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Arizona Foothills - September 2003
Best Seat in the House
By Kathryn Eastlick
It’s a great time to be a sports fan in Phoenix. Along with New York and Miami, Phoenix is one of just nine cities nationwide with teams representing all four major league sports. By the end of the year, the Valley will have four major sports venues and one rushing to completion. Whether it’s the outfield, gridiron, court or rink you love, we’ve got your game plan for maximum enjoyment.
America West Arena (AWA)
The folks behind AWA noticed all the cool new venues popping up and began renovating in May. By next summer, AWA will have a new plaza entrance, new restaurants, wider concourses and two more private clubs.
The Highs and Lows
You’ll find the crème de la crème of the local scene occupying the floor seats – the place to be if you don’t mind shelling out $400 a pop. “You can hear what the players are saying, and you can become a part of the action at any time,” says Chris Montgomery, director of sales for the Suns. No other professional sport offers such high-voltage seats. Other coveted spots include those in the center sections of AWA, which generally fetch the highest price (lower-level season tickets cost $75 per game).
Since 1992, Phoenix lawyer Bob Bailes has watched the Suns from his seat in the 10th row of Section 104, at the start of the corner end zone. Watching from that angle gives him the big picture. “If you’re at center court, it’s like you’re watching a tennis game.” Plus, he adds, it’s a $15 price jump across the aisle. Look for seats in Sections 104, 112, 116 and 124.
Finding Jerry
So you want to sit with (or close to) Colangelo? Suprisingly, he doesn’t have the best of the best – Colangelo prefers Section 101 around the 10th row, near the end of the aisle. Perhaps this is because he recognizes that fans, not owners, should sit in the floor seats – or because he can make more money selling tem than sitting in them. If you’re interested in scoping out the players’ wives, park yourself behind the bench between rows 5 and 15.
Suite Seats
Looking to throw a great bash? AWA’s VIP luxury and party suites can definitely fill that tall order if money is no object. These rooms will set you back about $3,250 to $3.750 per game. A season package costs $110,000 to $120,000, which guarantees you’ll be able to use your suite for 100 AWA events, whether that’s a Suns game or a concert. But the perks are worth it – the luxury suite has a private bathroom (sooo much better than the thoroughly used publish ones), and food is included in most packages.
Up in the Club
But if it’s comfort and preferential treatment you crave, your best bet is to get yourself a seat in the Platinum Club, located on the north side in Sections 117 to 123. At AWA, platinum means living it up (think wide leather seats an catered buffets). Hidden in the deep recesses of AWA, there’s also the Chairman’s Club, a private lounge for the players and the stars who frequent the games. But you can stop dreaming of drinking with Amare – membership for the Chairman’s Club is currently full. Keep your eyes peeled, though, for two new restaurant/clubs that should welcome you with open arms.
Get Your Tickets
Suns ticket sales are up, thanks to a team roster that has remained pretty much intact for the past three years. And it doesn’t hurt, says Montgomery, to have the Rookie of the Year on your team either.
Scoping Out the Snake Pit
“The NFL seems kind of boring after watching an arena football game,” says JT Thompson, the self-described mom of the Arizona Rattlers. Thompson instructs Rattlers fans to sit in the 20th row or higher, otherwise it’s hard to see the entire field. The prime sections for a game, she says, are in Sections 113 to 116 and 101 to 103. Or, to really “get in the game,” sit in the field-level bleachers underneath the north end-zone nets.
Bank One Ballpark (BOB)
While BOB may not have the nostalgic feel of Wrigley Field, the Diamondbacks have created thrilling memories here in a short time.
Lucky Strike
The Strike Zone Lounge, located below home plate, serves shrimp, crab and even candied apples to Clubhouse Section ticket holders. “Once you buy these seats you never give them up,” says Michael Malo, senior director of marketing. Fans in this limited-availability section (only 1,000 seats) also enjoy a prime view, wider seats, VIP parking and seat-side cocktail service. Colangelo sits here (in the first row behind the net, to the left of home plate), putting him just a smidge closer to the Diamondbacks dugout. Individual game tickets for this sold-out section cost $78. Luckily, a few seats are always set aside for release before game time.
A Room With a View
The Arizona Baseball Club, located on the Infiniti Diamond Level, welcomes Clubhouse, Dugout, Field Box and Suite ticket holders. With white linen-covered tables, the restaurant, which features truffled NY sirloin and wok-seared bass, oozes class, but most diners eschew the intimate inside setting for an outside table.
BOB’s luxury suites are generally the territory of big-name companies with money to spare and a staff of big-time baseball fans. A suite costs $2,000 for 18 people and includes parking passes, baseball caps and programs. Food and beverage are separate.
A Good Bet
Mark Leathers and his wife have been season ticket holders since Opening Day in 1998. From their seats in Section F, nine rows above the first-base dugout, the couple watched Gonzo hit the game-winning run to clinch the World Series title. While their tickets aren’t cheap (season tickets in Sections F through H cost $45 per game), it’s about $25 more to sit right across the aisle.
Pool Party
If you’re looking for a slightly off-center ballpark experience, you’ll find it at the MasterCard Pool Pavilion. The now-famous bleacher pool can be rented for $5,500, which includes 35 game tickets and five parking passes (a real coup!). The pool gets booked up quickly – trying calling in April, says Malo.
Cost Analysis
While ticket sales are down for the Diamondbacks and for Major League Baseball in general (chalk it up to a flaky economy), according to Malo, our beloved Diamondbacks are still among the top 10 best-selling teams in MLB this season.
