SunTrust Park – page 2

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The Design

There is somewhat of an urban legend in sport-architecture circles surrounding how Populous came to be the designers of SunTrust Park.  It’s true that a different architect helped the Braves envision how the park and commercial development might look and be arranged. One figured that this firm would then get to do the design of the ballpark. However, the story goes, two principals at Populous obtained an audience with the executives of the Braves at the 2013 winter meetings, and because of the star power of those two principals (Earl Santee and Joe Spear), the Braves were simply overwhelmed and begged Populous to take on the project.

Well, reality doesn’t quite match the embellished version.

“John Schuerholz, who knew our work from Kansas City, reached out to Joe Spear to ask if we’d be interested in competing for the project,” Santee divulged. “We honestly didn’t know the Braves very well, so we met with them in Kansas City and toured Kauffman Stadium with them.” The Braves asked them to do a formal interview for the project. “We took a really holistic approach to the project – fan experiences and the development planning. Believe it or not, our presentation was over four hours long.” And Populous won the job.

What followed was a stadium tour, where Braves officials went with Populous to examine several ballparks and one football stadium. They noted what the Braves liked and didn’t like, and built a list of features and approaches they wanted to pursue.

While it’s not a sexy feature, the use of elevators, stairs and ramps is perhaps the best I’ve ever seen at a sports facility. They aren’t obtrusive, but they are plentiful.  It’s a very easy park to get around.

There is an odd concourse, though (above right). The way you get to the seats in the uppermost level in the infield is unlike anything I’ve seen.  You actually go up stairs to traverse what is essentially the roof of the press box, which is on the Upper Level concourse. You pass by HVAC apparatus and ductwork underneath the stands on the way to the vomitorium (look it up in Wikipedia, and you’ll have a new addition to your vocabulary) for your seating section.

But that’s a minor quibble.  The design of the park is exceptional. Truly state-of-the-art. Except for a minor bottleneck on the outfield concourse, it’s brilliant in every respect.

It’s obvious that the Braves wanted to keep the vast majority of the seating in foul territory, while keeping the outfield more open – all the better to show off the Omni Hotel and the Comcast office building in The Battery.  No doubt those two companies paid a premium to have such prime spots, especially since TV cameras will often show them while games are being televised.

Let’s look at the seating levels from the bottom up.  Obviously, there is premium seating closest to the field, and close to home plate there is extra-premium seating. And the rows right next to the backstop can only be described as ultra-extra-premium. These wide, padded seats don’t have armrests between them. No, they have a small countertop for your food and drink *and* there is a waterproof tablet there for you to keep track of your stock portfolio.

Eat your hearts out, Yankee fans.

These very special seats right behind the backstop have countertops and tablets. All of the seats in the first four rows between the dugouts are extra large and have plush padding.

Many of the premium seats not adjacent to the backstop have a unique construction material:  mesh, reminiscent of patio furniture. Obviously, when it’s hot, sitting in these seats will be more comfortable.

Tucked underneath the seats behind home plate is the opulent, 18,000-square-foot Delta Sky360 Club and the even more exclusive SunTrust Club.  The décor of these clubs is, to the say the least, stunning. Mason Hansen, Populous’ Senior Interior Designer, spearheaded the effort. She explained that her team spent extensive time touring well-known bars and restaurants (“including dive bars,” she added) in Atlanta to examine their décor. The types of wood and accents used in the stadium’s clubs are a result of that research. And it is beautiful.

And while I by no means have an affinity for interior decorating, I have to admit that listening to Hansen describe the reasoning behind all of the design elements she was showing me was fascinating. Frankly, this kind of attention to detail can be seen throughout the ballpark.

The Delta Sky360 Club is huge and well-appointed. The sumptuous SunTrust Club (right) features walnut tables custom-built by local firm Rustic Trades.

There are two other “Dugout Lounges” tucked under the field-level seats. They are close to the foul poles and are sponsored by Carrier and Jim Beam.

The section numbers in the Field Level are in single digits (1 through 9) between the dugouts adjacent to the backstop. Just farther back are the section numbers in double digits (10 to 41), which stretch from one foul pole around to the other. The 100-level seats – 110 through 162 — include all of the sections in the outfield, as there is no upper deck there. I should point out that the concourse that runs behind the outfield seats isn’t wide enough. That’s because the attractions in Hope & Will’s Sandlot area for kids are actually part of the concourse. On weekend days with lots of youngsters in line for the zipline, base run and kid-oriented concessions, there is a true bottleneck here. It’s hard to fight your way through the throng of parent/child humanity.

