Great entertainment, but where's the baseball?
Written: Oct 31 '06 (Updated Nov 02 '06)
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Pros: New, clean, latest technology, Braves are always in the hunt
Cons: sterile, expensive food, dismal location, too little focus on baseball
The Bottom Line: If you can fight the traffic and make it inside, a pleasant baseball experience. No history, no passion, but no headaches either.
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| r_liebo's Full Review: Turner Field |
I have visited close to 30 major league ballparks, ranging from historic Fenway to the recent marvels such as Minute Maid Park. As an Atlanta resident, however, I've had the most experience at Turner Field.
Turner Field was built in 1997 as an alteration to the new Olympic Stadium created for the 1996 Summer Games. It sits across the highway from downtown Atlanta, and replaces Fulton County Stadium, a cookie-cutter and multi-purpose venue that had served as home to the Atlanta Braves for many decades prior to 1997. It is a dramatic improvement over the old ballpark, but the experience is still a bit lacking.
First point of discussion is location. Turner Field's location is awful. The neighborhood the stadium sits in is desolate. Although attempts have been made to clean it up, it still is surrounded by very economically depressed areas. One does not want to stray too far away from the stadium for one's own safety. While on your march into Fenway or Wrigley you see brass bands and hot dog vendors, on the way into Turner Field you see nothing but panhandlers. It isn't unsafe per se, but not a great family experience. Cities like Cleveland and Denver have enjoyed a baseball rebirth by placing the stadium in the heart of the community (right in the heart of downtown), so that the residents can make the baseball game part of the fabric of daily life. Go to work, grab a beer, walk to the game. Atlanta's stadium sits within walking distance to nothing but a few fast food restaurants.
To make matters worse, you have the infamous Atlanta traffic. Although the stadium does sit right off 2 major highways, ingress and egress is difficult at best. Allow for plenty of time to park, particularly for weekday games, as you will be dealing with rush hour traffic. In another planning disaster, the city chose not to put the stadium n its mass transit rail system (MARTA) line. Therefore, if you try and take the train to the game (as you can in Boston, New York, Chicago and other baseball towns), you are forced to get off the train, get on a bus to drive to the stadium, thus enduring the very traffic you were trying to avoid in the first place!
Once inside the stadium grounds, however, things improve greatly. The overall design mirrors the new style parks in Texas, Colorado, and other places. Lots of brick, unique park dimensions, and architectural attempts to fabricate historical appeal. In this respect Turner Field has done an OK job. It lacks the charisma of Camden Yards, but is light years ahead of some older parks like Shea Stadium in New York. Upon stadium entry there is a giant open foyer with a giant digital TV at the main entrance (which sits just behind centerfield). This allows latecomers to catch the action on TV as they enter, accompanied by the game's radio broadcasts. From there one goes left or right to their seats, depending on location (1st or 3rd base side). The hallways on each side are flanked with many non-game activities for kids. Video arcades, batting cages, pitching cages and infinite food choices await anxious fans.
The food choices are decent but not spectacular. The Chop House, an open bar and food area above CF offers a nice "party" atmosphere and good microbrews. Hot dogs are decent, but the rest of the ballpark food leaves a lot to be desired. Prices are also high (on the plus side, you can bring in your own non-alcohol, non-glass containered food). There is also the 755 Club behind LF, which offers a higher scale fare with indoor or outdoor seating. You need special passes to enter here. The best stadium food, however, is on the Lexus Club Level, which offers everything from pizza to cheesecake. You must have club level tickets to enter this area.
Seating is excellent. Seats are all fold-down and plenty comfortable. The site lines are first class, and there is not a bad seat in the house. The club boxes are mid-way up the stadium, and offer the luxuries of a skybox. Box seats on the lower level offer the best views, and come with wait service.
The video entertainment is also 1st class. The world's second largest HD screen sits high above CF, and many high quality video screens pepper the stadium. The PA system is also very nice. Between inning entertainment is average for the major leagues, and you get your standard animated races, kiss-cam, fan cams, and scantily clad ladies shooting t-shirts from air guns.
Atmosphere is a mixed bag. Atlanta fans are very gentile, but also very laid back. There is no electricity until the late innings, when the "Tomahawk Chop" gets going. There is little worry of the drunken idiots that frequent some of the stadiums in the Northeast, but there is also little passion. All of the non-baseball entertainment has certainly taken away from the baseball experience, and the lack of any tradition or sense of place with this relatively new ballpark only increases this feeling.
Overall, it is nice family outing, and good way to kill a summer evening. Just don't go expecting baseball nirvana -- you will be sorely disappointed.
Recommended:
Yes
Parking Availability: Better Get There Early
Seat Location: Lower Level
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r_liebo
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Reviews written: 20
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