Hi guys. Long time New Yorker/Islander fan here that is also a Seahawks fan and lover of all things Seattle. The Kraken are already my 2nd favorite team and so I'll be pulling for them nightly going forward.
So much so that I flew out to Seattle for the opener and wrote this post below on the Isles board. As I'm sure you know we're about to open our new arena (UBS Arena) also built by OVG so the experience should be similar. In the post I reference the "Coliseum" which is Nassau Coliseum - The Isles home since they came into the league and which was finally retired last year. I had been going there all my life and so I knew it inside and out, and I mentioned it below as a comparison.
Anyway here's my review. Hope you enjoy...
CLIMATE PLEDGE ARENA
What's up boys? So I just got back from Seattle after seeing the Kraken opener and Coldplay the night before at Climate Pledge Arena - Built by the same crew building our UBS Arena. I sat in 2 different places two get the full experience - "The Symetra Club" (equivalent to the UBS "Dime Club") as well as the upper deck.
Here's a list of some good and bad about the arena/my experiences both nights:
PROS
- CPA is really beautiful. Both the interior and exterior are modern/cool and have a good vibe to them. It doesn't feel cheesy or sterile (like Prudential Center).
- For those of you that don't know...CPA is located in Seattle it's to the north in a more residential neighborhood. Seattle is already a very walkable city, and this specific area even moreso. Lots of apartment buildings in the surrounding area along with Seattle center which is a green space where the Space Needle is.
- You'll probably forget about it once you're actually watching an event there, but about 75% of the arena is underground which is so different and cool. So essentially the upper deck is at street level and then you take elevators or escalators down if you have better seats in the suites or lower bowl.
- As a result of that "underground feature" and full floor to ceiling windows on each side behind the goals, you can both see out into Seattle...And some fans lined up along the windows and could see the game for free from outside. Not sure if this detail was overlooked, but if the builders left this feature in so that a few fans could see the game for free well then kudos to them. It's cool either way as not many arenas have windows like this.
- The Symestra Club is superb. I didn't even know I bought tickets for that section, but man it's like a high end bar/restaurant within the arena. I didn't realize how good it was until I sat in the upper deck the next night. Good food choices, lots of beer/drink options, and didn't wait more than like a minute for any purchase. Plus a very good bathroom situation and all because the amount of people in this section is limited to 3 sections.
- Also great about Symestra Club is that there's no wall blocking you from viewing a game or concert when you're up getting a drink so you can see/hear everything better than when you leave any typical section at an average arena.
- Sight-lines are generally very good to excellent (more on that below).
- They have TWO (2) hanging scoreboards essentially over each teams' zone, and they are triangular shaped. I had never seen this before, but I liked it very much. Aside from just being cool/unique they are not too obtrusive and I found myself checking them out more. Also they retract into the ceiling completely out of view for concerts.
- I think this is a good thing, but my friend and I were sure there would be long lines to get into the arena due to Covid checks and it just being new, but when I tell you we walked up and were in the arena in like 30 seconds. They are checking your vaccinations and you scan your own tickets, but they are much more chilled out than arenas in the NY area and still got the job done.
- The fans are Seattle fans - Excellent energy and also had great knowledge of the NHL already. Knew when to cheer, boo, and the detailed nuances of what was going on. If you closed your eyes and listened to their cheers/reactions you could've been in the arena of any team around for 40 years.
- Also I swear 95% of the fans were wearing Kraken gear. I think I only saw like 30 Canucks fans the entire night (and I was looking). The Kraken offense is obviously not great so the team is not great yet, but man...When this team is good enough to make the playoffs that place is going to be in the top 10 loudest arenas easy. Will be a superb atmosphere.
CONS
- I cannot believe I have to write this in an arena that opened in 2021, but....Unless you're in a VIP area, they don't have enough bathrooms. Like not even close. Like it's literally as bad as Nassau Coliseum. I took photos as I couldn't believe it.
- Luckily I explore and up in one of the VIP areas (the Alaska Airlines Atrium) there's a "Gender Neutral Bathroom." It's literally a private bathroom and easily the nicest arena bathroom I've ever been to (and that includes suite bathrooms). To my Kraken brethren out there...Use this life hack if you sit in the 200's.
- Also just like the Coliseum, the (upper deck) concourse is too frickin' narrow. Add in lines to the bathroom swinging out into the concourse and it's even worse.
