Swanson: Ballparks we miss: Seattle Kingdome
From Ryan Swanson at The National Pastime Museum on December 27, 2016:
According to Brides.com, French Polynesia is “the world’s top honeymoon destination,” just in case you were wondering. Many newlyweds, of course, honeymoon in Cancun or Hawaii, basking in the sun and surf. Other couples bounce through continental Europe and see castles, sip expensive wines, and try to avoid appearing too American. When my wife and I got married, though, we couldn’t afford any of these options—not even close. Instead, we went to see an American treasure in its very last days.
We went to the Seattle Kingdome.
On June 24, 1999, we attended a 7:05 p.m. game pitting the 36–36 Mariners against the 32–39 Angels. We parked on a somewhat dodgy street in order to avoid paying for parking and made the long trek into the dome. As we walked the circular cement ramps up to our cheap and lofty seats, I told my radiant bride about how I had attended games during Ken Griffey Jr.’s early seasons and had sprinted up these very ramps to be among the first ones into batting practice once the gates opened hours before the actual game. I still have those real MLB baseballs, I told her. She wasn’t all that impressed.
Read the full article here: http://www.thenationalpastimemuseum.com/article/ballparks-we-miss-least-theory-seattle-kingdome-1976-2000
Originally published: December 29, 2016. Last Updated: December 29, 2016.