AT&T Park: Fun at the Ballpark

Of the three major league ballparks I have visited here in California, AT&T Park in San Francisco is by far my favorite. The stadium has been home to the San Francisco Giants since the 2000 season. It has also hosted the Emerald Bowl in college football since 2002.

AT&T Park has something for everyone. From the many souvenir shops and countless food concessions, to the 80 foot Coca-Cola bottle with giant slides, its easy to forget about the ballgame going on. The number one distraction for me is the food.

Besides the usual peanuts, popcorn, crackerjacks, and sunflower seeds, no game would be complete without a hot dog or two. They have the regular-sized stadium dog which is good, but with my appetite I buy the bigger Super Dog ,which is a quarter-pound hot dog . Or you can go to the Say Hey stand that sells a one third of a pound hot dog. It might cost a little extra but once you smother them with relish, sour kraut, onions and mustard ( its not a real hot dog without mustard), the price is well worth it.

For a more formal meal, there are numerous restaurants in the main concourse that serve roast beef and ham, among other tasty dishes. You need not worry about missing the action on the field because most tables have a view of the game.

The treat you have to have before you leave AT&T Park are the garlic fries. The fries are buried under a crunchy layer of minced garlic that will linger on your breath for a solid two days. It might sound a little disgusting but if you are a garlic lover, they are for you.

The best thing besides the food , are the breathtaking views from nearly everywhere in the park. The upper deck along the first base side provides a panoramic view from the bay bridge over the left field wall to McCovey Cove over the right field wall. There is a walkway leading from the entrance behind the stands in right field to beyond center field where there is a cable car that has been retired. There is also a walkway below on the outside of the park. You can watch part of the game for free from the chain link fence in right field, where the right fielder is so close you could talk to him. From inside the park this area is home to the out of town scoreboards and splashdown counter. Splashdowns are what the Giants fans call home runs that land in McCovey Cove.

The most interesting sight, besides the Coke bottle in left field, is the giant replica of an old baseball glove with a placard that says 501, signifying that if you hit that mark, your home run measures at least 501 feet. Nobody, not even Barry Bonds, has hit the glove as of yet. Barry does however, have more splashdowns than anyone with 35 of the 46 that have made it into the water as of the beginning of this season. The right field wall, by the way, is 24 feet tall. They made it that tall to honor Willie McCovey because he wore the number 24.

San Francisco is a beautiful city, so it's really no surprise they would build such a masterpiece like AT&T Park. The price of a ticket may be a little on the expensive side, but as cozy as this stadium is, it is well worth the price of admission. Just try the food and you will agree.