Stadium Central

I had the pleasure to visit Miller Park last week for a game between the Milwaukee Brewers and the St. Louis Cardinals. The 3 pm start made for a warm day, and the sunny skies ensured that the retractable roof would be open. A very pleasant experience at this beautiful stadium.

The stadium is situated right on I-94 west of downtown, making for a convenient driving experience. Plenty of parking lots around the stadium further make driving simple, though I probably didn't get the total experience considering it was a Thursday afternoon game, and the stands were far from being full. While the convenient parking is nice, much is lost by locating the stadium in the middle of an industrial area instead of tucked away in downtown or in another scenic area as has become common for stadiums. Thus, there is very little of scenic value beyond the walls of the stadium.

After parking, I was immediately impressed by the tailgating scene. Those Wisconsonians sure know how to tailgate, with the sausage, barbecue, and burgers cooking all over the place. I am not sure many of these people actually went to the game, but it was an impressive display for a regular season game in the middle of the day. The stadium is quite large and stands out as one approaches by car or foot. The swiveling retractable roof adds greatly to the height.

Inside, the designers did a good job of enclosing the stadium to focus the attention on the field, as mentioned previously there isn't much to see outside the stadium. Clear and translucent windows in the outfield and above the seating areas does give a lightness to the ballpark, however. The scoreboard was impressive, with a nice view from most of the stadium. As with many newer stadiums, there were many nooks and crannies, most notably a dining area that juts from the outfield fence into right field, bleachers in left and right field, and a section in right center that includes recliners. One of the most famous features of the ballpark is the slide that Bernie Brewer takes after a Brewer home run. Of course, an even more interesting feature is the roof. I liked the symmetry of this roof, with the roof closing from both the first and third base lines in a swivel manner. I don't always embrace symmetry in stadium design, but many retractable roofs don't seem to fit in with the stadium. The roof at Miller Park is an exception to this trend.

Inside, a big disappointment was the food selection. I was hoping to get a better selection of bratwurst or Italian sausage, but the food was generally marginal. I guess that's why the tailgating scene is so strong.

Another wonderful trip to a ballpark. While lacking in location and surrounding amenities, the designers of Miller Park made the best of their situation to give Brewer fans a splendid place to take in a game.