| rev:text
| - Toronto is a hockey town - let's get that out of the way straight off. This may sound like a strange way to start a review of a baseball stadium for those of you who come from more baseball-centric parts of the continent, but to those of you in, say, the southern states, what do you think about your hockey team / facilities? Exactly - you didn't*.
So yes, Toronto for the most part doesn't care about baseball. It's been sixteen years since we've even been to the playoffs, which sounds like a good excuse until you realize that the local favourite team - the Leafs - haven't won the Stanley Cup since 1967. Still, the hierarchy of teams works out to be roughly:
-Hockey (Maple Leafs, last championship win 1967)
-Basketball (Raptors, never won a championship)
-Soccer (Toronto FC)
-Football (Buffalo Bills, not even from around here)
-Baseball (Blue Jays, last championship win 1993)
-Football (Toronto Argonauts, last championship win 2004)
Keep that in mind when judging the quality of the team, or how loud the local fans are. Aside from this, I'll not mention baseball too much more, mostly because of the disappointment.
To bring an end to this digression... the SkyDome (err, Rogers Centre... how about "SkyRogers CentreDome"?) is a multi-use facility that can support football, hockey, concerts, baseball, and most anything else that requires a big space. That said, it has about all the character that such a description would suggest, and a lot more concrete.
As an engineering grad, I have to draw attention to the retractable roof. It's quite impressive - Montreal's is a hilarious failure (along with much of the rest of the stadium it's attached to), but to this day the roof of the SkyRogers CentreDome can be opened or closed in about 20 minutes. It's based on highly advanced "train" technology, don'tchaknow.
I'm not gonna lie - I have been known to look up at the roof moving mid game and cheer for it, though mostly because the Jays were losing.
So yes, it's a big expanse of concrete, coupled with big digital displays that, though very colourful, are too damned bright. It can get sun, it can shield you from the rain.
When it comes to games, though: tickets are cheap. Like, ridiculously so. Leafs tickets start at nearly $40, but Jays tickets start at $9, and $12 for teams like the Yankees. There are ridiculous $210 field-level seats, sure, but aside from those the most expensive are in the $70 range. First deck outfield get a decent view and are only about $25. And those are Canadian dollars (take heed, my American friends). Let's also not forget the All-You-Can-Eat sections (Second deck outfield, soda, popcorn, nachos, chips and hot dogs only) for $40 on certain weekends. Given the normally exorbitant price of concessions (see next section) you can really clean up there.
Major strike against the place: concessions. 500 level the selection is practically nonexistent - I don't think you can even buy Keith's up there, and I don't consider Bud to be worth the can it comes in. Plus, $10 for a "large" beer is patently ridiculous. I'll pass. The sweet potato fries with chipotle sauce are pretty good, though. There's a fair bit more selection down on 100 level.
Some of the other facilities are worth noting: there's a Hard Rock Cafe (though not for much longer, I hear), SkyBoxes, Windows restaurant, the hotel, and HSBC Club VIP. I had the privilege of sitting in those seats a couple of times - to-your-seat food service with a rather full menu, great view, padded seats. Very nice, but also quite expensive.
Other things that need to be mentioned:
-Parking - You're right downtown, so there are lots available a fairly short walk away. If you've got people who can't walk too well with you, or don't mind spending the extra $10 or so, there's a lot right under the building for something like $25 per game. Major advantage: elevator right to your level, and they take your tickets in the elevator so you bypass the line. My biggest advice is if there are only one or two of you, just take the damned GO train. No hassle with the traffic, park at your local station, save the environment. Union Station is only about a ten minute walk away, and it's sheltered for maximum dryness.
-Walking: be prepared to. Long ramps up to the 500 level, with a beautiful view of a concrete wall all the way up. Some walkways have windows - they need cleaning.
-There's a Rogers Wireless store downstairs so you can buy a phone if you need to.
To conclude, well, there's not much point to reviewing this stadium for Torontonians. If you're going to a Jays game, this is where they play, so your options or somewhat limited. Same if some other event you want to attend is happening here. For out of towners, it's a cheap way to see a ball game, and hey, you get to check out a pretty interesting city while you're here. It's no Fenway or Yankee Stadium, but it beats the crap out of my 13" Apex flat screen.
* - Aside: please give them back
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