Ranking all 30 MLB ballpark neighborhoods

The Big Three — Murphy’s, Cubby Bear and Bernie’s — have much more competition than in the old days. None of the new joints can match their tradition. Nisei Lounge remains a bro-free alternative. Rooftops are still popular, but the “cool factor” left when the Cubs gobbled up the neighborhood. Whatchamacallit Way (formerly The Park at Wrigley) is OK for kids who ignore the game.

The Braves were criticized for heading to the suburbs, but the marriage between their park and the adjacent multiuse development, the Battery Atlanta, is proving to be a hit with fans. Traffic in the infamous Cumberland Corridor can be a drawback of going to games, so leave early and enjoy yourself at good restaurants (try Terrapin Taproom, featuring Fox Bros. Bar-B-Q, combines Athens beer with Atlanta brisket) and shops. There’s also a greenbelt perfect to play some catch.

The San Francisco neighborhood has blossomed around Major League Baseball’s best venue. Mo-Mo’s bar and grill remains a hot spot across the street on the third-base side. The biggest upgrade is The Yard at Mission Rock, a shipping-container village across from McCovey Cove that features a restaurant and beer garden. The Willie Mays statue, accompanied by palm trees in the home-plate plaza, provides a distinct California feel.

It’s a 30-minute walk from Seattle’s Pike Place Market, and it seems as if there’s something great to eat or see every step along the way. The area around the park has grown vibrant since the Mariners moved here. The game-day buzz is especially strong on sunny days, and it’s not just because fans are caffeinated. Food trucks line up at Century Link Field, the adjoining football stadium. After the game, 13 Coins is worth a stop. It’s one of the best late-night food spots anywhere.

Downtown Minneapolis is a fun place to be, especially the North Loop area near the Twins’ park. Three breweries, including Fulton, are located just around the corner from the stadium. The Loon Cafe offers terrific chili. First Avenue, one of the best music venues in the country, is a few blocks away, as is the Farmers Market. At the park, check out the statues of former Twins. Kirby Puckett’s is outside the entrance in right-center field.

Get a room at the Renaissance and request the top (14^th) floor to get a dynamite view of the Pirates’ park. Walk the Roberto Clemente Bridge over the Allegheny River to one of a dozen restaurants within a Willie Stargell home run of the park. Or pop into the Andy Warhol Museum. For 15 minutes.

Everything about this place was praised when it opened back in 1992 but some areas near the ballpark already are looking frayed. That said, there’s only one Babe Ruth birthplace and museum, and it’s a short walk from the ballpark that started the retro trend in stadium building. So is the Inner Harbor, with great seafood spots like Phillips and the National Aquarium. Lexington Market is a great place to get crab cakes before a game but if you don’t have time they’ll be for sale from tents and carts outside the ballpark.

No city has gotten more of an upgrade from a new ballpark after abandoning Cleveland Stadium — the Mistake by the Lake — in 1994. The ballpark is in downtown Cleveland, next to Quicken Loans Arena, and the area has perked up in the last decade. East 4th Street is such a happening place at happy hour that the Indians start early season night games at 6:10. For a great casual feel, try the Thirsty Parrot, near the statues of Bob Feller and other Indians greats beyond center field.

A solar shade pavilion at the left field entrance provides relief for fans battling the sweltering heat. The Metro light rail serves as a convenient alternative to parking in one of several multi-level parking structures around the park. Many restaurants and bars reside between Chase Field and Talking Stick Resort Arena — home of the NBA Suns.

The ballpark is a key part of downtown Detroit’s impressive revitalization — so the surrounding area is one of the most fascinating in all of baseball. Nestled among several historic venues in the entertainment district, the Fox Theatre, The Fillmore and Detroit Opera House. About a 10-minute walk from the park, Greektown’s home to a lively nightlife, including a 24-hour casino. Full of life before and after games. Junk foodie bonus: Many great choices for Detroit’s iconic Coney Dogs within walking distance. Baseball-lore hotel bonus: The nearby impressive Westin Book Cadillac, where in 1939 Lou Gehrig collapsed before a game, thus ending his consecutive games played streak.

There’s ample parking where Veterans Stadium once resided — between the subway’s orange line and Citizens Bank Park. Xfinity Live is a sports and entertainment venue across the street that is often buzzing several hours after games that includes the Broad Street Bullies Pub — named in honor of the NHL Flyers’ two Stanley Cup titles in 1974 and 1975. Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Super Bowl champion Eagles, and the Wells Fargo Center— home to the 76ers and Flyers — are across the street.

There’s nothing within walking distance of the parking lots, but the traditional pregame tailgating parties give Miller a unique feel — and smell. Plenty of neighborhood taverns in Milwaukee for postgame partying, but good luck getting out of there if you don’t leave early.

Remember when former Gov. Thompson vowed to save McCuddy’s and buy the first round? Well, we do. The classic Sox fan hangout was knocked down with old Comiskey Park and never replaced. Your best bet is the short drive to Maria’s Packaged Goods and Community Bar, over by there at 31^st and Morgan. Otherwise, there isn’t much directly around the Rate besides parking lots, the Dan Ryan Expressway and the ChiSox Bar and Grill, the pub the White Sox and Gibson’s Restaurant Group co-own.

The office-park-like setting with a small lake, creek and walking paths is pleasant enough, but especially in the heat, a car is required to reach pregame food and drink options. Most of those are chains and leave a craving for Texas flavor. Nearby AT&T Stadium and Six Flags over Texas are the only real sights.

If you’re into mufflers or airplane exhaust fumes, you’ll love the area around Citi Field. For real, you could stroll to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center if the U.S. Open is in session or check out the site of the 1964 New York World’s Fair.

The B.U.S. and Home Plate Bar and Grill across the street are the only places to go wait out traffic, and the atmosphere is akin to drinking inside an airplane hangar. And this is not exactly a neighborhood to be walking around late at night anyway. At least the Flying Saucer is a short Uber ride away with a massive beer selection and wings.

The Coliseum is easy to hate, but it’s at least an experience. The industrial setting as you arrive on BART is jarring, but points for a public transportation stop. The sprawling parking lots aren’t pretty, but you might come across some delightfully nutty fans there. And with no nearby restaurants, the Coliseum is trying to up its culinary game with food trucks.

Few stadium locales feel more suburban — and not in a nice, quaint way. The local hotels stocked with Disneyland-bound families and the vast expanse of parking lots and highways surrounding the stadium make you wonder whether you should have gone to Newport Beach instead.

Forget about tailgating in one of the main parking structures, as fans are relegated to cooking their pre-game meal in one of the neighborhood lots or traveling a few blocks to a local establishment. The Corona Beach House, located on the West Plaza, serves as a gathering place. Miami traffic makes an early dinner on South Beach and arriving by first pitch a long shot.

Downtown St. Petersburg, with its waterfront parks and cute restaurants and bars, is quite nice. But Tropicana Field is more than a mile away from that main drag and surrounded on three sides by parking lots and highways. That’s OK — nobody wants to spend extra time looking at the ugliest ballpark in baseball anyway.