Well, looks like I lied earlier when I said I'd make it to the ENTIRE series, but I did manage to make it to Friday and Sunday at the Trop.  Both games provided notably different experiences. 

 FRIDAY

Friday night saw me, the wife, and her friends make it to the stadium over an hour before the game.  We got a parking spot right up next to the front entrance with the firm's parking pass, as well as primo box seats on the lower level past first base.  With time to kill, we went next door to Ferg's Bar and Grill, a great stop to stuff your face regardless of your choice of fare, healthy or artery-clogging.  Incredibly diverse menu.  There are three bars inside the place, with downstairs and upstairs DJ's spinning after the game, pool table, MLB extra innings package... so it's a fun and very convenient spot to hit up after games.  There's a bridge from the bar parking lot to the stadium gate, so it's wise to fill up there for about $3/pint or just tailgate in the parking lot... which not nearly enough people do, even for the big games. 

So, after a laughable excuse for a security search, we make our way through the gate and into the ginormous rotunda, which was built to model the late, great Ebbotts Field.  We walk for 15 minutes around the stadium, through a remarkably narrow passageway, herded in like sheep.  (Unfortunately, from the main centerfield entrance, they don't allow you to take a left and go towards right field and then first base... just a big wall to meet you... everyone must go through right field... hence the senseless log jam and extra travel time.  Just a stupid layout)  We arrive at our seats, surrounded by 60 and 70-somethings, one of which had a nefarious cowbell.  Nice enough and knowledgeable enough, they weren't bad to listen to, although they seemed to inexplicably hate on Kazmir the entire game as he was shutting down our lineup.  Not the best Friday night crowd I've ever seen, especially for the start of a series with huge playoff implications, but it wasn't awful.  As I got 2.5 sheets to the wind as a reflex to watching the Rangers' anemic offense, it was handy that there's a restroom at almost every single corridor ramp.  Seriously.  A drinking man's utopia.  Not the best restrooms in the world, but when you gotta go, you don't have to wait long. 

As we never really seemed in the game, the loss wasn't too difficult to take.  I still think Kazmir was wild and we didn't make him work quite enough (status quo for offense), but he made some quality pitches to get out of jams, most notably the clutch slider for called 3rd strike to end 6th.  Tip the cap.  After the game, we walked back over to Ferg's (with the ladies, who wanted to get down).  The drinking continued, drunk dancing ensued to 90s rap music, and so we walked back to my buddy's apartment in St. Pete and left the car in the main lot.  Ironically, Ferg's is directly across the street from the St. Petersburg Police Station, so you'd have to be a fool to try to drive home.  Fortunately, the Trop doesn't tow out of the stadium lots before 11 am the next day, so disaster was averted. 

SUNDAY

Made it back to the park on Sunday, and what a difference road warrior Scott Feldman makes.  I didn't have the firm seats or parking pass, so no parking up by the front door today.  I arrived on the main road by the stadium about 40 minutes prior to the game and was unable to park in the enormous main lot ($15 per car; free with 4 or more people in car) that spreads out from the rotunda entrance, the primary entrance to the stadium.  As such, I managed to find a $5 lot three blocks east and began a trek that rivaled walking from the cheap-o, distant lots by Texas Stadium.  I walked up to a lengthy walk-up ticket line, but managed to get an upper deck ticket very quickly.  There was an incredible absence of scalpers on my walk to the stadium.  Think I only saw one. 

Bigger crowd than Friday night, close to 30,000.  Lower level was a logjam and elderly ushers were everywhere... no moving down unless you were hard up for a body cavity search and a beatdown... or unless you were a stealth ninja.  Those old people have eyes like a hawk and move on seat squatters like they were trying to rid the world of tyranny.  Wow.  Anyhow, Ian Kinsler finally remembered where the opposite field was and the Rangers struck early.  The lead, with Scott Feldman's beastliness, pretty much kept the boisterous Tampa crowd in check, with much fewer cowbells clanging (likely due to less alcohol, no doubt).  Upper deck crowd was chock full of ruffians and high schoolers more interested in flirting and texting than watching the game.  There was a group of 40-somethings sitting in front of me that were semi-knowledgeable fans... although they didn't know who Scott Feldman or some of the newer Rangers were, so they're probably just casual Ray fans. 

Wandered to some of the highpoints of the stadium in the middle innings.  Centerfield Brewhouse is in the inner concourse right behind.... drumroll... centerfield.  Basically a big, open room with center and side bars.  Lots of TVs w/extra innings package.  Attractive ladies tending the bar.  Shot the bull with some old Rays fans, who saw my shirt and commented on how they think the Rangers are on the rise like the Rays from last year.  Tried to make it to the Ray tank in right-center, but the line was around the corner.  Made it around to all the other spots inside the stadium (quite a few) and returned to my seats in time to watch Scott Feldman and the bullpen round out the last half of the game.  Some drunk guy sporting a Hank Blalock jersey was dancing in the aisles (Josey Wales, perhaps?), waving bye-bye to what was left of the Rays' faithful who stayed til the bitter end.  Hit up Centerfield Brewhouse for a beer (and watched the postgame show) before departing stadium for a last beer at nearby Ferg's.  Not a bad day at the ballpark. 

STADIUM ARCHITECTURE AND LAYOUT... 5 out of 10

I give the Trop bonus points for it's unique, crash-landed spaceship look and the air conditioned 72 degree comfort, but the buc stops pretty quickly after that.  The catwalks are a nuisance.  The stadium should never, EVER, interfere in the game (looking at you, Jerrah Jones).  They actually have catwalk rules, which most of the fans can recite on cue, thus confirming the frequency that the rings interfere with play. 

