Coors Field: The Greatest Place on Earth

Official Review by Rich Kurtzman, Stadium Journey Regional Correspondent

15 years ago, when Coors Field first opened, the nickname seemed silly.

Coors Field wasn't even the greatest stadium in Denver, Colorado, let alone the greatest place on Earth.

But after a decade and a half of Major League Baseball in the Mile High City, Coors has lived up to that moniker.

Coors is an extremely unique baseball stadium for a number of reasons.

Denver became the first city in the Rocky Mountain region to host a Major League Baseball team when the MLB awarded them the expansion Rockies in 1993. Therefore, Coors Field (1995) became the first MLB stadium in the Mountain Time zone as well.

Coors is also unique because it rejuvenated the Lower Downtown (LODO) area in Denver, turning a defunct once busy warehouse district into a place for entertainment and great nightlife.

In addition, what makes Coors special are the extremely low ticket prices. The "Rockpile" was designed as a place in the stadium where fans can attend games for a mere $4. Beyond the deepest part of the park in the Rockpile, there are cheap seats to be had all around the stadium up high around the row of purple seats that denotes exactly one mile above sea level.

The classic brick architecture matches the surrounding LODO neighborhood, the forest green painted metal beams reflect the beautiful forests in the Rocky Mountains just 30 miles to the West. The open concourses give free views to onlookers and passersby - so many people are surprised you can actually stand anywhere along the lower level just feet from the top of the stairs to take in the game for as long as you like. Seats along the right field line will give awe striking views of Colorado's mountains and sensational sunsets.

Of course, there's not a bad seat in the house - whether it be the top row of the upper deck, in the suite level, second row behind home plate, out in right field over the scoreboard, in left field on the bleacher seats or deep center in the Rockpile - if you go to a game at Coors Field, a good time will be had by all.

Food & Beverage    5

The food and beverage at Coors Field is wide ranging and relatively well priced.

For traditional fare, something good for fans young and old to enjoy is the "Rockie Dog." It's a footlong hotdog that can be topped with peppers, onions or sauerkraut or all three for $6. These stands (Grille Works) also carry hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, beer (Coors/Light, Bud/Light for $6.50), candy (M&Ms, Red Stripe Licorice), French fries and nachos.

There are footlong Bratwurst stands, Blake Street Burrito stands, and places to get panini and deli sandwiches.

For those with a more mature taste, there are also smaller free-standing cheese steak stands to visit. The cheese steaks grilling send a wonderful smell throughout the concourse and you will not be disappointed in buying one ($6.00). (Sections 243, 331, 115 and 133)

If a "50's Diner" meal is more your taste, check out the No. 17 Grill (in honor of the greatest Rockie of all time, Todd Helton). The No. 17 Grill offers the Helton Burger Combo, with fries and a shake for $12. Carl Mittleman, regional vice president of Aramark, the Coors Field food vendors said, "We think we have the best burger in baseball."

Of course, there are other snacks around the park and you can buy peanuts, Cracker Jack or even Dippin' Dots, an interesting and tasty ice cream snack. Madeline's is an ice cream stand that offers soft serve and hand dipped ice cream cones and sundaes. (Section 150)

Other drinks include Coke products ($3.25) and there are "Beers of the World" stands in which attendees can purchase a microbrew if it suits their taste. (Sections 106, 121, 137, 146, 316) Liquor Bars are found throughout the stadium as well (Sections 137, 221, 236, 314, 330) and the Blue Moon Brewing Co. offers a bar experience in the stadium as well.

And then, for an experience all its own, there's the Mountain Ranch Club and Bar & Grille in the right field corner of Coors Field. For the first 15 years of the ballpark's existence the windows on the Mountain Ranch Club were closed - but in 2010 the stadium opened them up. There's a two tiered outdoor patio with tables that seat two-four people and include a personal TV. Each game ticket at the Mountain Ranch Club includes a $30-50 food credit and the menu seems extensive. But, the Rockies won't say how much tickets are for this unique location so please call (303) 312-2222 for more information on ticket pricing and advance seating.

Atmosphere    4

The atmosphere at Coors is partly wild and fun but mostly relaxed and laid back.

There's no doubt that Coors Field promotes a family-friendly atmosphere and many children dot the stands during most contests.

Coors has an interesting atmosphere, certainly the least rowdy of Denver's three professional sports venues on any given regular season night.

But, a new development has begun lately in Colorado - it's hip to be a Rockies fan again.

Basically, if a franchise can field a team that competes night-in, night out, Denver will support it ferociously.

As the season wears on, and the Rockies find themselves competing fiercely for a postseason berth (as they have in three of the last four seasons), the Coors Field stands fill with die-hards ready to go wild for their baseball team.

Depending on when you are at the stadium will decide the type of atmosphere you will find. Opening day, Fourth of July and games in September will certainly sell out and will offer more lively crowds, while middle of season games will likely be laid back.

Neighborhood    5

As was touched on earlier, the LODO neighborhood that calls Coors home is amazing!

