Best stadium in baseball

Although, it's not even close to the best -- for my money, it's Camden Yards -- I really like Nationals Park. The only thing about it I don't like is its lack of that one identifiable thing that helps describe the park. Chicago has the Ivy, Fenway has the Monster, Camden has the warehouse, blah, blah, blah. Nats Park doesn't have anything to hang its hat on. Sure, you got the Red Porch or whatever, but it ain't all that. Maybe that area behind the jumbotron, but not really. It just lacks that certain something. (A winning team, maybe?)

Anyway, what's your favorite park and why?

 

Haven't been to most of the newer parks to have a favorite but I will say I was very disappointed by first trip to the new Yankee Satdium on Saturday.
Very bland, almost sterile environment. Lots of gray concrete. Great that the concourses are a mile wide and lined with food stands, bars, souvenir shops and every other commercial enterprise imaginable. Like a mall food court.
Playing field is a replica of the old place, same dimensions etc., and covered with advertising. The piped in noise and music is horrendous.
Oh, and the seats are remarkably narrow everywhere but in the super expensive lower levels.

 

Among the older parks, I just LOVE Dodger Stadium. Not a ton of the new "extras", but looks & feels the way a ballpark is supposed to. Great "setting", as well.

Among the newer generation....it's kind of tough to choose between them. They're all nice, but like the park in Pittsburgh (PNC) the best. Maybe it's just such a step up from the old donut....or just the cool view...but it was a great place to watch a game. I give an honorable mention to Cleveland, as well. Of course this vote is complete personal bias....as I spent so many Sunday afternoons in the old barn (actually saw my first live rat there), I'll just always lov the new park.

Although you didn't ask specifically, I'm also completely in love with the AAA park in Columbus, OH. If you could make a correct decision in building a new, minor league park....they did.

Another "didn't ask"....I just HATE Wrigley. Yeah...I know. History, tradition, blah,blah. It's...a....sh*thole. An over-priced sh*thole with bad views.

 

I agree about PNC. Its a beauty. I'm biased on this, but Progressive Field is pretty awesome still after 16 years.

 

PNC will sell a $1 hot dog and invite you up to a club for $2.50 tall cans of beer after the game. That is tough to beat. Plus, they will let you manage the team for an inning for $100.

The best game day environment has to be Wrigley Field for a sunny Saturday game.

 

Wrigley has three things going for it:

1) It's old
2) It's got a great neighborhood
3) If you aren't in an obstructed view seat, the sight lines are amazing.

Other than those, it's a craphole.

 

I have not been to Safeco Field or AT&T Park, and have been to Dodger Stadium and Petco Park just to look around (i.e., the team was not in town or it was the offseason), so my list is far from complete. I've been to 14 current parks, plus Shea Stadium and Yankee Stadium II.

I have been to most of the stadiums in the Midwest and on the East Coast (with the exception of Philly and Washington), so my list of the best ones is fairly predictable (PNC, Fenway, Wrigley, Camden, etc.).

I will say that U.S. Cellular Field/Comiskey was FAR nicer than I thought it would be. Cheap food prices, good atmosphere in the ballpark (though I went on July 4 the year after they won the series) and not the war zone outside the park like I had heard.

Busch Stadium in St. Louis was a major disappointment. It was nice inside, but there wasn't much to do outside. For a city that bills itself as the best baseball city in America, that's inexcusable.

 

I could have gotten a 16 ounce Heineken draft at Yankee Stadium for a mere $11!
Which isn't too bad compared to the $5 bottle of water.

 

For a stadium that was built more for the Olympics and less for baseball, they didn't do a bad job with Turner Field. Nothing special about it, but a good place to watch a game nonetheless. My only gripe is that the place feels a bit like a barn on a midsummer weekday night when attendance is in the 20K range. They probably should have built it with 5,000 or so fewer seats. But, then again, they had to factor in the Olympics when they built the place.

Two good AAA stadiums: Durham and Toledo. Lots of history at Durham combined with a fun gameday atmosphere. And Toledo's new downtown park is a vast, vast improvement over the old fairgrounds stadium.

 

I was more impressed with new Yankee Stadium than Citi Field but I still like Comerica Park better. Jacobs Field or whatever it is now and the Great American Ballpark are cool.

Not a big fan of U.S. Cellular and when I say not a fan, I mean I hate it and it is awful. Wrigley is cool because of the nostalgia and it reminds me a bit of old Tiger Stadium. Skydome or Rogers Centre or whatever is pretty blah.

Never been to Camden Yards but from pictures it looks about as cool as they get.

 

And some fine looking women attend the games. The bars around the park are also very, very good.