Urban Review Takes a Day Off…sorta
I took the day off today and attended my first game in the new Busch Stadium. I’ve already done an extensive review of the ballpark and how it relates to the city (prior post) so here I just want to share a few thoughts now that I’ve had a chance to attend a game.
I like it.
I think they’ve done a great job overall. The place has a nice open feel to it and the view to downtown from the stands is spectacular. From other parts of the stadium you get wonderful city views. I think people in the stadium will have a greater connection to the city beyond the stadium walls. It will be interesting to see the relationship between the stadium and ballpark village as it is being constructed and once complete.
Since this is bike to work week I thought it best I leave my car & scooter at home. I picked my Cannondale hybrid bike (I have 5 bikes) as it is a good commuter bike. Not wanting to arrive completely worn out I biked a mile over to a bus stop along the #40 Broadway route. I got off at Soulard Market and biked another mile to the stadium. Following the game, I biked the full 4.6 miles home.
Celebrity sightings included promoter Don King and a boxer I did not recognize. I managed to find a couple of food places that had a surprisingly good garden burger which was reasonable at $4. The beverage prices were quite high so after I finished my first $4.50 bottle of water I filled it up at the drinking fountains.
I took quite a few pictures, many of our streets and buildings around the stadium. See all of them on Flickr.
Oh yeah, we won the game!
– Steve
It’s a nice place to watch a ballgame isn’t it? And you’re right the food options are 100% better.
Nice Pics – but, Steve, dont they make cardinal hats in leather?
I have noticed many times that the upper stands always are empty. Can someone please explain why?
And by upper stands I meant those just above the Casino Queen’s Party Porch.
^ Still under construction (hard hat area). The sections will open at the end of this month. Remember that the old Busch Stadium used to occupy the space where the empty seats are located.
Hey Steve:
Where did you end up parking your bike at the new stadium? I emailed the cardinals about a month ago asking whether they had bike racks and never got a reply.
Can you say “Parking Parity?”
[REPLY – They have two bike racks located underneath highway 40, see the prior post for pictures. – SLP]
FYI, the boxer in one of the pictures is STL’s own Cory Spinks. He’s fighting here again in July. I think that they did a great job with the stadium overall.
Glad to hear you biked and bus. I find doing that a good combo when the weather is bad. Those bike racks on the buses work out well! I have done two busses for a trip but that was more of a hassel loading / unloading. One bus is the ticket!
Keep Cycling!
Steve,
I thought that was you. I saw you unlocking your bike after the game, I was headed to Paddy O’s with my brother. It was a beautiful day for a ball game.
I guess I’m one of the few people who don’t like the new stadium. I do appreciate it from the perspective you cite, Steve, i.e., the fact that you can see the city. But, I’ll be honest and say that when I go to a baseball game–especially at the prices they charge for seats now–I’m there to see a BASEBALL GAME, not the rest of the city. When I leave I can see the rest of the city.
It’s in this respect, i.e., viewing a BASEBALL GAME, that I think the new Busch sucks big rocks. I’ve been to one game thus far, but it took me so long to get to the seats that, despite arriving well ahead of the first pitch, I missed it. Further, the seats are packed SO tightly that I missed probably 20-30 pitches from people needing to get out or back in.
The sight lines from the upper deck are absolutely horrible, as the perspective one has on the ball makes it almost impossible to discern the trajectory of the ball by watching the ball itself–one must watch the fielders instead. And, yet, from the upper deck, one can’t see play at the nearest wall, e.g., when sitting in the upper deck along the first base line, you can’t see foul ball action or the on-deck circle.
Sorry, but I don’t see how the new stadium has done anything to improve my ability to see a baseball game, which is the only reason I go there. Some of my best memories are of my grandfather taking me to a Cardinal’s game and having him explain the game and teach me how to keep score as a way to follow the game. The old Busch was not perfect by any stretch, and sucked in many aspects, but, having watched games from every level and nearly every vantage point over the years from field boxes right behind the dugout to bleachers to Uker’s Puker’s seats, the previous Busch beats the new one hands-down for being able to see a game.
Maybe they’ll fix things by next season. For now it’s just a big disappointment–except for the Ben & Jerry’s stand that’s right behind my seats 🙂