PNC Park, Pittsburgh

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Baseball is quoted as "America's Past Time". Although technically this isn't true now, there is nothing better than a Pittsburgh Pirates home game in the early evening or early afternoon. PNC Park was made in 2001 and has since hosted multiple "Special" Major League Baseball events. It has been consistantly voted as one of the best baseball stadiums in the United States.

Although my luster for the Pittsburgh Pirates has waned a bit, I still make it to a few games a year just for the atmosphere. It is always a good time and you can get great, cheap seats (As low as $7), as well as get a foul ball as a gift for the drive home.

My Grades
Area: A
Restrooms: A+
Aesthetics: A+
Environment: A+

One of the finest establishments Pittsburgh has to offer. A few fun facts about PNC Park:

- To date, only 28 home run balls have made it to the Allegheny River.
- Capacity of 39,000 with the distance from home plate to the seats only 51 feet (15.5 meters).

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If you want one place to watch baseball enacted, let it be here. The stadium is a gorgeous ballpark, just the right size with good views from every seat. It isn’t just the amenities of the stadium that make PNC so special, however, it is its location on the north bank of the Allegheny River. The ballpark is open to views across the river to the towers of the city’s Golden Triangle, rising above the Roberto Clemente Bridge. Steamboats cruise past blasting their whistles. In the unlikely event of a Pirate home run, there are even fireworks.

PNC Park was opened in 2001 with a capacity of 38,496. The park is just upstream from the late Three Rivers Stadium, the multi-sport stadium that used to be home for both the Pirates and the football Steelers - the site is now a parking lot for Heinz Field. The first two stadia in which the Pirates played were located on the North Shore of the Allegheny - Recreation Park and Exposition Park. It was at Exposition Park where the first World Series game played in Pittsburgh occurred on Oct 6, 1903 ending in a Pirate 4-2 victory over the Boston Americans. That was also the first world Series ever played and Boston would recover to win the Series five games to three - the Series was a best-of-nine event then. Forbes Field, over by the University of Pittsburgh, was the home of the Pirates for many years - 1909 to 1970 - and was where the team won two of its five World Championships.

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PNC Park, home to the Pittsburgh Pirates, opened in the Spring of 2001 along the shore of the Allegheny River. It boasts an outdoor river terrace, a river walk , an outfield barbeque and an Outback steakhouse restaurant with party deck overlooking the field and downtown Pittsburgh. There are other eateries at the stadium, too.

FYI: The stadium was designed by Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum from Kansas City, Missouri. It was designed for intimate viewing, more like nostalgic Forbes or Wrigley Fields and is natural grass. There are 60 suites with private concourse and club seating with lounges on two levels. The highest seat is just 88 feet from the field, so it lends an old-time atmosphere to the viewing--it seats just over 38,000.

We had a great time at our last Pirates game. A client of my husband's gave us box seat tickets, so we watched the game in high style. Conveniently located inside were booths selling snacks and beverages, souvenir shirts, programs and anything PIRATES related--typical souvenir items. There was also a nicely appointed bar with a pool table--no charge to play. If I could sit in the same seats, I'd go with my husband to see the Pirates anytime--who wouldn't?

Tours of the stadium are given mid-April to mid-October. Call 423-325-4700 to reserve--there is a charge for the tour.

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PNC Park is across the Allegheny River from the city. It houses the Pittsburgh Pirates. We managed to buy ticket son the street and entered the game about 3 innings in. In Pennsylvania you can buy tickets on the street as long as they don't go for more than the box office price - so no worries.

The park is new and has a fantastic view of the city. The abundance of ramps makes it easily handicapped accessible. As with all sports field, there are plenty of food and drink stalls. We happened to be there on a fireworks night and fireworks were set off from barges on the river, all set to piped in music. It was spectacular.