July 4, 2017
Just five years after our first visit to Atlanta on our first ever road trip, we were back in the capital of Georgia for the inaugural season of SunTrust Park, the Braves’ brand new stadium. To the dismay of many locals, the Braves had moved away from downtown and to the suburbs of Cobb County. It was time to find out what was going on.
Because the stadium was no a ways away from downtown, we decided to stay at a hotel in Cobb County that sat across the highway from the stadium. This proved to be a wise decision, as we were able to settle in to our hotel, rest and simply walk to and from the game. When we first crossed the highway, which wasn’t the easiest thing to do, we were welcomed into a whole new world.
The idea of bringing the Braves out here was to create an entire ballpark village known as “The Battery” with restaurants, apartments, hotels and much more. This was only the fourth month of The Battery’s existence, but business was already booming. Hours before the game thousands of people already surrounded the ballpark in the many restaurants and bars creating a vibrant pregame atmosphere. There was an open field and fountains for kids to play in and even a bowling alley just behind the right field gate. This is what a ballpark atmosphere is all about! So much going on and so much energy, it was thrilling, and the game hasn’t even started. For that matter, we weren’t even inside the ballpark yet!
Still in awe, we somehow managed to snag a table at a pizza restaurant called Antico’s, which put out our order with lightning speed. After eating we had to pick up tickets from will call thanks to Adrian. There were some issues with this, forcing us to wait quite awhile. Danny, my dad and I even ended up going in while Adrian and my mom figured everything out at the ticket gate.
Once inside, it was even more of a wonderland. Rock climbing walls, a zip-line and a two story rotating jersey line at the store immediately catch the eye. A station to rent gloves for the game is pure genius for people who forgot theirs or don’t want to risk losing their own. One fun thing I really enjoyed was trying to find the different life-size bobbleheads of Braves legends such as Dale Murphy or John Smoltz around the ballpark, and the Braves hall of fame, uniquely placed right in the middle of the main concourse, is really well done. Danny, a Braves fan, was having a great time!
The game itself was delayed a bit by rain, but nothing could stop baseball on America’s birthday! Fun fact: We were a part of the largest crowd in SunTrust Park’s history! The Astros crushed the Braves, and Josh Reddick, with his family sitting right next to us, hit a grand slam as an exclamation point. The night was wrapped up with Independence Day fireworks, always a fun sight to see and a fitting end to a wonderful time at the new “Home of the Braves.”
