Fields Of Dreams: At&T Park, San Francisco, California

We've reached set out 2 on the listing of Major League baseball game stadium that we've visited. So exactly about the top, it's the abode of the electrical flow (and 2010) world champions, it's AT&T Park inwards San Francisco...

AT&T Park (formerly PacBell Park, formerly SBC Park) is the abode of the San Francisco Giants who moved hither from cold, windy Candlestick Park when the 2000 flavour began. In 2002, 3 games of the World Series were played hither when the Giants faced the Angels for the crown. They lost to the Halos inwards the seventh game of the serial inwards Anaheim.

Finally, ix years afterward together with an eternity away from the Barry Bonds drama, they picked upward their showtime W coast world entitle when they rhythm out the Texas Rangers inwards the World Series.

Over the curse of the Barry, they came dorsum on the dorsum of the beard...Brian Wilson...the closer that helped Pb them to some other entitle final fall.

This year, 2013, they've fallen into the cellar, lost their closer, together with are virtually 20 games dorsum from the resurgent Dodgers, who at nowadays direct hold Brian Wilson together with a skillful shot at the pennant . Over the years, many legendary players direct hold been on this, ane of Major League Baseball’s oldest teams. In fact, since becoming a squad inwards 1883, the Giants direct hold won to a greater extent than games than whatever other team. Willie Mays, Bobby Thompson, Willie McCovey, Gaylord Perry, Juan Marichal, together with Barry Bonds direct hold all called this squad home. In 1989, they played their cross-bay rivals – the Oakland A’s – inwards a World Series that was interrupted past times the 6.9 Loma Prieta earthquake. After a x twenty-four hours delay, they were swept past times the A’s.

Here are the stats…

Year opened: 2000
Surface: Grass
Construction cost: $357 million
Capacity: 41,915
Field dimensions: Left champaign – 339 ft.; left centre – 404 ft.; Center champaign – 399 ft.; correct centre – 421 ft.; Right champaign – 309 ft.
Home teams: San Francisco Giants (National League, MLB) 2000 –present; San Francisco Demons (XFL 2001; California Redwoods (UFL) 2009; California Golden Bears (NCAA) 2011
Events attended: ane game

One of the most beautiful parks inwards baseball game amongst gorgeous views of San Francisco bay. In the park, large sculptures of a baseball game glove together with a Coke bottle invite kids to come upward out together with play. The bottle has slides that the kids tin purpose – a ramp fifty-fifty lets wheelchair users teach to the top of the slide but I don’t know what you’d produce ane time you lot got there. In correct field, large windows opened upward up onto the cove where fans on the sidewalk tin teach a glimpse of the game existence played inside. It’s also the solely major league stadium that I know of that uses a adult woman equally a populace address announcer.

The playing champaign has ane characteristic I personally produce non like, onfield bullpens. I recollect it’s unsafe together with unnecessary. Other than that, the champaign is immaculately maintained.

Yes, nosotros were at that topographic point to rub it inwards the adjacent year!

The seats inwards the stadium are canted toward abode plate, unless you’re inwards the wheelchair department where they exactly request instantly ahead. Accessible seating is plentiful hither together with available on all levels. We sat inwards the upper deck where wheelchair users together with their companions sit down inwards the 3rd row.

Ticketing tin last hard equally most games are sold out. Over the phone, nosotros did non direct hold whatever work except trying to truly beak to someone. It’s a voice-mail hell when you lot telephone telephone the front end part together with the prompts Pb you lot nowhere. Press “0” (not an choice on the vocalisation menu) together with you’ll teach an operator who tin apace transfer you lot to someone. Once nosotros did that, nosotros had a friendly ticket seller who promptly sold us the tickets nosotros needed. Ticket prices are demand based together with gear upward similar a stock market, they tin ascension together with autumn amongst the demand…the team’s website listing the current prices on a chart. As of this writing, prices arrive at from a depression of $13 to a high of over $250. I don’t know if I similar that system.

At the stadium, wheelchairs are ushered to the VIP entrance where disabled fans tin purpose the park’s solely populace get upward to achieve their level. Once nosotros got to the top deck together with the usher showed us our seats, no wheelchair locations were to last seen, however, the usher promptly took a wrench out of his steal together with removed a seat, revealing the wheelchair location.

The staff hither is real friendly together with efficient. One matter I similar hither is that the ushers produce non allow anyone direct hold their topographic point during game play action. You must hold back until the ball is dead earlier you lot tin furnish to your topographic point then you lot don’t block someone else’s view. They are also real skillful at keeping standing fans out of the wheelchair areas, which is a large work at a lot of other parks we’ve visited.

The food…simply the best inwards baseball game equally you’d await inwards such a gourmet’s please equally San Francisco. Orlando’s Caribbean Area Barbecue inwards Center Field has delicious isle inspired nutrient such equally the ChaCha Bowl, filled amongst jerk chicken, veggies, beans, together with rice sprinkled amongst habanero sauce if you lot desire it.. The basic hot dogs are amid the best inwards the league. H5N1 plethora of dissimilar beers are on tap, along amongst a swell choice of wines together with cocktails. The green is famous for starting the garlic fries revolution amid baseball, although I’ve had amend inwards French Republic together with at the Date Festival inwards Indio, California. That East Coast guilty pleasure, fried dough, tin last constitute here…a real skillful version covered inwards melted butter, powdered sugar, together with cinnamon.

As tin last ascertained past times the description above, AT&T Park is amid the minority of ballparks that serve Coke instead of that overly sweetness Pepsi. Prices are on the high side.

The stadium is good served past times transit. Muni’s trolleys run correct to the stadium after they pick upward passengers from the BART underground on Market Street. It’s all accessible but last warned that the meanest, rudest, together with “could non attention less” transit employees we’ve e'er encountered function for these 2 transit agencies.

So it boils downward to swell views, skillful team, fantastic food and drink, skillful staff, good wheelchair seating, decent transit, challenging ticket policies together with pricing. Still plenty “pros” to outweight the “cons” together with brand AT&T our pick for the mo best Major League stadium and the best ballpark W of the Mississippi.

Darryl
Copyright 2010 – Darryl Musick
Updated for 2013