Sports
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Charming Wei Chuan Dragons Stadium: Is The Stadium Worth Visiting?
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If you’re a baseball fan and visiting Taipei during the CPBL season (Chinese Professional Baseball League), you have a couple of choices gto choose from in Taipei. There’s the Fubon Guardians, which I wrote about earlier, and there’s the Wei Chuan Dragons.
The Wei Chuan Dragons
The Dragons have an interesting history. They were a founding team, one of the original teams that started the CPBL. They had great success in the 90’s, winning the league in 1990, 1997, 1998, 1999. After the 1999 season it was announced the Wei Chuan Food Corporation, which owned the team, was disbanding it. It seems unprecedented and cruel to the fans, to disband a team after a season ending in a championship but that’s exactly what happened.
Fast forward 20 years: The team gets re-established in 2019 and plays as a minor league team in 2020 before rejoining the CPBL for the 2021 season. In 2023 the Dragons won the championship. They were back to their winning ways.
The Stadium
Out of all three baseball stadiums that I watched a game at, the Taipei Tianmu Baseball Stadium was by far the best. It has a large open concourse area with everything decked out in Wei Chaun Dragons signage and displays. The team store is located right next to the ticket booth and was popping when I went to it. People were definitely buying a bunch Wei Chuan Dragons apparel, hats, and other merchandise.
Tickets were easy to purchase, I just walked right up to the ticket booth on gameday and got a ticket down the first base line for (500 NTD, $15.56 USD).
Once you walk into the stadium, there’s another concourse area with a bunch of food tents. There’s also additional food stalls inside the stadium. There’s a variety of food and snacks in general at this stadium to munch on while enjoying a Wei Chuan Dragons game.
I opted for some sweet potato balls (80 NTD, $2.49 USD) and a cup of fries with honey mustard sauce drizzled over them (135 NTD, $4.20 USD) . Of course if you wanted to, you could bring in outside food and drinks as well with no issues which also provides further food and drink options!
Walking around the stadium reminded me of a tiny Major League Baseball stadium. There’s a lot of banners, flags, lights hanging, and player portraits as well as portraits of the Wei Chuan Dragons cheerleaders hanging on the stadium pillars. It’s fun little atmosphere and definitely stood out amongst the stadiums that I visted while in Taiwan.
It’s a well cared for field and looks fantastic. With the stadium only seating about 10,500 people, it’s quite initmate as well. As with every game in the CPBL, a Wei Chuan Dragons game is a boisterous affair. Despite the rainy weather during the game I went to the cheers, songs, chants, were very much present.
Even though there were a lot of fans that had retreated to the inside of the stadium as the weather worsened, the crowd still watching the gam outside was very loud and enthusiastic. It really does make a big difference to the atmosphere and the game a lot more fun and entertaining.
Is Taipei Tianmu Baseball Stadium Worth Visiting?
If you’re a baseball fan and only have time to watch one game and one team while in Taipei then a Wei Chuan Dragons at Taipei Tianmu Baseball Stadium is the team and stadium to visit. No offense to the Fubon Guardians, but the Taipei Tianmu Baseball Stadium is certainly superior and offers a much better gameday experience. There’s more food options, the team store is larger, and the team (the year I went) was better. It’s an overall fun experience and is definitely worth catching a game at!
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Angel Stadium, Anaheim, California | Big A Burger | Is It A Must Try Stadium Food at the Big A?
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Angel Stadium is a place I’m quite familiar with being an Angels fan for most my life (sadly of late) and have been to many, many, games through the years. So I thought it would be fun to include here.
Angel Stadium History
A little background about Angel Stadium: Built in 1966, Angel Stadium is the fourth oldest stadium amongst MLB stadiums with a seating capacity of 45,517. The official name is Angel Stadium of Anaheim but I don’t think anyone uses that formal title. It’s either Angel Stadium or The Big A.
The stadium has gone through a few renovations over the years, the most iconic and noticeable being the large display of artifical rocks with cascading water and fountains out in centerfield which shoots up fireworks after every Angels homerun and Angels home win.
Aeshetically, there’s nothing really unique about the stadium that really stands out besides the rock structure out in centerfield and the two giant Angel helmets that are located in the front of the stadium.
But nothing that feels like a uniquely “Angels” only experience inside the stadium. There’s the usual fare: restaurants, team stores, food vendors of course, and for the stadium being as old as it is, it’s in pretty good shape overall.
