concourse, lots to do, staff
Cons: Location, long ATM lines, ultra small cheese cup, smoking allowed
The Bottom Line: This 2 year old park is fantastic. With cheap ticket prices, and a variety to do in addition to the ballgame you'll be entertained. Highly recommended.
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| arenafanatic's Full Review: Philadelphia Phillies Citizens Bank Ballpark |
The city of Philadelphia or as I say PHILTH A DELPHIA you either love it or hate it. The city definitely has a sports history which is of course still not winning any championships but that jab aside the fans definitely support their teams. I was never able to attend a Phillies game at the Vet and got to see the construction of the new park known as Citizen's Bank Park built in 2004. I came from New York City and purchased a discount $28 round trip special on Greyhound. It was my Boston Red Sox against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 2nd, 2006 at 12:35pm as part of the on deck exhibition series with that said here is my review.
Location
My one complaint is that the venue isn't located downtown. I had to travel from the Greyhound bus station which is in China town to the Park using a cab and at $15 to $20 depending on traffic it can get pricey. Citizen's Bank Ballpark is part of the Comcast Sportsnet complex which includes the Wachovia Center, Wachovia Spectrum, and Lincoln Financial Field.
Tickets
The maximum ticket price is $40 which is cheap to me. The Hall of fame seating in the second level is $50 I would easily recommend buying them at the box office if you live near by because the Phillies online seller Evenue not only charges a fee which varies by price level but they also charge a order charge. A standing room ticket would be $12 add to that the fee of $2 plus the $4 fee and a $12 ticket quickly becomes $18 now think of that as per ticket and five tickets goes from $60 to $90 there are plenty of advance ticket sales as well as gameday ticket windows both outside the park & inside the park. For $15 I got a ticket in the Pavilion level section 203 row 6 not bad at all to be in the second level of a ballpark this new for that price in a row like that.
Parking
I found a lot of people walked long distances just to avoid paying the parking fee. There were lots offering parking for $5 there was parking at the Wachovia Center, at Lincoln Financial field, as well at Citizen's Bank that will cost $10.00 If you come on bus or part of a group that is on a bus it will cost $19, and I definitely recommend getting here early because the traffic going into all of these lots is insane and it is even worse leaving as the traffic is chaotic. Although it was an exhibition game things were still pretty full though no where what I have seen for an Eagles game.
Entering
Outside of the park there are vendors selling jumbo pretzels and water for a dollar each not a bad price if you're looking to have a little something before going inside or if you don't want to fill up on stadium food. Once you get to the park if you have never been here just go into the suite entrance as I did. An usher will take your ticket, quickly scan it inside the turnstyle, hand it back to you and you're in. You'll be on the main level and quickly find this isn't no ordinary ballpark. For those in suites there are two elevators which will get you there.
Things to do
From the Phanatic Phun zone for the kids (which I recommend getting too early because even during the latter innings the lines for this were stretched out)to the used baseball card stands from which you can buy rare and out of date cards, used memorabilia, and so much more you'd think they wouldn't have had anything else but that is where you are wrong. There is the Citizens Bank Games of Baseball which is a virtual arcade it includes games with a baseball theme plenty of fun. The concourses are beautiful with views of the game going on you won't miss much if you decide to walk around and I didn't see staff bossing people around which is a plus to me. The staff seemed relaxed and more into the game than they did about harassing people.
