Accessibility Review: Rangers Ballpark at Arlington

Parking at Rangers Ballpark at Arlington is easy to find, as parking lot surround the park. Note it does seem that all the handicap spots are in lots marked reserved or passes needed, but they do act as cash lots if you have a handicap placard or plate. The day of the game we parked across from the closed off street near the first base gate, as that is where our original tickets said to go in. This is also the best entrance if you need an elevator to the upper deck (300s), as I will explain in a little bit.

Be careful lining up outside the gates before they open. If you do not have season tickets then you do not want to be to the left because they only would check bags and let people through there if they had season tickets. Besides it seemed only the turnstiles in the middle had room for wheelchairs to go through, which is where we ended up after they opened and told our line they had to move to the center. By the way that was very annoying because just before they opened they had split us off from the center lane and told us to line up to the left. Note that they only cared about season tickets for bag check and did not care if you had them or not for the left turnstile lanes specifically marked Season Ticket. I have a feeling it is based on who is at the particular stations that day that determines how strict they are on it being a season ticket line on the left or not.

Before we headed up to the seats we originally had tickets to in 334 we walked around on the main concourse level a little. We ended up by the 3rd base entrance and noticed an elevator there. The elevator here, however, is a freight elevator, which was kind of annoying to use because of the staff still using it for getting things to concession stands and such, but I guess it does have the plus of being big and not end up crowded even with the staff. We did not notice any regular elevators on this side of the park, but later when we went down to our surprise upgraded seats we used the elevators on the 1st base side and these are normal ones.

The section we had bought tickets for the Rangers game was 334. The handicap seats here were almost as good as the section we ended up getting a surprise upgrade to. However, the view from 334 is not recommended. Even Mik was disappointed as soon as we got to the seats because right field is blocked from view along with the view of the main scoreboard and the secondary Coca Cola one. Only accessibility issue was that there was unfairly no cup holders for the wheelchair spots and only the spots with actual seats. The seats were also not raised that much above the row in front, but there was not a bar blocking the view either.

The seats we ended up enjoying the game from were in section 18. They were pretty much the same accessibility wise as the upper section, except they did have cup holders for every spot including the wheelchair, so Mik did not feel discriminated against here. Not being raised up above the row in front much did not turn out to be an issue for the most part, as the fans mostly stayed seated. However, there was a lot of foot traffic in the aisle, which happened to perfectly block the view of the batter. This was not too bad, but it was annoying that it was often the vendors that stood and lingered in the way until someone would finally tell them to get down out of the way. At most ballparks vendors will usually squat down when serving someone, but here they never did it except the one time I saw someone yell at them for being in the way. Of course, just being able to see the whole field and the scoreboard made a big difference over our original section 334, especially since they often did instant replays of the things we sometimes missed because of people in the aisle.

Overall the Rangers Ballpark rates high middle in terms of accessibility, but it does have some flaws. The parking is easy to find and close. The seats in the lower area do have cup holders, but the upper area did not have them for the wheelchair spots. No where in the park did there seem to be accessible seats raised up above the row in front any more than the normal one step, which really makes viewing games hard for Mik unless it is a very low crowd game and no one sits in the two rows in front of the section. Being a Boston Red Sox game, though, it was crowded and it did make seeing the game hard, but it was not too bad because at least in our section the people in front were for the most part seated or at least quickly got in and out of the row.

Accessibility Review: Minute Maid Park

Parking ended up being easy at Minute Maid Park as we found a parking lot across the street under the freeway that is an official lot. It was the first lot around the park that we noticed handicap spots in. It is labeled as a reserved lot, but that does not mean you need a special pass for the handicap spots, although you of course do need a handicap placard or plate. I also noticed some of the street parking around the park was handicap spots. However, several of the lots right across from the park other than the one we ended up in did not seem to have any handicap spots or if they did they were taken more than 3 hours before the game.

