Once you're in the ballpark, you're presented with a fairly standard ballpark layout. A concourse rings the entire stadium, with the majority of the concession stands located in the back of the grandstand. The stadium has a seating capacity of 12,215, but the vast majority of this seating -- 11,075 -- is theater-style seating between the foul poles (5,845 reserved seats, 4,029 box seats, 661 club seats, and 540 suite seats). There are 30 suites at the stadium, and the club level features its own bar and a cozy lounge area. Beyond the left-field fence is a spacious picnic area geared for groups of all sizes, and beyond the right-field fence there's a group of picnic tables for those who like to lounge during the game, as well as a set of terraces where kids were playing throughout the game.

The playing field also has its own distinctive qualities. First off, the field is framed perfectly with mountains in the background, so anyone sitting the grandstand will see a gorgeous vista. There's a 127-foot-wide, four-foot-high hill in center field that does occasionally wreak havoc with outfielders; there have been at least two inside-the-park home runs because the ball has taken some odd bounces off the curved wall and the hill. (Speaking of home runs: be prepared to see a few at a 'Topes game. Because of the high altitude and the relatively short center-field curved fence, there are a fair amount of cheap home runs flying out of Isotopes Park. During my time there Gerald Williams hit one to dead center that wouldn't have made the warning track in most other stadiums, and it's no accident that Rob Stratton of the Isotopes was leading the PCL in home runs for most of the season.)

Note the scenic backdrop.

There are some quirks and disappointments with the stadium, however. First, the bowl and the playing field were reoriented in such a way that there's no room for players to sit in the bullpen (in fact, the edge of the bullpens are right on the foul lines), so bullpen pitchers and catchers must sit in the dugout until it's time to warm up. Secondly, the ends of the dugouts are open, and Isotopes players are not pleased about such easy access for fans, who will frequently poke their head into the dugout to ask for an autograph during the course of a game. The biggest disappointment really has nothing to do with the design, but rather with a decision made by Isotopes management. The old Sports Stadium was known for its drive-in terrace, where fans could watch a game from the comfort of their car, a la a drive-in theater. A drive-in terrace was built into the new stadium (you can see it on the photos page), but because of security concerns the Isotopes management never opened it up to vehicles. At the game I walked around the stadium with some local sportswriters and Ken Young, the president of the Isotopes, and he indicated that there were no plans to ever open up the terrace to vehicles and that at some point it would probably be converted to a childrens' play area.

This sounds like a cliche, but there are very few bad seats in the house, and the spacious nature of the stadium means that a large crowd doesn't clog concessions or restrooms. There was a crowd of almost 10,000 during my visit, but the concourse was never crammed: between the folks hanging out in the picnic areas and walking throughout the stadium, the crowd was dispersed enough to make it seem like a crowd of half the site. On a really crowded day you might be forced to buy tickets for a set of right-field seats past the foul pole, but even these seats aren't bad, as they're angled directly toward home plate.

In the end, Isotopes Park is an impressive accomplishment and a stadium on par with other superior Class AAA facilities. If it were located in a larger market -- say, Sacramento or Memphis -- it would be hailed as one of the best ballparks in the minor leagues. But I suspect most Isotopes fans don't really care about such comparisons: Albuquerque seems like a pretty self-contained city, and as long as the local fans are happy with such a great stadium, that's all that really matters.

More photos of Isotopes Park ----->

There is a wide variety of food offerings at Isotopes Park, including the ballpark staples (hot dogs, pizza from a local pizza chain, Italian sausage, brats, chicken tenders, soft-serve ice cream) and local staples (burritos, tacos, churros, and other Mexican foods), as well as specialty items like subs, salads, BBQ nachos, blooming onions with chipotle sauce, sweet-potato fries, Krispy Kreme doughnuts, Dippin' Dots ice cream and half-pound Black Angus burgers. There was a real peanut roaster at the park as well. Beer fans will like the wide variety of mainstream brands (Miller Lite, Coors Light, Coors, Fosters, Guinness, Bud, Bud Light, Tecate, and Dos Equis) and local microbrews from Liquid Assets (Albuquerque Pale Ale, Isotopes Ale).

Be warned: I had the worst hot dog I've ever eaten at a ballpark in Albuquerque. The bun was stale, and the dog was cold and tasteless. Not remotely close to being worth the $2.75 charged by the team.

As the stadium is only a mile or two from the airport, there was a slew of hotels near the airport that are also a mile or less from Isotopes Park. The Radisson Inn (1901 University SE.) is within walking distance of the ballpark, located a half mile or so south of the ballpark. Within a mile is the Sleep Inn ABQ Airport and the Comfort Inn, which are both affordable alternatives.

There's not much at the ballpark for kids. Currently there's a single play area in right field and some basic ballpark games down the left-field line, but any kid will get bored with them after 15 minutes or so. That probably will change for next season, according to Isotopes management.

An abobe Target!

Albuquerque rocks!

