GREAT AMERICAN BALL PARK

The Great American Ball Park was opened in 2003 to replace Cinergy Field. Its style is somewhat different from most of the other new stadiums, and it has a number of interesting features, but overall, it doesn't quite match up with some of the better new parks. 

The park is located along the riverfront, next to where Cinergy Field once stood. There is plenty of pay parking close by, with prices around $6. There is also meter parking that can be used, especially on weekends if you get there early enough, since the meters are not enforced at that time. An alternative is to park in Newport and walk across the Taylor-Southgate Bridge, which gives you a nice overall view of the stadium.

From the Taylor-Southgate Bridge

There is not much around the stadium's immediate vicinity right now, Cinergy's rubble lies next door and that is about it. However, this entire area will be redeveloped to make the riverfront a key part of Cincinnati, so we will have to revisit the park in a year or two to see the results. However, downtown Cincinnati is only a few minutes walk away, and not a problem to get to. 

The main gate is located at Crosely Terrace, a mock infield in tribute to old Crosley Field. This is also where you can find the ticket windows. The west wall displays the "Spirit of Baseball" relief, which is 50 feet high. There are a number of banners commemorating baseball history in Cincinnati that extend around the park to Second Street. As well, there is a statue of Ted Kluszewski in Crosley Terrace. This statue is the first of 4 to be unveiled during the 2001 season. I really like this area, because it allows fans to sit down and relax before entering the park.  There are 4 other entrances around the park, including a suites entrance and a entrance directly to the bleachers in left field, but the main entrance is the most interesting.

Before entering, however, you should take a walk around. Behind the left field is the US Bank Arena, home of the ECHL Cyclones and the Arena Football Swarm. But what makes this area interesting is the large billboard with a picture of the bat and ball that Pete Rose used to get his famous 4,192nd hit. Just below this billboard is the Machine Room Grille, a brewpub that is open to all fans up until 3 hours before game time. After that, a ticket is required to get in, although when I was there, it didn't open until 1.5 hours before game time.

Once inside the park, you will notice the starting lineups posted just inside the main gate. Just to the left are 2 mosaics: one celebrates the 1869 Red Stockings team that began organized baseball; the other commemorates the 1975 World Series team. 

As is the case in all new parks, there are plenty of seating options. Unfortunately, the Reds have set aside all of the best seats in the lower deck behind home plate as season seats which are not available to the general public. The best available seats are Terrace Infield Box starting at $30, and they are good seats, especially in sections 120-1, and 127-8. Down the lines seats are $25, and in the corners they are $20. We suggest sitting in the outfield instead, where the terrace seats are $15, while the bleachers, in left field only, are $10. The seating in right field is known as the Sun/Moon deck and is quite interesting as it is steeper than usual which provides a different view than you might be used to. These seats are a tribute to similar seats in Crosley Field. Note that the name changes depending on whether it is a day or night game - Sun Deck for day, Moon Deck for night.

The upper deck is known as the view deck, and seats range from $5 in the farthest reaches to $16 for lower seats behind the plate. There is a nice view of the Ohio River and Newport, KY on the other side from here. What makes the seating bowl interesting, however, is the lack of seats in one part, known as the Gap. Between home plate and 3rd base, a section has been removed which allows for views of downtown from the outfield seats. But what the Gap does is create an asymmetric design that allows for the upper deck seats along third base to be closer to the field than those along first base and behind the plate. It is a unique feature to this park and works well.

The seats themselves are all red (obviously), which is more interesting than the typical green seats that mark most new stadiums. The bleachers are just benches, but all other seats are box seats. 

The concourse behind 3rd base is huge, and should never be crowded. You can walk entirely around the stadium without a problem. However, in April 2003, there is still construction being done along first base which has made the concourse narrower than it should be. I believe that this will be fixed by next season, but it can get crowded here before the game.

There are viewing platforms above both bullpens. In centerfield are the smokestacks, which represent the steamboats that ply the river. They celebrate strikeouts and home runs for the Reds. Above right field are 3 poles that represent the National League, each team has a small flag, listed in alphabetical order in its division. The retired numbers are below the press box, but of course, #14 for Pete Rose is still missing.

The smokestacks

There are a large number of suites throughout the park. The World Series Suites are behind home plate, and are highlighted by a series of photos celebrating the Reds' numerous championships.

Food options are wide and varied. They include the Fowl Pole Grille, which serves chicken dishes and lies near the foul pole. One interesting food item is the PBJ sandwich for $3. For parties, there is the Batter's Eye restaurant, located in center field. The designated driver program is not worth it, you get O'Douls for $1 if you join up.

The scoreboard is above the bleachers, and is the best I have seen. It is adorned by a clock that is a larger replica of the clock that was at Crosley Field. But the video board quality is superb, and all the info that you would need is shown. The out-of-town scoreboard is embedded in the left field fence.

Scoreboard, the longest in baseball

Overall, Great American Ball Park has everything you would need to enjoy a game. But I was disappointed at the lack of ambience or ballpark feel. I think this is because the park was just opened and they are still developing it and working out the kinks. The fans were not the best, with many leaving a 2-2 game in the 9th inning. As well, one fan threw a foul ball onto the field and was cheered, rather stupidly given the recent problems with fans in other stadiums. As new parks go, this one is slightly above average, but still a great improvement over Cinergy. If you are planning a ballpark tour, you may want to wait a few months while the surrounding area is improved, but make sure to put the Great American Ballpark on your list of parks to see.