Getting into the park is not that hard, but it was helpful that a fellow fan told us early on where to line up. The regular lines end up going between bars, although not actual turnstiles when they enter the park. These bars are, however, not placed far enough apart for a wheelchair to go through. The doors to the left, however, which was the Media Entrance at the gate we were at, did not have any of the bars and when they opened the park it is even a handicap button operated automatic door. It was great that we were informed to stand over near it, as by the time the park opened the line was pretty long and it would have been annoying to end up going across it to get into the park.

At the Houston Astros game we originally had tickets in one of the 300s sections, but we ended up sitting in 110 as one of our surprise upgrades of the trip. The accessible seats on the 100 level are located at the top of the sections. Overall they are good seats, although part of left field was blocked from view and we could only see the train start its trip on the track to celebrate home runs. Not having to deal with elevators to get to them is a nice thing, though.

One issue with the section we sat in was that there was a concession stand right behind it. This did keep general public traffic out of the handicap seating area trying to stand around and watch the game and getting in the way. However, at the same time it almost made the section inaccessible for the wheelchair to get in and out of.

Overall the accessible experience at Minute Maid Park was acceptable. The particular section we sat in was kind of odd with the concession stand in front of it, but it is better than ending up people standing and crowding the section like we have experienced at some of the places the seats are right out on the concourse. Mik approves of the seating section because they do have cup holders.

Accessibility Review: Nationals Park

I am not sure what the parking situation is like at Nationals Park, as I have never gone to a game here any other way than taking the Metro. Since I am so familiar with going to the Nats games via the Metro this was the one game we did not even try to park near the park and just parked at one of the Park & Ride lots at the end of the Green Line. Sure getting on the Metro after the game is a little congested, but by staying on the Green Line and going away from the city after the game we avoided the biggest crowds going the other direction and the transferring at L’Enfant Plaza, which I am used to having lived on the Yellow Line, but can be annoying with a wheelchair due to the elevator configuration at L’Enfant Plaza. By the way if you have to transfer to the Yellow from the Green, especially if you need to use an elevator, do it at Archives/Navy Memorial because the platform is in the middle and not a split one like at L’Enfant.

Anyways for the most part the Metro is pretty good accessibility wise, as we have very rarely experienced people using the elevator that do not need to. Also, after the game they make sure that those that need the wheelchair turnstile get through it before those that do not need it. I was afraid it was going to take longer to get into the station because we could not use the SmartTrip express lane due to not being accessible and I did not bring my third SmartTrip card, but the wheelchair lane ends up being an even better express lane for those that truly need it. While I love the D.C. Metro it does have issues with elevators regularly, so be sure to check you check the status of the stations you are going to be at (start, end, and transfer stations) before you use it.

Getting into Nationals Park was very easy because we were there when they first opened the gates. They often only open the side gates at the Centerfield gate and each side only has one line, which leads to an entrance that is accessible. I think even the line of turnstiles they open up later has space for a wheelchair to go through between each turnstile, especially since the turnstiles can be moved since they are moved entirely out of the way by the end of the game.

Our tickets for the game were for section 224. We did not sit very long before finding out we were going to get to see the game from the Diamond Club, but we were here long enough to know what the view is like. The handicap seats in 224 are located below the upper deck seats with their own access, so you do not get people going by to get to their seats other than the relatively few in the handicap row. The view from 224 is good, as you can see the whole field. Higher in the section part of the right field is blocked from view, but from the handicap row there is very little of it blocked. The view of the scoreboard is also great from here, although you do have to look to the right and away from the action to look at it.

The elevator up to the 224 seats really is up to the seats and you have to go back down one or two levels to get to any concessions, but the elevators do not seem to be used by those that do not need them. By the way I had season tickets in the regular 224 last year and used to go by the elevators to the stairs and it really is hidden enough that people that do not even use the stairs here much less the elevators.

We ended up spending most of our time at Nationals Park sitting in the Diamond Club. Here we had a table with a behind home plate view. The tables have chairs that can be moved out of the way and Mik could easily roll up and have a good spot to use the table and view the game. The table made it possible for Mik to feed himself the whole time. Sometimes at the ballparks Dad has to feed him, since it is sometimes hard for him to hold the plate/bowl/whatever and eat what is in it at the same time. He also liked the table because he could have his iPod, PSP, and whatever other entertainment all out in front of him without having to keep asking us to switch stuff out of the bag for him.