The Food
There’s a lot of options here of course. In time I’ll continue to update this as I try more items and places.
Big A Burgers
The “burger chain” within the stadium is Big A Burgers. There’s a few locations scattered throughout the stadium – sections 107, 226, 428, & Brewery X. Plenty of locations for easy access throughout the stadium.
Big A Burger in Section 226 
Big A Burger Menu I stopped by here about 20-25 minutes before the game and there wasn’t any line at that time. The menu is simple, as you’d expect. A single patty cheeseburger, double cheeseburger, the main headliners, along with the typical fries, and surprisingly chili fries.
I went with the Big A Combo which included a Double Cheeseburger, fries, and bottled drink ($23). The food was instantly ready, which is both a good and bad thing. Good being that the food was ready right away and I didn’t have to wait. Bad in that if it’s ready that quickly, the food has most likely been sitting for a while and won’t be very fresh.
The burger and fries were indeed, not very fresh, and were most likely sitting under a heat lamp for a while. The burger and its patties are actually a pretty good size. The patties were dry though, not very juicy, and not the best quality. The secret sauce was pretty watery and I could have used more on the burger.
With all that being said, it’s not HORRIBLE. It wasn’t great either though. I know the picture I painted is bleak, but this is stadium food afterall. It’s a whatever kind of burger. Nothing special, it exists and it’ll fill you up.
However, the fries are tasty. They’re reminiscent of fries from the burger joint Rally’s. They’re well seasoned and flavorful, not too crispy or crunchy though since they’d been sitting for a while. If these came out hot they’d be really good fries.
Overall, for the price ($23) you get a good amount of food (for a meal at a stadium).
They’re definitely generous with the amount of fries and it’s a filling burger. I had eaten this before, from the same location. But I got it during the middle of the game and it seemed to be a lot fresher and better overall.
As odd as it sounds, I’d actually go here when it’s a bit busier in order to get a more freshly made burger and fries.
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Es Con Field Hokkaido Home To The Nippon Ham Fighters Is A Must Visit
The Nippon Ham Fighters are a Nippon Professional Baseball team (NPB, Japanese pro baseball) that are located in Sapporo, Japan. Having played their games in the Sapporo Dome since the team re-located from Tokyo to Sapporo back in 2004, the Fighters unveiled Es Con Field Hokkaido to kick off the 2023 season. I went and visited this stadium during the off-season and was very impressed with everything it had to offer!
The Background
Construction for Es Con Field Hokkaido began in May 2020 and was completed in January 2023, just in time for the 2023 season. The newest stadium in the NPB boasts a seating capacity of 35,000, has a retractable roof, and natural turf (a rarity for an NPB team). The field dimensions are as follows: left field 318 ft, center field 397 ft, right field 325 ft.
The standout feature of the stadium is the massive glass wall in the outfield. It essentially runs from left field to right field and it’s absolutely HUGE. When inside the stadium, it’s really a sight to behold and provides great natural lighting.
Outside The Stadium
The surrounding area is lush with greenery so the background setting of the stadium is quite peaceful when outside the stadium. There’s a couple of shops and restaurants next to the stadium and even a hotel that is directly next to Es Con Field Hokkaido. There’s a kids playground, a small pond surrounded by what looked like outdoor suites which were just a large room with a TV and deck with bbq. I’m not exactly what these were. I’d be interested to see how they’re utilized on game day.
I’d expect this area to be further developed in the future since there’s a lot of space within the vicinity.
Es Con Field Hokkaido is a little bit of a trek since it’s not in central Sapporo and doesn’t have a direct station. The nearest station is Kitahiroshima station which will be about a 20-minute walk to the stadium. I didn’t mind this walk since the area here is peaceful. During game days the walk would most likely be quite fun with boisterous and excited fans making the walk together. During the season I’m guessing they must have shuttle services from the station to the stadium but in those times it may just be faster to walk.
Inside the Stadium
Something that was pretty amazing to me about Es Con Field Hokkaido, outside of how great the exterior looked, was how accessible it was to the public in the middle of December. You could literally walk in through one entrance that takes you to the left field seats which were open to sit in. You could walk the concourse from left field to right field and along the first base line before areas were roped off.
The team store is massive, with a ton of Fighter apparel and souvenirs, really cool and it’s two stories as well!
