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Enjoy Philadelphia Phillies Tickets for home games at Citizens Bank Park

Citizens Bank Park / Philadelphia Phillies

(click on the image for a larger photo)
 

Year Opened	2004
Capacity	43,500
Architect	EwingCole, Philadelphia, and HOK Sport+Venue+Event
Dimensions	329L, 374LC, 409 “The Angle,” 401C, 369RC, 330R
Playing Surface	Grass
Last Visit	2005
Web Site	mlb.com
Online Broadcasts	Yes
Online Ticket Sales	Yes
Phone	215/463-5000
Ticket Prices (2006)	Field Level - Infield, $44; Field Level - Baseline, $38; Terrace $30-$22; Club Level - Arcade, $27; Club Level - Pavilion, $27-$16; Field Level - OF, $25; Club Level - Scoreboard Porch, $22; Terrace Deck, $16, $22; Rooftop Bleachers, $15
League	National League
Parking	As 21,000 parking spots surround the ballpark, you can usually get fairly close to an entrance without a lot of maneuvering. Parking is $10.
Address/Directions	One Citizens Bank Way, Philadelphia. Citizens Bank Park is located in the same south Philadelphia sports complex with Lincoln Financial Field (home to the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles), Wachovia Center (home to the NHL’s Philadelphia Flyers and the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers) and the Wachovia Spectrum (home to the AHL’s Philadelphia Phantoms). The SEPTA Broad Street Subway Line terminates at the sports complex at Pattison Avenue. The Broad Street Line runs north-south through Philadelphia, beginning to the north at the Fern Rock Transportation Center and terminating to the south at the Pattison Avenue stop next to the sports facilities. The sports complex is only two miles from downtown Philly, so taking the train is a breeze. The sports complex is located between I-75 and I-95, so as long as you know how to get to either freeway you can make it to the ballpark. When on I-95 exits 17 and 19 will take you directly to the ballpark. If you’re staying downtown, take Broad Street south and you’ll be right there.
Written by:	Kevin Reichard
Rating

Is Citizens Bank Park the best ballpark in baseball? While its location keeps it from being considered the best overall ballpark, it certainly is one of the best.

In fact, there is no reason why Citizens Bank Park shouldn’t be sold out every night: the ballpark is lovely and the Phillies field a competitive team.

So why was it so easy for us to score tickets in 2005 while the team was in the midst of a wild-card race?

That question weighs on the minds of local sports pundits, who point out Philadelphia is really a football town at heart. They also point out the Phillies need to actually win something before fans hand over their hearts.

But the lack of sellouts has nothing to do with the ballpark, which is a beautiful addition to the family of big-league ballparks. Though it has retro features like brickwork and cozy dimensions, Citizens Bank Park isn’t a true retro ballpark. Its location in the same South Philadelphia sports complex housing Lincoln Financial Field, the Spectrum, and Wachovia Center gives it a definite suburban feel: it’s basically adrift in a sea of parking, a ballpark without context. (The downtown Philly skyline can be seen from the ballpark, but thanks to the Philadelphia tradition of not building towers taller than 491 feet tall -- the height of the William Penn statue atop City Hall -- it is not an exceptionally distinguished skyline.) Given the site limitations, Citizens Bank Park is designed to be as insular as possible: it’s a fairly vertical ballpark, designed to interact as little with the rest of the city.

But it works. The reddish brickwork gives the ballpark a warm feel, while the large scoreboard in left provides a great focal point off the field. The abundance of small touches -- Ashburn Alley, above-average concessions, public art -- and some unique design decisions make Citizens Bank Park by far the most interesting ballpark in the majors.

When you go -- and if you love ballparks, you absolutely must -- take some time to walk around the ballpark before the game. From a distance, Citizens Bank Park isn’t very impressive: it is a ballpark without much context, surrounded by a sea of parking and other sports facilities. Walk all the way around the ballpark before you enter, and you’ll see the four main gates are designed differently. Outside the ballpark there are 10-foot-tall bronze statues of Richie Ashburn, Robin Roberts, Steve Carlton, and Mike Schmidt, all members of the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, done by local sculptor Zenos Frudakis. Also, on the west side of the ballpark is the statue of Connie Mack that once graced the Veterans Stadium and Connie Mack Stadium grounds.

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Once inside, head right to the outfield area and spend time in Ashburn Alley. It opens early -- 2.5 hours before evening games and three hours before weekend games -- and the atmosphere celebrates Philadelphia baseball, from the earliest days of the Philadelphia Quakers to Richie Ashburn’s era to the great teams of the 1970s and 1980s. Memory Lane provides timelines of Philadelphia baseball highlights, including the Phillies, Athletics, and the Negro League teams in the city. Every Phillie All-Star is honored with a commemorative marker, while members of the Phillies Hall of Fame are honored with a bronze plaque. There are food choices galore (we cover them later in this chapter), and you’ll also be able to watch both starting pitchers warm up in the bilevel bullpens before the game.