Overall Nationals Park is a great modern ballpark in terms of accessibility and amenities. It might not have some of the unique character things that make its architecture stand out of have a lot of special statues to see, but it is very accessible as one would hope for and actually expect from a still pretty new ballpark. They do not exactly have a great team, but it is still always fun to see a game at Nationals Park and I am glad that Mik enjoyed it from the start, as he was already enjoying the view when we were in 224. Of course, I am a little biased being a Nats fan, but there is no denying that it ranks near the top if not the top in accessibility.

Accessibility Review: Turner Field

Parking at Turner Field was easy for both games we went to. The parking lot is right across the street from the park and the handicap spots are right in front of the lot. The only issue is that if you get there early like we did you have to walk half a block either way if you want to cross the street at a crosswalk. On the first night that is what we did because there was a lot of traffic. Most people just crossed where they wanted, though, and there is a cut out in the middle of the block, which is most useful after the game when the street is then closed off. When we went to the second game there was very little traffic on that road and we just walked across mid block. Honestly, though, they should have an actual marked crosswalk between the two cutouts, as they just look odd without a crosswalk and people cross there anyways.

Getting into the park is not too hard, but it is helpful to know that the gate on the far right next to the brick wall is the wheelchair accessible way past the turnstiles. They do come across as disorganized, though, because on the first night we went the gates opened 20 minutes late. Apparently they had to wait on a cop to be at every gate before they could open the park. The second night they had the cop, but still opened about 5 minutes late.

The first thing we did when we got into the park on the first night was go to the Braves Hall of Fame and Museum. This museum is overall accessible, but there is a part that is not accessible. The not accessible part is the train car. There is big steps onto the train car and no lift to go up there. It would be nice if they had something like the Christmas Carol Train Tour used, but then again I think the aisle in the train is also kind of small for a wheelchair to squeeze through. It is at least a minimal part of the museum and most of the info on it is outside the train.

On July 16, 2009, our first game of the trip at Turner Field we stuck to our normal getting the cheapest wheelchair seats possible. We sat in section 419. To get to this section we had to find an elevator, which was a little confusing because we kept following the signs that said go forward to an elevator and then suddenly began seeing ones that said go backwards, but if you turned around the one right behind said to keep going the way we were going. It turned out we had gone past one and then got to the midway point were two elevators are the same distance from that point. Anyways we did finally locate the one near one of the ramps with the help of the map they have periodically on the concourse.

The seats in 419 were decent seats. They had this cool hallway that led to them that was only supposed to be used by those going to the handicap seats. This help set the section away from the general walking path up and down to the other seats in the section and the only time other fans ended up in our section was in the final inning of the game. However, some of the beer vendors kept being in our section, but by the time the game started they stopped loitering in the handicap section (by the way same thing happened before second game).

We had a friendly usher, who took it as her job to move the seats to have a spot for the wheelchair rather an inconvenience like the usher at PNC Park. Note the all the handicap sections can be regular stadium seats, but the seats can be unscrewed and wheeled out of the way when necessary. It is basically the same type of design as at PNC Park, but the friendliness of an usher willing to do their job and make the accommodations be what you paid for makes a big difference.

The view from 419 was overall decent. The row was raised above the seats in front, but barely more than normal. Thus they were better than the experience at Orioles Park, but the heads of people in front still sometimes got in the way of seeing from a seated position. It was not too bad, though. At least the view of the field and the scoreboard were otherwise unobstructed.

For the second game we saw at Turner Field we asked the best available wheelchair seats. We decided to vary from the norm, since this was a game added in the middle of the trip and it was a special game with Maddux’s number being retired. We ended up with tickets for section 119. When we got there the seats needed to be removed from 119, but it would have removed all three of our seats the way the configuration is, so instead the usher put us one section closer to home plate (117) where seats were already taken out in a few spots. It seems poor planning for them to sell us three seats connected when they knew we needed one wheelchair seat and two companion seats, but at least we again had a helpful usher and it worked out.