The front of the team store 
The first floor of the team store 
Mural of Yu Darvish and Shohei Ohtani that’s between the team store and food court. I expected the team store to be open, just didn’t think it was going to be on the inside of the stadium, but didn’t think the food court would also be open AND the brewery (!) too. There was a cool area in centerfield where the brewery was located.
The entrance to the craft brewery 
The craft beer selection and snacks! Seeing that one the stadium had a brewery and it was open, I obviously had to grab a Playball Ale (800 yen, $5.29 USD) and roll pizza (Margherita roll 900 yen, $5.95 USD). The brewery is located in center field with both an “indoors” area and also a patio area that’s upstairs (this area’s bar wasn’t open).
I grabbed a seat at the counter that faces the field to enjoy my beer and food. Really cool place and location.
The Tour
Es Con Field Hokkaido offers a couple different tours. The Basic where you can walk around the diamond seat area and get to walk around in the dugout and stand on the field and then the Premium which includes everything from the Basic while also providing access to the players area / locker room. I went with the Basic (1800 yen, $12.42) USD). I really wanted to step onto the field and and see how the stadium looks from field level. You get some really great views of the stadium and the field and some behind the scenes looks into the inner workings of the stadium. It was a blast!
One place on the tour are the seats directly behind home plate 
Field level directly in the front of the first base dugout 
The media room Es Con Field Hokkaido Is Worth A Visit
If you’re a sports fan and are visiting Sapporo, Es Con Field Hokkaido should be on the list of places to visit. The stadium is gorgeous and it’s a treat to walk around the surrounding area and within the stadium itself.
The next goal will be to go when the Fighters are playing. The atmosphere from the walk from the station to the field and then the game atmosphere itself would be amazing I’m sure. Certainly something I want to plan for in the future!
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Las Vegas Raiders |Allegiant Stadium Gameday Mandalay Walkway Experience | Stadium Food
First Impressions
Updated on after the 10/15/23 game against the Patriots!
Having been a lifelong Raiders fan visiting their new stadium in Las Vegas was definitely a top priority.
The stadium from the outside is all black with tinted windows. It’s extremely sleek and modern looking. The stadium itself is much more intimidating than the actual team it fields (at least for the most part of the past 20+ years, sadly).
Appropriately nicknamed the Death Star, it’s definitely one of the coolest stadium nicknames out there and certainly fitting.
View from the Mandalay walkway 
Right outside one the entrances Getting To The Stadium
Walking to the stadium is a great experience.
Getting to the stadium on foot is very easy and accessible if you’re visiting from out of town. Especially if you’re staying on the Las Vegas Strip. Even if you’re not staying on the Strip, you can simply get dropped off at Mandalay Bay. From there the walk over to the stadium will only take about 15-20 minutes.
If you choose to drive, parking is quite limited. Due to that, there’s limited tailgate opportunities from what I saw. I believe there’s a designated area for it.
To be honest, I’m not too sure how important tailgating is at the stadium when the Strip is right there. Obviously there’s a TON of places to eat, drink, watch the morning games, gamble, really do whatever. It offers a whole different kind of game day experience compared to other venues.
I got dropped off at New York New York, had a couple of drinks there, and then proceeded to Excalibur to catch the free tram to Mandalay Bay. This was around 11:00ish and there were already a ton of people cramming into the trams.
Once you get to Mandalay Bay there’s a ton of signs that help guide you through the casino to the stadium walkway.
Conveniently, it’s right next to the sports book. You can stop by and bet on the morning games or chill and watch them prior to the Raider game. Because it’s a Sunday and a Raiders home game, the sports book will be packed. You won’t find a seat if you aren’t there early. But it’s still cool to stand around and watch the games.
Once you’re ready to head over to the stadium the exit to the Hacienda Bridge leading to the stadium is literally right next to the sports book. It’ll take about 15-20 minutes to walk to the stadium. It’s definitely a fun game day experience since the bridge shuts down and fans stream across it to get there.
Start of the walk right outside of Mandalay Bay What makes the walk memorable is the palpbable sense of excitement amongst the crowd in anticipation of the game. You can really feel the energy in the air.
Getting into the stadium was quick and easy. The security lines were fast and efficient. It only took a few minutes to get through, which is always nice.
Inside The Stadium
Once inside, the interior of the stadium is really beautiful. Silver and black is everywhere, including the seats themselves. You can really feel the whole Raiders vibe and it’s wonderful if you’re a Raiders fan!
I didn’t get a chance to walk around and truly explore the stadium. That will have to wait until another visit.
