Toronto Blue Jays officially unveil newest Rogers Centre renovations
A new era has entered at the Rogers Centre today, with the official unveiling of the Toronto Blue Jays' newly renovated stadium.
With Blue Jays president Mark Shapiro on hand, the team underwent an official ribbon-cutting ceremony to show off the first phase of their multi-year, $300 million renovation that was the most drastic change to the stadium since its opening in 1989.
While they'd been announced before (and several sets of renderings had been released), Thursday officially unveiled a series of major renovations, highlighted by the introduction of four new "Outfield District" spaces to go along with a revamping of the classic WestJet Flight Deck.
Each of the spaces will be available to both fans with a seat in the ballpark, as well as a limited number of Outfield District-specific tickets that do not offer fans an actual seat but rather the ability to roam through each of the social spaces.
Here's how each new space looks:
The Corona Rooftop Patio is meant to feel like, well, a rooftop patio, with a view of the CN Tower when the stadium roof is open.
Park Social is designed to be a family-friendly environment, with park games and child-oriented activities to be included in the area.
Currently, there's cornhole, a large Connect-Four-style game, and a large checkboard, as well as a swingset backdrop for some cool photos.
Candy is for sale here, as are a series of Italian sodas that can either be served as alcoholic or non-alcoholic in cherry, strawberry, blue raspberry and lime flavours.
The Stop is a transit-themed bar, located directly behind a newly installed batters eye in centre field that adds a new food and drink option in a previously quiet area of the ballpark.
The Catch is described as "The Place to be Seen & Catch a Home Run," reminiscent of Toronto's King Street Entertainment District, located directly above the visiting bullpen in right field.
The balcony at The Catch (and the nearby general admission bleachers and standing-room spots at Rogers Landing) allow fans one of the closest views to the action in the ballpark.
The Flight Deck remains in the same location as before — spread across the 200 level in centre field, but it's got a fully revamped colour scheme, new wooden drink rails, and a series of new amenities including a row of arcade games, as well as a series of shuffleboard tables.
In addition to the outfield districts, there's also a pretty solid view from the 200-level right field corner at the new Schneiders Porch, which offers both the Signature Poutine Hot Dog and Canadian Caesar Hot Dog that have been generating buzz on social media over recent weeks.
The home opener is set for Tuesday, April 11, when the Blue Jays take on the Detroit Tigers for a 7:07 pm first pitch.
Jack Landau
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