BALLPARKS
BALLPARKS
Dodger Stadium is the second-closest ball park to where I live. And as such, I have been quite a few times. In fact, I don’t remember the first time I went to Dodger stadium. Before the Angels existed, my dad went to see the Dodgers.
The park is located just a few miles from downtown LA, even before it was hip to have a “downtown” stadium in an area know as the Chavez Ravine. Unfortunately, there are well known published stories how a unique ethnic neighborhood was displaced to make room for the steel structure and it’s massive parking lot. So while you can appreciate the views and the glorious smog-induced sunsets over the palm trees, it is always with a bit of sadness.
Getting into the park is a bit difficult. There is no easy access from the freeways. It’s up on a hill, and entrances and exits are few and far between. So getting in and out takes time. You may have heard that he LA crowd tends to show up in the 3rd inning and leave in the 7th. Now in the defense of the LA crowds, it’s not that they are terrible sports fans... It’s just that traffic really sucks, and sometimes you just need to leave early to beat it.
Although some people declare the beauty of the park and it’s architecture, it feels like a 60’s modernist failure in my mind. Opened in 1962 as a baseball-only facility, it still has the feel of a multi-purpose cement stadium (Keep in mind I’m generally not a huge fan of this type of architecture on any building). And it’s not like it’s a really cool 60’s modernist structure... It’s really just a symmetrical steel and concrete blah blah blah.
It does have one great thing going for it... The Dodger Dog. It’s as good as advertised. Don’t visit the park without getting one.
Los Angeles Dodgers - Dodger Stadium
Sunday, September 7, 1980