The End of the Rainbow
Written: Sep 17 '04
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Aesthetics: |
 |
|
| Food Selection: |
|
|
|
Pros: Great View, small, food, prices, parking, transit, fans, good staff
Cons: The Pirates aren't the best team in baseball by a long shot
The Bottom Line: Top of the line, the absolute best ballpark in baseball.
|
|
|
| heckonwheels's Full Review: PNC Park |
There are some really nice baseball stadiums in this country. SBC Park has great views, food, & Barry Bonds. Detroit’s Comerica Park rises like a jewel in the worn downtown, and Wrigley & Fenway keep the history of the game alive. Even a dismal park will provide a fun time for most fans but we still want that one perfect experience.
One stadium, for me anyway, delivers that perfect baseball experience. That’s right…the perfect baseball stadium does exist and I’m going to award five stars to it. PNC Park, is the best major league baseball stadium period!
PNC Park is located across the Allegheny River from downtown Pittsburgh. It's one of baseball's newest and smallest stadiums with the ability to seat just over 38,000 fans...the second smallest in the majors. It only has two decks.
Of course, as usual, I’m concerned with accessibility along with the general experience. PNC has wheelchair seating sprinkled liberally throughout the stadium. You could have just about any kind of accessible seat you want, the view is spectacular from anywhere in the stadium. If I had a choice of where to sit, the front row seats by third base would be my pick. They're $35 but hard to get.
Seats start at $9 and go through several levels until you reach the top price of $210 to sit in the Home Plate Club. On sell out days, standing room only tickets are sold for $7. If you have an SRO ticket, the ushers are pretty understanding if you sit in an unoccupied accessible seat until the ticket holder shows up. Sometimes, you can get lucky (like we did) and the ticket holder never shows up. There is a platform in right-center field where wheelchair SRO holders can sit if nothing else is available.
Restrooms, all with accessible stalls, are located throughout the park. In addition, there are several family/unisex restrooms in the park where you can go with an attendant.
Parking is plentiful & inexpensive and is provided by several separate private lots nearby. An accessible underground trolley station is two blocks away and accessible bus service connects with the stadium.
There are several restaurants on Federal Street that are built into the stadium such as Outback Steakhouse. You do not need a ticket to eat there but you will need to show a ticket to exit the restaurant into the stadium. Yes, you can watch the game without a ticket at these places but it will be very crowded and difficult to get a game view.
The Outback also provides a place to do some reasonably priced eating and drinking while at the game. We purchased three beers, two wines, and a soda for $18.
Some people thought the food prices in the stadium were expensive but for a 15 inch kosher dog with a matching 15 inch bun at $5, I thought it was quite a reasonable price to pay for such a good hot dog. My wife still raves about the sausage she had that was cooked in and served with peppers and onions. The signature dish here is the huge Primanti Sandwich which has meat, cole slaw, and fries piled between two pieces of bread. A little much for me…maybe next time.
The staff here was very friendly and accommodating for us. The fans we sat with were also friendly and justifiably proud of their new home. The cozy seating and small capacity really puts the focus on the field but unfortunately, the Pirates were not playing up to par when we visited. The visiting Astros beat them handily.
Since the park is so small, you can really watch the game here. No one feels like they’re a mile away from the action. PNC also has the best out of town scoreboard in the majors. Not only does it have the relevant information about runs, outs, and inning but a small diamond next to each score lets you know how many players are on base and what base they’re on.
The concourse is wide open here, too. That means you have a great view of the field at all times so when you go to get that delicious Italian sausage and a beer, you won’t miss a pitch.
The best thing about this park is what I'm saving for last...the view. No other stadium has such a magnificent view. From home plate, the stands perfectly frame the bright yellow Roberto Clemente bridge connecting across the river to the skyscrapers of downtown. It really looks like the Emerald City of Oz and the pictures of it don’t do it justice.
If you want to see a game, be comfortable, and not pay an arm & a leg, come to the best ballpark in baseball located here in the western Pennsylvania hills across the river from Pittsburgh...you won't regret it.
Recommended:
Yes
Parking Availability: No Problemo
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
heckonwheels
|
|
Location: Los Angeles, CA USA
Reviews written: 77
Trusted by: 14 members
About Me:
Southern California native who travels around the country a lot.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.