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Petco Park (continued)
First Base -- The Exterior
Does it really matter how the outside of a sports
facility looks? After all, the fans buy tickets to sit inside.
Yes it matters, and San Diego knows that. A baseball
stadium hosts events about 80 times during a season, but its exterior is seen
365 days a year. With this in mind, it is obvious that a huge amount of
effort went into the aesthetics of the outside of Petco Park. When you
look at the average stadium, you usually see just the stadium -- the steel work,
the backs of the seating sections, etc.
At Petco, though, you see much more. That's because it
possesses several outer buildings, two of which are called Garden Buildings, all
of which are lovely. The building materials used are sandstone, imported
from India, and stucco, with the colors being gold (which is meant
to resemble the nearby cliffs of Torrey Pines) and a natural color that is
complementary to the gold. The exposed steel has a "white marine
finish that recalls San Diego's nautical heritage," according to the team's
media guide.
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The main entrance is on the
southeast corner of the park, near the majority of parking and the trolley station.
On the right is what you'll see if you enter from the downtown side of
Petco. |
If you're coming to the ballpark from the north, you'll see
the beautiful seating bowl and the backside of the towering scoreboard
(featuring huge photos of two Padres and the name of the park -- see photo above). It's
almost as pretty a scene from the outfield side as behind home plate.
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The BASEBALLPARKS.COM
Review: San Diego's Petco Park |
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