AT&T Park Review: Home of the San Francisco Giants

While I was on job assignment in nearby San Jose, a co-worker named Jeff and I attended a game at AT&T Park between the San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants on September 8. Jeff had already seen a game there when the Dodgers were in town before, and this was my first visit to the ballpark.

Both of us had left for the ballpark during rush hour, but still made it to the game in plenty of time. Because it was warm and I had forgotten we were going to San Francisco that night, I forgot to bring a jacket. I got a good deal on a nice Giants jacket for $35 after we bought our tickets.

Speaking of tickets, I was very surprised with the price we paid for lower level box seats. We were five rows from the field on the third base side, but they were only $37. I say surprising because at the time, the Giants were still alive for a playoff spot.

We did have to park a long ways away from the ballpark, but I was impressed with the experience as well scenery surrounding AT&T Park.

I remember hearing on the radio on the way to the game that Giants ace starter and Cy Young award winner Tim Lincecum would have been the starter. That would have made the experience that much better. As it was, Madison Bumgarner took his spot, and made his debut in this game. He started against San Diego pitcher Kevin Correia.

There were four home runs hit in the game - three of them by the Padres. Chase Headley hit a home run, and broke a 3-3 tie with an RBI single to give the Padres a 4-3 win on the road. Neither starter factored into the decision in the game.

My review of AT&T Park

The bad: As is the case with night games, parking is usually an issue for fans especially those that are not familiar with it. We parked fairly close to the Bay Bridge, but at least it did serve us well to take good pictures of that, too. This could pose to be a problem if you have trouble walking long distances. If so, make sure you double-check the game times so that you can make it early to avoid parking a long ways away. Being that Jeff and I were just getting off work, we were fortunate to get there when we did.

The good: For a ballpark I've never been to before, I found that it was easy to know where your seat was at. The fans were friendly, and Jeff and I sat behind season ticket holders that were telling us past stories about the Giants. The backdrop with the scoreboard as well as the over-sized Coca-Cola bottle that lit up after Aaron Rowand hit a home run for the Giants. The over-sized, old-style glove in left field next to the bottle is appealing, too. The jacket I bought was nice, and I spent very little time having to wait to buy one.

Overall: The tickets were more than reasonable, and so was the merchandise from what I did see. The scenery inside as well as outside the ballpark are plenty of reasons to see AT&T Park. The only issue I had was parking, but that was because of when we left to go after work. Other than that, I say you don't have to be a baseball fan to want to see the ballpark. Those with a liking for breath-taking views of the Bay Bridge as well as water itself would love to see that on their way to the ballpark. I say go to a game there if you're in San Francisco during baseball season.

You can check out the rest of the pictures of the ballpark as well as Bay Bridge from the Padres vs Giants game I attended.