For July 4th weekend, I took a trip to Pittsburgh with my parents to see my favorite ballpark in the National League: PNC Park (but Camden Yards is my number one overall). This was my second time at PNC, but I feel like my family visited it the right way this time around. Here’s a recap of my visit so that you can use it as a to-do list for your next visit to the Steel City.
First off, accommodations. I stayed at the SpringHill Suites across the street from the stadium. If you like convenience, this is the only hotel you should be considering when going to see the Pirates. I exited the hotel, looked to my left, and saw multiple entrances to the stadium. The hotel itself pays homage to its proximity to PNC by proudly displaying baseball memorabilia in its lobby. This blue-chip hotel isn’t a secret; plenty of Pirates and Mets fans crowded the lobby for breakfast every day and created havoc on the elevators after the games, but it was worth it, nonetheless.
My parents and I were originally only going to the Saturday game against the Mets, but because we had nothing to do Friday night, we decided to buy third-deck seats at the last minute to catch Paul Skenes Bump Day. To say it was just “worth it” would be an understatement. PNC Park was built so that there is no bad seat in the house, which is why they only have 36,000 seats and, thankfully, an otherworldly view of Pittsburgh’s skyline. We went to Primanti Bros. for sit-down sandwiches as a late lunch or early dinner in Market Square before the game (white bread sandwiches packed with French fries and coleslaw, a real treat), then walked across the Roberto Clemente Bridge over the Alleghany River to PNC. After freshening up at the hotel for an hour, we entered the stadium through the nearest gate.
I love PNC for many reasons, and probably similar reasons to why it’s objectively one of the best baseball stadiums in the world, but because of my frequent trips to Yankee Stadium, comparing the two cathedrals was on my mind throughout my Pittsburgh adventures. The biggest difference between the two parks is that PNC caters to fans, while Yankee Stadium wants fans to cater to it. It’s part of the stuck-up nature of the Yankees franchise, which I appreciate in some cases, but as a stadium nut, it doesn’t help the Bombers’ home park ranking. Monument Park is shielded off by the batters eye, and if you didn’t know where to look, you’d never find it. All of PNC is a monument to the Pirates’ history. The promenade surrounding the stadium features statues of Pirates legends like Roberto Clemente and Willie Stargell, a large lawn with the franchise’s retired numbers, and a walking path along the river honoring Pittsburgh baseball’s Hall of Famers, including players from local Negro League teams like the Pittsburgh Crawfords and Homestead Grays. All the history is so easily accessible that it makes you forget that the Pirates have the longest active World Series appearance drought of teams that have made the World Series (excluding the Mariners, who debuted in 1977, just two years before the Buccos last World Series appearance/win in 1979).
Indeed, our third-deck seats for the Friday Skenes game were great, albeit high. We saw Paul’s pitching gem and the Pirates' seven home runs, including two grand slams, quite clearly. Watching a 14-2 drubbing of my crosstown rivals in a packed house helped a lot, too. It definitely offset the Saturday game, when Pirates manager Derek Shelton got ejected for arguing balls and strikes and the Pirates lost to the Amazins, 5-2. Either way, there’s nothing like seeing the Clemente Bridge lit up at night. Go to this ballpark. Please. Don’t go to Oakland or Tampa. Go to Pittsburgh.
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