Compare Carver Hawkeye Arena to Wells Fargo Arena

[Franisdaman]

What are the plus's and minus's of each arena?

Also, what do you think of the upgrades to CHA? What, if anything, should come next for improvements?

 

[DenverTurtle]

Carver's biggest plus over Wells Fargo is that it is filled with a lot more Hawk fans. It is also nice how there really aren't any bad seats at Carver. Wells Fargo doesn't have too many bad seats but I personally don't like how that top level, the 300's sections I think, are very dark with no lighting up there, I'm not a fan of that.

Taking the stadiums themselves into account and Carver has no advantages over Wells Fargo. Concessions, bathrooms, crowd flow, parking, all are a lot better at Wells.

On a scale of 1-10 this is how I rate each.
Concessions, Carver gets a 2. Lines too long, methods for food prep take way too long and aren't enough concession stands to alleviate this.
Wells Fargo gets 9. 1st they have multiple levels with concessions, unlike Carver that has 1 level, which helps with lines. Next they have everything from domestic tall boys to craft and micro brewed beers to several full bars. Food-wise they've got the same nachos, hot dogs and popcorn as Carver but they have more pizza options, BBQ, sausage sandwiches, etc. Wells does not have the Carver soft serve but that line is always nuts at Carver.
Bathrooms are a similar deal, multiple levels and more of them at Wells means usually no line and when they are there they are shorter and move faster than at Carver.
Parking in Iowa City sucks in general. Downtown Des Moines has several public parking ramps, plus you can easily park at the stadium, yesterday it was $8 to do so.

 

[Psyclone]

On one side at the well boxes take up a lot of the prime seats. The distance from the worst seat in the lower sections to the best seat in the upper section is a mile away. End zone seats are far from the baseline. The end result is too few good seats in my opinion.

 

[LarryMullenJr.]

Ice cream. Game over.

 

[Franisdaman]

On one side at the well boxes take up a lot of the prime seats. The distance from the worst seat in the lower sections to the best seat in the upper section is a mile away. End zone seats are far from the baseline. The end result is too few good seats in my opinion.

it does seem like the "end zone" seats at WFA are really far from the baseline and then you have band members and others in front of you

One thing about CHA, most of the seats are good seats with little obstruction; the only bad thing is that there is not a concourse in the middle; if there were one, you don't have to walk all the way from the top to the bottom AND it would help in terms of getting in and out of the arena

 

[Franisdaman]

Ice cream. Game over.

they should sell that at Hy-Vee as a fundraiser or something =)

 

[Joes Place]

it does seem like the "end zone" seats at WFA are really far from the baseline and then you have band members and others in front of you

One thing about CHA, most of the seats are good seats with little obstruction; the only bad thing is that there is not a concourse in the middle; if there were one, you don't have to walk all the way from the top to the bottom AND it would help in terms of getting in and out of the arena

CHA would have been a better fan venue if they'd made it a two-tier model, where the 2nd tier front row was closer to the courts. The top rows at CHA are a long way from the action. Plus, it'd have meant two levels for concessions and bathrooms. The old Fieldhouse was a two-level arrangement, which meant it was loud as hell on the court when the fans were rocking.

I do like the open-ness of CHA, as it looks nice; it's just not as good for fans with upper level seats; even the press boxes are a decent distance from the court.

 

[EagleHawk]

Ice cream. Game over.

I would have agreed with you prior to this year, but I have been to three games this year, and two of the times I could have had a better cone stopping at McDonalds on my way home. It used to be you could count on a good six inches of ice cream above the cone, last one I got had about 3.

 

[LarryMullenJr.]

I would have agreed with you prior to this year, but I have been to three games this year, and two of the times I could have had a better cone stopping at McDonalds on my way home. It used to be you could count on a good six inches of ice cream above the cone, last one I got had about 3.

Wow. Haven't been able to make it down yet this season as it seems like a Murphy's Law with the calendars.
If this is the case, we need to appoint a special investigator and figure out why this is the case. Hopefully it is just a rogue employee and not a systemic flaw going forward. I know I, and all other fans, won't be standing in long lines for a measly 3" above the cone. This is simply unacceptable and must be addressed. This will affect crowd enthusiasm and the lack of energy could cost us games.

 

[QCHawkFan]

they should sell that at Hy-Vee as a fundraiser or something =)

That's all Hy-Vee needs, lines around the block. Check out is already long enough.

 

[andoboy]

Carver sucks always has always will

I quote Reagan

" Barta, tear down that arena"

 

[Gridiron24]

Carver is a bare-bones college basketball arena with few amenities, no boxes, and obstructed views in the top 10 or 15 rows. Too few restrooms and concession stands. The concourse area is fun to walk around though. It only gets full and loud for B1G home games.

I've only ever been to Wells Fargo Arena for the State basketball (4 or 5 times) and State wrestling (every year) tournaments. It has less 'natural energy' than Carver, which is a big thing to say because many nights Carver is the equivalent of playing a football game at Purdue in terms of atmosphere. Other than the AHL team, it has no identifiable brand-name lessee, and for that reason, it feels like it just 'exists'. It has a lot better concessions, has boxes on one side, and does a great job hosting high school wrestling and basketball. The upper-level seating isn't obstructed like Carver, but is horribly lit. If you sit in the top section during a game, you're going to be watching in the dark at the Well.