Valley Metro is a viable option for getting to Footprint Center if you’re coming from an East Valley suburb such as Tempe or Mesa, or from the western part of Phoenix proper, and would rather not bother with driving and finding parking. Either way, you’re walking no more than a block. Get off at 3rd/Jefferson or 3rd/Washington, depending on which direction you’re coming from. Light rail is also a viable option if you’re coming from the suburbs - Valley Metro operates a line that passes right by the arena. Both 7th Avenue and 7th Street have exits off Interstate 17 as well. If you use 7th Street instead, head west on Washington Street, one block north of Jefferson, to get yourself to the arena. Phoenix’s downtown isn’t difficult to find (just look for the tall buildings) nor difficult to navigate, with an impressive devotion to the rectangular street grid observed throughout the region.Īlthough the area is accessible from both Interstates 10 and 17, which criss-cross each other to form a rectangle around downtown, exiting Interstate 10 at 7th Avenue (or 7th Street, which is a completely different exit and street another mile to the east) and then proceeding south to Jefferson Street, then heading east a few blocks to the arena. Looking for Footprint Center event tickets? Search events on Ticketmaster.įootprint Center occupies a prime spot in downtown Phoenix, a block away from Chase Field in what is called the Legends Entertainment District, full of restaurants, nightlife and hotels. The experience should improve in the coming years, as Footprint Center has undergone a significant renovation that brought improvements to the seating bowl, concourses and plazas.Īs the Suns’ recent playoff runs have showed, when the team is doing well, excitement over Phoenix’s original pro sports franchise can climb as high as ever.Īnd don’t forget the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, which draws fans to Footprint Center during the summer months and whose games have also become big events, especially with three titles in their history. The building also helped breathe life into the downtown Phoenix neighborhood where it sits, aided by the construction of Chase Field for MLB’s Diamondbacks a few years later. The current name was installed in the midst of the Suns’ 2021 run to the NBA Finals, ensuring it would stick in the minds of fans looking back on that euphoric time. The arena has served the Phoenix Suns quite well over nearly 30 years of existence, during which it was known by its original name, America West Arena, as well as US Airways Center, Talking Stick Resort Arena and Phoenix Suns Arena. (It’s not so great if a hockey team decides later on to move in, as the poor Coyotes found out in the late 1990s before moving to their own arena in suburban Glendale.) The larger dimensions needed to accommodate an ice surface for hockey translates to a smaller percentage of right-alongside-the-court seats for basketball - nothing tragic by any means, but when the arena is set up for basketball, you’ll notice a fair amount of dead space up close.īut when the arena was designed primarily with basketball in mind, you’ll see the difference right away - more intimate seating, better sight lines and even the farthest seats seem pretty close to the court.Įven as a fan, you’ll notice that the footprint of Footprint Center (pardon the wordplay) is smaller than the typical multipurpose facility, and a full lap around the concourse can be done in a jiffy. The multipurpose arena that anchors the entertainment scene in so many large American markets, while by and large a more than suitable venue for any sort of event you can think of holding indoors, can sometimes give the basketball fan a bit of a short shrift. The Phoenix Suns’ Footprint Center is the blueprint of the arena that provides the optimal viewing experience for basketball events - and for basketball only. Read on to find out how to get the most out of your gameday experience. Our guide to Footprint Center in Phoenix, home arena of the Suns, includes information on events, tickets, parking, public transportation, nearby hotels and restaurants, seating and more.
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