Canal Park is yet another one of those ballparks that attempts to combine a comfortable "old-style" feel with modern luxury.  It does so rather well, I think. 

The park's location is one of its greatest assets:  it's built right into a city block.  The city skyline, and the general architectural style of the park, present an urban feel, making the place feel like it belongs in a higher level than AA.  The park's capacity, at above 9,000, adds to this sense.  

While the brick facade, the "retro" style, and the city skyline view provide a sense that this is an "old style" park, it is definitely not rustic.  Canal Park is perhaps the most luxurious stadium in the League, and maybe even in minor league baseball (I haven't been to a whole lot of parks, so perhaps a more experienced reader of this page could enlighten me on this).  The rows and aisles are wide and every seat (minus those in the outfield bleacher section) has a drink holder. The spacious concourse is built at the top of the seating bowl so that fans can enjoy the game while buying a hot dog.

The crowning jewel of all this grandeur, at least for those of us who have never seen the inside of a luxury box, is the restaurant that sits above right field from which fans can partake in a buffet meal while enjoying the game either from seats in the beautiful air-conditioned dining room or an open-air terrace.  The upper left picture at the top of this page was taken from that terrace.  

One of the neat aspects of this park is the unique two-tiered bullpen (see picture below).  I understand that there are bullpens like this in some major league parks, but I've never seen them.  It provides a great opportunity for the fans in the bleacher section to walk over and get an up-close view at some of the players, though I would guess the players themselves (particularly the visiting ones) aren't too keen on the concept. 

There are a couple of flaws in this shiny diamond, however.  For one thing, I thought that the sound system was cranked up just a bit too high for my tastes.  If I'm going to have to shout to the person next to me to be heard over the music, I'd rather be at a party, not at a baseball game.  Also, the seating bowl hugs the outfield lines very closely on both sides, which provides a close view of the field, but it also tends to obstruct the view of the corners in quite a few seats. Finally, hardcore baseball fanatics might find the place just a bit excessive with all its "bells and whistles".  But these are minor complaints.  The positive aspects of this park far outweigh the shortcomings to make it a beautiful park and a fun place to watch a ball game.  This is definitely one of the better ballparks in the league.