One level up from the Field Level is the Terrace, which many stadiums would call the Club Level. The seating sections here are numbered from 210 to 246, and as the sections go down the foul lines away from home plate, each seat is twisted slightly so it is facing the infield instead of center field like at most big-league stadiums.

The rows toward the top of the sections behind home plate have table tops (above left). Behind these sections — as well as the luxury suites in the infield — is the spacious Infiniti Club (above right).  It’s not quite as luxurious as the two clubs under the field-level seats, but almost.

The next level up is, naturally, the Upper Level, which is sometimes referred to as Vista. This includes sections 312 (near the right field foul pole) all the way around to 347, which is in fair territory in left field.  The last three sections down the left-field line are called the Coca-Cola Corner, although in some seating maps, it’s called the Coca-Cola Red Porch.

You’d have to include the seating sections numbered 410 To 444 (called Grandstand” on seating maps) as also being on the Upper Level, as the only way you can access them is by climbing steps from its concourse … unless, of course, you’re talking about those numbered 423 To 429 which can only be reached by taking the odd stairs to the roof of the press box, as described earlier.

By keeping all of the seats in the outfield between the main concourse and the field (i.e., no upper deck), it allows for some fascinating features. The most interesting is the Home Depot Clubhouse, which can be booked by a group of 40 people. Its vantage point high above the left-center seats is as nice as any I’ve seen at a baseball facility.

The Home Depot Clubhouse is unlike any group area I’ve ever seen.  It is perched high above the seats in left center field. On the right you can see what it looks like from within the structure, where food and drink are served.

This level is referred to as the Mezzanine. It has a catwalk connecting the Clubhouse with a terrace called the Batter’s Eye Deck under (i.e., in the shade of) the massive video screen and on over to the top level of the Chop House. This walkway offers you a great view of the kids’ area below on the main concourse. You’ll want to spend quite a while watching youngsters on the zip line there.

The Coors Light Top Of The Chop is absolutely packed with millennials, taking advantage of the bars and phenomenal view of the field there.

The Chop House, of course, was an extremely popular dining spot at Turner Field, but its three-level SunTrust Park namesake is awesome in its size and execution (below). Not only do the counters facing the field have refrigerated cup holders – which I’ve not seen at a ballpark before – its bottom level gives fans a vantage point only rarely glimpsed at a baseball park. Fans in the Coors Light Below The Chop (below right) are actually sitting on the level of the playing surface, looking through a chain-link fence. Yes, you’re right at the right-field warning track, looking past the right fielder to see the batter. That’s a great experience for the fan.

There are two more vantage points worth mentioning. The Xfinity Rooftop, which sits high above the right-field corner, actually features three areas: the Lounge, which is an enclosed, air-conditioned bar (below left); the Patio which faces the field; and the Cabanas, which can be booked by groups. According to Santee, the Cabanas were the result of Braves’ execs being enamored with The Rooftop party decks in right field at Coors Field. Good choice. You’ll also find an authentic Flying Cloud Airstream trailer serving drinks here. I wonder how they got it up to the Rooftop.

The other awesome vantage point is the Hank Aaron Terrace above the left-field corner. There’s an enclosed area with bars, Aaron memorabilia and air conditioning. Facing the field are four rows of countertops with an incredible, panoramic view of the ballpark’s seating bowl (below right). I think this Terrace is the best-kept secret at the ballpark that itself was once a secret.

The seats themselves at Turner Field were dark blue. Not so at SunTrust Park. Out with the blue, and in the with the new – in this case, the ubiquitous dark-green seats made so popular by Camden Yards.

The number of seats here is also interesting. The seating capacity is exactly 8,437 smaller than at Turner Field.  I asked Schiller if this was because that was the ideal number, or did it just happen to be the number of seats that fit in the sized stadium they wanted to build?  “Both.”  He added that only a couple of MLB markets need as many as 50,000 seats (clearly Dodger Stadium needs to be as big as it is), while a city like Atlanta should have around 40,000.

“I’ll take it a step further,” he added. “Going back 10 or 20 years ago, we looked at fan bases as one homogeneous group. All the fans looked at all the seats as one thing, and you could afford whatever you could afford. Your seating locations largely defined your price points. What we’ve attempted to do here is create a lot more segmentation of amenities.” Hence, underground lounges out by the foul poles on the field level, and the very desirable Home Depot Clubhouse far, far away from home plate in center field. There is more to the decision of what price to charge than how close you are to home plate. Amenities drive this now, very much unlike in past decades.

