# Major Sports Arenas with no Nearby Businesses **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 1, 2011, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-sports-arenas-with-no-nearby-businesses/573066 "2011-03-01T15:32:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Rysto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecccb3/32.png) [@Rysto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysto)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-sports-arenas-with-no-nearby-businesses/573066/41 "2011-03-02T15:04:46Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > [Scotiabank Place](http://maps.google.ca/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Scotiabank+Place,+Palladium+Drive,+Ottawa,+Ontario&aq=1&sll=45.296505,-75.9272&sspn=0.010385,0.01929&ie=UTF8&hq=Scotiabank+Place&hnear=Scotiabank+Place,+1000+Palladium+Dr,+Ottawa,+Ottawa+Division,+Ontario+K2V+1A5&t=h&z=15) in Ottawa wins. > > If you can link to a more desolate arena location, I’d sure like to see it. It’s worth noting that the “Palladium Autopark” next door is relatively recent. For about a decade the Corel Centre/Scotiabank Place was surrounded by nothing but open fields. > [@RickJay](#): > > To use a particularly awful counterexample, I give you the Palladium/Corel Cetre/Scotiabank Place, built in a different municipality (at the time) than the city it represented, forcing fans to take a drive on an overcrowded freeway miles out of town to get to a game. I love my Senators, but going to a game there is such an enormous pain in the ass I can’t even begin to explain it. Well, the owners couldn’t afford the arena they built(hence the team eventually going bankrupt), let alone building an arena down town. Really that was all there was to it. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-sports-arenas-with-no-nearby-businesses/573066/42 "2011-03-02T15:09:01Z")
Their former stadium, RFK, which is still used by DC United, is not only bereft of nearby business, but also in a less-than desireable neighborhood, though not completely terrible. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-sports-arenas-with-no-nearby-businesses/573066/43 "2011-03-02T15:13:21Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > … > > 1. Stadiums in plain old shitty neighborhoods. This is the trickiest one since these tend to be organic and often have been shitty alongside the stadium for generations. Yankee Stadium and Comiskey Park are the most obvious examples of this to me. They’ve coexisted for nearly a century and the shittiness of the neighborhood overpowers any benefit of the team and fans vacate the area as fast as they can after the game. I think Yankee Stadium has improved a lot compared to the 70s and 80s. I usually try to get up there a bit early and eat at a diner before the game. All the eateries and bars are doing great and have been for a long time. There are also now a lot more stores around. The area is a far cry from Camden Yards but it is almost up to Fenway. I don’t recall anything walkable distance to Cincinnati except other arenas. They seem to combine the worst aspects of places like the Meadowlands in NJ and urban stadiums. Speaking of the Meadowlands, eventually a huge mall is opening in the complex. Xanadu I believe they’re calling it. The Sports Arena in San Diego (one of the worst names ever) had plenty in walking distance. That was always nice. We would walk back over to Hollywood Pizza usually after the concerts. ---
**Author:** ![garygnu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/garygnu/32/2924_2.png) [@garygnu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/garygnu)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-sports-arenas-with-no-nearby-businesses/573066/44 "2011-03-02T15:39:53Z")
For all the Oakland answers, Candlestick Park isn’t much better. Sure, the old dump-heap is in a nicer location, but it’s not some commercial hub. On three sides is water, a big green hill on another, and the rest is middle-low income residential. And no public transportation. The proposed Santa Clara location for a new stadium is much better, comparatively. (and closer to ME. ) ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-sports-arenas-with-no-nearby-businesses/573066/45 "2011-03-02T15:55:00Z")
> [@Rysto](#): > > It’s worth noting that the “Palladium Autopark” next door is relatively recent. For about a decade the Corel Centre/Scotiabank Place was surrounded by nothing but open fields. > Well, the owners couldn’t afford the arena they built(hence the team eventually going bankrupt), let alone building an arena down town. Really that was all there was to it. Well, that and the Bob Rae NDPs making them build their own highway off-ramp. (Later refunded by the Harris PCs.) I firmly believe that the city of Ottawa did not think the team would survive, and didn’t want to be stuck with a “white elephant” in the downtown area. There was, and still is, plenty of land downtown, particularly in the Lebreton Flats area, that would have made an ideal location for an arena. But hey, I’m not complaining. My house is 10 minutes from the Scotiabank Pasture. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-sports-arenas-with-no-nearby-businesses/573066/46 "2011-03-02T16:09:40Z")