- All this on top of the fact that the team literally "declared a war on lines."
- The upper deck (200 level) is shaped like a horseshoe ("U" shaped) so you cannot walk all the way around. When you want to try another bathroom, or get a new food option, this can be anywhere from downright annoying or not an option at all if you don't want to miss any game action. Add in a narrow/crowded concourse and it's really not worth leaving your immediate area during intermissions.
- Get this...On the sides in the upper deck there's literally ONE (1) food option (chicken on 1 side and pizza on the other). Are you serious? There's a market at the bottom of the "U" shape, but lines for that were too long. Mix in just getting around and it's a lot of effort that's also time consuming when you don't want to miss any of the game.
- Also most of the staff was nice, but I bought pizza and literally think I had the rudest interaction with any employee in my arena-going history. I literally just said "hi" and asked her if they only have Sicilian slices and, already in attitude-mode, she replied with, "Well what do you see out here?" Taken aback I'm like, "Sorry. I'm just asking as I was hoping for a regular slice" and she doubled-down with, "Well if you don't want it then don't buy it." If you told me she mistook me for someone who previously assaulted her it would've made more sense then her attitude...Especially on night #1 of a new arena.
- And get this - After I bought the pizza I just wanted some napkins and guess what...There aren't any near the one food place on that side. I had to walk like 2 sections over just to get napkins. Talk about dropping the easiest of balls.
- When you sit in the upper deck the views are mostly fine in terms of distance, but on one side the press box level is hanging down obstructing other parts of the arena (just like the last few rows of the 300's at the Coliseum). Less than ideal and can feel a bit cramped/claustrophobic.
- And just like the Coliseum, they have TV's up to clue you in on anything you might be missing, but...The TV audio and visuals were not synched up with the action. I mean literally...How?
- There's also this annoying set of strobe lights that they keep shining on the crowd. In the upper deck it's very close and if you're looking up let's just say it's not pleasant when your eyes meet it. Surely they can use other lights and not ones as bright as those that close to fans' eyeballs.
- While I didn't notice anything not completed in time inside the arena you could tell they were still working some of the grounds/landscaping outside of it. Not a massive deal, but I'll assume something similar when UBS opens.
- Not an issue going forward, but I didn't see any pregame festivities outside the arena. How do you not have some sort of "fan fest" for the first home game ever for your franchise - That's also essentially opening up the arena!? Rain or not this should've been a must and they blew it.
- And the pregame "ceremony" for home game #1 in Kraken history...If I said it was lackluster I would be as kind as I could possibly be. What you saw on TV was essentially what we saw in the arena. You've got an awesome fanbase chomping at the bit for years and all they do is essentially bring out Bettman, Tod Leiweke, and announce the team. What the Golden Knights just did for their 3rd home opener was much better than what the Kraken did for their 1st ever home opener. People will say that the Kraken didn't have time to rehearse a bigger show because construction went on until the last moment and there were 2 concerts within days of the opening, but honestly...Either that's backtracking by the team due to plenty of disappointed fans or a lie. Either way it's not good enough. There were a handful of other game day rituals that needed to be reviewed/rehearsed that went off without a hitch (along with 2 concerts), so I refuse to believe that there wasn't a ton more they could've/should've done to make the fans not only get more excited, but feel like they were attending a once in a lifetime event - Not just a regular season opener.
OVERALL
This is a very nice arena. It feels very modern and cool, and since they built it underground underneath the old Key Arena roof it has some nice quirks as opposed to a more "cookie-cutter" arena. Those quirks also have some downside as it limited certain parts of common sense aspects like having enough bathrooms so lines don't extend well into the concourse. Doesn't feel like they cheaped out at all, but your experience of it I think will be greatly affected depending on where you sit/what level of VIP experience you decide to have. And personally it's such a difference in experience, if I can afford it I would spend the money to sit in the suite level or lower level concourse as I don't think it would ever want to sit in the upper deck again.
And the fans are just so passionate that really is going to bring a good vibe to this team. I cannot wait for them to start making the playoffs on a yearly basis and hopefully compete for the Cup. The place is already fully of energy, but when this team starts winning playoff games it's going to be a madhouse.
Overall just wonderful Seattle has a hockey team and I'd recommend seeing a game there - Again especially if you can sit in the lower levels.