Went to a WooSox game last night for the first time. Here are some impressions.
Had a group of people ranging from toddler to elderly in tow, so I went for what I thought was the most convenient parking place in the library parking lot, at a cost of $15+ fees. Although the ballpark is closeby in sight, it's not intuitive how to get there. No signage or instruction. Overall, the parking situation is pretty lame. They're applying an urban pedestrian model here, but Worcester is not a pedestrian-oriented place and never will be.
Arriving at the park, the exterior looks ok, not as bad as I feared, but is definitely a downgrade from what was proposed. Ticketing/security was a a bit slow (security in particular) but nothing unusual.
Once inside, there is lots and lots of bare, exposed concrete. I mean, a lot. Not a big deal and pretty common, but to me this is unnecessary and reeks of cost-cutting. For example, the Worcester Red Sox placard lettering above home plate is mounted on bare concrete. After a season or two, it will begin to look really ugly as the concrete weathers. The interior of the park looks fine, but again, it's kind of a disappointment given the hype and the pricetag. From a construction and materials standpoint, it is extraordinarily generic. Even if the ballpark is still incomplete, I can't imagine that aspect of it being changed.
We were up in the Hanover deck (which is toward left field/3B line). Not the greatest view (probably the worst seats in the stadium), but these are designed for eventual business/social gatherings. Unlike the rest of the ballpark, where the 25% capacity limit was evident, everybody was crammed in up there, no distancing.
Walking around the rest of the stadium, however, the views were excellent. The RF wall views are amazing. I imagine once the grassy knoll is done that will be nice too, if you're into that. The RF wall area was especially busy, lots of people standing around and on the stairs, and that's where one of the booze stands is, as well as Nathan's hotdogs, BBQ, Del's, and the ice cream cart. Super long line at Nathan's.
From a viewing experience, there are some oversights for the Hanover Deck folks. The CF scoreboard isn't functioning (I assume that's what it is), and it's really hard to follow the game because the LF scoreboard is mostly behind you and obstructed. There are limited options in sight for gameflow info. I'd like to see a couple more strategically placed. It's better for people elsewhere in the ballpark.
There is some nice character to the ballpark experience. The city views from the home plate to RF side of the park are *really* nice, and it will get better once they finish the outfield construction. And the passing trains are really cool, I can see that becoming an identity thing at some point if it hasn't already.
The in-game stuff between innings, etc. is basically the same as McCoy, so pretty understated compared to other minor league parks, and that's totally fine with me.
So all in all, it's better than I feared, but not as good as I had hoped. Aside from the currently clean concrete, there is nothing that feels new, innovative, or state of the art about the ballpark. Hopefully this is all just due to it being an incomplete construction.