OK, maybe Albuquerque isn't the first place you think of when you want to get away for a relaxing vacation, but Albuquerque is a great place to visit, and New Mexico is an incredibly scenic state. The Albuquerque area has been inhabited for at least 12,000 years, with Ancestral Pueblo Indians arriving 800 or so years ago and Navajo and Apache Indians arriving between 400 and 600 years ago. The Spanish arrived in 1598, but they didn't arrive permanently until 1692, when they established cities and churches. By 1821 the Santa Fe Trail was attracting travelers through the area, which was still under Mexican rule. It was not until 1846 that the area was claimed as a territory of the United States. So there's a wide variety of backgrounds and ethnicities existing in New Mexico.

First thing to note: Albuquerque is a fairly compact city, so it's easy to get around. Once you figure out your orientation to some major drags -- Broadway, Central, University, the freeways -- you can find almost anything in Albuquerque. Plus, the major attractions in Albuquerque are well-marked, so if you have a halfway decent map there's little chance you'll get lost.

With that in mind, there are several great ways to pass the time in Albuquerque. The first one -- and the one that I'd recommend -- is driving through the city on Central Avenue. This four-lane highway is better known as the local portion of Route 66, the legendary highway that once connected Chicago and Los Angeles. Back when America had a romance with the open highway (the 1920s through the 1960s), Route 66 was seen as the ultimate symbol of freedom and the wide-open qualities of America. Driving on Route 66 meant driving through the heart of America -- St. Louis, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, and Flagstaff were prominent cities on the route -- and some cities, like Albuquerque, were centered around the neon-filled motels and restaurants on the route. Route 66 was also a handy metaphor for many things: for John Steinbeck in The Grapes of Wrath, Route 66 was the road to redemption for the Dust Bowlers seeking the promised land in California, while for singer Bobby Troup Route 66 was a place to get your kicks, to hit the road with no worries. Technically, Route 66 doesn't exist anymore, although it is noted with signs in Albuquerque, and car enthusiasts regularly embark on journeys down the old Route 66 route.

Actually, Route 66 ran in two areas of Albuquerque. The first route of Route 66 ran north-south through Albuquerque, going up to Santa Fe and Las Vegas, N.M. The second route -- and the one promoted in Albuquerque today -- was established in 1934-1937 and ran east-west through town on what is now Central Avenue. And, in fact, most of Albuquerque's history can be seen through Route 66 in three areas: Old Town, downtown, and Nob Hill. Albuquerque is a mish-mash of architectural styles: the adobe style is popular both for residences and commercial establishments, while a 1950s modern style -- coinciding with the rise of Route 66 and the money it brought into town -- can also be found throughout the city as well as in downtown Albuquerque.

Old Town is the historic core of Albuquerque. This area is also home to some family-friendly attractions, including the New Mexico Museum of Natural History & Science, the ˇExplora! Science Center, and the National Atomic Museum. (Why an atomic museum? Because much of the work in developing nuclear power and atomic technology was developed at labs in the Albuquerque area, mostly centered in Los Alamos, where the Manhattan Project was carried out. It is also the reason why the nickname Isotopes actually makes sense for an Albuquerque baseball team.)

While downtown Albuquerque is now dominated by office buildings, there still a collection of bars and restaurants centrally clustered around 4th Avenue. The area also features its fair share of neon.

Nob Hill is a neighborhood adjoining the University of New Mexico that served as the gateway to Albuquerque on Route 66. While in the Route 66 heyday Nob Hill was geared toward businesses that would be frequently by tourists and locals who owned cars, today Nob Hill is a trendy area with great restaurants, bars, and shops. Much of the architecture in the area is the Moderne style, including the Nob Hill Business Center, designed in 1946 as a drive-in shopping center.

Scattered throughout Route 66 are many, many old motels that catered to the carriage trade. Surprisingly enough, most of them look to be in pretty decent shape, and for anyone on a budget, they're probably worth checking out.

For a scenic view of Albuquerque and the entire region, check out the Sandia Peak Tramway, billed as the world's longest tramway.

If ballpark food doesn't satisfy your culinary needs, you're in luck -- Albuquerque is a pretty decent restaurant town and part of the area where Southwestern cuisine was born. If you want some home-style Mexican cuisine without a lot of pretension -- and who doesn't? -- check out Los Cuates New Mexico Food (5016-B Lomas NE.; 2901 Lomas NE.), a popular local restaurant. Also recommended is Julia's Cafe in Old Town.

If you're up for a short trip out of town, Santa Fe is an hour or so up the I-25 freeway. It has the same Spanish roots as Albuquerque, and it's also known as a haven for artists -- modernist Georgia O'Keeffe ended up spending most of her life in the area, and her work is collected at the Georgia O'Keeffe Museum. Downtown Santa Fe is also incredibly history: the Palace of Governors was constructed in the early 17th century as Spain's seat of government for what is today the American Southwest (and also where a territorial governor wrote Ben Hur, of all things); today it is the state's history museum. A block away from the La Fonda Hotel complex, which features restaurants, shops, and a historic hotel dating back to 1922. Santa Fe is also known as a shopping mecca.