Beautiful building, lacks the soul of the old Spectrum
Written: Feb 25 '00
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Pros: Good view, beautiful construction
Cons: Expensive, some lack of old hockey spirit, cramped seating
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| s_trimble's Full Review: First Union Center |
NHL hockey is rapidly becoming a sport only the financial elite can afford to see in person. I am the biggest Flyers fan I know, and yet the only time I can make it to the Center is twice a year when I get Club Box seats -- free -- from my company. Tickets range from approximately $45 to $100 for the best seats.
The First Union Center is a member of the new breed of NHL arenas: Seating for 20,000, state-of-the-art replay, scoreboard and sound systems, and better concessions than the old buildings (though the food and drink are prohibitively expensive).
I've only ever sat in the club boxes, which are second level seats in boxes of about 200 seats each. Each box has its own cash bar and restrooms, which is nice. Naturally, the drinks are very expensive: $6 for a watered-down beer. The seating could be better: The seats themselves are supportive (important for a three-hour game), but they are decidedly cramped -- even in the club box. It reminds me of flying coach, actually. And I'm a vocal, spastic student of the game, which means my neighbor sometimes gets an unintentional elbow in the ribs. I'm all for congeniality, but they push it. View of the action from the club box is excellent, and I've spoken to many others who say there isn't a bad seat in the whole arena, even at the top level.
The atmosphere for hockey games is good, but not as good as the old building. I've seen many hockey games at the old Spectrum, and frankly, it was much more energetic there. It seemed that the crowd was more blue-collar, more boisterous, and more fun. The crowd at the Center is a bit more upscale and quieter. Sometimes it's too quiet. In a playoff atmosphere, however, the place does rock and roll.
It's relatively easy to access the stadium. There are several entrances, two on Broad St. and two on Pattison Avenue. Parking is ample, if expensive ($10/car), and somewhat annoying. The spaces are small and volume is large.
Getting into the arena itself is relatively easy, depending on how far away you park. I recommend getting to the game at least an hour early -- spaces fill up fast. Of course, if you've got a club box or luxury suite, there's a VIP parking lot and entrance.
To sum up, the Center is a good, not great, place to watch the Flyers. It's expensive, like all the new arenas, and the crowd isn't the same as it used to be. But that'll never stop me from going whenever I can.
Recommended:
Yes
Parking Availability: Busy But Manageable
Seat Location: Mid Level
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Epinions.com ID:
s_trimble
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Member: Stephen Trimble
Location: West Chester, PA
Reviews written: 127
Trusted by: 95 members
About Me:
I'm back to my roots, writing business newsletters for Progressive Business Publications.
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