Usually when I compliment a park’s lighting, it’s because its exterior looks great at night. Well, SunTrust Park certainly does – especially down the hill on I-75 – but the noteworthy lighting here is on top of the light towers and underneath the huge canopy over the upper deck.

The first thing you’ll notice about the stadium’s light standards is that they don’t look like the ones at other stadiums. Instead of being incandescent, they are flat, rectangular LEDs (above left) made by a company called Carolina High Mast. They rely on Digital Multiplex or DMX, which is a protocol of electronic communications usually used for stage lighting at concerts or shows. According to Corey Berhost, Principal at ME Engineers, the computers that control this system allow the lights to be “fully dimmable as well as providing dynamic effects like sparkling for home runs, chases and synchronized to music.” Wow! I’ve never seen that at a sports facility before. He adds that this kind of dynamic controls means there’s “no limit on imagination for effects,” so what these lights can do will evolve over time.

Not to be outdone, there are fascinating lights illuminating the underside of the rooftop canopies (above right). These are provided by GVA Lighting. According to Berhost, these are red-green-blue-white (RSBW) LED diodes that are programmed to provide different hues. “The idea was to provide some dynamic looks both inside and outside the ballpark,” he explains. The colors can appear to chase each other, or fade from one color to another. “We envisioned that the team could use the colors to signify when the team wins or is away.”

These colors are clearly visible within the seats at a night game, and from the surrounding streets and highways. And they are truly mesmerizing, while not interfering with play on the field a bit.

And there is definitely one feature of the ballpark that you should examine on your first visit. It is on the lower level concourse behind home plate. Monument Garden is simply stupendous. No, it can’t offer as many Hall Of Fame monuments as Yankee Stadium, but it can provide a fascinating timeline of the franchise’s history from 1871 in Boston through Milwaukee and all the way to the present in Atlanta. There are markers for Braves’ retired numbers, MVPs, Cy Young winners, Gold Glove recipients, Rookies of the Year and so forth.  You’ll also find the World Series trophy from 1995 in a glass case in between this Garden and the lounge for the luxury suites behind home plate.

At Monument Garden’s heart – both physically and emotionally – is Hank Aaron. A newly commissioned statue is here, showing him bashing the ball for home run number 715. There is a lovely fountain and perpetually looping videos of his accomplishments. To see youngsters – particularly African American children – crowding around this area is truly heartwarming. Baseball in general and Atlanta in particular owe a great deal to Mr. Aaron, and this is an extremely fitting tribute to him. Don’t miss it.

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The Essentials

Any discussion of the experience of attending a Braves game should include the almost unlimited entertainment possibilities in The Battery Atlanta. But let’s confine our assessment to the baseball experience itself.

If you’re driving to a game, you’ll do yourself a favor if you pre-pay for your parking.  That will ensure you a spot in one the garages or lots.  The cost to pre-pay ranges from $10 (for the lot farthest from the park, across I-75) to $21, for the Red Garage beyond center field. The most common price for a lot on the stadium side of I-75 is $18.

If you wait until you arrive to pay, note that many lots only allow those who’ve pre-paid to park there.  And the one that is $10 when you pre-pay? It’s $18 on the day of the game … plus it’s a 20-minute walk to the ballpark, although you can hop on the team-operated shuttle if you don’t want the exercise.

The key is that the team doesn’t want motorists driving to the area, then wandering around the streets surrounding the ballpark hunting for a place to park.  That’s a recipe for congestion.  Instead, buy your parking pass online, then use Waze to guide you directly to that lot.

As for the cost of tickets, well, that’s not an easy story to tell. While there, I picked up a Braves pocket schedule, assuming that it would provide a chart of the ticket prices, as all good pocket schedules do.

Wrong.

There’s no mention of it, because the prices are a dizzying array of numbers. By my count, there are 19 different seating options for single games.  Add to that the fact that each category can have three different prices depending on the projected demand for that opponent and that day of the week, and you’ll understand why there’s no simple list of ticket prices.

For example, if you look through the upcoming games online, you’ll discover that a Dugout Infield Box Seat can cost $69 for Thursday game against the Marlins or $143 for a Saturday game against the Mets.  In other words, you are looking at a 100% swing.

