Head to Busch Stadium

Official Review by Brian McDowell, Stadium Journey Correspondent

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Like most Major League stadiums that have been constructed in this decade, the newest incarnation of St. Louis’s Busch Stadium is designed to invoke nostalgia for baseball’s rich past. To me, this is a cynical attempt by team owners and league officials to make fans forget about steroids, multi-million dollar contract negotiations, and other distractions that plague appreciation for the modern game. Of course, the players that fans pay to watch in these monuments to the sports’ glory days are often less than honorable. It should also be noted that this new crop of old fashioned stadiums cost a lot more to build than the old parks did, and are generally funded by questionable corporate partnerships and corrupt tax scams.

Still, for any fan willing to ignore all of this, it must be said that Busch is a perfectly pleasant place to spend an evening and see a game. With the red brick facade of the stadium, the red seats inside, and the red jerseys worn by the extremely loyal and enthusiastic spectators, every game here is played in a sea of cardinal red. It is the center of one of the greatest baseball cities in America, it is rare to hear a conversation in St. Louis that doesn’t revolve around the latest exploits of the beloved storied franchise, and Busch makes for a comfortable venue to watch the Cardinals in action.

Plus, St. Louis usually has a good scrappy team of contenders which can be a lot of fun to watch. Busch Stadium gives sports fans the chance to see one of the greatest players in the long history of the game, Albert Pujols, perform in his natural environment.

This ballpark bills itself as “Baseball Heaven”, which is an obvious bit of marketing hyperbole. Admittedly, it doesn’t have the charm or the history of Wrigley or Fenway. However, when it comes to a good place to watch a close ballgame, fans could certainly do a lot worse than watching the Cardinals play at Busch Stadium.

Food & Beverage   4/5

Busch has about everything you’d expect from stadium concession stands at the usual inflated prices. It also features an expensive Hardee’s franchise, and some concession stands feature Papa John’s Pizza. A few unique local items, like toasted ravioli, can also be found. Barbecue and Chinese food are also available in the concession stands by Gate One. Also, if you’re willing to drop some serious cash, the stadium’s Champions Club offers an all-you-can-eat buffet, with plenty of windows and balconies to watch the game from. Tickets for the Champions’ Club start at about $125. There’s also the slightly more affordable Legends Club, which offers a buffet featuring more traditional stadium fare for about $100.

Atmosphere   3/5

This version of Busch Stadium certainly is a fun place to watch a game, but it can’t be said to be much different than any of the other throwback ballparks that have entered the league recently. It opened in 2006; it’s successor’s location, which did host plenty of notable baseball history, is now a sadly vacant lot across Clark Avenue from the new Stadium. Besides hosting one World Series and the 2009 All-Star game, his incarnation of Busch can’t be said to have any real historical significance. However, the Cardinals do have an impressive history, and I do think that Busch does a good job of commemorating that. Bricks in the sidewalk surrounding the stadium commemorate significant moments in Cardinal history. The Plaza of Champions, along 8th Street, feature statues of great former players, and of beloved announcer Jack Buck. A large statue of Stan “The Man” Musial stands guard over the stadium gates. Inside, the left field wall features a mural that highlights all of the Cardinals that have had their numbers retired.

Neighborhood   4/5

The downtown St. Louis location of Busch does give fans several options of locations to have a little rowdy fun. The stadium is literally surrounded by sports bars angling to give baseball fans a post-game good time. Large collections of varied bars and nightclubs can be found on Washington Avenue Laclede’s Landing and Soulard, which are all within a mile of the ballpark. The St. Louis riverfront also features several large casinos. St. Louis is a fine drinking town; beer sales have been an important part of this city’s economy for well over a hundred years. Unfortunately, this means that it is not too easy to procure anything other than the locally brewed Anheisur Busch beer. Those that don’t consider that a deterrent to their party plans should find plenty of good drinking options around downtown. Also, before the game, whether you’re drunk or sober, City Garden, the Arch, and the City Museum are all close to the stadium. All three are well worth any fan’s time.

Fans   5/5

The passion and knowledge displayed by fans of the Cardinals are the main reasons why St. Louis is considered by some to be the best baseball city in America. St. Louis fans are very loyal to their team, almost to a fault. They generally don’t boo or heckle near as much as fans of other teams. Visitors to Busch should find that locals are very welcoming, polite, smarter than expected and surprisingly willing to help out-of-towners, even those unfortunate enough to be rooting for the visiting team, as long as it’s not the Cubs. Cardinals fans love to hate Cubs fans. Their bitter rivalry may not be as violent as other baseball rivalries; I’ve honestly never heard reports of fan violence in St. Louis the way that it happens in other cities. However, an air of hateful disdain can definitely be felt by the St. Louis faithful whenever the inferior Chicago team has a series in town.

Access   4/5

Like the central business district of any American big city, parking in downtown St. Louis is usually not cheap. Also, predictably, parking lot operators tend to inflate their prices whenever the Cardinals are in town. However, relatively inexpensive parking options can be found, especially if a fan is willing to park a few blocks away from the stadium and walk a little bit. Whenever I attend night games, I usually bring a couple of bucks in quarters and try to find an unoccupied space at one of the city’s plentiful parking meters. St. Louis stops enforcing the meters at 7 PM. Of course, some common sense must be used, I always read the signs around where I parked and make sure that the space is a legal one, because St. Louis police are not shy about issuing parking tickets. Another cheap option is the city’s Metro Link subway system, which has a station right across 8th Street from Busch Stadium. Riding the train to downtown is almost always cheaper than parking, and is relatively easy to use. The bathrooms and facilities at Busch Stadium are pretty standard and plentiful.

Return on Investment   4/5

I have to say that Busch is definitely worth the price of admission, although sometimes the money spent to get into the park can seem quite steep. The fervor that local fans feel for this team means that tickets are neither cheap or easy to come by. It is highly recommended that out-of-town fans buy their Cardinals’ tickets ahead of time on the team’s website, (www.stlcardinals.com) instead of just showing up to purchase them on the day of the game. If this warning is ignored, same day tickets can sometimes be found for games, and scalpers around the stadium are plentiful, but this option can be quite expensive. Don’t forget…Busch Stadium is currently the most heavily attended stadium in the Major Leagues and the best active baseball player in the world plays in most every game there. This means that tickets to games here can be harder to acquire than fans of other, less popular Major League teams expect them to be. Still, for anyone willing to do some research and keep their ears to the ground, good deals of Cardinals tickets can be found.

Extras   4/5

Albert Pujols plays there. Right now, at this particular Major League Baseball moment, does anything else need to be said?

Final Thoughts

While it may not have the history or the fun atmosphere of some other stadiums, Busch Stadium hosts one of the most storied franchises and some of the best players in baseball. It is a comfortable place to have an expensive beer and watch them play, and, when it comes to a baseball stadium, what more can a fan really ask for?

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