Conveniance/Access - Not bad for how the city is laid out. It's right on a major highway. We got a cheap hotel on said highway, thinking it would be easy to walk to the AAC. Wrong. There aren't any walkways on that highway so we had to cab there.
Location/Scene - Dallas loses points here. Not much going on here. The area sort of resembles the Wachovia Center's situation. In the city limits but set aside from everything. There didn't seem to be any bars or restaurants (or anything for that matter) within walking distance.
Outside Appearance - The AAC looks fantastic. It is a square brick building. It seems significantly bigger than most other NHL/NBA arenas and is very imposing. Surely fitting for Texas. There is an attractive plaza/courtyard type area on one side of the building with fountains.
Inner Aesthetics - The outside of the AAC seems big and so does the inside. The ceiling is super high. Only HSBC Arena in Buffalo has a ceiling that can mess with the AAC. Despite it being a little too high in my opinion it does look very cool. The upper sections are quite high up and very far from the ice. The massive feel that they went for with this arena only works if the place is consistently full. It was for the first few years of the AAC's existence, when the Stars were a top five team every year, but hasn't been lately. I think a massive arena that is three quarters full can very easily seem too spacious and dead. The seats are a drab gray. Different, yes, but just kind of a downer when too many are empty.Concourse - When we hit the doors of the AAC a fine gentleman kindly told us that we'd have to leave any firearms we might have had in the car. That's because all AAC patrons have to go through a metal detector. So, I ran back to the car to drop off my Glock. No, not really. Certainly a Texas experience the instant we hit the door though. Anyway, the concourse in Dallas is possibly the most unique that we've seen. Some parts of it look like a hotel, with wood molding. Absent were the standard concrete walls that every other building seems to line its halls with. There were American Airlines model planes hanging from the ceiling, which looked kind of cool even while being obnoxious. The club concourse had big windows with cool views. The AAC concourse also provided us with this gem. (That's Eric showing off his vert.)
Sight lines - They're adequate. As mentioned above, the seats go very high up. The upper level seats are quite a distance from the ice.
Bathrooms - I don't remember them being overcrowded or there being a lack of them. That's a plus.
Concessions - I remember getting a bad Buffalo chicken sandwich, but that should have been expected so far from Western New York. To my knowledge, the AAC is the only place that we've been to that sells Red Bull. The second game we went to we had club seats. There was a fine array of food choices on that level.
Fans/Atmosphere - The crowds at the games we attended probably only filled the AAC to about three quarters capacity but they were into the game. They weren't quiet nor were they going above and beyond. There were many, many jerseys from the Stars glory days. Lots of Hull, Belfour, Nieuwendyk, Verbeek, and Hatcher jerseys being rocked. Definitely solid for a part of the country that hockey is still pretty foreign to. Also, I have to mention that we had a very boisterous Jussi Jokinen fan a few rows behind during the first game.
History/Banners - The Stars banners are tastefully laid out on one of the walls just below the ceiling. There wasn't much else around though. I don't remember there being much of anything commemorating great Stars or Mavs moments in the halls, which is a shame as both franchises have a lot to be proud of.
History/Banners - The Stars banners are tastefully laid out on one of the walls just below the ceiling. There wasn't much else around though. I don't remember there being much of anything commemorating great Stars or Mavs moments in the halls, which is a shame as both franchises have a lot to be proud of.
Bars - I'm a little hazy on this detail. I think there were a few places to get hard liquor, as there should be.
Store - Sort of small, but they had all of the essentials, including a decent selection of player tee shirts. An item I remember was a Stu Barnes shirt that said, "I'm not booin', I'm Stuin'." I bought a 2007 All-Star Game rocks glass.
Value - I think we paid seventy-something bucks for our club tickets, which was a pretty good deal. They had some pretty good food there and a bunch of bars. Not any more expensive than the average NHL arena.
Overall - The biggest plus for the American Airlines Center is the gorgeous exterior. The building is certainly distinctive, from the appearance to the concourse to the ceiling up in the heavens. The biggest negative, and this is a common theme with us, is that there is nothing around the arena. It's just buried in a parking lot next to a highway. Getting dinner and/or drinks and then walking right to the game rules and you can't do that in Big D.