“How much do tickets at SunTrust Park cost?” is a very difficult question to answer, because there are so many options, plus prices vary by game. The sections in the foreground here are in the Coca-Cola Corner where seats cost from $6 to $15.

Suppose you just want to pay the lowest price possible (general admission) just so you can get into the park or sit near the left-field foul pole in the upper deck. Again, there’s a 100% swing. The cheapest games will cost you $5 while the marquee games cost $10.

For something in between, a seat in the outfield can cost as little as $15 or as much as $29.

And there are 16 other ticket levels to choose from. See why there are no ticket prices on their pocket schedule?

And because it’s a beautiful new stadium that was constructed in a fairly affluent area, it costs more for fans to buy tickets, right?

Again, wrong.

Plant admits that “Usually when there’s a new professional or collegiate sports facility, all the (ticket) costs go up. We, though, have 20,000 tickets under $20 at SunTrust Park. We’re still selling $5 and $7 tickets. You can’t get into a Little League game here in Atlanta for less than $7.”

He explained that there were only 340 premium seats at Turner Field, but at SunTrust Park, there are 4,000. “That’s how we drove our revenue, which allowed us to break the mold and not push all our ticket prices up. We know over 50% of our fan base is families with kids. No other team has that high a number. We couldn’t price them out of the opportunity to come to a game.”

So as long as you don’t mind sitting in the upper deck or the outfield, it’s still quite affordable to attend a Braves game.

Braves merchandise, though, is moderately expensive.  While there are smaller stands and stores (that are air-conditioned) scattered around the stadium, the main Braves Clubhouse Store is next to the Right Field Gate. It has doors that open into the stadium’s concourse for use during games, and ones that open to the outside at other times.  And if you’ve been paying attention, you can guess where those outer doors are:  right on The Plaza between the ballpark and The Battery. Naturally.

This store is huge, and is well stocked with souvenirs and apparel – utilizing the modern-day Braves look as well as the lower-case “a” of several decades ago.

Men’s t-shirts range from $30 to $38, with the popular tops with players’ names and numbers costing $30. Women’s T’s run $30-$36. Most kids’ T’s are $18 and $20.

Short-sleeve polos for men are $60, $65, $70 and $75, and for women, $55.

Adult fitted caps are $30 and $38, while adjustable models are mostly $25, with a few at $20. For women, caps are $25 and $28, and for kids, $14 and $15.

My favorite souvenir item is a lapel pin. They have plenty, most of which are $8, while a few are $6.

And the ever-popular foam tomahawk is $6.  They sell so many, incidentally, that they have huge bins of them by the cash registers (above right) and at all of the satellite stands.

I like that season-ticket holders get a 10% discount on their purchases.

Concession kings

Heading the food-service operations for Delaware North at SunTrust Park is Shawn Mattox (left). Since he had the same role at Globe Life Park in Arlington when they launched the massive Boomstick (a 24” hot dog covered with cheese, onions, chili and jalapenos for $26), it figures he’d be behind the two bigger-than-life food items in Atlanta, the Tomahawk Pork Chop and the Burgerizza. On the right above is Randy Collins, Operations Manager of the restaurants. He took me on a tour of the Terrapin Taproom and Chop House.

When it comes to food and drink, no Major League baseball stadium outdoes SunTrust Park – thanks largely to the fact that Delaware North is the food-service vendor.

While the variety is staggering, let’s first focus on the two most noteworthy … no, let’s call it what it is:  the two most outrageous concession items.

First is the Tomahawk Pork Chop sandwich ($26, left), which is new for 2017. This massive deep-fried pork chop (complete with bone sticking out of the bun so it looks like a tomahawk) is covered with white barbecue sauce and collard-green slaw, and is served on an extra-large potato roll. It’s commonly cut into quarters, because it’s really a meal for four.

A carryover from the final season at Turner Field is the Burgerizza ($26, shown below left being served by Jerry Booker). This 24-ounce ground-chuck patty has cheese and bacon, and is served with two personal-size pepperoni pizzas acting as a bun. I can vouch that this is a gastronomic treat. I can also vouch that you’ll need two or three hungry friends to help you finish it off.

One appealing aspect of the Braves’ concessions, as Delaware North’s Shawn Mattox puts it, is “Our menu is never set. We do a lot of text-storming – that’s what I call it instead of brain-storming – where one of us is out at a fair or a restaurant, and we see something we like. We then text each other to discuss how we could pull it off, and how we could improve upon it. And we won’t wait. We’ll try it (at the concession stands) right away.”

