As part of the Go SF Card activities, we were able to take an escorted tour of AT&T Park, home of the San Francisco Giants. The park is located in SOMA and pretty easy to get to if you're taking public transportation. Without the card, the tour's only $12.50 for adults and $7.50 for kids 12 and under. Let me tell you that it's definitely worth it, even if you're not a baseball fan. It's just an interesting experience overall.
The week we were in SF the Giants were away so we were able to see a lot of the ballpark that would've been restricted if they were in town. If it'd been a game day, even more would be blocked off. I would've loved to catch a game, but I suppose an up close and personal look at their home is just as cool.
I've never been to a professional ballpark, and since all we've got is Aloha Stadium in Hawaii, I was amazed at how huge the place was! I can just imagine how cool it'd be to actually come to a game and have the crazy fans cheering all around you. I definitely want to catch a game one day.
I also noticed that despite the number of seats and how big the stadium is, it seems like every seat is great. The vantage point of all the seats were pretty good. Plus, the day we went was exceptionally clear with nice blue skies. What a great way to spend the afternoon and watch some baseball.
Our tour guide told us that when the Giants aren't at home, the stadium is rented out to various organizations and companies for private events or concerts. Apparently, the day we stopped by they were setting up for a Stanford University event.
Besides catching a game of baseball, the stadium has this unique area called the Coca-Cola Fan Lot. It's for the kids (and kids at heart) and is located behind the left field bleachers. The Coke bottle is a giant slide that people can enjoy. There's a mini diamond for the kids. It's a good way to enjoy the game and keep the kids entertained when they get a little antsy.
The stadium is situated in such a picturesque location, right on the water's edge, that it's hard to concentrate on a ballgame when the scenery is so beautiful. You get a great view of the Bay Bridge from the park.
One of the awesome parts of the tour was that we got to go down to the field (though not on the grass) and into the dugout. This is the visiting team's dugout, but the tour guide said both sides are exactly the same. The only difference is the visiting team gets warmed up by the sun a lot more. Although, I don't think it makes much of a difference in SF. Perhaps in Hawaii the heat wold be a factor, but not in SF.
I can't believe we were standing right where big leaguer's stood and sitting where big leaguer's sat. Awesome! Now ask me who these big leaguers are? I couldn't tell ya. Haha! But still, the idea is enough to make me giddy.
We also got to go into the visiting team's locker room. It wasn't all that big actually. It was a decent size, but with a whole team of 6-footers on the juice, I can imagine it feeling quite squishy. Each guy's locker was really small. I'm not sure what they bring to these places, but the space alloted to them was tiny.
Here's a peak at the training room. Guess this is where they tape up and ice down . . . or receive some of the juice pre-game.
The tour took us up to the skybox or VIP room. Most rooms are rented out annually by corporate entities, but one room can be rented on a game-to-game basis by regular Joes like us. I believe it is $3,000 a game and you have to cater your food through the stadium. I'm thinking that's a great deal because not only do you get a room to lounge in, you get 30 seats right outside the room to watch the game. It's probably a good boy's night out investment.
This was such a great experience. It was a captivating two hours of walking around the stadium. It was really cool to come to a place this huge when it was empty. There were so many different types of food vendors that you'd definitely be able to find something to nosh on at a game. It's not the regular hot dog and beer stadium (it's in SF after all), but you can find that there too. Definitely check out the ballpark tour if you're in the area.
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