In this section you’ll also find bleacher seats on top of the buildings, designed to invoked the rooftop seats surrounding Shibe Park in the 1920s. Rooftop seating is actually a grand baseball tradition, dating back to the first days when promoters started charging admission to games, and it’s nice to see that knothole spirit celebrated at the ballpark, albeit limited to groups. (Before we get too weepy with nostalgia, let’s also point out it’s a really clever way to monetize space a great distance away from the playing field.)

The ballpark is aggressively asymmetrical. The outfield fence goes beyond being merely asymmetrical: it contains an “Angle” that juts into play. (We discuss it more in the next section.) The upper deck and the lower deck don’t match up, there’s a break in the grandstand near section 210 (with the right-field pavilion sitting lower than the grandstand), and there’s more seating in the right-field corner than the left-field one. The break is more than a designed quirk: its platform provides views of the game and the Philadelphia skyline.

There is also plenty of eye candy once the game starts. When the Phillies homer, a neon Liberty Bell high above right-center field “rings”: the clapper and the bell appear to move, and a ringing sound is played on the sound system. The Liberty Bell is large -- 35 feet by 50 feet -- and it occupies a perch 100 feet above street level.

And, of course, there’s the massive scoreboard, featuring the largest videoboard in baseball when installed in 2004 (since eclipsed more than once). The scoreboard pretty much dominates the view from any seat, save those in Ashburn Alley and the left-field bleachers, of course) Out-of-town scores are tracked on a videoboard in front of the right-field bleachers: in addition to scores, the game status in terms of runners on base and the number of outs is displayed. The immense scoreboard stands out because there’s not a lot of other signage at the ballpark: there are no race-track displays and the small display boards above the club level are discreet, to say the least.

One good thing about Citizens Bank Park: It seems to attract a better class of fan than the Vet did. Philadelphia fans are passionate about their sports, and while that passion sometimes can manifest itself in alarming ways -- remember, Philadelphia is where the fans once booed Santa Claus at an Eagles game -- we didn’t see too much evidence of boorish behavior at Phillies games, even with larger crowds fueled by playoff fever.

In the end, we had a great time attending Phillies games, and much of that had to do with Citizen Bank Park. It’s a ballpark where all the little touches shine through, from the historic displays in Ashburn Alley to the emphasis on local offerings in the concession stands. There’s nothing generic about Citizens Bank Park -- which should make it a prime stop for anyone wanting a great ballpark experience.

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Food and Drink
Apparently it is mandatory for a new ballpark to have a BBQ stand, a precedent set by Boog Powell’s stand at Oriole Park. In Philadelphia the barbecue is served up under former Phillie Greg “The Bull” Luzinski’s name in Ashburn Alley. Now, Bull Luzinski is the kind of guy who looks like he’s never walked away from a rack or two of ribs in his life, and apparently he was quite the ribs connoisseur before he signed on as the celebrity name at the Citizens Bank Park barbecue pit. It was a smart signing for concessionaire Aramark: we couldn’t get near the place because of the long lines.

However, that left with probably a dozen solid food choices, including several in Ashburn Alley. Sandwiches are big in Philadelphia, and in Ashburn Alley you have your choice between Philly cheesesteaks from Geno’s Steaks and Philly-style sandwiches (including cheesesteaks and pork sandwiches) from Tony Luke’s. Both have their adherents, judging by the long lines in front of both stands.

Neither are excessive as The Schmitter, sold at the stand behind Section 139. Basically, a Schmitter is a cheesesteak on steroids, comprised of fried salami, steak, three slices of cheese, tomatoes and a special sauce. It was originated at McNally's Tavern in Chestnut Hill.

Also represented in Ashburn Alley and other Citizens Bank Park: crab fries from local watering hole Chickie's & Pete's, hoagies from local chain Planet Hoagie, pizza from Ardmore’s Peace A Pizza and Turkey Hill ice cream. (You can also find Turkey Hill ice cream at multiple stands on the main concourse.) Microbrews and sandwiches are sold at the Brewerytown stands.

For the Kids
There is an abundance of attractions at Citizens Bank Park geared toward kids. In the right-field corner -- near the Right Field Gate entrance -- are several games, including a monster-sized Baseball Pinball (yes, part of our misspent youth was behind the flippers of a Williams Line Drive pinball; the giant version is a wonderful reminder of the original), a climbing wall, a pitching cage, and other games.

The Phillies merchandise the heck out of the Phillie Phanatic, but it’s all in good taste, and the kids just eat it up. There’s no way a kid will attend a game and not walk away with some sort of Phanatic souvenir: various concession stands sell other Phanatic dolls and T-shirts, while the second level of the Majestic Clubhouse Store is devoted to Phanatic merchandise. Also, the smaller set will enjoy building their own Phillie Phanatic at the Build-A-Bear Workshop located on the Main Concourse near Section 135. (Citizens Bank Park was the only ballpark we visited where an entire concession stand is devoted to DVDs and books. To books. We were awestruck.)

The Phanatic Phun Zone, geared for kids aged eight and below, is a giant play area. The Phillies say it’s the largest in Major League Baseball.