Get Me There
Written by Gary A. Seidman
SwitchYard Media, Inc. - contact | website
Designed and produced by Kent Harris
Tin Can Rocket, LLC. - contact | website
A production of SwitchYard Media, Inc.
Photo Credit: William Klos
CAMDEN YARDS, Baltimore Orioles
Oriole Park at Camden Yards is the first of the so-called "retro" stadiums. It was built on a one-time railroad center in a corner of downtown that is walking distance from the city's Inner Harbor.
The design is influenced by some of the most famous ballparks of the early 20th century, including Brooklyn's Ebbets Field, New York's Polo Grounds, and Boston's Fenway Park, among others.
For the Yards, the architects used steel rather than concrete trusses, a brick faade and a sun-roof over the upper deck, making for an intimate, fan-friendly environment that looks old but is state-of-the-art new.
A short walk away is the row house where Babe Ruth was born, which has been turned into a museum.
Getting Here: You'll find parking, but you may have a short walk. Metro Subway, bus and Light Rail are available and cheap.
Inaugural Game: April 6, 1992 was opening day for this 48,876 seat park, and the start of the retro stadium craze.
Eat & Drink: Good knishes and Baltimore's famous crabcakes are here. But try Boog's Barbecue. This is Boog Powell's contribution after a 17-year career and four World Series.
Magic: Ruth's Cafe, operated by the Babe's father, once sat where the centerfield is now.
Photo Credit: Silent Wind of Doom
YANKEE STADIUM, New York Yankees
This Bronx ballpark is a cathedral to baseball Ð a sacred ground where the boys of summer pay homage to pin-striped legends of yore. Enter at Gate 4 to see the 120-foot-high monument to patron saint Babe Ruth's bat. After all, this is "The House that Ruth Built."
It's impossible to enter Yankee Stadium without reminiscing about those that came before: Babe Ruth, "The Sultan of Swat" and Lou Gehrig, "The Iron Horse," as well as DiMaggio, Mantle, Jackson, Mattingly and so many more.
Get here soon, because construction has already begun on a replacement to this third oldest Major League stadium. The new ballpark opens in 2009, and though Memorial Park is being moved and the field dimensions will be the same, the new Yankee Stadium will be a far different place.
Getting Here: Take the #4, B or D train to 161st St./Yankee Stadium in the Bronx.
Inaugural Game: Some 74,000 fans were on hand opening day, April 18, 1923. The new Yankee Stadium opens in 2009.
Eat & Drink: The pretzels are big, hot soft inside and crunchy out. Slather them with mustard for the full experience. Nathan's Famous hot dogs are classic, though not quite up to Coney Island standards.
Magic: The place may be falling apart, dirty and loud, but it's the stomping ground of the immortals and home to the most creative, obnoxious and entertaining hecklers in the game.
Photo Credit: Alpineinc
PNC PARK, Pittsburgh Pirates
Intimate is a word often used to describe PNC. Only Fenway is smaller. But with fine attention to detail, 69 luxury boxes and a wide-open outfield that provides a panoramic view of Pittsburgh's skyline, this is a ballpark that finds its way onto a lot of fans' favorites lists. It doesn't hurt that the stadium offers an excellent food selection.
Pittsburgh has a baseball tradition dating back to 1876, and a long list of Hall of Famers are subtly honored around the park.
At the home plate main gate is a statue of Honus Wagner, "The Flying Dutchman." A statue of Roberto Clemente, who played 18 seasons for the Pirates, stands at the bridge bearing his name that leads to the park. And a Willie Stargell statue is on the left-field side.
Getting Here: You can drive here and find parking, boat here, or take the "T."
Inaugural Game: The Major's second smallest stadium seats 38,496. It opened April 9, 2001.
Eat & Drink: A Primanti Brothers sandwich, with generous amounts of roast beef, cheese, cole slaw and fries between the buns is an excellent choice. Or try Manny Sanguillen's barbecue, or a Benkovitz fish sandwich.
Magic: More than a 100 years of Pittsburgh's baseball history in a modern, comfortable, urban ballpark. If you're lucky, former catcher Manny Sanguillen will sign an autograph while you order a barbecue sandwich.
