Stadium Bucket List, Dodgers Stadium At Chavez Ravine

The last twenty years have seen a large number of new stadiums.  In the baseball world, the effort has been to make the new stadiums look “old”.  In Baltimore, Camden Yards was one of first of the new breed.  It’s a good stadium, despite the general quality of baseball the home team has played over the last 20 years.  I like it.  But, I’ve never loved it.  I prefer true old stadiums, they just have more personality.

Dodgers Stadium, at Chavez Ravine, is exactly that.  It was built over 50 years ago and has the feel of an old stadium.  They’ve add some amenities and luxury boxes, but it still has old bones.

Walking Around

The stars aligned for me to go the game with my best friend, David.  We were lucky enough to be in a luxury box for the game.  We got to the stadium about 30 minutes before game time, which gave me some time to walk around.  Dodgers fans are notoriously late arriving.  I walked around the lower stadium bowl and saw most of what you’d expect to see.  There were plenty of beer and hot dog stands, and (unsurprisingly) some fairly healthy items you’re not likely to find at a ballpark in the heartland of the country.

Vegan hot dog?  Ick.

There are two bars in the outfield with great views of the field.  You can choose between American or Mexican beer for your outfield bar hangout.  While I did see a stand that sold BBQ, most of the food I saw in the stadium was very traditional stadium fare.  Uh, other than that Wagyu beef burger and those vegan nachos.  Yeah.

Walking around the upper decks made me feel like I was in old Yankee Stadium or Fenway Park.  Narrow aisles that would never pass current building codes.  Low ceilings, people standing around talking and watching the game from behind the seats.  That sounds weird, but I really like it.  It creates a buzz that you just don’t get in some of the newer stadiums.

There are two kids play areas on one of the upper levels if you’re going to the game as a family.

One of the interesting things about the stadium is that it really does sit in a ravine.  You can walk in on the ground level and two of the upper decks, so the stadium actually sits in something of a valley.

There are some great sight lines in the stadium, especially as you get to the top levels of the stadium.  If you’re going to Dodgers Stadium for a game for the first time, make sure you take the time to walk upstairs.  And, it’s pretty much all stairs, not ramps or elevators.

Wrapping Up The Game

Back in the suite, the game started with a tribute to the legendary Vin Scully.  It was a tense game where both teams were getting a fair amount of hits.  Baseball fans will appreciate this quirky stat.  Johnny Cueto was pitching for San Francisco.  I hope I get the numbers right.  If my memory serves me right, he threw 6 pitches in the first inning, giving up two hits and getting 3 outs.

The Dodgers have a healthy lead in the standings, but that night wasn’t their night.  They lost 2-0.  Unsurprisingly, man fans were streaming out of the stadium in the 7th inning, despite only being down one run.  The stadium still had a great baseball vibe.  I’m glad I got to see a game there while Vin Scully was still working the mic.

Sports fans, what does your list look like?

MLB:

• Yankee Stadium (One Final Night of Magic)
• Camden Yards (Baltimore Orioles)
• PacBell Park (San Francisco Giants)
• Safeco Field (Seattle Mariners)
• Chase Field (Arizona Diamondbacks)
• Shea Stadium (New York Mets)
• Wrigley Field (Chicago Cubs)
• Comerica Park (Detroit Tigers)
• Coors Field (Colorado Rockies)
• Nationals Park (Washington Nationals)
• Rogers Centre (Toronto Blue Jays)
• Turner Field (Atlanta Braves)
• Fenway Park (Boston Red Sox)**The Red Sox will always be listed last any time I refer to baseball teams

NFL:

• Giants Stadium (Giants and Jets)
• FedEx Field (Washington Redskins)
• Qwest Field (Seattle Seahawks)
• M&T Bank Stadium (Baltimore Ravens)
• Soldier Field (Chicago Bears)
• Candlestick Park (San Francisco 49ers)

NBA:

• Air Canada Centre (Toronto Raptors)
• Pepsi Center (Denver Nuggets)
• Madison Square Garden (New York Knicks)
• Brendan Byrne/Continental Airlines Arena (New Jersey Nets)
• Verizon/MCI Center (Washington Wizards)
• United Center (Chicago Bulls)

NHL:

• Pepsi Center (Colorado Avalanche)
• Madison Square Garden (New York Rangers)
• Verizon/MCI Center (Washington Capitals)
• HP Pavilion (San Jose Sharks)

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