Turner Field – Atlanta, GA

I woke up the morning of June 1^st, 2010 with the certain excitement that only comes for me when I’m going to the ballpark. I was heading to Atlanta to take in a game at the gorgeous Turner Field. However, there was a little more to it, too. This would be the first time since I was 16 years old that I was going to see my friend Laura, who has had such a positive impact on my life. It was going to be a fun night!

We got to the ballpark around 4 p.m. and parked across the street. Walking up to the ballpark, we saw that it had an extremely large boardwalk in the front of the stadium; in fact, it was the largest one I’ve seen at a ballpark. (I later read that the boardwalk was there as a result of Turner Field being retro-fitted for baseball after being used as the Olympic Stadium for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. The extra space left over from the stadium reconstruction enabled the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games to build the outfield sections, complete with the front boardwalk, and numerous fan attractions, including a team shop, activities for children, and a couple of different restaurants. When we entered the ballpark, we could not tell it was ever used as an Olympic Stadium. We just found ourselves walking into a beautiful ballpark.)

Since we got to the ballpark early, the first thing Jenn and I did was seek shelter from the heat while we waited for Laura to get there. We sat down in the team restaurant and enjoyed a small meal, (one of the few times we actually ate out on our vacation). After getting our water bottles refilled, we went over to the team shop, and finally, Laura arrived. I slipped her ticket through the gate and she got into the ballpark. It was such a strange thing seeing her for the first time in years: I last remember her being a spirited teenager, and now here she was, a mature adult. I was glad to see her, and it was nice for her to meet Jenn. That was the important part for me: I wanted Jenn to meet this great person I’ve known for years, and vice-versa. I hope they will one day become friends.

Because Jenn and I were on an extreme budget, we bought the cheapest seats we could, in the upper reserve section on the first base side. (But it worked out well: we were so high up that we were under the rather small roof that covered only the highest seats, which protected us from the sun and the rain that came later.)

Off to our left, they had constructed a large Coca-Cola bottle and next to it the Chick-fil-A cow that does the tomahawk chop with the fans. There is also a small baseline built near the upper level for children to run down during the game.

The rest of the stadium was pretty standard, but sharp. The outside of it had a brick outlay with some old-school looking gates that bring flavor to the ballpark. However, there was more than the architecture that brought flavor to the ballpark.

The really special thing about going to a game at Turner field is how much fun it is. Doing the Tomahawk Chop and other cheers with the fans was a blast. The fans are so enthusiastic, which surprised me because Atlanta fans are stereotyped as awful; I was happy to find that that simply was not true. They were a joy to be around. Both the fans and the ballpark were entertaining and it was such a refreshing experience to watch a game there. I strongly recommend it.

My Top 10 List

1. PNC Park, Pittsburgh, PA – Beautiful park with a great view of the three rivers. Go at night…it’s one of my favorite views.
2. Busch Stadium, St. Louis, MO – Gorgeous Ballpark, with a great view of the Arch. The fans are very knowledgeable and courteous. It was just a wonderful place to watch a game.
3. Camden Yards, Baltimore, MD – Another great looking park. This park is the starter for all the new constructions of the 1990’s and in my opinion still has the old-time baseball feel the architects were aiming for. The warehouse in background is still a cool sight.
4. Fenway Park, Boston, MA – The newer parks look better in so many ways, but nothing beats the party going on at Fenway on game day. There is so much going at Fenway the moment you get to the park. It does look old, but they keep it painted and the Monster is still an awesome sight.
5. Angels Stadium, Anaheim, CA – This is an old ballpark, but when I visited in 2004, it had been overhauled into a baseball only-facility (the Rams used to play there), and it was gorgeous. It’s especially great at night to watch with the fountains where outfield bleachers used to be. I admit with the Angels being my favorite team, I’m probably biased.
6. Comerica Park, Detroit, MI – This ballpark doesn’t get mentioned enough with other ballparks, but it is absolutely gorgeous. I love the history they put into it with the statues beyond the outfield wall. I really enjoyed visiting this park.
7. Turner Field, Atlanta, Georgia* – See Above
8. Citizen’s Bank Park, Philadelphia – This park is a nice-looking park, but what I thought was cool was the all the stuff they have for kids to do there. In the walkway section of the park there were all kinds of games and stuff to occupy the kids before, during, and after the game. Very cool.
9. Great American Ballpark, Cincinnati, OH – Very nice ballpark that captures the history of the city well with its steam boat representation and the Ohio River in the background. There isn’t a bad seat in the ballpark.
10. Progressive Field, Cleveland, OH – There was a time when I’d rank this ballpark higher, but the last time I went to see a game there, it looked as if it were not being taken care of. It’s still a decent place to catch a game, but I remember how great it looked when I first went in 1997. Last time I went, it looked like the Indians were saving money on maintenance as well as being cheap with their players.
    
    *Changes – Dodger Stadium drops out of the top ten with Turner Field moving into 7^th on the list.