Originally opening its doors in 2004, PETCO Park is one of my favorite stadiums. Although one of the more difficult to navigate through, this stadium has various amenities that I have not seen at any other park.
One of the first things that I noticed in San Diego was their love for their military. This pride and honor for our individuals that help this country by serving in the military are present and promoted at each and every baseball game.
With that, San Diego’s park has a true feeling of family. Many stadiums cannot touch the amount of heart that these people have for the roots and history of baseball. When I think of “old school” games, I see family bring their children for an afternoon of fun with some cracker jacks, hot dogs, and joy. PETCO Park provides two key areas that exemplify the essence of family.
The first area is what has been coined “Park in the Park”. During game time, this area is closed off to the public and only open to those who have tickets for the game. Tickets can be purchased for this area for as low as $5 a person and family can sit inside the “park” (which is located behind the scoreboard essentially in the outfield). From there, families can watch the entire game on an large LED screen. Most of the food carts within the stadium are located at the bottom of this grassy hilled park so that families have easy access to the ballpark food for their children. When we were there, I was able to see where baseball had come from and the heart of the game. Parents were still able to enjoy the game with an ice cold beer while the children were not tied down to a ballpark seat and had access to a huge grassy area to play in. When the baseball games are not being played, this area is open as a public park to the community of San Diego…which I also think is super cool.
Secondly, PETCO Park’s bleachers were the best bleachers I have ever encountered. This is a bold statement coming from an individual who will pick the bleacher seats over any at Busch Stadium; however, PETCO Park’s bleachers surpass anything at Busch Stadium. The bleachers are located slightly off center-field at field level in the outfield. With a metal mesh gate, attendees can see exactly what an outfielder sees during the game. Although smaller and more compacted than many bleacher sections that I have seen, each seat is accompanied by a large grassy area to rest your feet (or butt) upon. At the bottom of the bleachers, a small sand box is provided for children to play. I loved being within those seats, sitting in the grass, watching children play with their sand buckets, while observing batting practice. It was great.
Another really great note to add about the stadium is the historical features of the park. As a guest of the stadium, I noticed a massive amount of seating taken up by a wall of suite rooms which caused the lack of mobility from one side of the park to the other. Upon researching, I discovered that Western Metal Supply Co. was deemed a historical building prior to the construction of PETCO Park. After a delay of constructing the new stadium, designers molded the stadium to include the hundred year old structure. Now home to the suite rooms and team store, the Western Metal Supply Co. has become part of the stadium landscape.
PETCO Park, additionally, has a great surrounding area outside the stadium. Blocks of bars and restaurants greet each fan as they head into the stadium every game. They are also there for any sorrows or cheers as individuals exit after game play.
What is your favorite stadium you have been visited? What would you add from PETCO to your home town major league ballpark?
