TOP 5 : STADIUMS

If you have been following along since the beginning, you'd know I have been to plenty of stadiums. What started out as an occurrence on Warped Tour, with half of the venues taking place at a pro facility, I find myself always looking for an excuse to get to a game on the road as I continue to travel. For example, flying from Raleigh, NC to Philadelphia to attend my first Eagles game simply because I had a few days off. It doesn't take much. Here are my number one stadiums ranking down to the best. Let's begin.

5. Staples Center

Call me a homer, or whatever else you want, but Staples is one of the premier places to watch a sporting event. Completed in 1999, it essentially set the benchmark for what the current sports arena should entail. The thing I like most is how well they incorporated all of the history from Great Western Forum into the new building. Mix in the brand new L.A. Live area adjacent to the stadium, and the whole thing has become an experience instead of just a sporting event.

4. Joe Louis Arena

Had I actually been able to attend a game here, it may have been placed higher. Same goes for the number 3 pick as well. Still, walk through the front door and you know right away why Detroit is Hockeytown. The sheer amount of of history seen walking through the door is enough to knock you off your feet. If that doesn't get you, perhaps the 11 Stanley Cup banners hanging in the rafters will. A rarity, especially in a city that hosts all four major sports, hockey is the clear cut number one, and their museum of a building is a tribute to that.

3. Lambeau Field

Late August, 2008. My coworker and I find a parking spot, walk over to the field, and what do we find. Packer fans. About 2,000 of them. Its 10:30 at night, about 30 degrees out, and there are a few thousand people watching drills, and talking with players. Isolated at the top of the country, getting to Lambeau feels like you just completed a sports pilgrimage. The oldest operating stadium in the NFL, its nothing flashy. No worry. The stadium stands as an lexicon of sport, and represents a lot more than just a football team.

2. Wrigley Field

Growing up in an urban sprawl where everything has its own place, Wrigley has always amazed me. One second you're walking a normal city block, the next you're standing in front of one of the most iconic building in sports. Everything on the inside is a throwback to the past. Sitting there, you just get the biggest sense of nostalgia, that you're potentially sitting in a seat that someone youre age sat in 60 years prior. Attending on of the stadiums newest features, night games, I have to get back soon for a day time double header.

1. Cowboys Stadium

Jerry's World. The Palace Outside Dallas. Whatever you want to call it, this place is unreal. (Especially from the sidelines at the inaugural Thanksgiving Day game!) No stone was unturned, or penny wasted when building this modern marvel. The jumbo tron is big and beautiful, as is pretty much everything else. While it may be void of nostalgia, don't put it past Jerry Jones to just go out and buy some. Cowboys Stadium is truly a sight to behold, and the gold standard for the upcoming decades.

So there you have it. There are plenty of stadiums I haven't been to yet that would probably make the list, and a few notables left off. I chose Wrigley, and left out Fenway, because I haven't seen a Red Sox game in person. I am indeed that little kid that still gets amped about every sporting event I attend, and look to one day cross them all of my list. Come back tomorrow for my top 5 games attended.