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October 14, 2009
At first preseason Nets game in Newark, crowd seems low-key, but attendance is vastly higher than the Izod Center turnout
Atlantic Yards Report
Norman Oder goes on a field trip to "The Rock":
It depends, apparently, what you're used to. Last night's first-ever Nets game in Newark's Prudential Center (against the Boston Celtics, who won 91-88 in a last-minute comeback) drew a mostly low-key crowd that filled perhaps three-fifths of the arena.
It didn't seem much different from a lackadaisical regular season Nets game, and that, to the Star-Ledger's Dave D'Alessandro, was a sign of success. He wrote:
The last thing one expects from a preseason game is something that actually resembles a regular-season game -- in turnout, volume, and intensity -- but the Nets actually got all that Tuesday night.
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It was obvious why Newark is superior in many ways to the Izod Center, with the arena a long two-block walk from the city's Penn Station, but the Brooklyn arena, should it be built, would be even better for commuters using public transit. Those going to The Rock must cross a couple of very wide streets in pedestrian-unfriendly Newark, while a new subway connection from the Atlantic Avenue hub would offer direct access.There's lots of parking in Newark--right across and down the street from the arena. That's because elaborate promises of urban redevelopment have yet to come to fruition. While there's a little arena-related retail and entertainment nearby, the new facility hasn't been a major catalyst.
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The Rock has much better video signage (see video above) than the Izod Center, whipping digital advertising around the arena clockwise like a video game. Presumably a newer arena would have even more bells and whistles, helping Nets CEO Brett Yormark appeal to even more sponsors. Seats at The Rock are much more comfortable than at the Izod Center--duh. The staffers at the concession stands seemed equally slow.Yes, they're still closing streets adjacent to the arena. In Newark, the building is set a block back from the two crossroads, Market Street and Broad Street, so the streets being closed are smaller ones. In Brooklyn, given the plan to build the arena up against Flatbush and Atlantic avenues, should streets close (despite local denials that that would happen), the traffic impact would be much greater.
Posted by lumi at October 14, 2009 6:41 PM