Last night, I went to my first ever game at the brand-new Intuit Dome, home of the Los Angeles Clippers and I have a lot to say about the $2 billion dollar stadium.

When you walk to the stadium, you go through a somewhat sketchy neighborhood of Inglewood, California but end up inside a basketball paradise. A tunnel with bright lights and pictures of Kawhi Leonard and James Harden shoots you out at an actual basketball court right outside the stadium. There’s a bunch of people shooting hoops and a digital art piece behind them switching shapes as the shots go through the hoop. How has no team ever thought of putting a basketball court near the actual arena? Brilliant.

As you try to enter the dome, you run into the first problem with this stadium: it’s incessant need to live in the future. The tickets can only be accessed through the intuit dome app, and you’re going to need that for every purchase you make. No beer, no food, no water unless you scan your phone with the app up. Becomes a headache when you get 2 or 3 beers in you. But I could put all of that aside as I walk into this massive structure with hanging lanterns and great music playing. The indoor/outdoor stadium is here and I think it’s here to stay.

I had tickets up top in the terrace and as the game is set to begin, the real show starts. The lights grow dark and on the massive oval of high-definition screens, the Clippers play their intro video. An ode to a new era of Clipper basketball, one that is associating much more with the ocean. In the past, I never associated the Clippers with the ocean, even though a clipper is a boat, but the new stadium has completely embraced the oceanic feels which actually gives the Clippers some character for once. It was refreshing.

With the lights out, it’s time for team intros. Beams of light emanate from your chair because of the Clippers state of the art light technology coming from each seat, making an art display unlike any stadium I’ve ever seen. It draws you into the game, makes you feel a part of it. Fireworks shoot as each player comes out and it’s finally time to start play.

The huge oval jumbotron can feel overwhelming at times when play is happening simply because it is so large but it also brings you into a sport world I’ve never seen. Player graphics jumping out at you in 3D, 4 different camera angles on replays, crystal clear picture for if you’re too far to see the actual play. Then comes the first TV timeout and normally you would think it’s a good time for a drink or to hit the bathroom but the lights grow dark and an image pops up on the jumbotron: The Mentalist. Each person in the stands has buttons on his/her chair that they can press to see what the mentalist is thinking. You choose a color and it pops up on the armrest of your chair, the mentalist tells you which color he chose and if you got it right, your color stays up, if wrong, you are eliminated. Everyone in the stadium can see what every other person chose. You do this until one person is left standing and that person wins a prize. When I tell you I could do that every day, I am not lying, worth the price of admission.

“The Wall” is the new “student section” for fans of the Clippers and it is a sight to see when play is happening. They rally their team and form an amazing group of moving bodies when a team shoots free throws. It gives a more college atmosphere which is good for fan engagement and overall energy of the stadium. Definitely cutting edge and something I expect from more teams going forward.

The first quarter ends and you’re hungry, time for some grub. This is where Intuit gets off the rails. There’s about 15 of the same “Pick and Roll” food stops in Intuit dome all serving the same food and drink. You have to tap your phone to enter and it registers you as entering. This can be frustrating as it never works the first time and sometimes took 5 minutes. These food stops work by cameras, where if you pick something up it registers it to you and you pay digitally. I actually enjoy this process because it cuts down on lines and awkward tipping screens, but the food itself left a lot to be desired. Every item I had (empanadas, sushi burrito, fries) tasted like it was made by a 3D printer: bland, uninspired, thoughtless. It had no flavor at all and reminded me just how digital this new arena is. That’s what had me feeling like this place had no soul. For all the glitz and technology, they forgot to relate it to people. What do people love: food and variety. When you circle this place it’s all the same: robotic entryways and refrigerated food. No local vendors, no one making the food in front of you. Maybe I’m getting older but I like to see that in a stadium.

None of this takes away from the absolute pleasure it is to watch a game at this stadium, an unreal venue that may just boost the neighborhood around it to new heights. The Clippers might not be any good, but if you can find a cheap ticket I promise you, you should go watch a game at the Intuit Dome.