Once comfortably in my seat I was able to take in the whole stadium and was truly a happy camper.
I was sitting on the Raiders sideline in the nosebleeds (second row from the very top) at the 30- yard line but really not THAT bad. I like having a bird’s eye view to be able to see plays unfold.
The Food
There’s a ton of food options available throughout the stadium as you might expect. I’ve been able to try a few and will update as I visit the stadium more.
Ferraro’s
I ended up getting a Ferraro’s sausage sandwich with peppers for a quick snack.
Ferraro’s sausage sandwich at Allegiant Stadium I wasn’t expecting much to be honest, but it actually turned out to be pretty decent.
The sausage had good flavor with a hint of spice. Peppers weren’t overly soft and had a little crunch to them. The bun was steamed and wasn’t dried out. This wasn’t the most amazing sausage sandwich ever but it was simple and tasty. Perfect for a sporting event food to go along with a beer.
Speaking of beer, the best part was that they sold the sausage sandwich at the beer cart. Definitely convenient!
Picanha Steak
As one might imagine, this stand in the 343 section sells Picanha items. Picanha is a cut of beef taken from the top of the rump apparently. I had zero idea what it was. I just saw grilled steak sandwiches and nachos. Both of which sounded delicious.
There are only three options here: the sandwich, nachos, and regular chips. I went with the sandwich and nachos which I split. The Picanha Sandwich which is served on a french roll with shaved spinach, chipotle aioli, and chimichurri ($17.99). The Picanha Nachos are served on tortilla chips with black beans, nacho cheese, chimichurri and chipotle aioli ($17.99).
The first thing you notice is that the sandwich isn’t all that big for the $. Not a ton of meat or veggies or chimichurri, which was disppointing. Nonetheless, it’s a pretty tasty sandwich. The steak tastes great. Very good flavor and meat is fairly tender.
The fresh spinach goes well with the meat and the chimichurri is good. The chipotle aioli comes on the side and you drizzle it over the top of the sandwich which adds additional flavor. The french roll wasn’t all that fresh. It seemed a little stale.
Taste wise, this is pretty satisfying. However, they really skimp on stuffing the sandwich full of goodies. I get the lack of meat but there could at least be more spinach and chimichurri to help compensate. This will leave you hungry by itself which shouldn’t be case for the price.
The nachos, much like the sandwich are pretty tiny both in size, toppings and chips. They’re pretty much glorifed stadium nachos with steak and some black beans with chipotle aioli mixed into it. The nachos themselves are pretty tasty. Mainly due to the steak. Otherwise they aren’t very noteworthy.
Pizza Rock
After splitting the sandwich and nachos my friend and I were both pretty hungry still. Luckily, there was a Pizza Rock near Picanha Steak.
They serve three different Sicilian slices here: Cheese, Double Pepperoni, and Veggie. We got the Double Pepperoni ($13.99)
The Sicilian square slices are a good size loaded up with pepperoni. This pizza is really, really good. The chef, Tony Gemignani is a well-known pizza chef. The quality and taste you’d expect from a famous chef has been upheld at the location in Allegiant Stadium. The sauce has fantastic flavor and the cheese is equally high quality. The dough is some of the best I’ve had. I wouldn’t expect that of stadium pizza. It’s light and doughy with some crispiness to it. Everything blends so well together. This is definitely an Allegiant Stadium food I’ll look forward to getting next time.
Exiting From The Game
Getting out of the stadium did take a little while. Being seated in the nosebleeds most likely contributed to this. I navigated an exit route with several flights of stairs that were crammed with people. Getting out of the stairwell back onto Hacienda Bridge took some time. But that was expected given it was a good game and not many people had left the stadium yet.
Even still, once you’re out of the stadium and on Hacienda Bridge you can go anywhere obviously. There’s no figuring out where you parked at or fighting the parking lot traffic to get back onto the freeway. It’s just another little perk to seeing a game in Vegas that’s minutes away from the nearest casino.
The Verdict
This is such a cool stadium. I may be biased as a Raiders fan, but the stadium is truly a sight to behold. The experience is so unique. With the stadium being a walk away from one of the most fun places on Earth with world class resorts and casinos right next door. I highly recommend catching a game here if your favorite NFL team is in town (there’s a TON of visiting fans that go to Vegas for games). You will definitely have a good time, regardless of the outcome of the game, you’re in Las Vegas after all!
