Dodger Stadium
Los Angeles, CA
With relatives living in the Los Angeles area, I had the opportunity to visit Chavez Ravine, aka Dodger Stadium, twice. Once in 1999 and later in 2014 when my beloved Mets were in town. While LA beat the Amazins, I got to see this classic old park that looks eerily like Shea Stadium with its horseshoe, coliseum-like concrete stands and symmetrical outfield dimensions. Built in 1962 after the Dodgers made that fateful move from Brooklyn, this stadium is the oldest major league stadium west of the Mississippi.
Review by Gary
The first thing to comment upon attending a Dodger home game is the relative ease with which one can drive in and find parking close to the stadium. On both my visits, I found easy access to the parking lot and a very short walk to the ballpark, kind of like going to a minor league game. Exiting the stadium is just as easy, as it seems that Dodger fans show up in the 3rd inning and leave by the 7th, regardless of the score. I had heard of this phenomenon before, but I can confirm the truth of it both in 1999 and again in 2014. A terraced earthwork parking lot was built behind the main stands, allowing ticketholders to park at the level of their seats, minimizing use of ramps once inside, which was different.
Dodger Stadium does a great job of paying respect to its fantastic history of great ballplayers with murals and statues and retired numbers festooned all around the park. The classic scoreboard and wavy roof above each outfield pavilion and the top of the 10-story elevator shaft bearing the Dodger logo rising directly behind home plate at the top seating level are both notable features of the ballpark. There are great sightlines at field level and fans sitting in this upper deck are treated to stunning views of downtown LA. There are no obstructed view seats in this vintage ballpark.
Famous for their Dodger dogs, I had to partake in one and it did not disappoint. I did pass on the funny-looking churros being sold, a sugary fried-dough stick that I had never seen anywhere before, much less at a baseball game. They were hot sellers, regardless! Once in their seats, Dodger fans are very supportive of their team and I thoroughly enjoyed both of my visits to this classic Elysium Park landmark in Los Angeles.
Mike says...
"I found my visit to Dodger Stadium to be an almost surreal experience. I felt as though I was transported to the 1960s. It seemed like nothing had changed in the place since the day it opened. The signage, the color scheme, even the scoreboards, though modern HD screens, were still set in those iconic hexagonal frames. It took little imagination to picture Sandy Koufax on the mound and a crowd of men in white shirts and straw hats, women wearing dresses and cats-eye sunglasses. Despite being the largest stadium in the majors, it felt intimate and classic. I loved it. My personal scoreboard adds one Dodger Dog to Gary's 3.5.
1999
19
2017
132
This is what Gary looks like when the Mets are losing on the road.
Where They Played Before
Ebbets Field
