Game 1: Arizona Diamondbacks

We arrived in Phoenix about 45 minutes before game time, giving us enough time to get to our seats.  We sat in the third row of the “Uptown” right field bleachers and the park was pretty crowded and excited to see the Diamondbacks take on the Brewers.  There were also hundreds of dogs there since it was bring-your-pet-to-the-game day.

Our View from the Seats

Stadium - The stadium was very interesting.  It’s an indoor stadium, with a retractable roof, which allows them to have actual grass.  One of the best aspects of the stadium is its air conditioning.  Yes, the park is air conditioned, making an afternoon game bearable.  Although the outside temperature was mid-80’s, the air conditioning was much appreciated.  The stadium is about a decade old, and it looks that way.  The concourse has many of the same brick characteristics in the old park revival stadiums that were built around this time (AT&T, Camden Yards).  From the seats, the stadium looked more like a warehouse with a pool in right field.  Most of this was due to the dome, aspect of the stadium, which was closed when we went.  Yet, the stadium lacked a lot of natural lighting, since billboards covered the outfield windows.  All in all, the stadium had nice aesthetic features, but the Chase Field’s best features were its food.

Food – We were shocked when we stepped into the stadium and the hot dogs were $1.50 and the beer was $4.  The food was all so cheap!  Granted they were on the smaller side, it was nice to see a stadium that didn’t charge an arm for a hot dog, and a leg for the beer.  We all settled at the Hungry Hill Sangwich, which offered different gourmet sausages and meatball sandwiches.  All the food from this stand was amazing.  We had two types of sausages and I had the meatball sandwich.  Although more expensive than the hot dog, we all agreed that the price wasn’t unreasonable and the food had a great price/value ratio.

Fans - The fans were super into the game.  We noticed this immediately when it seemed as if a chorus was accompanying the high school marching band for the anthem.  It was pretty amazing hearing the crowd all sing along with great pitch.  The crowd was also very responsive to “make noise” signs, which made that comeback all the more exciting.  The fans helped to make a great game.

From Left to Right: Jake, Ryan, Naddav, Brad

Final Score: Diamondbacks 4, Brewers 3. Great comeback by the Diamondbacks.