> [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](#): > > In Columbus, OH Nationwide dumped a bunch of money to build Nationwide Arena, home of the NHL Blue Jackets. Now that area, the “arena district” of Columbus, is one of the nicest parts of the city. I think just the fact that someone is willing to put a lot of money into an area is usually going to draw other businesses. Even Columbus’s AAA baseball team recently built their stadium in the arena district. But without Nationwide Arena, you wouldn’t see all the nice bars and restaurants that have sprouted in the area. I’m in that neighborhood every June for Origins (a big gaming convention at the Columbus Convention Center). I agree, it’s a nice area, with a lot of good attractions. ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-sports-arenas-with-no-nearby-businesses/573066/47 "2011-03-02T16:25:22Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > I don’t recall anything walkable distance to Cincinnati except other arenas. They seem to combine the worst aspects of places like the Meadowlands in NJ and urban stadiums. I don’t get this. In Cincinnati, the arena and 2 stadiums are all downtown, and easily walkable to anywhere in the downtown district. Lots of people park in the parking garage I use for work to go to Reds games, and I work on the opposite side of downtown. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-sports-arenas-with-no-nearby-businesses/573066/48 "2011-03-02T16:27:44Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > I don’t get this. In Cincinnati, the arena and 2 stadiums are all downtown, and easily walkable to anywhere in the downtown district. Lots of people park in the parking garage I use for work to go to Reds games, and I work on the opposite side of downtown. I don’t recall anything but highways and the river and arenas near the stadium. But then I did not know the area and maybe I was only a block or two away from stuff? ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-sports-arenas-with-no-nearby-businesses/573066/49 "2011-03-02T17:14:16Z")
Yeah, there are definitely quite a few restaurants/bars in walking distance from the Great American Ballpark. I have not been to Paul Brown stadium in about 10 years, but it’s not far from Great American. I seem to remember some decent pubs within walking distance, too. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-sports-arenas-with-no-nearby-businesses/573066/50 "2011-03-02T17:15:57Z")
> [@Omniscient](#): > > 1. The stadium in the middle of an industrial area. This is usually a practical matter. These areas are usually easy to acquire land in and are able to include parking lots and generally have awesome access to the freeways. Arenas out by the airport fall into this category. It makes sense and rust belt cities like to think that this will drive the failing industrial area to convert into commercial and residential. It rarely works. The United Center and Miller Field are examples of this one. I’d also note that both of those examples were built “next door” to the older stadiums which they replaced (Chicago Stadium and County Stadium, respectively). So, the practicality stems, in at least those two cases, from those areas already having the open space for a stadium. > [@Omniscient](#): > > 1. Stadiums in plain old shitty neighborhoods. This is the trickiest one since these tend to be organic and often have been shitty alongside the stadium for generations. One could argue that this is also a good description of the locale around the United Center. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Omniscient](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omniscient/32/3290_2.png) [@Omniscient](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omniscient)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-sports-arenas-with-no-nearby-businesses/573066/51 "2011-03-02T18:23:14Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > One could argue that this is also a good description of the locale around the United Center. 🙂 Nah, there’s virtually no housing around the UC. There isn’t anything resembling a “neighborhood”. There’s some recently built section 8 housing but that’s less than 5 years old and the West Loop neighborhood is a bit too far away to be called part of the UCs neighborhood, but it’s also converted warehoused and new construction. ---