Mattox says that his two personal favorites at SunTrust Park are a jumbo soft pretzel that is in the shape of a script “A” ($5.50) and the Tomahawk Pop ($8, being served by Janay Gordon in the photo above on the right), which is gourmet sea-salt-and-vanilla ice cream from the local High Road creamery, dipped in either chocolate or a cherry candy shell, and then coated with your choice of toppings. I agree with Mattox: it’s a winner.

Since Braves Country consists of half a dozen states, Delaware North came up with a clever idea to showcase the foods from all six.  The Taste of Braves Country Passport will be stamped each time one of the food items in this collection is purchased.

So here’s how it works. Representing the state of Georgia are Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q, Hugh Acheson’s 1^st & 3^rd Hot Dog and Sausage Shack, Chick-fil-A and Waffle House. South Carolina is represented by the pimento cheese patty melt. The smoked whole hog BBQ sandwich with vinegar BBQ sauce stands for North Carolina. Tennessee is represented by Nashville Hot Chicken, while a blackened catfish po’ boy taco represents Mississippi. The aforementioned Tomahawk Pork Chop reps Alabama.  Have your passport stamped when you buy each of these, and you’ll receive a commemorative t-shirt when your booklet is full.

Another clever initiative is the Farm To Fan concept. “We get local distributors to bring in fresh produce or garden-type crops from farms or gardens in the Atlanta area,” Mattox explained. “We then use them in our menu items and post a sign with the Farm To Fan logo to encourage the fans to try them.” He added that these change often and will show up at different stands depending on the type of produce.

While every level of the stadium offers a wide variety of stands featuring pizza, Mexican, desserts, grilled items and standard ballpark fare, there are prominent eateries that deserve special mention. The 1^st & 3^rd Hot Dog and Sausage Shack beyond right field is a take-off on the extremely popular sit-down restaurant called Five & Ten in Athens, Georgia. Like its cousin, this is operated under the supervision of Top Chef judge Hugh Acheson. Here you’ll find kielbasa, Italian sausage, bratwurst and andouille (all are $8), along with specialty sausages like a jalapeno cheddar bacon brat ($9).  Most of the sausage is sourced from Patak Meats in Austell, Georgia.

The Chop House is more than a bar, as tavern food is served on the main level. And it is always packed.

Directly across the concourse is my favorite of the eateries at the ballpark:  the Terrapin Taproom (below), named for the brewery in Athens, Georgia. While its upper level is a beautiful bar (take a selfie in front of the stunning mural of a baseball-playing terrapin), the main level is a sit-down restaurant with indoor (i.e., air-conditioned) seating or there are outdoor tables adjacent to The Battery’s plaza — meaning it’s also open on non-game days.

The featured cuisine at the Taproom is local favorite Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q. There is fantastic, moist brisket (plate is $16) and delicious pulled pork (plate is $15). Two outstanding sides are brisket chili ($5) and collard greens braised with smoked ham hock ($5). The center photo above shows a combination of brisket and pork next to collard greens.

But perhaps my favorite food item in the entire stadium is here in the Taproom:  the chocolate pecan pie topped with cinnamon whipped cream ($6). This tart-shaped delicacy is right out of the oven, and it is the perfect cap to a great BBQ meal.

Of course, the Terrapin Taproom also acts as a microbrewery, with new recipes appearing often. Of note: Chopsecutioner, an IPA brewed specially for SunTrust Park. It is aged in the maple shavings from Mizuno baseball bats.

Like at Turner Field, H&F Burger sells high-end hamburgers for $12. Get in line early because only a limited number are served at each game. It’s located near the Chop House and the Taproom.

And if you need to ask whether this is a Pepsi ballpark or a Coke ballpark, then obviously you don’t know which of these colas has its worldwide headquarters in Atlanta.

Note that the Braves reversed an earlier-announced policy forbidding outside food being brought into ballgames. Now you can do so as long as it fits in a gallon Ziploc bag.

You’ve no doubt heard what a technologically advanced facility SunTrust Park is. And it’s all true. Comcast/Xfinity provides WiFi throughout the stadium, and in my tests, it was screaming fast. Certainly the fastest I’ve found in any sports venue.

Further, the video screen above left field is 90 feet wide and 30 feet tall … and that’s the smaller of the two outfield boards. It’s only used for out-of-town scores. The main video board is in center field and it is a breathtaking 121 feet wide and 64 feet tall. Dubbed “BravesVision,” it’s manufactured by an arm of Panasonic.

