Fans Must Adjust to Marlins Park

Despite the result, Opening Night at Marlins Park was a night Miami Marlins fans are not likely to forget.  Having attended myself and this being the second time I have been at Marlins Park, I will chronicle several key aspects with respect to my experiences at the new ballpark.

In order to access the ballpark one must first find parking. Arriving at 4 pm in order to explore the stadium prior to pregame ceremonies it was relatively easy to find parking off site only 4 blocks away from the ballpark. While parking may remain an issue throughout the season, it can be avoided if one arrives at the ballpark early.  Fans must adjust to the reality of the current situation and arrive earlier than in the past. The parking situation overall does not compare to the ease at Sun Life Stadium so in order to arrive at your seats in time for the start of a game it is necessary to reach the ballpark within an hour before first pitch. In going to the ballpark, parking was not an issue. The main problem with respect the parking was leaving the area following the game. Not being knowledgeable of the streets, it was a 30 minute struggle to access the highway from Northwest 12^th street. This shows that the infrastructure surrounding the ballpark is not equipped to handle mass traffic such as fans leaving the ballpark all at once. This can avoided by either learning alternate routes or by remaining in the ballpark or the west plaza for a short period of time after the conclusion of a game.

Marlins Park is obviously among the crown jewels of modern ballparks. One essential and contemporary feature of many new ballparks is the 360 degree, unobstructed concourse in which spectators have a view of the field from any point in the ballpark. Despite this feature, from what I saw many fans felt the need to get up to stretch  in the rows and concourses during periods of critical game action. In addition, many felt the need to take a casual stroll up and down the stairwell of each section for a prolonged period of time. This is the purpose, among others, of the unobstructed concourse and it should be utilized as such. While fans should obviously take pleasure and awe in examining the features of the new ballpark, there is a time and a place for doing so. Naturally, for all fans to enjoy Marlins Park we all need to adjust to its many modern features and amenities.