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A 'lil HooHaa

Messing with the blogging world since 2005

Summer of Baseball: Pittsburgh offers a top-notch experience

February 10, 2016

Note: I am finishing my 2015 Summer of Baseball stadium reviews over the next month or so. I have four left, including the one below. With a few other baseball posts, this should take us into March and closer to the start of the 2016 season! 

PNC Park in Pittsburgh has been around since 2001 – and it took me a long time to finally get to a game there.

It’s always been one of those places I wanted to get to, but just never made the trip. I should have taken advantage of being closer when I went to school in Lock Haven. Alas, it never happened.

Stamped in!

Stamped in!

It’s OK, though. I finally made it.

A weekend baseball trip to hit Pittsburgh and Altoona gave me the chance to see PNC Park for the first time. It’s definitely a great place to catch a game. We had seats behind home plate, just off a little bit. But they were high up, allowing us to see us the whole park.

It’s a great view, with the Allegheny River beyond the outfield wall. The yellow bridges are easily seen, too, which made for a cool look. The field was great and the seating wasn’t bad.

Walking around the park is nice as well. There’s a spot before the game with some live music and other things going on. Though you can walk around the whole park, you will lose sight of the game in certain parts, such as beyond the right-field wall. Still, it’s a unique setup how things are done. I liked that aspect.

I watched a half-inning or so from the left-field side, where there’s a winding walkway to bring you from the bottom sections to the top. Very cool part of the park.

While they had many modern amenities, it also had a slight old-school feel, which I liked.

It's a busy area around the park.

It’s a busy area around the park.

Sight lines were excellent from our seats. Some of the ones down the line probably could have been a little tricky, depending on where you are.

Food choices were excellent, of course. Most parks have their signature dishes and Pittsburgh wasn’t any different as it offered Primanti’s, which was pretty cool. Alas, I knew I was going there the next day, so I didn’t get it that night. I did have a couple of hot dogs, as normal, and they were solid. There is a lot of excellent beer choices in certain parts of the stadium, but Iron City is readily available, though I stayed away.

What is really nice is the city’s light rail offers free rides to the stadium if you park on a more outskirt area, which is what we did. It was nice, too, as we were steps away from the light rail where we parked and were whisked away to the stadium, which is in a crowded area. The parking, that we saw, wasn’t great. So I’m glad we didn’t try and get close to the stadium. I think parking cost us $5 if I remember right, so much better than the $20 or $25 to be close to the stadium. And we were in and out fast.

The ambiance was strong. Pittsburgh is a pretty solid sports city, so they definitely were into the game. It helped that it was a pretty solid game, too, with the Pirates beating the Rockies, 5-3. After the game, we strolled around the park a little, and then on the outside, before taking the rail back to the car.

Overall, it was a solid experience. Tickets were highly affordable and the trip wasn’t too bad. In the end, a great place to watch baseball and well worth the trip if you are looking for a cool stadium.

Park Notes:  

PNC Park
Pittsburgh, PA
Home of the Pittsburgh Pirates
Visited on: August 28, 2015
Opponent: Colorado Rockies

Ratings (out of 10)

  • Stadium: 9/10
  • Concessions: 8/10
  • Parking (stadium): 5/10
  • Parking (elsewhere/take light rail): 8/10
  • Ambiance: 9/10
  • Friendliness: 9/10

I am continuing the Summer of Baseball from 2014 and hope to blog about each new stadium I visit in 2015. Ones visited in the past can be viewed linked up in the 2014 version.

Feel free to leave a comment, or e-mail P.J. at hoohaablog@gmail.com. Also, please “Like” HooHaa Blog on Facebook!

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Filed Under: Baseball, My world, Sports, Summer of Baseball, Travel Tagged With: baseball, baseball stadium, baseball stadium review, major league baseball, national league, pennsylvania, Pirates, Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh pirates, review, summer of baseball, summer of baseball 2015

8 Comments

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  1. Bluenotebacker says

    February 10, 2016

    Being from St. Louis (born & raised, 43 years and counting!) and a Cardinals fan I’ve learned to hate the Pirates in the way you tend to hate any highly competitive rival. That said I’ve never heard about Pittsburgh the kinds of horror stories people tell about visiting places like Chicago and Cincinnati. Your review cements my desire to someday get myself to a ball game at PNC Park. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
    • P.J. says

      April 13, 2016

      I know that feeling as I am not a fan of anybody else in the NL East, or those who used to be in it. Though to be honest, I pretty much dislike any other team in the NL besides the Phillies. That being said, there are some great parks out there and PNC Park is one of them. It’s well worth checking out.

      Reply
  2. Liv says

    February 10, 2016

    I have never seen a baseball game in person. I should.
    Liv recently posted..Knock Your Socks OffMy Profile

    Reply
    • P.J. says

      April 13, 2016

      If you like baseball, it’s very much worth seeing in person!

      Reply
  3. Phil says

    February 10, 2016

    I have seen games there at PNC and also at Heinz Field. Love a Primanti sandwich! Very nice ballpark.
    Phil recently posted..Butter Cookies Old School Style at La Delice in NYCMy Profile

    Reply
    • P.J. says

      April 13, 2016

      Primanti is great! Though when I am in Pittsburgh, I’d rather go to the main spot than eat it in the park!

      Reply
  4. Allison says

    February 12, 2016

    So obviously I want to eventually visit every MLB park, but PNC is one of my top picks. Looks like such a great spot to watch a game.
    Allison recently posted..Wishlist: All the BlingMy Profile

    Reply
    • P.J. says

      April 13, 2016

      It really was a great place to watch a game. It’s one that should definitely be on your list!

      Reply

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