Iowa Guy,

I have been to these parks except for Cleveland. I think in order of their uniqueness that Detroit ranks higher than Pittsburgh, which slightly edges out Cincinnati.

While you are in Detroit be sure to drive by the site of old Tiger Stadium.

You MUST eat to at Pegasus in Greektown (558 Monroe St.)

For Comerica, there is lot parking all around for 15 -30 bucks, especially to the west side of the stadium. Fans seem to congregate at Hockeytown outside the stadium. I’d stay downtown (Marriott Renaissance Center or Hilton Garden Inn) and walk to the park. It’s nice in the summertime in Michigan. Try the Superman ice cream (it’s at the stadium) if you’ve never had this Michigander treat.

Maybe check out the Henry Ford museum, or Belle Isle Island. Ford Field is nice also.

BTW, Why is Wrigley Field on this list?!

I agree, Wrigley needs to be on here unless you’ve already been multiple times. The classics like Wrigley and Yankee Stadium beat out any of these new, better looking parks.

great view and all you can eat peanuts, popcorn, hotdogs for only 30$. the seats are only 22 $ so all you have to do is eat a hotdog and a drink to make up the 7 dollars

Penn Station is easily the best deal/local food served at the ballpark (about $8.00 for good sized philly cheesesteak and fries), but obviously you have to get some cheese coneys from Skyline Chili.

Definitely check out the Reds Hall of Fame located next to the ballpark. You might also like to see Fountain Square, the historical center of Cincinnati, located about 4 blocks north and west of the ballpark, and while you’re there grab some Graeter’s ice cream.

There’s almost no bar/nightlife activity around the stadium. Your best bet is crossing the river to Newport, Kentucky. You can take boats from various Newport establishments (Hooters) but the Red Reporter crew has walked drunk over the bridge many times. There’s no danger. Just head for the big lights of the retail center and you’ll be fine.

-Pregame eat at The Machine Room. It’s OK and has a bit of memorabilia from the Reds heyday.
-There is an excellent Reds Hall of Fame next door to the stadium and is hyped as the second biggest after Cooperstown. Other than that the Reds did a poor job incorporating anything worthwhile to see on the stadium grounds.
-You can actually get Skyline Cheese coneys inside the ballpark but they are not up to par with eating at a restaurant. The beer is pretty run of the mill at the park stuff.
-Cincinnati is an atrocious bar town in comparison with Chicago, Columbus, and Pittsburgh. So the only thing worthwhile is the Hofbräuhaus on the Kentucky side of the river. I’ve been to the real deal in Munich and it is comparable with food and beer. The wurst is not quite as good but the beer is just as delicious. On the Cincinnati side McFadden’s is trendy but is one of the only bars that are OK. Mt. Adams is the best bar scene on the Ohio side but is a bit away from downtown but not too far to cab it with some friends.
-The Zoo is the best outside of San Diego. There is an Underground Railroad Museum. Kings Island can give Cedar Point a run for its’ money. Roebling Suspension bridge was the first suspension bridge in the world and the Brooklyn bridge was modeled after it. Nothing too great to see in Cincinnati but there is stuff to occupy your time and you might want to look up some concerts. There is a pretty good music scene in Cincinnati for being a small big city.
-Before the game you can park on the Kentucky side of the river by Hofbräuhaus and walk over the bridge in 10-15 minutes and drink after the game. It’s cheaper and easier and less DUI’y that way.

I’ve been to The Jake Progressive Field a couple times. Let’s see what I can remember…

The stadium itself is nice, though after more than a decade it’s a little unspectacular. I believe that the Reds modeled several features of Great American after Jacobs Field. Used to be one of the harder tickets to get, but they rarely sell out anymore, even though they came within one game of the World Series last year.

They’ll be a guy banging a drum in the bleachers. So that’s something.

The bleachers and patio area are good places to catch balls.

Stuff to do in Cleveland… At the stadium, you’re pretty close to some downtown bars (I would always go to the Winking Lizard with my friends).

Other bars are at the Flats, along the Cuyahoga River, a little south and west of the stadium. Manny Ramirez used to get ticketed by cops there a lot, when he played for the Indians. Lakewood, one of the western suburbs of Cleveland, also has what might be the highest concentration of bars, per capita, in America. Also the center of the gay population in Cleveland, so there you go.

If you can, make a stop at the Great Lakes Brewery. Best microbrew in Ohio, and possibly the midwest.

Other things to see… A lot of people poo-poo it, but I really like the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It’s right on Lake Erie, and also next door to the Great Lakes Science Center. I would pop into the Arcade as well (it’s within walking distance from the stadium). Here’s a picture of it at Christmas time.

If you’re into theater, Playhouse Square is a great place to catch a show.

The Cleveland Zoo sucks. We’ll leave the argument strictly between Cincinnati and Columbus.

Sad to say I don’t eat before or after the game in Cincinnati, generally the game cleans me out too much to beable to eat before or after a game at one of area resteruants and bars, but I also just turned 21 so there are now more oppurtunities. I can give you some Stadium reviews though.

The Jake is an excellent ballpark. It has good sitelines and a nice view, the scoreboard is filled with information. The downside is it is in Cleveland and you have to be around people from Cleveland, the food is decent allthough the worst of the 3. I generally stick to ballpark food of hotdogs and stuff like that. I don’t go to a game to eat an $8 Philly Cheese steak that I can get from the same resturant for $4.

PNC-Beautiful backdrop of the Alaghany river and the bridges and the skyline. Almost makes me wish they built Great American in Kentucky. It is my least favorite of the 3 though, because of their presentation of the game. They do not always have both lineups listed, only the team up to bat. If there is a double switch and you miss what the PA-Announcer says you won’t be able to figure it out until they come up to bat. They offer very little in the way of stats, just very basic stats, Avg, RBI’s, HR’s, ERA, W,L, Svs. Comepared to Great AMerican which is just filled with stats. The paragio race is something to behold. The tailgating in the parking lot is a good scene. Buy some Yuenling and get it on ice before the game, they don’t really enforce the open container law. Plus while you are drinking a girl from McFaddens may give you a coupon for a free draft after the game. Inside PNC sells Yuengling but it probably costs about $9. My suggestion is to drink about 3 or 4 beers before the game in the parking lot, I was billigerently drunk for the first few ininngs because I had about 4 beers in 20 minutes, but by the end of the game I was sober enough to drive if nesscary.

I’ve also been to Toledo. If you want the MA*SH experiance Packo’s Hungarian Hot Dogs is right outside 5/3 Field. I would also suggest not to spend too much time there after the game, Toledo is a seedy town, and I am not generally afraid of urban areas but just get teh fuck out after the game. If you interested in Minor League ballpark you should check out Lousiville and INdianapolis they are nicer than Toledo’s. I guess as long as you are in Cincinnati, you should go down to FLorence (about 10 miles or so South of Cincinnati straight down I-75) and go to a Florene Freedom game. If you are going to be in Cincinnati on Sunday May 25th, they are playing an afternoon game. The Freedom are a part of the Frontier League, and although the ballpark is nothing special, it is dirt cheap, for $10 you can sit right behind homeplate and have a waitress. Parking is free.