Catie Cheshire
“If it’s hot, it’s fine,” says vendor Jesus Rodriguez, who’s been selling snacks before Rockies games for more than two decades. “If it’s cold, no business.”“The Rockies aren't doing well, so now many people aren’t attending the games. They lose. Everybody loses.” The area in which they can roam has shrunk in recent years because the Rockies obtained a Public Sidewalk Occupancy Permit to shut down the sidewalk outside games; that permit requires people to dismount bikes,and skateboards on 20th and 22nd Streets along Blake Street and prevents vendors from selling directly in front of the stadium.
The team will pay just $1,393.70 to shut down the street and sidewalk in front of the stadium in 2023 thanks to a special event reduction that saves the franchise over $25,000. The usual rate is $344 per day, but the Rockies pay just 5 percent of that amount to close the sidewalk for four hours before first pitch until two hours after last pitch.