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Photo: Joe Mock
Moving up to number 8 with a bullet is one of the most fun parks in the minor league system: Keyspan Park in Brooklyn, New York.
Its setting, in the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, puts the beach and amusement parks within easy walking distance. The amusement parks can be seen from within the park, so the designers of KeySpan Park went to considerable effort to make the concourses and lighting whimsical.
“There was a conscious effort to blend the ballpark into the neon lights and carnival atmosphere of the nearby amusement parks,” noted Dave Campanaro, the Media Relations Director of the Brooklyn Cyclones.
“We really do have one of the most unique backdrops of any ballpark,” he continued.
“Looking at the view from left field to right, we have the amusement parks which include the world-famous Cyclone roller coaster, the beach and Atlantic Ocean, and the Parachute Jump, a huge tower that used be one of the rides.”
Noting the importance of the comfort of their fans, the Cyclones have replaced large sections of metal bleachers with plastic theater-style seats for 2004. Campanaro said that doing so was the direct result of surveying visitors to the park.
The Cyclones tread on history as well. Their opening in 2001 was the return of professional sports to Brooklyn (in spite of the NBA's press releases earlier this year), and, more importantly, baseball.
The Dodgers exit from Brooklyn for Los Angeles, and the infamous footage of the wrecking ball taken to Ebbets field after the 1955 season left a big hole in the cultural identity of the borough.
KeySpan Park has also been a shot in the arm to the Coney Island section of the borough, which had become increasingly run-down over the years. The ballpark has sparked a renaissance in the neighborhood that has reinvigorated development and the economy.
Rank 2003: 9
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