Did You Know?
Children can visit Baxter’s Den in the Peter Piper Playhouse, where Baxter the Bobcat signs autographs during the fourth and fifth innings.
Glendale Arena
The new home of the Phoenix Coyotes combines the elegance of a resort with the rough-and-tumble world of hockey. If all goes as planned, the first puck will drop on December 27th.
Center vs. Corner
The most expensive seats are center-ice, but true hockey fans know the best places to sit are the corner end zones. These seats allow you to experience the speed and energy of the game. Coyotes fans will be happy to know that tickets in Sections 103 to 109 and 114 to 120 are only $50 and $42, respectively.
Longtime hockey fan Mark Derringer of KDKB’s “Tim & Mark” morning radio show prefers to sit center-ice in the upper deck. Sitting in the lower bowl, he says, gives you “the facial expressions and the sounds,” but sitting in the upper deck gives you “a feel for the fundamentals of the game. It makes it easier to see that each player has a purpose.”
View From the Top
For your very own suite at Glendale Arena, be prepared to hand over $65,000 to $120,000 a year. In return, you’ll get 12 or 18 permanent seats for you and your fellow Coyotes fans. Suite ownership also means you’ll get to attend other sporting events, concerts and live entertainment.
Peekaboo! I See You
We love this idea, but will the players? The Ice Lounge, a private club located just outside the Coyotes’ locker room, has a wall made entirely of glass, so cocktail-sippers can watch their favorite players walk to and from the ice.
Patios Aplenty
The Coyotes Terrace, on the northwest corner, hopes to attract the martini crowd with palm trees, a fire pit and jazz music. Visitors to the ground-level patio can eat at picnic tables and watch the sun set over the White Tank Mountains.
Access to both the Ice Lounge and Coyotes Terrance comes with season ticket packages, suite ownership and club seating. All ticketed patrons can visit the outdoor patios.
The West Side Goes Luxe
After the arena is built, construction will focus on neighboring Westgate, a huge retail and entertainment complex that developers hope will become the Kierland Commons of the West Valley.
Did You Know?
Parking at Glendale Arena is free!
Sun Devil Stadium
The ASU Sun Devils and Arizona Cardinals toss the ol’ pigskin at this 73,000-plus-seat behemoth tucked between two buttes. Sun Devil Stadium has been around since 1958 and has hosted the Cardinals, who move out in 2006, for the past 15 years.
Made in the Shade
To stay cool while cheering on your Sun Devils, sit on the stadium’s shadier west side. Jason Butikofer, the Sun Devils ticket office manager, says the best seating is at the 50-yard line in Section 106.
Did You Know?
This year, the Sun Devils will offer lower-bowl tickets for less than the price of a movie. Section 1, in the south end zone, has been coined Koetter’s Korner in honor of head coach Dick Koetter. Tickets cost only $5.
The Cardinals Stadium
When completed in 2005, the Cardinals stadium will be right across the street from Glendale Arena, making the West Side the Valley’s newest hot spot.
Desert Design
Located at the 101 and Bethany Home Road, the multipurpose stadium will boast a retractable roof and a natural grass field that rolls in and out on a huge concrete tray. The design of the stadium was inspired by a barrel cactus, but from the look of the artistic renderings, it more closely resembles a big pop-tip mint tin.
The Future Looks Bright
Details about the stadium’s interior are still sketchy. In the meantime, the TSA bigwigs are keeping their fingers crossed that they land the 2008 Super Bowl – the winning venue will be announced next month. TSA public information officer Brad Parker says they also hope to get the NCAA Final Four.
Did You Know?
Arizona’s beloved snowbirds will fund a large portion of the stadium. Every time out-of-towners rent a hotel room or car, they pay a tax that goes toward the venue. Even the Cardinals themselves pay an income tax for their new digs.
SB:
AFM’s First-Ever Valley Venue Awards
Best Stadium for Picking Up Women
Ladies love the hip-and-trendy Bank One Ballpark. Friday’s Front Row is definitely a hopping social scene. (Chances are, you’ll be so busy making friends you’ll miss all but the last two minutes of the game.)
Best Stadium for Ogling Men
The glass wall in the Ice Lounge at Glendale Arena lets female fans (O.K., all fans, but we ladies are especially grateful) check out their favorite Coyotes players as they make their way to the locker room, where they will undoubtedly (swoon) take off their clothes!
Most Luxurious Club
With its leather seats, sleek design and gracious service, the Platinum Club at AWA offers the best in sports-style luxury.
Best Use of Hopping Hot Dogs
During the sixth inning, BOB’s Jumbotron features the Oscar Meyer hot dog race. That darn relish dog always seems to win. Go, mustard!
Best Bang for the Buck
You can’t beat the $5 seats in the lower bowl of Sun Devil Stadium. Use the money you save on a cute hat and lots of sunscreen.
Best Use of Freeway
The new West Side venues may seem far away, but if you take the 101 from north Scottsdale, it’s only a 25-minute drive (granted, not during rush hour), and the arena and stadium are practically right off the exit ramp.
Best Food
For quick bites, BOB’s Taste of the Majors, where the menu changes depending on which National League team is in town. (So, if the D-backs are hosting Philly, they’ll likely be serving up cheesesteaks.) For more sophisticated palates (and a few extra bucks), AWA’s Platinum Club has catered buffets that serve anything from shrimp to scalloped potatoes to mahi mahi.
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