This week's trip was to Reading, Pennsylvania to see the Double-A affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. Surprisingly, Reading is only 2 hours from our house, but the route inc
ludes going through windy roads in the countryside. The ride there was scenic through small towns and even passing the town home to Herr's Potato Chips (which we had later at the ballpark).
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I arrived at First Energy Stadium with low expectations because of the pictures I saw online. The ballpark totally
surprised me. The ballpark has a lot of history it was built 47 years ago! The concourses were small and not built to accommodate 8,000 people. The stadium was packed! We had seats down the 3rd base line. The seats do not fold up, which proves difficult for people from the center seats to get out. The seats also did not have cupholders. I would recommend aisle seats if you ever go to a game.
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It was the first game of a doubleheader and we decided to only stay for the first game, because we didn't want to be on windy roads at midnight. We walked over to a food court area in right field and were stunned to find stands made out of wood and walking area in between with
tables to eat. It was a cool area. Also, a party area in right field was sponsored by a pool company so, there was a pool and hot tub overlooking the field.
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There were adequate party areas that could easily helped bring a sell out crowd to over 8,000. We then found seats behind the Reading Phillies dugout and hung out there, while we eat our ice cream. Overall, the stadium has great history and character but it needs some overhaul. Also, the stadium is in a Reading suburb.
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The trip was great marking one of our last unexpected explorations!
Andrew