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ROGERS CENTRE
Toronto, Ont.
Opened: 1989
Capacity: 50,516
Average Ticket Price: $19.61
Average Cost of Concessions and Souvenirs: $86.09

Pluses:
Local public transit trains, subways and the city trolley all deposit fans no farther than two blocks from the stadium. Thousands of parking spaces available in underground and surface lots (priced from $15-$25).

Minuses:
Cruising through the traffic to reach the stadium in downtown Toronto is often no treat.
Once the pinnacle of technological innovation, the SkyDome, er ... the Rogers Centre, now appears to be more a vision of science fiction than modern reality.
Photo by John Biever/SI
Kids 14 and under can runs the bases after home games; an abundance of restrooms (88 total!), including 43 women's, 39 men's and six family; diaper-changing tables offered in all restrooms; seemingly ample number of concessions (76), though drink locations far outnumber food locations; very limited seating for disabled fans (only 191 seats); hotel on premises has 348 rooms, 70 of which overlook the field; among the dining options is a Hard Rock Café, a bistro and a 300-foot long bar whose seats all face the field.
Cutting-edge when it opened, the SkyDome (now the Rogers Sports Centre), feels anachronistic now, a space-age park outstripped by technology and throwback style. Watching the retractable roof open and close (a 20-minute process) is a kick, as is ogling the guests in the hotel suite above centerfield. Urban legend holds that an enthusiastic couple was once spotted in flagrante there. -- Daniel Habib  
The dome is steps from the CN Tower, whose observation deck offers a panoramic view of the city, and the Air Canada Centre, whose Maple Leafs are the true town darlings. Queen Anne Street, the hub of hipster Toronto with its bars and music clubs, is a few blocks away. -- Daniel Habib  
2005 Record: 65-65 (all statistics through Aug. 29)
Players worth the price of admission: Roy Halladay (12-4, 2.41 ERA), Shea Hillenbrand (.289 average, 17 HRs, 71 RBIs), Vernon Wells (.277, 24 HRs, 80 RBIs).  
Wasn't it just yesterday that the SkyDome was the future of baseball, complete with a rainout-eliminating retractable roof and an array of dining and lodging options previously unseen in baseball? Less than 20 years later the renamed Rogers Centre has become this generation's Astrodome: the building's revolutionary elements are now commonplace and its unique character is lost in a sea of equally unique stadia (many of which offer the technological wonder of the Blue Jays' home in a more baseball-friendly package. Still, we have a soft spot for a true marvel of its time, which isn't hurt by its location in one of North America's nicest and hippest cities.  

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