PNC Park quickly became one of my favorite ballparks. It hands down has the best view – there really is no argument. If you don’t believe me, take a look for yourself…

 

 

I still can’t get over it. That picture was from the Mets-Pirates series in 2019 — a series that the Mets took 2-1 and where Marcus Stroman made his Mets debut.

I now want to go to Pittsburgh for every single series the Mets play there. If the above picture does not have you sold, here are some more perks you can find at the Pirates’ ballpark.

Happy hour at different locations 
That’s right — a ballpark with happy hour. No, it’s not at bars surrounding the stadium; it’s at bars inside the stadium. You don’t need to worry about leaving the bar to wait on line to get into the stadium (which many times can result in missing the first pitch depending on the lengths of the lines). All you need to time is how far from your seat you are and plan that accordingly. Plus, the happy hour deals are great and much cheaper than what we find in New York City. For instance, an “Adult Apple Juice”cocktail at the the Jim Beam Left Field Lounge cost me about $6. That’s all! The happy hour location changes, and this does not happen every day (usually Friday and Saturday) so be sure to check PNC Park’s website to verify.

At least one in-stadium bar is open postgame 
The above mentioned Jim Bean Left Field Lounge is also opened for a bit after the game. They not only have drinks, but you can grab some food as well — all without walking out of the stadium. It served as a great meet-up point with people I had met prior to the game and was not sitting with during the game. The amount of time the bar is open for depends on how many people are in there. If it is busy, it can stay open for up to two hours after the game.

T-shirt giveaway asks for your size 
I happened to be at the ballpark for one of their free shirt promos. I am a huge advocate of taking a shirt and then giving it to an actual fan of that baseball team (ie a father and son who are there without mom), so I took a shirt planning to do just this. Instead of being handed a generic, XL sized t-shirt, I was asked for my preferred size. As I am only five feet tall, the XL shirts I usually receive pretty much do nothing for me unless I want to wear them as a dress. I really appreciated the option of getting a shirt in my size (even if I did end up giving it away to an actual Pirates fan family).

You can watch both teams’ Batting Practice 
As we all know, this is not a common thing — usually you can only see the visiting team’s batting practice. But, if you enter through the Left Field gate, closest to the Roberto Clemete Bridge, you can enter the stadium early enough to see the Pirates and the visiting team. This gate opens up earlier than the rest of the stadium. If you are looking to catch a ball, this is a great thing for you to take advantage of.

The ballpark food
The Friday night that I was at the stadium, they were have dollar hot dogs. There was a limit of four hot dogs per guest, but still, you are pay one dollar for a hot dog. There are few ballparks — or places in general — where a dollar can get you anything, nevermind food. If you are not a hot dog fan, there are also great food options within the stadium. Primanti Bros, a Pittsburgh staple (and if you have never heard of them, they have amazing sandwiches in which they put coleslaw and fries inside the sandwich) is found within the park.

Fireworks night 
If you are in the area and the Pirates are having fireworks night — go! They shoot off the fireworks from the water rather than up close on the field, with the skyline of Pittsburgh in the background. It is absolutely gorgeous.

The history 
There are statues of Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, and Honus Wagner outside of the ballpark for you to see, celebrate, and take pictures with. Also, getting to cross the Clemente Bridge to get to the ballpark is just incredible and something every baseball fan should experience. You are just surrounded by fellow baseball fans, all walking towards a ballpark, to watch a game we all love.

The area after the game 
If you are there on a weekend like I was, the area around the ballpark gets pretty busy postgame. There are so many bars to go out to and places to get food as well. I personally found it amusing, as half the people out were in baseball jerseys and the other half of people out were dressed to the nines — all at the same places! It was a fun thing to see.

If you do go to PNC Park, I recommend purchasing tickets near home plate, whether on the field or in the nosebleeds. This will give you the best view of the skyline. It is quick flight to get to NYC to Pittsburgh, but it can be a bit pricey, so if you know you want to go to a Mets-Pirates series, I suggest you book your plane tickets as early as you can. It is about a six hour drive as well, if you prefer that route. I highly recommend that you go.

If you are planning to go for the Mets-Pirates series in 2020, the Pirates have already announced their promotions. For the Mets series, on Saturday, September 12, 2020 they are having a bobblehead night and on Sunday, September 13, 2020, there will be a collectible truck for children.