| “I never took the game home with me. I always left it in some bar.” – Bob Lemon |
MLB Game 15 of The Great Baseball Ride brought us to Coors Field in Denver, Colorado. Colorado is one our favorite places in the world, and Coors Field is a wonderful place to see a game.
We’d been there before, both to see games as well as to get a tour of the stadium. The tour happened on my first real road trip. Keke’s family went on a two week road trip every summer to visit family in Kansas and Colorado and invited me along on one of the trips. It was on that trip that I caught the road trip fever, and have enjoyed the freedom of the open road ever since. That first trip occurred in 1996, just one year after Coors Field opened, and also one year after the Rockies first playoff appearance. To make a long story a bit longer, tickets were hard to come by, but tours weren’t too expensive, so a tour would suffice.
Since that first trip we’ve been able to see a few games in the stadium and it is a favorite. We were very excited get the opportunity to experience Coors Field again.
Keke and I left Soren with family and headed to the stadium early. We would be meeting her uncle, who lives in the area, at the game. We were able to score some relatively cheap tickets, and were also able to get fairly cheap parking ($20), just past Broadway on Blake St, about three blocks down from the stadium.
Longtime MN Twin turned N.L Batting Champ for the Rockies. 
Longtime MN Twin turned N.L. Batting Champ for the Rockies.
Once in the stadium, we got our Ballpark Passport Stamp (we have a book and get it stamped in every stadium). We also tried to get the skinny on what to do/eat/drink from guest services.
We were told about a happy hour at The Rooftop Bar in upper right field. The happy hour was legit; $3 domestic taps and $4 (okay, maybe $6, I can’t remember exactly, but cheap for a stadium none-the-less) Jack and Coke’s till first pitch. We opted out of looking for a micro-brew since the mega-brews were so cheap. Surprisingly, they had Bud Light on tap, but Coors is the name on the building, so we went with that.
As for food, I was urged by my new friend at guest services to try the Rocky Mountain Oysters. It is my understanding that these are buffalo testicles. I made a concerted effort to find where these were sold (when in Rome right?), but unfortunately could not find the spot. Bummer. We ended up getting chicken nachos from a stand at the concourse on the top level along the left field line. Outside of the very generous portions they gave us, these are exactly what you expect ballpark chicken nachos to be like.
Our seats were first row (actually wheel chair row), top level as far as one can go down the left field line. As far as they were from home plate, I actually kind of dug them as we could see everything. Only drawback was that the mountain view was actually behind us. It was a bit cloudy/hazy anyway so there wasn’t much of a view.
We met up with Keke’s uncle. He’s a wonderful man, and it was good to spend this time with him. As much as we love the actual sport of baseball, it’s the time spent at the game with loved ones that really pulls us there. The game was a perfect chance to have Keke’s uncle captive for three hours of conversation.
As for the game itself, the Cubs were in town. Honestly, if I didn’t know any better, I wouldn’t have been sure who was the home team. Cub fans were everywhere. I am sure many of them traveled to beautiful Colorado to see there favorite team, but many of the fans I spoke with were actually Colorado residents. It was a fun atmosphere all around, and the actual home team won 10 – 3.
I cannot recommend Coors Field enough. The overall baseball experience is wonderful, but surrounding that experience with the stunning Rocky Mountains is addition that can’t be constructed. If your favorite team is heading there, you should too.
