(09-20-2015 12:05 AM)georgia_tech_swagger Wrote:  Went to the Braves game today. First time going to any MLB game. Some thoughts:

- Turner Field is actually really nice. It seems like such a waste to get rid of it.
- The ballpark experience is definitely a social one ... the opposite of college football (well, unless you're at UVA...)
- Given the former, I'm surprised more people aren't hurt from taking a rocket foul with lots of english on it wizzing at them while they are juggling their sit down quality meal and local microbrew drafts.
- Attendance was maybe 15,000. Probably closer to 10K.
- Those that were there were surprisingly spirited in cheering for the Braves the two times they were actually given reason to cheer
- The Braves are just absolutely pitiful ... and the Phillies are even worse than that

In your life? (bolded above)

Turner Field is really nice. The area around it, not so much. But it is partially the Braves fault for not wanting any real neighborhood (stores, food and beverage places) nearby, instead opting for tons of plain asphalt parking lots, so they would not have any competition for concessions and the many gypsy parking lots that many folks regularly parked in at old Fulton-County Stadium back in the day.

Apparently they learned their lesson, According to the renderings of new SunTrust Field, they are building a close replica of Turner, only less seats and a few updated amenities. Surrounding the new ballpark will be tons of shops, restaurants, apartments, condos, office buildings (Comcast recently signed a lease for a new building).



The Braves wanted to control the revenue, but so did the city of Atlanta for the redevelopment plan they were working on for Turner Field, so the Braves found a large tract of undeveloped land near two major interstates a few m iles north of downtown where they could build from scratch their way and keep control and all the money.

What did they mostly leave out this time? Well, parking, surprisingly. Their plan is to use shuttles and walkways from mostly existing parking in the surrounding Atlanta Galleria area.

I drove by the new stadium construction the other day and progress is full steam ahead. It will look nice, but traffic and parking will be "interesting" to say the least. No mass transit other than a county-bus system that doesn't align too well with the location chosen. Pedestrian walkway and shuttle bus bridge over the interstate 285 will be delayed at least a year or two if it is ever built at all. But it will be a great place to watch a ballgame, and the surrounding area will be infinitely better than what has surrounded Turner Field and Atl-FC Stadium for the last 50 years.



And this may finally allow old Turner Field to be retrofitted into the new Georgia State U football stadium (they play inn the way-too-big for them and largely empty Georgia Dome now) as well as taking the old AFC stadium footprint and making it GA State's ballfield, complete with a tribute to Hank Aaron's record breaking home run on the original spot.



Everybody wins, except traffic. Oh well, it's Atlanta.