While there are plenty of other video screens of note (including a clever one in the shape of an “A” that spins on top of the Xfinity Rooftop), the ribbon board that covers the facing of the Terrace Level seating sections stretches a total of (are you ready for this?) 830 feet.

The sound system is also positively state-of-the-art. The quality is obvious, plus it doesn’t bleed out into The Battery.

Finally, there is indeed a children’s play area, and it’s a gem – even if it does create a bottleneck when fans are trying to traverse the outfield concourse. Hope & Will’s Sandlot combines youngster-centric concession and souvenir stands, an arcade (since, of course, Scouts Alley at Turner Field had many arcade elements) and exceptional attractions. Those include a batting cage, climbing tower, 90-foot “base run” (like at Turner Field) and the crowning achievement of them all: the first ziplines at a ballpark (or, at least, the Braves claim this to be true. I know I haven’t seen them at any other park).

No wonder there are so many kids dragging their parents to this part of the ballpark!

One fan who thoroughly enjoyed his visit to SunTrust Park is Dan Finley of Billings, Montana — although the Sandlot kids area in the outfield wasn’t his highest priority, since he’s old enough to have become a Braves fan when they still played in Milwaukee (they moved to Atlanta following the 1965 season). “That was because of Hank Aaron. He’s my favorite.”

I chatted with him as he was waiting for a Tomahawk Pork Chop sandwich. He described the new park as “pretty amazing. You’re close to the field, but the place is still spacious.” In fact, despite the long distance from Montana to Georgia, he said he and his wife “plan to make a couple of trips back here a year. I also have six grandsons under the age of 10 and I think they would have a great time at the Sandlot area for kids.” Braves fans sure are devoted, and are willing to travel. SunTrust Park and The Battery Atlanta give them plenty to do when they return to town.

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Summary

After attending the exhibition game on March 31 – before most of The Battery’s merchants had opened — I returned to Cobb County for regular-season games two weeks later. I watched in amazement as families explored the new eateries and shops on The Plaza by the right-field gates of the ballpark. Kids were squealing with delight as they dashed through the spurting waters of the splash pad. A band was playing at the concert shell near The Chop House entryway.

In my mind, it all came together: this is why all of this is here. This is what the Braves have fervently desired for many years. Shoppers, diners, strollers – some baseball fans, some not – are here because it’s a place they want to be. And after coming here early for the evening’s game because they were curious, it’s natural that they’ll want to come back here when there’s no game. They’ll want to go to a concert. Eat at a really cool pub. Do some shopping. Maybe even find an apartment to live in.

And it won’t matter if the Braves are playing that day or not.

That was the team’s goal, and from all appearances, they are achieving it. Spectacularly.

According to Plant, SunTrust Park isn’t just a sports venue. “We created a transformational, legacy destination, driving people from all over the Southeast to come here for decades, and not just 81 times a year.”

Adds Santee, “To be direct, this is what baseball needs. In all of the sports, we need these kinds of developments, because they allow us to look at it as not just a singular experience but an experience that lasts all day, all week, all year, forever.”

Truly, it’s nothing short of a miracle that this space – which I had walked three years earlier when there were only trees and a drained pond once full of turtles – has blossomed in such a short period of time. If a governmental entity had decided to take this kind of project on, it wouldn’t have happened in three years. Or four. Or maybe at all.

And compare this to the Ballpark Village beyond left field in St. Louis. It was planned long before Busch Stadium was completed, but the land reserved for this development continued to be an unsightly gravel lot for seven years before the bars and restaurants started to rise from the ground. It is truly spectacular, and was worth the wait. The Braves, however, didn’t have the patience for that.

“Owners of other teams that have come to visit often ask me if I’d ever do all this again,” Plant revealed. “I say, ‘No, and you shouldn’t either.’ They’re taken aback, but I explain that this should be a five-year project, that we did in 36 months.”

Firms that regularly do these kinds of developments would never dream of tackling this kind of timeline, he said. “It makes their heads swim. It’s kind of cool to think that here are lifelong, career developers, and not one of them would even touch something like this.

“We look at each other now and say, ‘Holy cow! We pulled this off.’”

And now that the Braves’ secret is out, it’s PLAY BALL in Cobb County.

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Let everyone know what you think of SunTrust Park — as well as this review — in the comments area below.