July 20, 2013 - We just returned from a whirlwind trip to Denver, Colorado. 15 hours in the van is not something I would recommend to most people, but my son was a trooper and he traveled better than I did!
While we were there, of course, we paid a visit to beautiful
Coors Field for a Rockies/Cubs game. This, in itself, posed a few challenges. Whenever possible, we enjoy making use of public transit to get to and from games. This saves us, and all fans, from navigating to the park, dealing with traffic, and especially parking.
We started by researching the
RTD light rail system that looked like it would take us straight from a mall near our hotel to the park. When we got there, we were shocked by the cost of the fares. It cost nearly as much to take the train as it did to buy tickets! The train was clean and fast, but the Union Station stop, which appeared to be right near the ballpark, still left us with a very long walk to the game, which was even less fun at 10pm than it was at 5.
Once we approached the stadium itself, it was clear that we were in for a treat, however. The outer walls of the park were a beautiful mix of red brick and black iron, and the Branch Rickey statue out front made it clear that this was a place designed for fans!
Upon entering, I was also impressed by the openness of Coors Field. Some stadiums, like Rogers Centre and US Cellular, have felt very dark and cavernous in the entrance and concourse areas, but this park has lots of sunlight in all areas.
We were fortunate to be there during Roxivus, a three day celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Rockies franchise. This meant that there was a pre-game alumni event and autograph session featuring former Rockies such as Andres Gallaraga, Mike Lansing, Walt Weiss, and others! The lineups for autographs were not terribly long, and moved quickly thanks to staff who deterred fans from engaging in lengthy, awkward conversations with the players.
Pre-game autographs were a different story, though. My son and I have a ritual of watching batting practice and getting a signed ball from the visiting team. This was impossible at Coors, however, as there were bright yellow "Do not pass" lines near the dugout, preventing fans from interacting with players. We lined up with other fans far beyond the third base bag, but no players ventured so far down. I have to admit that I am puzzled why Coors Field has gone to this length to take this experience away from fans. We were told that it was because these spaces were reserved for fans who purchased tickets in these sections, but there are very few fans who lineup an hour before the game, and even fewer who are in their seats complaining that they can't see!
Coors has many unique features that are worth mentioning as well. There is a Blue Moon brewery right in the stadium, an area where kids (and adults, I guess) can practice their batting and pitching, and a gorgeous view of the mountains! There is also an area of bleacher seating called the Rock Wall, which has seats for as low as $4, making a night out at the ballpark extremely affordable for families (as long as they didn't take the train!).
By the 3rd inning, the hot dog growls started, so my son and I lined up to try the Rockie Dog. The line was ridiculously slow and, when I commented to a few other fans in the line, they assured me that it was always slow. We missed an entire inning waiting for our hotdogs, but it was well worth it! Coors Field boasts one of the best ballpark hot dogs we've ever had! Here's how we rated it:
Bun: 9/10
Temperature: 9/10
Flavour: 8.5/10
Juiciness: 9.5/10
Total: 36/40
If you are planning a trip to Denver, and plan to take in a game at Coors Field, I hope you found this posting useful. If you have any comments, or questions about this or any other park, please post a comment below!
