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| - This is an absolutely fantastic new ballpark. Does anything else need to be said? Yes.
First, parking when I came was an astonishingly cheap $5. I parked in the front lot that fed the Main Gate, and it was all dirt and grass. The attendants seemed a little confused about where to direct cars, but on the converse side, the ones we dealt with were some of the most easygoing lot attendants of any of the Spring Training parks we went to, which made it a lot easier. I hate parking lot attendants on a power trip.
From the outside and walking up, you can tell it's a beautiful facility. When you walk into the park, you enter onto the main concourse - similar to Chase Field. The field level is below you.
Concourses are huge. They've been designed wide and very open. The game I was at was a D'backs-Rockies game but it was sold out, and walking around the facility, you would never have guessed.
D'backs Team Store is behind the third base foul pole, Rox behind the first base foul pole. They were surprisingly small and cramped. Not that I was planning on buying anything, but still.
The food selection was better than average. They had that signature Spring Training go-to - Wok Fried Soba, as well as Ice Cream, frozen Lemonade, Daiquiri stand, all the ballpark fare like Dogs and Burgers. The major disappointment was no bratwursts. If they were there, I could not find them. Had to settle for a Chicago Dog, and Relish and Tomato salsa does not a Chicago Dog make. Also, boiled dogs are just kind of nasty. Sorry Talking Stick. That's a fail. However, the Shea Burger I got there was on the better end of good. Meat was a little well done, but lettuce, tomato, pepperjack cheese, and a slightly toasted bun. I could go for one of those again.
Seating in the grandstands is great. Good views everywhere and I think that they're a bit wider than usual. I know I was not as snug as I've been in other parks. Only real problem is when you sit in the inner grandstand area, you can only see the main scoreboard. And the game info is kinda small, if you're curious about the score or the count.
Still, it's comfortable, it's spacious, the food is above average, and (maybe this is my Bay Area economics showing through) quite inexpensive. And even with my Giants having that gorgeous ballpark in downtown Scottsdale, Salt River Fields has taken over the top spot in my heart as the best Spring Training ballpark. It's absolutely fantastic, and even if your team isn't playing, it's still worth coming here just to enjoy a baseball game.
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