Photo Credit: Rob Pongsajapan
WRIGLEY FIELD, Chicago Cubs
The Friendly Confines, as Cub fans call it, is about as close as you'll get to what fans experienced 90 years ago. Sure, a few things have been patched up and there's more seating, but the spirit of the old ballpark with its ivy-covered walls and droning pipe organ is intact. What could be better than stretching out in the bleachers on a hot summer day with a mediocre beer and a few die-hard Cubs fans.
Of course there's much more going for this ballpark on Chicago's North Side. It has it very own neighborhood, Wrigleyville, where fans on surrounding rooftops watch the game while they barbecue.
It was here in the fifth inning of the third game of the 1932 World Series that Babe Ruth allegedly pointed his bat to the centerfield bleachers and slammed a home run to break a 4-4 tie.
Getting Here: The El is convenient, cheap and drops you in front of the stadium, minus a parking migraine.
Inaugural Game: April 23, 1914. Only Fenway is older than this 41,118 seat ballpark.
Eat & Drink: There's no modern stadium, food-court, gourmet stuff here. Check out neighborhood eateries like The Billy Goat and Giordano's for a pre-game bite.
Magic: Come early and hang out on Waveland Ave. during batting practice where you may be lucky enough to snag an out-of-the-park homer. It's McCovey Cove without the Bay.
Photo Credit: Phil
BUSCH STADIUM, St. Louis Cardinals
Replacing the old Busch -- and in the same location -- this new field provides a spectacular panoramic view of the downtown skyline, including the Gateway Arch. The architects employed many of the retro design elements that have become so popular in recent years. And they maintained continuity with the great Cardinal traditions, using the green fences and Cardinal red seats that the old, fully enclosed stadium had.
Among the tributes to red bird legends is a bronze statue of Stan "The Man" Musial, standing outside the stadium's entrance. You'll also find fan-purchased bricks embedded in the sidewalks outside the stadium, surrounding marble plaques commemorating historic Cardinal moments.
Getting Here: Located six blocks from Union Station and near I-64 with plenty of parking lots.
Inaugural Game: April 10, 2006. Accomodates 46,861, including standing room.
Eat & Drink: Broadway BBQ has slow-roasted BBQ Pork, brisket, wings, corn and slaw.
Magic: Busch has perhaps the most awesome views of any ballpark in the Majors.
Photo Credit: Aaron
JACOBS FIELD, Cleveland Indians
The Jake is more than a good-looking retro park in the heart of downtown Cleveland. It's a good-looking retro park with great nooks and crannies to just hang out, grab a bite, listen to a band or even watch a bat being made. And you get a world-class view of the city's skyline to boot.
When the stadium's designers and the city's elders dreamed up the new ballpark, they were betting that it would revitalize the team and rejuvenate the city. It did the trick, at least for a while.
In October 1995, with an extra-inning win over Boston, the Tribe registered its first postseason victory since Oct. 11, 1948. The next several seasons were sellouts, and the stadium helped draw some top tier players.
Getting Here: Cleveland's rail transit line drops passengers off a short walk from the ballpark. But if you want to drive, there are 30,000 parking spots available.Traffic can be a mess after the game.
Inaugural Game: April 4, 1994. Seats 43,863.
Eat & Drink: Pierogies are a highlight. You can also get Sushi and the standard fare. Want unique? Try Bertman's Ballpark Mustard, a pungent brown variety that transforms a dog and goes with the Jake's abundant beer selection.
Magic: The Tribe's most devoted fan, drum banging John Adams is a fixture in the bleachers.
Photo Credit: Mat Honan
AT&T PARK, San Francisco Giants
It may not be old, but this ballpark has already contributed its share to baseball history. Barry Bonds has seen to that.
Bonds has whacked homer after homer here, placing him in the elite company of Aaron, Ruth, Hornsby and Williams É and guaranteeing this park a place in the record books.
But AT&T Park has provided the Bay Area with a lot more since it opened in 2000. For one thing, it's a beautiful, intimate, modern park on the waterfront with more wind protection than old Candlestick Park. Still, with San Francisco's notorious summer weather you might find yourself shivering through a July game as you reminisce about the old Stick.
Getting Here: The Muni Metro J or T lines take you right to the park. Also the BART, ferry and CalTrain.
Inaugural Game: April 11, 2000. Seats 41,503.
