AT&T PARK

Built in 2000, this is another one of the new, retro-classic parks. And it is one of the best. Located just south of downtown San Francisco, the park is already part of history as Barry Bonds hit his 500th home run into McCovey Cove in 2001. 

Getting to the park is easy. The park is located at 3rd and King Streets, just one block from the CalTrain station. If you are coming from downtown, a hop on MUNI's N will get you there quickly. There is also ferry service from the North Bay, and bus service as well. If you are driving, you can cross the bridge on fourth street and park in Lot B or C, then walking a short distance to the park. If you are looking for free parking, try to find open meters around 5:30. Some meters are only in effect until 6, so if you pay the 50 cents for 30 minutes you can park for cheap and avoid the traffic after the game. We found a good spot on Harrison Street, although truthfully, the area of town is not that nice so you may want to take that into consideration. Finally, if you are biking, you can park your bike around the back of the stadium.

Outside the park

The main entrance is known as the Willie Mays entrance because of the statue of the Giant hero that stands out front. If you enter here, take the escalator up to the main concourse, the ramps are quite long. The first thing you will notice is the concourses are very narrow in spots and this restricts the flow of people. Another problem is the field club seats are not accessible at any time without a ticket. So you can't stand close to the field unless it is on the other side of the dugout. There is a railing that separates the field club and normal field level seats and don't try jumping over - the ushers are on top of their game and will quickly send you back.

We did have field club seats for one game, and they provided one interesting feature - you can walk along the corridor at field level and look into the batting cages behind the dugouts. This is cool, but other than that I didn't think the extra money was worth it - of course, you can enjoy a meal in the club downstairs, but to get up to the concourse, it can be quite a pain as you cannot access the concourse directly - you must go underneath first. The club level does have its own restroom facilities, but overall, the ballpark experience is  not quite the same.

Of course, the seats from the club level are great, but so are the other seats as well. The lower box seats are $26, if you can get behind the plate, it is pretty good. The second level is the AAA Club, and just above that are the luxury suites, both of which are tough to get into. But with one of the highlights here being the view from the upper level, (the Bay Bridge heads off to the east), you can get a $20 view level box seat or $16 view reserved seat. The most interesting seats are the 4 rows of arcade seats above right field. With the cove right behind you, these seats can be chilly, but there must be no better thrill than to see a home run go over your head and splash into the water.

In left field, you can sit in the $10 bleachers which are still pretty decent. One interesting thing about these bleachers was the presence of rows 0 and 00, so remember that row 1 is not the front row. On sold out days, you can get $9 standing room tickets, and you can stand in some pretty good areas. In fact, if you want a good view, buy the cheapest seat and spend a few innings standing near home plate before going to your seat. 

If you don't mind standing for the entire game, then take advantage of the best bargain in baseball - the free fence in right field. You are standing outside the ballpark at field level, only steps from the right fielder, and you can see the entire field of action. There were a few homeless people around, but everyone there was really enjoying themselves, especially heckling the visiting right fielder.

If you have seen highlights on TV, you will have noticed the large Coke bottle and baseball mitt out in left field. These are part of the Coca-Cola Fan Lot, a small complex that is good for kids. Inside the Coke bottle are 4 slides that adults are allowed to ride, although they really aren't that fun. The glove is just a sculpture, but it looks cool from close up. The best part of the Fan Lot is the mini-stadium where youngsters can hit whiffle balls over the fences. It even has its own Jumbotron. Just behind Seals Plaza (dedicated to the minor league San Francisco Seals who played in SF before the Giants moved west) there is an authentic cable car. Before the game, one fan is selected to ring the bell to signal the beginning of the game.

For those of you with Palm Pilots, beaming stations are available so you can keep score and follow the stats. Personally, I prefer the paper method of scoring, but this new technology had a few converts. 

There is lots of food options, the dogs were pretty good, but the garlic fries were the most popular item. At $5, you certainly get your fill, but for me, a tater-hater, it was a no-go.

One thing that really got me was the program - at $7, the most expensive in the majors. At $1, the scorecard seems like the obvious purchase for budget-conscious road trippers. 

Overall, this is one of the top 5 parks in the majors - great seats, standing pretty much anywhere, free viewing from outside, McCovey Cove, transit, and of course, San Francisco. Make plans to see this park as soon as possible - you will not regret it.