The game in Pittsburgh was a perfect example of how frustrated I can become with the powers that be in Major League Baseball. I sat through a downpour from 7-9 until I called it quits and left, but I was able to see enough of the stadium to decide it wasn't worth it to go back. They really do have a nice stadium, I just wish I could have seen a pitch that night.
Location: PNC Park is located right across the Allegheny and was a 15 minute walk from my hotel, the William Penn Omni. The Omni was really nice, and you take a trip over the Roberto Clemente bridge which they close down before the games for pedestrians. It was a cool walk over the river, and you can see the pictures below. Downtown Pittsburgh is kind of depressing - it's a microcosm of what America used to be, and is a lesson to major cities to diversify your industry. Thank goodness Houston has energy AND healthcare.
The bridges
View from the bridge
Back down the bridge towards downtown
Ballpark: The view from behind home plate is amazing. Downtown Pittsburgh, from that view, looks really beautiful It was a little tough to navigate from center field, where my seat was, because you have to go up a level to get to the field box seats. My seat was a perfect home run seat, so I was hoping to grab my first home run/foul/batting practice ball of the trip.
View from center
Scoreboard
Behind the plate
Food: They had gourmet burgers, BBQ, waffle cones, buffalo tenders, the same wing place as they did in Toronto (called Quaker Steak and Lube), a Reuben dog, perogies, and gyros. I had a couple Yuengling's and grabbed a pastrami sandwich on my way back to the hotel drenched from the rain. The SCPI was $10.25 because they had a $2.50 hot dog option - the large draft was $7.75.
Game: Well the game got started about an hour after I left, and the Pirates lost late in the game to the Giants 6-4. I can't imagine the game was that fun to play, especially for the outfielders. I did score my 6th giveaway of the season - a Pirates hat I probably will never wear. Still, kind of cool. I also talked baseball with a recent college grad and his father, who worked game days at the stadium. It was good to talk to some locals and I gave them compliments on their park.
View from my seat
Summary: Wish I could have seen a game, and maybe I'll come back when I start training for my job in NYC. I haven't made up my mind yet. The giveaway plus the beautiful stadium, the food selection and the beer choices give PNC high marks - it's definitely in the top tier thus far.
Location: 8
Ballpark: 8
Food: 8
Game: 5 (not the Pirates fault)
Overall: 8
Record: 15-5
Giveaways: 6 (Pirates hat, Padres sticky calendar, A's Suggie, Marlins mariachi, Tigers Harwell memento, Reds team picture)
1 comment:
nice arthur miller reference. i'll assume it was deliberate.
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