CITIZENS BANK PARK

Citizens Bank Park is the latest addition to the list of new ballparks that make major league baseball so interesting. By far, it is the biggest improvement on its predecessor, the horrible Veterans Stadium. A wide open feel, excellent sightlines, and a view of downtown Philly from the upper deck make this a good stadium for baseball, and there are enough unique touches that make CBP a great experience. 

As with the Vet, CBP is located near the corner of Broad St. and Pattison Avenue, in the sports complex that includes the Spectrum, Lincoln Financial Field, and the Wachovia Center. It is easily accessible by subway, the Broad Street Line terminates right beside the ballpark. Parking is also available, but I didn't bother to use it as the subway is convenient and much cheaper. 

The park is about a 5 minute walk from the subway exit. The main approach brings you to the third base gate, one of four entrances. At the third base gate is a statue of Mike Schmidt in what appears to be a home run swing. This is one of four bronze statues located around the stadium.

The main ticket windows are at the first base gate, but it is the right field gate which you should enter by to find yourself in Ashburn Alley, an entertainment area with a number of attractions for kids as well as a historical retrospective of the Phillies. The Citizens Bank Games of Baseball include Ballpark Pinball and Run the Bases, which make for some interesting pre-game activities. Memory Lane is a look at the Phillies greatest moments and is located on the other side of the batters eye, which are brick walls, an interesting feature. Other historical elements include a Wall of Fame, retired numbers, and the All-Star Walk. It is great to see tribute given to the storied history of the Phillies and is worth your time to explore.

Memory Lane is an excellent introduction to Phillies history

Eric Milton warms up in the bullpen

Both bullpens are located out here and offer some fantastic view of the pitchers warming up. Note the tribute to the late Tug McGraw, a Phillies legend.  

Ashburn Alley also contains the rooftop bleachers, a reminder of Shibe Park. These are not great seats, but a fun idea and they even include a coupon for a platter and drink at Bull's BBQ. 

What is Bull's BBQ? It is one of many excellent concessions around CBP. Baseball fans will remember Greg "The Bull" Luzinski from the 1980s and he is the host here, serving a good selection of BBQ sandwiches, which come with beans and coleslaw. Get here early, the lines can be quite long as game time nears. For those of you with different tastes, try one of two Cheesesteak offerings (Tony Luke's or Geno's). There are also a number of restaurants, including McFaddens and Harry the K's, a bi-level eatery built into the scoreboard structure. There wasn't enough time to try all of these places, but I do recommend that you visit CBP with an empty stomach. Note that Ashburn Alley gates open 2.5 hours before the game on weeknights and 3 hours before the game on weekends, and thus you can have 2 or even 3 meals if you wish.

Before the game starts, you may want to see the Phillies starting lineup, posted using large baseball cards and located on the wall behind the scoreboard structure.

Once you have seen all the attractions, it is time for the game. There are four levels of seating here, with the second level in the infield being reserved for club seats. Seating here is quite expensive, with infield seats at $40. I recommend the Terrace Seats at $25 or the outfield Pavilion seats at $18, but frankly there isn't a bad seat that I could see. Even the upper deck seats are good, although at $20 a bit expensive. If you are interested in out-of-town scores, then avoid the right field seats as the out-of-town scoreboard is located in the right field fence. The seats themselves are sapphire blue, and provide a nice complement to the red steel. Of course, these are also the Phillies colours, and they are a refreshing change from the usual Kelly green that decorates most new parks.

Overall, I really appreciated the thought that went into making CBP a Philadelphia park. I really enjoyed watching games here and would suggest that all ballpark fans head down to check out the Phillies' new digs.