Got to take a long road trip from Kentucky to San Diego. I managed to convince the wife and kids (8 year old boy and 19 year old daughter - neither really care about baseball) to go to some games.
First stop was Kansas City where I enjoyed a Reds win! Everything I had read about KC before held true. It's a beautiful park and doesn't show it's age. I sat in the upper deck somewhere behind home plate and 3rd base. Nice view of the game. Not much of a view of anything outside the stadium but you're not getting that anywhere you sit. The place didn't feel too big or too small. Seemed like good seats everywhere. My only complain is there isn't much hiding from the sun. Our game was a day game, and it beat down on us. My son had his most fun at this park, since he got to spend a lot of time in the batting cage at the kids section. Word of caution...the slow pitch cage is all over the place. He took two or three hit by pitches before I made him quit before he got injured (he swings no matter what). Got cheap tickets on stubhub that came with a preferred parking pass (parking is like $20 or $30). I parked basically in the first row next to the stadium like 200 ft away, which was awesome because we left in the 8th during a downpour. I kinda love the fact the ballpark isn't downtown. It's so much easier and less stressful getting in and out to the game than the other cities I visited. Yes, we ate at Gates BBQ after the game, and the food was really good. However, I think the hidden gem in KC is the Hi-Boy burger joint just down the road. The double cheeseburgers are killer.
Next stop was San Diego. This one was an adventure. It was the game right before the all-star break. I was rolling into to town just as the game was beginning and didn't have tickets secured. Got downtown and was shocked at the $40 asking price for parking. I couldn't do it. I eventually found parking under a sketchy bridge about a mile from the stadium. I only had my daughter with me this time and we jogged to PETCO while she complained the whole time. We arrived at PETCO around the 3rd inning but still needed tickets. Stopped at the ticket booth only to find they had some $100 tickets or standing room only for around $30 a piece. Ouch. We got the standing room only. I was blown away at how many people where there. The grassy hill thing behind right field was even packed. I tried to walk around the entire stadium, but got stuck where the warehouse is. I'm not sure if you can walk through there or not. Ended up finding some seats in the upper deck handicap section behind first base. The upper decks in PETCO seemed very high up. Concession lines where packed and since I was late to the game already I skipped the food. I guess PETCO is a nice park, but to me it was overpriced, hard to park, annoying lines. My least enjoyable experience. Padres got shut out by the Rockies who never win on the road.
Next up was Denver on the way back home. Got to the park way early this time. Parked just outside the stadium at 3:55. The sign on the board said parking was $12 before 4pm and $10 after. Very reasonable! I decided to walk to the ticket booth since it across the street and would come back to pay for parking (still had people getting ready in the car). I get back at 4:01 to see a guy changing the sign to $30 and he had just changed the payment machine. I was not happy. Eventually, bought tickets on stubhub again. Sat in the behind right field for about $30 each. Nice view but a lot balls got hit to the wall and we lost sight of the play. They were playing the Dodgers and the LA fans showed up in full force. Big big big thanks to the tv camera guy behind centerfield. I was walking around checking out the stadium and chatted him up about the camera and he invited me up to check it out. Got to play around with a $250,000 camera. Those things are insane. Made my day. My son wanted pizza and I stood in a big line while the Dodgers scored 5 in the first. Of course they ran out of pizza. Food prices here were decent. I was a little disappointed with my Helton burger though. You see them cooking fresh and hot, but then they handed me one that had been sitting for a bit. Oh well. Really nice stadium. Another big crowd but didn't feel like you couldn't move or walk around like San Diego did.
Finally, went to St. Louis. Cards beat the Giants 2-1. Sat in the upper deck behind home plate. Really nice seats for cheap. Payed $15ish a piece on Stubhub. The upper deck here seems lower here than other places. And not nearly as steep. Great view of the city and the arch. Walked around the rest of the place and it seem like great seats and views all over. Hate to say it, but this one might be my favorite. Food prices (especially drinks) where high. I had a $12 brisket sandwich that was delicious. Can't think of the place that served it at the moment.
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Originally Posted by adampad
