Dodger Stadium

One of the many entrances to Dodger Stadium, Jul-2008.

The seating bowl, Aug-1997.

View from the center of the Top Deck, Jul-2008.

Chronological Tour: Stop 126

• Location: Vin Scully Avenue (Elysian Park Avenue) off Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, Calif. (map it using Google Maps)
• Opened: 1962
• Home team: Los Angeles Dodgers, National League (1962-present); Los Angeles Angels, American League (1962-64)
• Capacity: 56,000

Rating: 4 baseballs

For its first three seasons, the stadium also hosted the Los Angeles Angels, an American League expansion club that had played the 1961 season at L.A.’s Wrigley Field, a minor-league park. The Angels moved to Anaheim in 1965.

The stadium is built into an amphitheater, surrounded by parking lots that are horrendous to navigate on the way out. Fans are notorious for leaving in the seventh inning to beat the traffic, even if their own pitcher is working on a no-hitter. On my 1997 trip to the facility, I observed fans arriving as late as the sixth inning as well.

However, the park layout itself is wonderful, and the view into the outfield is gorgeous. With practically no obstructed views anywhere, the park merits a high rating.

In recent seasons, the “ground boxes” I appreciated so much have been removed and replaced by additional premium seating rows that extend down to field level. Another issue is that one is only permitted to enter the park on the level for which one is ticketed; fans cannot roam in order to try to locate better views for photography.