The main entrance is pretty cool, with a giant rotunda welcoming you with murals of players above the entranceway.  Since the main entrance is in centerfield due to the massive, massive parking lot outside of its doors, you would think that traffic could flow to both left field/third base and right field/first base directions.  NOPE.  If you sit on the first base side, you either have to walk outside way the hell around the stadium in the heat along a road with zero parking, OR make the trek further around the stadium inside in the other direction, but in air conditioning.  Unfortunately, since EVERYBODY is walking the same way and the inside walkways are narrow, it can get tight in a hurry.  Poor, poor pedestrian traffic design.  The fake brick layout on the lower level interior walkways are tacky and leave a lot to be desired.

Also, the bullpens are ON THE FIELD and can come into play themselves.  In a Red Sox-Rays game earlier this month, the winning run for the Rays was about to score when the baseball got lodged inside the backup catcher's bag.  Play was stopped and the runner was held and eventually stranded at third, leading to extra innings.  Home field advantage fail.

RESTAURANTS/BARS/ATTRACTIONS... 7.5 out of 10

Tough to get bored at the stadium.  There's the Ted Williams Museum with random jerseys, bats, photos, etc from Ted's playing days.  There is a live Ray tank in right center that allows you to pet cownose rays as they swim around aimlessly.  May seem cheesy and dull to some, but you can hold bait in the water and the rays will swim right up and snap it out of your hand.  I enjoy it. 

 The Centerfield Brewhouse is the most popular in-stadium place to hang out, watch the Rays game or other games, watch the pre-game and post-game shows with Rich Herrera, sneak a peek at the pretty bartenders, and get a bite to eat before and after the game.  Ample seating and a decent, but not great menu with few choices other than salad for the healthy-oriented diner.  Hey, look at that tool enjoying a beer. 

 
The Cuesta Rey Cigar Bar is fitting for a stadium in an area rich with history in making cigars.  It's a classy spot to watch the game in comfy leather couches and chairs, while sipping on premium lagers and puffing on a stogie.  Low dollar Tampa Nugget/Punch cigars to higher priced premium hand-rolled dominicans are available.  Pretty chill, older crowd inside the bar when I was there. I'm not a regular cigar smoker, but there's something pretty damn cool about sitting inside that place and smoking a cigar while watching baseball. 

The Batter's Eye Restaurant and Power Alley Pub in centerfield are pretty neat spots to take in the game and offer something for everyone.  The BER is an inside restaurant that lets you take in the game through tinted windows.  It sports a banquet style buffet, downtown steakhouse cuisine, and a full-service liquor bar, with a leather chair-laden lounge with TV's everywhere.  Just outside above the left-center wall, the Power Alley Pub serves typical bar food and domestic beer while letting you heckle the outfielders and catch the occassional HR ball.   

Although not inside the stadium, Ferg's, as mentioned before, is a stone's throw from the stadium and offers a full bar, pre and postgame DJ'ing, and a damn good and expansive menu. 

View from road in front of Ferg's.

 
PARKING... 7 out of 10

There's one huge main general admission lot on the centerfield side of the park.  On home plate side, it's limited to parking pass only.  The plus is that the main lot is expansive, a short walk to the front gate, and is usually not full for a mid-week, non-divisional matchup.  If you can't get in the main lot, it's ollie ollie oxen free for whatever you can scrounge up.  $15 per car to park in main lot, unless you've got 4 or more people, in which case it's free.  I usually go with a group, so it's not that big a deal for me.  However, if the Yankees or Red Sox are in town or if it's a Sunday game, get there early or risk parking as far away as I did and hope that some random stranger isn't shuffling cars into a private lot and stealing your money while risking your car getting towed.  Happened to us at a game last year, but fortunately the wrecker only gave us a warning about the shady business practices of some of these "entrepreneurs" aka local scam artists.  My Sunday parking spot and subsequent trek:

The main general admission parking lot near centerfield entrance.

RESTROOMS... 8.5 out of 10

Cleaner than Texas Stadium by far, but not as clean as TBiA.  The key is that there are a bunch of them... every few yards, without fail.  Thus, the wait, if there is one, is very negligible.  Wide doors, so you don't get jammed into the outgoing traffic.  Paper towels instead of blowers.  All good. 

BALLPARK CUISINE... 7 out of 10

When it comes to ballpark food, always start with the hot dogs.  I've had worse, but I've had much better, including TBiA.  Footlong hot dog costs $6.00, regular $5.00.  About what you'd expect at a major league park.  The featured dog is "The Heater", a regular hot dog topped with spicy chili and nacho cheese.  Problem is that the cheese and chili taste like they came out of that machine at the 7-11.  Mediocre, nothing special about it at all.  Fortunately, I'm a Nacho guy, and they have the best ballpark stand nachos I've ever had.  Tortilla Junction boasts an incredible deluxe nacho with either taco meat or grilled chicken for $8.00.  As you can see below, it's piled high with everything and is damn good.  The food court also has a variety of options, with Fish & Chips, Burgers, Chicken tenders, Papa Johns, Outback to go, Checkers, the usual helmet ice cream or dippin dots, "Monstah Lobstah" lobster hoagies... and even BBQ Pretzels.  Interesting.

SUMMARY

Since many of us are scattered around different parts of the country, I wrote this to try to give you all an inside look at a stadium that most of you probably haven't seen.  I hope that some of you other LSB'ers that visit your hometown parks when the Rangers are in town can share with us what others don't see and give us an inside look at other parks.  Overall, it was a great weekend watching the Rangers play live and win in a comfortable 72 degree stadium.