First there was Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Then there was the Jake, and soon followed a whole mess of retro-ballparks. The Jake came around at the right time, as it corrected some of the flaws that were apparent in Baltimore while avoid getting too caught up in the retro idea.
The Jake feels more spacious than Camden Yards does. The walkways on the lower level are doubled-up, kind of like they are in Milwaukee now. This means there are essentially two walkways, with shops along both promenades. Where Camden Yards was originally designed with some seat facing an uncomfortable direction (the seats in some outfield sections were facing the outfield insted of the infield and the plate), such mistakes were non-existant in Cleveland. The seats were comfortable in The Jake, and offered good sightlines on the lower level.
The right-centerfield section is really interesting. It's almost a small version of Eutaw Street, with a number of alternate food options available. But what was strange was that there were a set of metal, high school-esque bleachers here. I went there for a big series, so I'm not sure if those bleachers were permanant or if they were just there for the large draw.
Another seating design that caught my eye was the way the luxury boxes were situated. It looked almost like the side of a glass highrise, put between two of the levels of the stadium. There were a few levels of luxury suites that helped to give that feeling.
The bullpens are neat, where they are built inder the main walkway. Spectators are essentially looking into a pit, down at the pitchers warming up.
Taking a page out of the Camden Yards design, there is a large, in-wall, out-of-town scoreboard. Above which are seats, and then still higher are the information boards. This seems like a poor design, as it seems to leave those people in between the two sets of boards without any way to see either section that well without turning around constantly.
Unlike the newer retro parks, the Jake wasn't designed to look excessively old. No flagpole in play, no hill in the outfield, no obstruction from a retractable roof (the latter being both a blessing and a curse, especially in such a snowy city). They went just far enough in replicating the past.
The Jake is well-situated in the downtown area. There are a number of restaurants along the right field/first base side on the other side of the steet. Behind the left field fence is the Gund Arena. If you are staying at one of the downtown hotels, you just have to follow the crowd to and from the Jake for a game.