SunTrust Park

Date of Visit: July 14, 2017

Since a new ballpark opened, we had to go to the ballpark for a family vacation this year. We choose the game based on when the Dbacks were in town. Interestingly, the Dbacks ended up in town for Mom’s birthday, which was the same time we did Atlanta on our 2009 ballpark trip and we had even gotten her a ticket to join us that game, but she didn’t due to work and joined us in St. Louis for a game instead.

We ended up parking in Lot 29, which is what I repurchased for parking when I bought the tickets. When I was buying tickets I couldn’t find any parking map that had the same labels as the online ticket system so I kind of had to guess what seemed the closest. This isn’t the closest, but it wasn’t too bad of a walk up the hill and over the bridge to the ballpark. Also, when we were walking out of the parking lot they asked if we wanted the shuttle, so it doesn’t seem difficult to utilize that service if needed at least to get to the park (not at all sure about the after game logistics of that).

The gates were open when we got there and we tried to go in like everybody else in the middle ones and they told us we had to go over to the media entrance with the wheelchair. That’s fine, but the real problem is we get there and only one person gets to go in with him. So I then had to go back to where there was now lines of five to ten people at every gate. Nats park sometimes does it like that, too, but they specifically only send one person with the wheelchair. Also, I know for a fact a person in a wheelchair had just been allowed through the metal detector entrance instead of going around, so it’s certainly not a consistent or fair process and they are way too far into the season for any excuse to the total confusion for the entrance experience.

Once inside the way we came in there are steps down to the concourse. There is also a ramp to the left, which we used to get down, as well as elevators, but the elevator lobby is before they scan your tickets and when you come in it looks like it’s only for those going to suites, although we used them later to get to our seats and they really seem to be for general use.

We walked all the way around the main concourse before heading up to our seats. Overall we found it felt too small and crowded. That may partially have been because it was a Friday fireworks and bobblehead game, so a lot of people were there and there early. However, it really is nowhere near as wide a concourse as say like Nationals Park, which also can be crowded at times but it takes many more people to do it. Also, there are a lot of lines for team stores taking up space, which were almost Opening Day type bad that we never even went into the big team store and just got our bat and ball at the little shop by our seats in Section 339.

The one thing that we liked about the main concourse was the monument area, which seems to basically be some of the stuff from the museum that was a separate admission thing in Turner Field. It is kind of nice that it is now accessed as really a feature of the ballpark, but then it ends up more crowded and it’s kind of more like walking through the numbers at Yankee Stadium except it isn’t manned (or even have signs) to make it so that traffic flows in just one direction, which it appears is how it is designed to be done.

Overall our impressions of SunTrust Park were that it’s not a better ballpark and in fact worse. However, the actual view and seats were as good if not better, so at least the actual game experience is still good. Of course, it would’ve been better if the Dbacks won, but at least it was a close game the whole time.

Of course, Mik was happy they had cupholders for each spot in the wheelchair row. It even gets a bonus on the cupholder rating because the folding chairs in the wheelchair row also have one on them.

Destination Info:
SunTrust Park
755 Battery Avenue Southeast
Atlanta, GA 30339

Mik's Food Scrapbook: Loaded Tots at Nationals Park

While Mik didn't so much enjoy watching his Dbacks lose to the Nats yesterday, he did enjoy the new loaded tots. He tried the BBQ pulled pork ones, which also has mac and cheese on them. I had the crab ones, which were also tasty, but they didn't really seem loaded as the amount of topping to tot ratio is heavy on the tots.

Arizona Diamondbacks at Washington Nationals - September 29, 2016

Watching the Dbacks at Nats in the rain sure makes us miss when the annual tradition was seeing the Nats at Dbacks at the BOB. At least it didn't get rained out.

Mik's Food Scrapbook: Virginia Country Kitchen at Nationals Park

Date of Visit: June 14, 2016

Mik tried out the Virginia Ham Biscuit from the Virginia Country Kitchen concession stand this game. He didn't really like the ham because it was too sweet for his liking. He thought the biscuit was okay. The chips were his favorite part and actually very good in his opinion.

Accessibility Review: Nationals Park Section 320

Date of Visit: June 14, 2016

Ever since Dad's been working at the Capitol, we've mostly picked the games to go to based on when they do group tickets. This time Dad noticed that the Cubs were in town and the Tuesday game was $1 ice cream, so he asked me if I wanted to go on Sunday when they were doing group tickets or go on our own Tuesday. Since Mik was interested and a night game was more appealing to me summer weather wise, we got tickets for Tuesday.

First thing Mik really liked about going to the game was that we now live in walking distance of Nationals Park and don't have to deal with the crowded Metro (or potential delays...).

Mik thought the view from section 320 was great because you could see the whole field easily. However, he did not like that it was in the sun until about an hour into the game. Next time he wants to get seats on the 300 level on the third base side.

Nationals Park: Star Wars Day

Mik had been wanting the R2D2 can cooler since he saw about the promotion, but neither of us wanted to do a Sunday afternoon game in the summer. Dad and I did end up going, though, but I didn't even realize it was the Star Wars Day game when he asked if I wanted to go to the game that day because his work was doing group tickets again. With the upper 90s feels like 105 to 110 heat advisory, I seriously thought we'd just get the can coolers and not stay long, but it ended up not being too bad up in the shade in 416. And it wasn't too bad of a game until the top of the 9th.

Mik's Food Scrapbook: Throwin' Cheese at Nationals Park

Mik was excited to try out the new Thrown' Cheese place at Nationals Park. He did almost give up on trying it after seeing it was the only place with a line and the line didn't really seem to move when we got in it. However, we still had at least an hour to waste before even the pregame stuff started and it was certainly better wasting time in line for food than trying to go to the Team Store on Opening Day.

The line actually wasn't that long when we got in it (probably about 10 people in front of us), but it did take at least 15 minutes to get to the front and then after ordering and paying we still had to wait at least another 10 to 15 minutes to get Mik's sandwich. They definitely aren't that efficient, yet, but they did pretty good considering it was a new venue and Opening Day. Also, it was still better than what I remember all the concessions were like on the park's first exhibition game and Opening Day in 2008.

Mik ordered the Triple Play, which is a grilled cheese made with three different cheeses. He really enjoyed it and the chips that came with it.

He also tried the mac and cheese that I ordered, which we finished while waiting for his food. He thought it was a little too salty. Also, it wasn't hot or really even warm and it's not like we waited to eat until we got to our seats.