Mercedes-Benz Stadium; Atlanta, GA.
Food- 8.5/10
The food at Mercedes-Benz was incredibly cheap. I was really blown away seeing that I could get a chicken tender and fries meal with a souvenir cup for about $15. It was my cheapest meal on the trip. They had a wide variety of food there as well; your normal stadium food plus BBQ, Mexican food and a couple local restaurants. As far as taste for my meal, pretty average, I did really like the fries, however. Definitely a bang for your buck meal.
Atmosphere- 7/10
I went for the USA vs. Panama Copa America soccer game, so as you can imagine it was not a sell out. It did have a really healthy turnout with the Americans far outnumbering the Panamanians. The game ended 2-1 with Panama winning and the game definitely had its fair share of controversy. When USA scored early in the game, the stadium went nuts, but in the slower periods of the game it was really quiet in there. The game ended and the USA fans were mad with how the game turned out. So, naturally, the fans started throwing things on the field and I unfortunately got hit with nice, full, ice cold beer that was not thrown far enough. Not. Fun.
Stadium- 9.5/10
Wow. What a stadium. I have been to a handful of stadiums in my life so far, and this is by far the best stadium I have been to. You walk in the main entrance and are instantly greeted with a wide open concourse that opens up to the field. Easy to navigate prior to kickoff and at halftime. Everything is exceptionally clean in there. Comfortable seats, ok leg room, really great view from my seat and has a retractable roof (closed for the game).
City- 7.5/10
I had heard mixed reviews about Atlanta, and definitely heard that the traffic was awful. For me, the traffic was not as bad as it had been made out to me; however, it is one crash away from completely shutting down the city so I probably got lucky. The downtown buildings were actually incredible to look at. Pretty much all of them are glass fronts from top to bottom, easily walkable and has a train that can help you navigate the city as well. Definitely recommend taking it when possible. Did come across some homeless guys, but fortunately, no interactions with them.
Overall 8.75/10
I really enjoyed my trip to Atlanta and Mercedes-Benz, I definitely want to come back and explore some more and go to a Falcons game when its packed and loud. Once in the city, its like any other big city with getting to places, but can be difficult to get there if theres a bad traffic jam. Great food, nice suburbs, and a stunning stadium.