There are seemingly countless numbers of bars, clubs, restaurants and hotels that are literally steps from the home plate entrance of Coors Field.

One such place is The Tavern Downtown, which is half a city block from Coors at 1949 Market St. The Tavern is a cool place (literally and figuratively) to pre or post game party, and it was happy hour when I attended before the game. That meant it was two domestic beers for the price of one just hours before the night's contest.

Upstairs there are two huge outdoor bar areas with splendid water misters that surround the outlying area which are perfect for a hot summer's day or night. There are some 10-14 flat screen TVs with all the night's sports action on, and there's a 20 foot tall projection screen that is used when the sun goes down.

From their website, "The 11,000 square foot award-winning rooftop patio overlooks Coors Field and Market and 20th streets." It was actually voted the No. 7 best rooftop bar in America by Playboy and is definitely one of the places to be in Denver.

Happy hour runs M-F 2-7 p.m. which includes 2-for-1 well drinks, house wine and domestic draft beer. If you're looking to attend a Rockies day game on the weekends, the Tavern offers $10 large pizza, $1 sliders and a free kids brunch (10 a.m.-2 p.m.). The full menu can be found here and is moderately priced ($7-$15) for "gourmet bar food."

The Breckenridge Brewery is one of Colorado's many breweries and they make very tasty beer. Located across the street from Coors Field's right field entrance, the Breckenridge Brewery Blake Street Pub both brews its own beer, offers an ample variety of brews and what they call an, "eclectic menu."

There's a great assortment of food, from lots of appetizers, salads and sandwiches to Mexican foods, chicken sandwiches and hamburgers and entrees like "Beer-B-Que Pork Ribs" and a Grilled Fresh Salmon Fillet.

The Blake Street Pub also has happy hour M-F 3-7 p.m. which offers $3-16 oz. draft beers, house wine or well drinks. And for those that aren't able to find tickets, they have buy one get one free drafts during the middle of the second and seventh innings.

Fans    4

After years of losing, the Mile High City's frustrations with the team were as high as the row of purple seats that circle Coors Field.

Then, the team that wouldn't spend money on big time players showed its philosophy of growing their own talent has paid off.

The Rockies won 21-22 games to end the 2007 season and get into the playoffs for their second ever time. It was the first time they went to the postseason in a dozen years, and Colorado went all the way to the World Series only to be swept by Boston. Even though the Rockies were swept, a new generation of baseball fans became inspired by baseball in Denver.

Now, the fans are back. A new chant of "Tulo" began to celebrate young gun Troy Tulowitzki and Coors has once again been filled with wildly excitable fans.

In August, September and "Rocktober" the die-hard Rockies fans fill Coors, yell passionately and go out to the center field concourse by the hundred after games when Colorado wins to celebrate the win on the local TV channel.

Access    4

Coors Field is located in downtown Denver, but is only blocks away from I-25 and the Park Ave. exit (#213) denotes it is the one to follow to Coors.

There are two parking lots at the stadium with thousands of spots to park for $12-$14. If you don't mind a little walk, there are thousands of parking spots throughout the LODO neighborhood and my brother and I parked at 20th and Welton streets for only $1.

And while you can almost always find a spot for less than $5 within a mile of the stadium, the most convenient way to go to a Rockies game is by taking one of RTD's Light Rail trains ($2). The most appropriate train is the Route C train that follows I-25 north and ends at Denver's historic Union Station. Full schedules of all the three trains that run close to Coors Field can be found under the Light Rail section on RTD's website.

For handicapped individuals, there are approximately 1,000 accessible and companion seats throughout Coors Field.

Return on Investment    4

Tickets are relatively low priced and there is lots of entertainment all over the stadium, including the play on the field, of course.

For those looking for a cheap way to take in the game, tickets in the Rockpile are $4.00 for regular attendees. Youth (12 and under) and senior (55 and over) Rockpile tickets are a scant $1.00.

Overall, for a family of four, $100 can pay for an tremendously fun and exciting time at Coors Field""a great deal in 2010.

Extras    3

The Coors Field interactive area is located behind the bullpens in center field and includes; Pro Batter and Pro Batter Jr. (video batting cage), Speed Pitch (throwing for a speed gun), Tee-Ball (ages six and under for free), and the KOA Fantasy Broadcast Booth (participants can record their calling of half an inning of baseball and take the DVD home as well).

There is also a children's playground in the left field corner on the first level, in section 147.

Tours of Coors Field are available for $7 for adults, $6 for seniors and $5 for children 12 and under. They take place on non-game days at 10 a.m., noon, and 2 p.m. and on evening game days at 10 a.m. and noon.

Final Thoughts

Rich Kurtzman is a Colorado State University Alumnus and a freelance journalist. Along with being the Colorado/Utah Regional Correspondent for Stadium Journey, Kurtzman is the Denver Nuggets and Denver Broncos Featured Columnist for bleacherreport.com and the CSU Rams and Fort Collins Beer Bars Examiner for examiner.com.

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