The view from 117/119 is way better than up at 419 and it is not just because it is closer to the action. It is actually mostly about the seats being raised up above the row in front enough that even when those in front are standing Mik could see the game sitting in his wheelchair. The seats do not have cup holders, but neither did the ones in 419. However, the seats in the rest of the section (i.e. the non-handicap rows) did have cup holders unlike when we sat in the 400s and no one had cup holders. Despite the discrimination in the cup holder situation Mik still thought these seats being raised up enough makes them worth the extra $21 a seat. It is really says something about the seats when he did not want to go early and this one time we had to leave early to get to the next game and did not have to stay because we had already seen a full game at Turner Field the day before.

Overall Turner Field is accessible, as one would expect with it being one of the modern ballparks. The cheap seats stand out as the cheap seats in terms of not being raised above the rows in front enough, but they are not too bad. The ones on the lower level, though, turned out to be well worth the extra money, which is not always the case. Plus, the ballpark itself is one of the more enjoyable ones to watch a game at, so it was a good one to end up seeing one and a half games at.

Baseball Museum 15: Ty Cobb Museum

On July 13, 2009, on our way to the Atlanta area we stopped at the Ty Cobb Museum in Royston, Georgia. The museum is a rather small one inside the professional building of the Ty Cobb Healthcare complex, but it does use the small space well. Also, being in a healthcare building they really care about being accessible. The door into the building is automatic, but the one into the museum is not and they were apologetic about it. The exhibit itself is easy to navigate with the wheelchair, especially since there were no other visitors until we were leaving. The displays were also for the most part easy to see from Mik’s height although he was just playing his PSP the whole time except during the movie. The theater did not exactly have wheelchair seating, but it was a flat room and there was room along the side for Mik to roll up and not entirely block the aisle.

The Ty Cobb Museum begins with a display of bats. This is really cool and almost my favorite part of the whole museum. The bats are engraved to tell about the highlights of Ty Cobbs life mainly focusing on his baseball career. The engravings include things like his birth in 1886, being sold to the Tigers in 1905, hitting his first Major League home run in 1905, his final game in 1928, and being the first player voted into the Hall of Fame in 1936.

The exhibits then continue in a sort of time line fashion about his life from childhood through to his baseball career and life after baseball. There is a decent amount of memorabilia related to Ty Cobb on display including baseball cards, one of his gloves, balls signed by him, a Tigers uniform worn by him, and even his dentures. One of the most in depth displays is about the Ty Cobb Style of Baseball from his hitting style to base running style.

My favorite display was the one about Ty Cobb and Coca Cola. Ty Cobb became a wealthy man and it was not really from playing baseball. His wealth mainly came from smart investing and part of his investments were in the Coca Cola Company. A whole display case shows items related to his ties with Coca Cola. This includes ads featuring him and special Coca Cola bottles commemorating Ty Cobb.

In the museum there is a short movie about Ty Cobb. It is nice that the movie plays on demand rather than at specific times like at larger museums and even some smaller museums. It took a few times of pressing the button to get it to finally start up the projector and play the movie, but it did work in the end.

Overall the Ty Cobb Museum was a worthwhile detour on the way to Atlanta and it was worth staying in South Carolina two nights in order to get to the museum when it was open on Monday, since there is no way we could have made it before it closed on Saturday and it is closed on Sundays.

Before leaving we went to the souvenir shop to get our normal souvenirs of a mini bat and souvenir baseball. Mik also choose one of the limited edition Ty Cobb baseball cards made just for the museum. It was about $10, but it comes in a protector case with a Ty Cobb Museum gold sticker on the opening and is numbered 176 of 376, so it is a cool collectible. We also got a pack of Topps 2009 Series 1 cards. We did not get anything very rare or anything in the pack, but it was cool that we got a Roger Maris Legends of the Game card. Those cards are not in every pack (I think only one in every six pack odds) and the Legend we got was cool because we went to the Roger Maris Museum earlier on this trip.