EJ's Stadium Reviews: PNC Park

Welcome to EJ's Stadium Reviews. I was on the verge of calling it EJ's Stadium Series, but "Stadium Series" was already taken somewhere. This is where I talk about a stadium that I have been to and review my experience with it in multiple different categories before giving it a final letter grade. 

For the first installment, I was struggling to decide which stadium to talk about. I was wondering if I choose a local stadium or one that was far away. One that I liked or one that I would rather forget. After all of these factors, I decided that Tropicana Field would be the first stadium in EJ's Stadium Reviews. And then I realized I forgot to upload my photos of The Trop to my laptop. 

So, I decided to change it up a bit and go with PNC Park, the home of the MLB's Pittsburgh Pirates. PNC has been the home of the Pirates since 2001, and it has been widely regarded as one of the best stadiums in all of baseball. Did it live up to the hype? Let's find out!

Date Attended: 5/27/2017
Opponent: New York Mets
Game Result: Pirates won 5-4 on a walk off single by John Jaso
Seats: Section 131


Accessibility: 3.5/5


Pittsburgh is really not that tough of a city to navigate. It helps when PNC Park and Heinz Field are located on the outside of the city, and not in the mix of everything. When I went to The Burgh, my family and I stayed in suburban Cranberry, about an hour outside of the city. We did not have issues finding the ballpark itself, despite its relatively tiny size, but parking was another story. It took us three trips to find a parking spot in one of the garages that surrounds PNC. We had no issues leaving the garage and didn't wait long to leave Pittsburgh to return to our hotel in Cranberry, which felt amazing at 11:15 at night. PNC Park was off to a good start.

Concourses: 4/5


What makes a good concourse? My qualifications are that you should have ample concessions, enough room to walk around, and it should try to make you feel like you are at a stadium, not a high school gymnasium like others I have seen. PNC hits all three of these categories almost on the nose. I had a little bit of a struggle trying to get up the escalators to our seats, but apart from that, every element was perfect. It was wide, I had plenty of room to walk, and I did not feel claustrophobic. Plus, it looks gorgeous. Especially once you get out by the Allegheny River.

Scoreboard: 2.5/5


It's there. It exists. It's not as big as I would have liked it to be. Next renovation PNC gets should improve the current scoreboard, so it's not that big of a knock for me. My apologies for not getting a wider shot of the scoreboard in. Apparently landscape mode on my phone was just not working for the scoreboard that day.

Food: N/A

I did not eat at PNC Park, rather I ate at a sports pub in Cranberry called The Sports Grille. I couldn't remember my order if you asked me, but if it did not stand out to me for negative reasons, that means I liked it.

Aesthetics: 5/5

   


THIS is where PNC Park takes the cake for me over most other ballparks. Not only is it quaint and homely, but it probably has the most beautiful sight lines in the major leagues. I could sit back and enjoy a game forever if I'm taking in the Pittsburgh skyline in the outfield. Extra innings? No problem for me. Rain delay? Disappointing, but I would much rather have a rain delay at PNC than other places. It was one of the most enjoyable games I have ever been to. The weather helped (you can't beat sunny and 75), but location and aesthetics took it to the next level. When my jaw drops upon entering my seat, that's how you know a ballpark hit a home run. And yes, the pun was fully intended.

FINAL GRADE: A

First stadium review gets a solid A grade from me. I toyed with giving it an A-, but that was too disrespectful to one of the best stadiums I have ever been to in my entire life. Sure, the Pirates may not be a title contender at the moment, but it is absolutely worth going out of your way to see PNC Park in person. It's not a grand ballpark like Citi Field or Globe Life Park, but I think that's a good thing. I love a ballpark that has charm. PNC Park has so much charm. Would I go here again? I'm salivating over the thought of potentially going to PNC again soon. That's how good this place is. 

So the first EJ Stadium Review is in the books. You can close the chapter on PNC Park, and who knows? Maybe when I return to PNC Park, I will update this review with new information. Expect more stadium reviews in the future, not limited to just baseball, and give my thoughts on them.

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