The top 3 baseball parks for college students
What’s the best ballpark in the major leagues? Ask 30 fans and you’re sure to get 30 different answers.
Boston Red Sox fans will defend Fenway Park’s legacy like William Prescott guarding Breed’s Hill. Chicago Cubs fans will say there’s nothing more blissful than Wrigley Field’s ivy on a sunny summer afternoon.
While they’re all technically correct, The New York Times’ Nate Silver decided last year to settle which MLB ballpark is best —or, in using Yelp.com, found out which parks had the highest customer rating.
It’s an interesting -- if not entirely sensible -- metric. However, it made us wonder: which of these parks are most college-friendly?
After consulting Silver’s list and some college baseball junkies, here are the three that will appeal most to students.
1. Orioles Park at Camden Yards; Baltimore, MD.
Yankees Stadium and Fenway might command all the attention in the American League East -- and for good reason --but Baltimore’s Orioles Park is a sleeper pick for a baseball fan’s favorite.
The 20-year-old park combines the best features of the parks of yesteryear, with a brick façade and the stately B&O Warehouse lining its right-field wall. Yet, unlike the pricey parks of New York and Boston, gaining access to Orioles Park costs as little as $6 on Friday nights with a valid student ID.
The stadium food and beverages might also be cheaper than other East Coast venues, but the O’s use one of the most lenient food policies in the Major Leagues. Bring in your own food and drink (as long as it’s in ballpark-approved containers) to save even more.
Camden Yards’ location is also right off I-95, offering easy access from the highway. However, University of Maryland student Sophie Crook suggests an easier method of transportation for students in the area.
“From the University of Maryland you can take a [Maryland Transit Authority] MARC train that stops right in front of Camden Yards,” she says. “And if you’re coming from Baltimore or northern Baltimore, there’s a light rail station that also stops in front of the stadium.”
Although, Crook mentions that the MARC trains only run during the week. If driving, she suggests saving the money, parking in Baltimore’s scenic Inner Harbor, catching a bite to eat at Chiapparelli’s in Little Italy and then making the quick walk to Camden Yards.
“Also, head to Pickles Bar and Grille [at 520 Washington Blvd.],” she says. “The draft selection is awesome and it’s not too expensive. It’s just fun.”
2. PNC Park; Pittsburgh, PA.
In comparison to the Pirates’ Keystone State rival, the Philadelphia Phillies, the Pittsburgh baseball team hasn’t won many games.
That’s alright with Buc fans, though. Their team’s 11-year-old stadium along the Allegheny River provides an aesthetic departure from old Three Rivers Stadium -- and cheap ticket prices.
“It’s an insane view,” Temple University junior Dylan Peer mentions. “It’s around $17 to get in and there’s so much history. There are statues of Willy Stargel and Roberte Clemente when you walk in and the skyline out of center field makes you think you’re in a movie.”
PNC Park pays homage to the Pirates’ past at Forbes Field, with its inclusion of archways and terra cotta tiled pilasters.
The park also recognizes Pittsburgh’s present, serving locally brewed Allegheny Co. beer and the city’s infamous Primanti Bros. sandwiches.
To reach PNC Park, Peer recommends driving. Parking can be found next to the stadium for $15 or within a short walking distance for $5.
However, what stands out for Peer is the stadium personnel’s and the attendees’ friendliness.
“During day games the Pirates’ staff is a lot more lax about letting people sit closer to the field,” he says. “There are also a lot of business banquets going on and people are some times really cool with letting students join and get free food.”
For post-game revelry, take a 5-minute cab ride to Pittsburgh’s Southside and East Carson St. Drop in at Mullen’s Bar & Grille or one of the many other whole-in-the-wall watering holes along its stretch.
3. AT&T Park; San Francisco, CA.
Unlike the Orioles and Pirates, the San Francisco Giants, have experienced recent success, capped by a 2010 World Series championship.
Thus, tickets will be in demand and expensive.
But University of Southern California senior Matt Leland contends that even the bleacher seats at AT&T Park are worth the price.
“The worse the seat, the better the view,” he says. “If you’re sitting in the last row of the nosebleeds, you have a great view of the cove and the Bay Bridge off in the distance. If you’re sitting in the nicer seats, you have an unobstructed, perfect view of the game. There’s not a bad seat in the house.”
Although the Giants don’t offer a student discount like the Orioles, they do offer the Dynamic Deals program. The bleacher seats included in this program can go as low as $8.
Being in the heart of San Francisco, parking is also expensive and limited.
However, steep parking prices can be avoided by taking the Bay Area Regional Transit (BART) trains, which have a stop near AT&T at Embarcadero Station. The regional rail lines connect throughout the Bay area, going as far south as San Jose and across the bay into Oakland and Berkeley.
Which leaves enough money to splurge on the stadium’s famous garlic fries.
“Oh, man, those garlic fries are my absolute favorite thing to get at any ballpark,” Bowling Green State University senior Eric Olson says. “They could charge $10 for a basket of those and I’d still buy them. They’re that good.”
What do you think? Is there another park that tops these three for college students?
Ryan Joseph is a Spring 2012 USA TODAY Collegiate Correspondent. Learn more about him here.
This story originally appeared on the USA TODAY College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.