**Author:** ![Gray\_Ghost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c0e974/32.png) [@Gray\_Ghost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gray_Ghost)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-sports-arenas-with-no-nearby-businesses/573066/52 "2011-03-02T18:26:10Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > No, it’s pretty much surrounded by commercial and residential development now. Not exactly a ‘revitalization of a downtrodden area’; this was more of a ‘development of the last remaining unused space within the city limits’. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in Sac, probably 15 years. I remember that it used to be nothing but fields in the middle of nowhere, with this large building surrounded by acres of asphalt. At least you can drive on asphalt when it rains, unlike the miserable goo that surrounds Candlestick. Reading the rest of the descriptions about sports arenas in other towns, I’ll reconsider my feelings about the neighborhood around Reliant Stadium. I guess it could be a lot worse… ---
**Author:** ![ethelbert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/958977/32.png) [@ethelbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ethelbert)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-sports-arenas-with-no-nearby-businesses/573066/53 "2011-03-02T19:38:11Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Speaking of the Meadowlands, eventually a huge mall is opening in the complex. Xanadu I believe they’re calling it. I don’t think so. Xanadu is a New Jersey joke. Recently part of the roof collapsed (the indoor ski slope was damaged by outdoor snow - not that it will ever see indoor snow). I just noticed your username. You should know about New Jersey jokes. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-sports-arenas-with-no-nearby-businesses/573066/54 "2011-03-02T19:44:59Z")
> [@ethelbert](#): > > I don’t think so. Xanadu is a New Jersey joke. Recently part of the roof collapsed (the indoor ski slope was damaged by outdoor snow - not that it will ever see indoor snow). > > I just noticed your username. You should know about New Jersey jokes. The Mall started out as the \*\*Xanadu Project \*\*and will probably be known as that for a while. It is still scheduled to open … eventually. I’ve heard they hope to open it in time for 2011 Xmas season but I doubt this will happen. It will probably open and be a far cry from what was envisioned. It will probably be called the \*\*Meadowlands \*\*instead. But I expect it to open still. ---
**Author:** ![romansperson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/romansperson/32/17100_2.png) [@romansperson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/romansperson)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2011, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-sports-arenas-with-no-nearby-businesses/573066/55 "2011-03-02T21:03:37Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > The Cleveland Cavaliers were just lost in Richfield Coliseum, which has been turned back into green space along I-271 (there’s no trace of the place anymore). Basketball is a downtown game anyway. There were also a number of other sports franchises (hockey, soccer, arena football) that tried to get a toehold there and they all failed, in part due to the awkward location. It was only a 20-minute drive from where I lived at the time but if you didn’t go early, once you were dumped off the freeway onto the two-lane rural road that had access to the building it was faster to pull your car off into a field and walk the rest of the way. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2011, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-sports-arenas-with-no-nearby-businesses/573066/56 "2011-03-03T03:01:04Z")
> [@garygnu](#): > > For all the Oakland answers, Candlestick Park isn’t much better. Sure, the old dump-heap is in a nicer location, but it’s not some commercial hub. On three sides is water, a big green hill on another, and the rest is middle-low income residential. Yes, and the residential neighborhood (Hunter’s Point) is one of the most dangerous in the Bay Area. ---
**Author:** ![zamboniracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zamboniracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zamboniracer)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2011, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-sports-arenas-with-no-nearby-businesses/573066/57 "2011-03-03T03:33:27Z")
> [@romansperson](#): > > There were also a number of other sports franchises (hockey, soccer, arena football) that tried to get a toehold there and they all failed, in part due to the awkward location. It was only a 20-minute drive from where I lived at the time but if you didn’t go early, once you were dumped off the freeway onto the two-lane rural road that had access to the building it was faster to pull your car off into a field and walk the rest of the way. IMHO, the other sports franchises failed mainly due to reasons other than the location, but it is pointless to argue about that now. As I recall, one of the original officers in the quasi-public agency that developed the Cleveland Cavaliers downtown arena in the 1990s, not so-coincidentally owned some acreage by the old facility, that he wanted develop for residential subdivisions and which he thought would be worth more without the traffic jams caused by playing Cavaliers’ games nearby. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/major-sports-arenas-with-no-nearby-businesses/573066.md?page=2)