Cool pic! Construction update pics are always good, but when they are viewed from vehicles, buildings etc. from everyday routine Cleveland, it gives it much more context.

 

Well, technically that picture started with you.  I was on that train because I took your advice to ride the Green line to Brown's Stadium.  It was great advice, I have never had such an easy time getting to and from a crowded stadium.  Compared to Jacobs field, Browns stadium was a breeze.

Cool pic! Construction update pics are always good, but when they are viewed from vehicles, buildings etc. from everyday routine Cleveland, it gives it much more context.

 

It was great advice, I have never had such an easy time getting to and from a crowded stadium.  Compared to Jacobs field, Browns stadium was a breeze.

 

Really?  I always thought getting to Jacobs/Progressive Field was very easy, esp with the underground walkway from Tower City.

Cool pic! Construction update pics are always good, but when they are viewed from vehicles, buildings etc. from everyday routine Cleveland, it gives it much more context.

 

It was great advice, I have never had such an easy time getting to and from a crowded stadium.  Compared to Jacobs field, Browns stadium was a breeze.

 

Really?  I always thought getting to Jacobs/Progressive Field was very easy, esp with the underground walkway from Tower City.

 

Yeah, that comment is confusing.  Even if do not use the walkway, how hard is it to walk a block and half on the street?

I like the way people still call it Jacobs Field.  I still find myself calling Dillard's Higbee's, despite the fact you cannot even compare the two (sorry for going off topic).

 

I drive home by 90 from the west side to the east side late at night and I am always trying to spot the red light on the top of the crane (starting about West Park and there after....you get a variety of different angle glimpses of the skyline) and try to imagine the new skyline from that vantage point...hopeful I won't kill some other driver and myself doing so.

Cool pic! Construction update pics are always good, but when they are viewed from vehicles, buildings etc. from everyday routine Cleveland, it gives it much more context.

 

Well, technically that picture started with you.  I was on that train because I took your advice to ride the Green line to Brown's Stadium.  It was great advice, I have never had such an easy time getting to and from a crowded stadium.  Compared to Jacobs field, Browns stadium was a breeze.

 

You can ride the rapid to Progressive Field/The Q as well (exit at Tower City) and it's just about as easy.

Thank you Mayday for moving this topic to a new thread.

 

I will admit that the parking situation at Jacob's.... ahem, Progressive field was very different for me for a couple of reasons.  1.  We were given the tickets, which came with a free parking pass for the gateway parking deck.  2.  At that point I was ignorant about the RTA options that were available to me.  I am from Canton which puts me behind the curve on some things.

 

Here is one thing that struck me as different though, regardless of parking.  At Progressive field we stayed for a fireworks display then waited afterwards for the crowd to clear... so long in fact that the crew told us it was time to go.  Even after a substantial wait, the stadium corridors were still really full of people making their way to the gates to leave.  Now at Cleveland Brown's stadium we waited about 5 minutes after the game was over and headed for the exit.  We were shocked when we found nearly empty ramps and the stadium was pretty empty.

 

Granted there are probably more than a few reasons that may have had an effect.

 

- The Brown's offense was offensive and people were leaving before the game was over.

- The Indians game was Jim Thome's first back and the stadium was packed

- The Indians game had a large fireworks display at the end and a lot of people stayed for it.

- The Brown's stadium had a fair number of empty seats, although I am certain there were more people there than Progessive stadium holds.

 

Ok, so there you have my thoughts.  I did set out to start a big debate, I was just making a comment based on my impression... you know, apples to oranges stuff.

I think part of it has to do with the shapes of the stadiums as well.

 

The baseball park is pretty much a square with exits on 3 of the 4 corners (not exactly in the corners but approximate)

 

one of them is the closest to where you need to go AND there is  tons of traffic on 9th and Ontario so you have to stay on the sidewalks.  So what you get for a tribe game is everybody walks around inside to get to the exit closest to their car...you have a lot of "trafffic" working at cross purposes within the stadium.

 

The football stadium being more  of a rectangle gives you 2 potential exits that work not matter which way you are going...almost everybody is heading south.  they don't formally "block" the streets around the stadium, but they certainly do not stop all the pedestrians from completely occupying w. 3rd on they way out.  or blocking e. 9th, lakeside or the ramps for the shoreway right outside the browns stadium.  Where they do (or the people just manage themselves) keep people off of Carnagie, E. 9th and Ontario around the Jake.

 

Plus the Muny lot is its own exit on the shoreway  that with N. and S. marginal roads means a good majority of the football traffic does not really mingle with "normal" traffic, which is pretty much non-existent on Sunday to begin with.

 

The Jake has to mix with people getting in and out of the HOB, e. 4th St, playhouse square,  people leaving work late,  Besides the RnR hof and the science center there is no other reason to be in the vicinity of Browns stadium....and who in their right mind is going to visit one of those places on a Browns Sunday (unless maybe you are going to go to the game as well)

 

Football fans (game is a weekend and it ends before dinner time) are much more likely to stick around after the game either back to the tailgate or to the bars  than a baseball game that ends at 10-11 pm.  AND you will find less children (as a % of the total occupants) which means faster egress.

 

In conclusion:

 

I find it perfectly logical and reasonable that a Football crowd that is 2 X or even 4X  the size of a baseball crowd would allow you a much easier "way out"  in Cleveland

 

I agree that the attached gateway parking garages at the Jake are a nightmare to get out of. The only time I use them is if the parking pass is free.  My preferred place to park (besides the bike racks) are the garages right off of E 9th across from the Jake down the alley next to the cemetery. They are cheap, relatively small and easy to get in/out of.

i park on the public square surface lot

The last 5 games I have gone to I have either ridden the rapid or parked on E. 9th or E. 14th for free.

 

When I parked on E. 14th this summer for the Yankees game, there were about 10 open spots when I parked...and people streaming into the $20 lot right in front of me on the east side of the street.  When i got back to my car, only a few of the other spots had been taken.

In addition to bigger crowds another problem at Browns Stadium is that ingress and egress is mostly to/from the south and east, a little to the west. A big body of water to the north and a smaller one with a valley to the west concentrates traffic in fewer directions. At Progressive Field, you can leave in most directions, even to the west with the river valley, as there are several westward routes immediately available (I-90, Lorain, Commercial/W3rd, Huron).

 

I just wish a Rapid station could be built next to Progressive Field.