Alexian Field (Schaumburg, IL)

The Good: Alexian Field is a fairly typical example of the recent double-A and Atlantic League style ballparks -- about 7000 seats, an open concourse behind the last row of the seating area, and a row of luxury boxes perched over the concourse.  But while its design is nothing particularly notable, the stadium is at least a very good example of that type of facility, and is quite comfortable, easy to get around in, and attractive.  One interesting feature is that the playing field itself is an exact replica of Wrigley Field's -- same outfield dimensions, same wells along the outfield wall, same distance from home to the backstop, even the same "bent" dugout on the first base side.  It's certainly a novelty -- I've been to a few parks where the outfield dimensions mimic, say, the parent club's stadium, but never before have I seen a big league field copied this precisely (though unfortunately, there's no ivy on the wall or center field bleachers).  A hand-operated scoreboard over the left field wall is a nice touch, too.  The wide concourse extended out to a bleacher section behind left field, though it didn't continue all the around as at some of the newer parks.  Prices were uniformly reasonable -- parking was free, and reserved seats were $7.  A very wide variety of food was available, including vegetable and fruit plates for those of us inclined not to eat animals, and several local beers (including Wild Goose) were on tap.   Throughout the park there were subtle indications -- in the trim, or the slick-looking team store, or the details on the sides of the seat -- that this was no cheaply thrown-together structure, and that much attention had gone into the little things.  I had a great time, and all in all this is a very pleasant place to watch baseball.

The Not So Good: Not much, really.  The Wrigley Field thing is a little weird, but not necessarily a bad thing -- except that, by copying Wrigley's infield, a good portion of the seating area is behind home and therefore behind the backstop net.   Also, the team is apparently doing very well, and when I was there on a sold-out day, concession lines were quite long.   Thankfully, however, there were some fast-moving beer-only windows -- a nice touch on a warm Sunday afternoon.