Food/concessions
Rarely do I ever go out of my way to browse food or concessions when I get to an arena or stadium but with my visit to Citizen's Bank park I think I will arrive earlier just to do do. There is Bull BBQ's where you can meet Greg "The Bull" Luzinsky since you guessed it this is his place. There is brewery town which not only has your Miller and Budweiser but has import beer as well. There is a a Crab fry store which sells fries made out of Crab, the Phanatic court which is for the kids, my favorite was the Cobblestone grill which has Boardwalk fries which go for $4.75, an Aquafina goes for $3.75, a Grilled chicken sandwich was $5.25 but wasn't at all good, a Beer is $5.75 a souvenir soda is $4.75,a regular is $3.25 but one complaint is the size of the cheese plate cup is $1.00
It isn't even a cup it's mall like those free samples they give out in stores. I used it for the fries which made them even better but after six fries the cup was already done. I wish the cup was a bit bigger or that they'd offer a variety of sizes for different prices. Lines were long but negotiable you get your food than go to a stand where you pay and understand if you had to pay at the stand the lines would be even longer. It is nice that the staff give you a tray though as opposed to Camden where you have to do it yourself than get yelled at for grabbing even just one tray more. For historians a tribute two disc DVD set to Veterans stadium was selling for $19 and a DVD set for 1980's Phillies champion team was being sold as well.
Now if you didn't bring any money with you on your trip here you will regret it. Lines for the ATM's are long and the ATM's as you guessed it are provided by Citizen's Bank. I decided to see what else I could find and saw a make your own Phanatic store which allows you to pick out clothes and accesories to dress the Phanatic in and buy it as you made it afterward. They sell the opposing teams doll which I though was funny, I bought a Phillies baseball for $6 everything has a barcode so they just scan it and you are on your way. The staff at stands was friendly, and helpful plus they won't charge you extra::coughYANKEESTADIUMcough::and be on the lookout for Alley hour which offers discounts on various Phillies merchandise at the top of every hour.
Bathrooms
With all the food and drink here it is great to see bathrooms with so many stalls. I didn't notice any long lines mainly because the bathrooms are big plus with two entrances it is a breeze. Smoking is allowed provided you do it past the bathrooms where open space has been created just for people who choose to do so.
Seating
I missed the first two innings but it was worth it just to see everything now I wanted to find my seat. Pay close to attention to the signs because the first time through I didn't and had to start over. There are escalators which scale the levels but if your seat is in the Pavilion section make sure you find the sign which will direct you to the escalator for this section. There is one sign which points you to an escalator for pavilion and there are only two sections here and provided you are seated in the 230's this isn't your section.
All of the restaurants I mentioned above are here and an easy walking distance with the great concourse views on the main level. Staff as I said were relaxed and thankfully didn't follow me around or even ask for my ticket. The seats are numbered on top but on the side the numbers are the rows so for row 6 just look on the bottom leg look for the number six and voila you are half way there. I saw 24 seats to a row so if you are in one of the earlier seats in say section 203 make sure you find the gate for section 202/201 which will leave you at the end of 202 and right next to the beginning of section 203.
There is plenty of leg room and the space to allow someone out is manageable especially if you're in seat 24 Beer, soda and Cracker jack vendors pass by and are numbered so once you get to this place more you'll get to know them not just by their personality but by number. They do check ID's and you can easily have a conversation as I did when they see an out of state ID. Very friendly vendors. The sightlines were great I was in the second level, sixth row and could make out numbers and names something that once you are seated here in another ballpark requires binoculars. The scoreboard is fantastic and in HD so make sure you get a camera to get a picture. The 7th inning stretch started out with God Bless America being sung, and than take me out to the ballgame which the fans here didn't seem to keen on singing.
I left after the 8th inning ended because it was already 4-0 and all of the Red Sox starters had all been removed. As you can guess since the park isn't downtown there isn't anything else surrounding the venue no bars, no shopping NOTHING. That was disappointing and doesn't do much for feeling anything else other than a location that serves as a ballpark. There is public transportation at the Broad street subway station just around the corner from the Wachovia Center and this is the place to catch a cab. The streets were flooded with people after the game and I'd definitely attend another game here which I plan to do in May for a night game plus they offer a ninety minute tour which is mostly available on the day of games except for those on a weekend or holiday.
Recommended:
Yes
Parking Availability: Better Get There Early
Seat Location: Mid Level
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Epinions.com ID:
arenafanatic
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Member: Thomas
Location: Bronx, NY USA
Reviews written: 15
Trusted by: 0 members
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