| When you come upon Arrowhead Credit Union Park, there is little mistaking that you are in California. The yellow adobe facade (resembling a mission) and the nicely landscaped exterior with palm trees makes it distinctly Californian. And the same goes for the inside of the park – the San Bernardino Mountains make for a beautiful backdrop. The design of the ballpark doesn't follow the typical new ballpark template with the concourse overlooking the field, but it does mimic the designs of the ballparks in nearby Rancho Cucamonga and Lancaster. So perhaps this design is just a popular trend in California. The concourse area, located behind the seating bowl, is very spacious and is open air due to the absence of any rain. This differentiates it from ballparks in other parts of the country with the same design. Concession stands line the concourse and offer an excellent variety of food options. Included are specialty burgers, tri-tip sandwiches, baked potatoes, Santa Fe nachos, and Mexican (burritos and quesadillas). Quality and prices are about average. Though on the Friday night I attended, they had a great deal – 50 cent hot dogs and quesadillas. This certainly seemed to bring out a lot of fans who were just interested in eating. Another food option is the Pastimes Cafe located down the left field line. The seating is broken into two types – field box seats which run from foul pole to foul pole and reserved seats which are located behind home plate, above the walkway. Unfortunately, many of the sightlines are not so good. The seats past the bags are just too far from the action and the seats in the reserved section are obstructed by many unnecessary railings. A grassy berm is located behind the left field fence for overflow crowds. In addition, there are large picnic areas located behind the seating areas on both the first and third base side. Unlike the picnic areas at most ballparks, these actually provide a pretty good view of the field. Luxury boxes are located at the top of the grandstand. The atmosphere at Arrowhead Credit Union Park also has a rather Californian feel to it, mostly due to the presence of a dance team / cheerleaders. As the home team players were introduced, they ran through the dance team who were lined up with their pom poms. I wasn't sure if I was at a baseball game or a college basketball game, especially since they also performed several dances between innings. There was lots of music played between batters, but sound effects were almost non-existent. Several unique games were played between innings including a toy pickup, a remote car race, and a keg rolling contest. The 66ers also have a mascot, Bernie, who is quite active, but also a bit annoying. He is constantly letting out these little screeches and was dancing on the dugout during the inning, which is a no-no in my book. I do have to compliment the ushers, however. They really seemed interested in ensuring that everyone was enjoying the game. When some fans started to get obnoxious and rude, the ushers politely asked them to settle down. I do have a couple of small complaints about the park, though. First, a new video board is needed – the one they have now is dot matrix and can't be seen until it gets dark. Secondly, there is a bit too much unpainted concrete, especially below the luxury boxes. Would it be asking too much to hang some banners there ? Overall, though, I really did enjoy my visit to San Bernardino. Arrowhead Credit Union Park is clean and fun and the setting is beautiful.
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