Eat & Drink: Get a "Cha-Cha Bowl" at Orlando Cepeda's food stand behind the center-field bleachers. Gilroy Garlic Fries are very popular.
Magic: Beyond the right-field fence is McCovey Cove, named for famed first baseman Willie McCovey. This is where fans in boats and kayaks hang out in hope of snagging an out-of-the-park homer.
Photo Credit: Paul Keleher
FENWAY PARK, Boston Red Sox
This is no ballpark. It's a pilgrimage destination; the baseball venue with arguably the most character of any ball field out there.
With its peculiar dimensions, that 37-foot Green Monster in left-field and the ghosts of all the greats hovering around, Fenway just oozes baseball history.
It is the oldest and smallest park in the majors, but it so epitomizes the baseball tradition that architects of the new retro stadiums have flocked here for inspiration.
Nestled into Boston's Back Bay neighborhood, the moment you pass through the turnstiles and head down the rows of wooden seats you'll be transported into the 1920s. With its pipe organ, manual scoreboard and cozy seats, Ted Williams, Yaz and the "Curse of the Bambino" sweep over you.
Check out the seat painted red in the right-field bleachers. That's where Williams blasted a 502-foot homer in 1946, the longest ever measured in the park.
Getting Here: Take the T to Kenmore and the crowd will sweep you in.
Inaugural Game: April 20, 1912, the day the Titanic sunk. The 36,108 seat park is the oldest in use.
Eat & Drink: Behind the Green Monster on Lansdowne you'll find a pre-game vendor feast. And Yawkee Way is a boisterous street fair, with Cuban sandwiches, Rem Dawgs and more.
Magic: This is where Babe Ruth pitched before that genius trade forever known as "The Curse of the Bambino." And here's where Carleton Fisk blasted a 12th inning homer over the Green Monster to beat the Reds in game six of the 1975 World Series.
Photo Credit: Tom Lianza
SAFECO FIELD, Seattle Mariners
The distinguishing element of this "retro" stadium is the retractable roof, almost like a giant umbrella that keeps the rain out but let's the air in. In the great Northwest, shelter is key and this ballpark does a magnificent job handling the elements.
Safeco is south of downtown Seattle, nestled between the waterfront and the International District. You can walk from the ferries or pop in for excellent Asian cuisine prior to the game.
Safeco's architects clearly studied the "retros" from earlier in the decade. This is a comfortable, fan-friendly, state-of-the-art ballpark with great sightlines and room to roam. It also has a uniquely international feel to it. The Ichiro phenomenon has brought lots of Japanese visitors and lots of sushi to the stadium. It's not unusual to see a few fans in full kimonos in the stands.
Getting Here: Interstate 90 and I-5 dump you off right by the stadium, where parking is plentiful.
Inaugural Game: July 15, 1999. Seats 47,116.
Eat & Drink: Try an Ichi-roll if you have a hankering for Sushi. Ivar's grilled salmon sandwich is a good choice along with a microbrewed Red Hook or Pyramid Ale. The smell of Kidd Valley garlic fries wafts through the stadium.
Magic: Line up at the bullpen, where a friendly coach tosses a ball to a few lucky kids every game.
Photo Credit: Matt Kozlowski
COORS FIELD, Colorado Rockies
With nostalgia in mind, this retro-designed park in Denver's lower downtown feels as if you are walking through the gates of one of baseball's golden era stadiums, perhaps Ebbets Field.
But don't be fooled. This is a state-of-the-art experience inside an old-fashioned brick faade.
And you'll get 21st century excitement here, too. The thin, mile-high air makes this a hitter's paradise. It is estimated that a ball hit 400 feet at a sea level field, like Yankee Stadium, will travel some 40 feet further here. In 1999, the Rockies and their opponents combined for 303 home runs at Coors, the most ever in a single season at one venue.
Getting Here: You can drive and find street parking if you come early. The RTD is convenient and inexpensive and there is even bike parking if you choose.
Inaugural Game: April 26, 1995. Seats 50,445.
Eat & Drink: There is something for everyone. Lots of beer, as you'd expect, and unique offerings such as Rocky Mountain oysters (don't ask), burritos, Sushi and more.
Magic: Come here for batting practice when the balls are slamming around the stadium. That purple-painted 20th row of the upper deck is the one mile above sea level mark.