Greensboro, NC -- At long last, after three and a half years since the idea was first proposed, Winston-Salem is opening their new ballpark downtown tonight. While I am not attending the game, and the game is being played during this writing, the park's beauty is nothing but magnificent. I pass by the 610,000 bricks twice a day to my "day job." The park currently holds 5,500 spectators, but the key to the park is that it's accessible in 360 degrees. When I attend ballgames, I like to walk around the park and coddle my beverage in the outfield (at minor league games). However, it's always a pain to walk in a "U" to get from the entrance (right side of the field) to the left field area. In this park, you can walk in any direction around the field.
The Winston-Salem Dash (get it, Winston "dash" Salem) are hosting the Potomac Nationals amid cloudy skies, but it's currently 75 degrees. It wasn't easy to reach this day -- there were many setbacks along the journey. There was strong citizen opposition out of fear of raising taxes and ultimately, using the monies for more needed expenditures, such as schools and roads. The team and the city ran out of money in November 2008. In April 2009, B's Bistro blogged about the ballpark progress. It wasn't until September 2009 that BB&T stepped in to bridge the financial gap, and work on the park resumed. It was sad to see a 70% completed park sit there for 10 months untouched. With a tight deadline of Opening Day 2010, the workers and the city finished the park in the nick of time. It's a beauty with the city's unique skyline sprinkled across the asymmetrical outfield wall. I plan on taking in a game this month; I guarantee it'll be worth the wait.
No comments:
Post a Comment