Principal Park
Des Moines, IA
Review by Mike
Principal Park is the home of the Iowa Cubs of the International League. I visited Principal Park early on a wet Sunday morning and, thanks to the friendly staff, was allowed to wander around the ballpark for a few minutes as the grounds crew attempted to prepare the field for an afternoon game.
The park has a nice location, on the south edge of the city at the confluence of two rivers. It is an impressive facility, very clean, well landscaped and quite inviting. The seats offer great views in all directions. Beyond the 3rd base line is downtown Des Moines. To center field is the impressive State Capitol, which looms larger in person than in my wide angle shot. Beyond the right field corner are the two rivers which join amidst channels and bridges.
The park itself looks very nice. The large grandstand is close to the action and sweeps from pole to pole. There is no upper deck, like you find in some AAA parks, but there are unobtrusive luxury boxes. Beyond the left field fence is a grill and deck area where, presumably, one can enjoy the fine smells of grilling delectables during the game.
I'm sure there have been upgrades and enhancements since my visit in 2002, but the park I did see was rather nice. It felt a little more like a AA park than a AAA facility, but all of the boxes are checked. There wasn't anything really spectacular about Principal Park, but nothing wrong here either.
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2002
61
