Los Angeles: Dodger Stadium

Overview

Think blue. Dodger Stadium is quickly becoming a classic.

Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California is home to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

When the Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles, many thought the team could never re-gain the loyal following and tradition they had on the east coast. At least as far as ballparks go, those critics were wrong. Dodger Stadium is truly one of the game's classic parks, and according to many Dodger faithful it is just as nice as it was the day it opened.

The most noticeable part of Dodger Staduim from the outside is its tremendous parking lot. Equipped with its own gas station, the parking lot is the only visible setting for a park that is actually remarkably close to downtown Los Angeles. Still, the outfield view from inside the park is of the surrounding mountains that form Chavez Ravine. A corny "Think blue" sign reminiscent of the "Hollywood" lettering appears above the left field seats among the trees. Interestingly, due to the ravine's slope and the style of the parking lot, cars parked outside the park near the outfield are parked at field level, while cars parked in the lots behind home plate are at the level of the upper deck.

Inside, the park has four main decks plus a press box and smaller suite level. And each is a different color. Yellow, orange, blue and red. Plus the lighter blue bleachers. Add on a jagged overhanging roof to the bleachers, a robin's egg blue outfield fence and one of the brightest grass fields in baseball, and Dodger Stadium surely has one of the most beautiful and showy looks of all sports stadia. In addition, the concourse for every non-outfield deck at least in part has a view overlooking the field.

There are certainly flaws in any ballpark that opened nearly 50 years ago, and Dodger Stadium is no exception. The seats are a little cramped and the infield seats are separated from the outfield seats so that fans in one section cannot move to the other. It works out nicely for ushers trying to prevent fans from getting better seats than they paid for, but it is inconvenient as a tourist trying to see the whole park. Also, moving around from deck to deck is a challenge since the only easy way to do so is through elevators - in which they check your ticket.

Dodger Stadium is also showing its age - obviously. Its concourses are a little narrow and a little dark compared those at the retro parks. Luckily the stadium gets a new coat of paint every year, so its trademark bright colors and showy appearance remain unchanged.