Citizens Bank Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Posted by: 
monkeykat
N 39° 54.344 W 075° 09.992
18S E 485765 N 4417307
Citizens Bank Park is a 43,302-seat baseball-only stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania that opened on April 3, 2004. It was built to replace the now-demolished Veterans Stadium and is the home of the Philadelphia Phillies MLB baseball team.
Waymark Code: WM15QY
Location: Pennsylvania, United States
Date Posted: 01/24/2007
Views: 201
Citizens Bank Park (Named for corporate sponsor Citizens Bank) is a state of the art new baseball only stadium. The stadium is located in the sporting complex in Philadelphia that also features the Wachovia Spectrum, Wachovia Center (The Wach), and Lincoln Financial Field (The Link). All the professional sports teams for Philadelphia play int his area.
The ballpark features natural grass and dirt playing field and boasts many Philadelphia style food stands, including cheesesteaks, hoagies, and other regional specialties. Behind center field is Ashburn Alley, named after Phillies great center fielder and Hall of Famer Richie Ashburn, a walkway featuring restaurants and memorabilia from Phillies history, along with a restaurant/bar and grille called "Harry The K's" named after Hall of Fame broadcaster Harry Kalas. This area opens two-and-a-half hours before the scheduled first pitch.
Controversial comments have swirled around the fence distances since its opening. Pitchers and media members (especially those in Philadelphia's newspapers) have indicated that the ballpark, which promised to be fair to both hitters and pitchers, was a bandbox. The team made an honest mistake originally placing a 369-foot distance marker in left center field twenty-five feet closer than it should have. A study originally showed that a survey of wind patterns would have had an advantage in night games for pitchers and hitters in day games. But in 2004, the park yielded a total of 228 homers, the most in the National League, and only U.S. Cellular Field in Chicago served up more dingers with 272 that year. After the 2005 season where 17 fewer home runs were hit in the park than in 2004, the fences in left and left-center were moved back five feet and raised 2.5 feet (0.76 meters).
The Majestic Clubhouse Store is open year-round, and serves as the starting point for tours of the ballpark. The bi-level store features regular merchandise on the first level and Phanatic-themed items on the second level, while the Alley Store is open during all home games and features customizable Phillies jerseys.
When I visited this park in its opening season, fans were allowed to bring in their own food and non-alcoholic beverages. A huge bonus, as we were able to bring in subs and water for a hot 92 degree day game.
The park also features a huge liberty bell for home run celebrations. Standing 102 feet (31 meters) above street level, this 52-foot (15.8 meters) by 35-foot (10.7 meters) wide mechanical, lighted replica of the Liberty Bell "rings" and lights up after every Phillies home run and victory.
It's the home of which team(s)?: Philadelphia Phillies
Which professional sports are played here?: Major League Baseball
Capacity (number of seats): 43,302
Opening Date: 04/12/2004
Guided Tours: yes
Venue's Website or Team's Website: [Web Link]
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Visit Instructions:
1) Tell how was your visit. Were you at a game, which one? Have you just visited it by the outside, on a guided tour maybe? Are you a fan?
2) Pictures:
- They should be taken by YOU.
- No internet pictures are allowed.
- Upload one photo, at least. It would be great if you'd upload one of the venue and one with you on the photo.
- No need of photos with the GPSr.
- Extra credits for photos inside, with the teams playing.