Sunday, November 01, 2009
The Philadelphia Sports Complex
I had the great pleasure to spend Friday night enjoying a show at one of the nation's great sports complexes at one of the most exciting times that this complex has seen. The complex is the collection of stadiums and arenas on the south side of Philadelphia, home to Citizens Bank Park, Lincoln Financial Field, the Wachovia Center, and the Wachovia Spectrum. While I am partial to stadiums and arenas that are embedded in an interesting part of the community or that has stellar views of water or mountains, the presence of four distinct venues in one location makes for an interesting setting. Few other places can make a claim; the closest to this setup would be the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, NJ, where Giants Stadium, the Izod Centre, and the Meadowlands Race Track share the same patch of land. As a native of the Garden State, the Meadowlands holds a special place in my heart, but I really like the access and the setup of the sports complex in Philadelphia.
This weekend was a special one for the venues. The Spectrum was seeing its last performances, hosting four nights of Pearl Jam. At the same time on Friday night, the Sixers were kicking off their home basketball season. That night, though, was only the appetizer for more fun to follow, with Saturday having an afternoon Flyers' game at the Center, Pearl Jam playing the last concert in the Spectrum, and the Phillies hosting game 3 of the World Series! The fun didn't stop, though, with the Eagles hosting the Giants on Sunday afternoon and the Phillies hosting the Yankees for game 4 of the World Series. It felt like this patch of land off of I-95 was the center of the universe!
Yes, stadiums are typically more interesting when one can walk from a neighborhood pub over to the game, there was something really spectacular about walking through the parking lots, seeing the retro-style Citizens' Bank Park on one corner, the modern-style Linc showing off its steel girders and Eagle head a few blocks away, and the comparatively new Wachovia Center towering over the old-school Spectrum. Yes, the stadiums are surrounded by an asphalt jungle of parking lots, making those yearning for a more sustainable transportation plan shiver. But a train station brings fans within walking distance, and the sharing of the parking lots by four venues must be commended for its efficiency. And the fact that two new stadiums and an arena were built on the site of an old arena and an old stadium can also be considered as a wise re-use of city real estate.
One may not throw out the names of Philadelphia's sporting venues when mentioning sports' iconic structures, but the collection of venues off of the interstate in South Philly makes for an oasis for those whose blood flows a bit faster in the presence of sporting palaces.
This weekend was a special one for the venues. The Spectrum was seeing its last performances, hosting four nights of Pearl Jam. At the same time on Friday night, the Sixers were kicking off their home basketball season. That night, though, was only the appetizer for more fun to follow, with Saturday having an afternoon Flyers' game at the Center, Pearl Jam playing the last concert in the Spectrum, and the Phillies hosting game 3 of the World Series! The fun didn't stop, though, with the Eagles hosting the Giants on Sunday afternoon and the Phillies hosting the Yankees for game 4 of the World Series. It felt like this patch of land off of I-95 was the center of the universe!
Yes, stadiums are typically more interesting when one can walk from a neighborhood pub over to the game, there was something really spectacular about walking through the parking lots, seeing the retro-style Citizens' Bank Park on one corner, the modern-style Linc showing off its steel girders and Eagle head a few blocks away, and the comparatively new Wachovia Center towering over the old-school Spectrum. Yes, the stadiums are surrounded by an asphalt jungle of parking lots, making those yearning for a more sustainable transportation plan shiver. But a train station brings fans within walking distance, and the sharing of the parking lots by four venues must be commended for its efficiency. And the fact that two new stadiums and an arena were built on the site of an old arena and an old stadium can also be considered as a wise re-use of city real estate.
One may not throw out the names of Philadelphia's sporting venues when mentioning sports' iconic structures, but the collection of venues off of the interstate in South Philly makes for an oasis for those whose blood flows a bit faster in the presence of sporting palaces.
