Anyone been to Busch Stadium?

[Kingspoint]

I haven't been to St. Louis, but I've heard from other sources that Busch is considered to be the worst of the new ballparks built in the last two decades. The concensus is that it was built on the cheap. But then that was a few years ago, so the Cards may have added some stuff since then.

I think what makes GABP great is that it pulls a lot of the history of the Reds and the local flavor into the park. They have the Reds Hall of Fame, the murals of the 1869 Red Stockings and the Big Red Machine, and the statues out on the terrace, not to mention food offerings that typify Cincinnati, like Skyline chili and Montgomery Inn BBQ. Renovating the area behind the batter's eye to look more like a riverboat and less like a big black monolith has helped as well. PNC Park in Pittsburgh is similar with its tributes to old Pirates teams and local food offerings (Primanti Bros. stands out in my mind). Contrast this with the ballpark formerly known and the Jake in Cleveland (which a lot of people seem to like). While it wasn't built on the cheap by any means, they way overdid it with the luxury boxes and the corporate feel of the place. In fact, most of the concessions have become more standard fare in recent years. You used to be able to get a great polish sausage at most stands, but now it's down to hot dogs, brats, and pizza and you have to hunt for Beers of the World if you want anything other than corporate big brewery beverages.

I haven't had the opportunity to see too many ballparks, so I don't have much to compare it to, and I'm just taking it on it's own as a structure and it was very sunny the days I went. Seeing the crowd supporting their home team so openly makes for a great experience. They really are great fans. They themselves make the ballpark an A-1 experience.

[Kingspoint]

The St. Louis Art Museum alone is a shrine worth spending several hours perusing.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mgillia...7604212543423/

Everyone sees things differently. IF you like history, St. Louis is great.

[Driver62]

I was at Busch 2 years ago and had a great time. Fans are friendly and the stadium is nice.

If you get a chance to visit the Budweiser brewery, take the tour. It's very interesting and you get free beer after the tour is over. If you are under the drinking age, you get free soft drinks.

[dougdirt]

I went last May. They were still working on things around the stadium, so Johnny Footstool's concern about the outlying area's may not exist anymore depending on what was there before that I didn't know about.

The view from the infield is great as you can see parts of downtown and the arch. The seating is a bit strange though. It seems the second level is very far back compared to GABP. I sat right behind the Card's dugout 10 rows from the field, but that was one of the first things I noticed, how far back the upper levels were from the field.

[Johnny Footstool]

The area around the stadium has been pretty nice and very entertaining ever since the original Busch was built. It was the interior concourses that reminded me of a mall that was once popular, but had been deserted.