Hi there.
Every year my dad, grandmother, and I take a baseball trip to a different park and this year we are going to 4 Giants games and 2 Oakland games. Does anyone have any suggestions to make our trip THAT much more fun....(as if being in San Fran is not enough). Here are some details to maybe give you a better idea of our trip. We are coming in mid May for 7 days and staying in the Fishermans Wharf area (i know, i know, but it was the cheapest we could find My grandmother has been there before but this will be my father and I's first time We are so excited and any little tid-bit helps. Thanks in advance for the comments.
Oh and we love to eat, explore, and try new things.
Cheers,

I did a trip to SF and Oakland a few years ago. Also, included Seattle in on it (flew between).

I really enjoyed walking around Giants Park (can't remember the Corporate Name of the week!!!) Having multiple games, I would make sure that the seats were in different sections. Have 1 game in the OF, 1 in the IF, etc just to get the different viewpoints. This is one of my favorite stadiums.

Oakland Coliseum (or whatever the name is) on the other hand is just plain bad. Its a football stadium that they happen to play baseball in. There is nothing redeeming about the stadium. Stay as close to the field as possible. I made sure to see the Red Sox there and saw a 1-hitter. Shannon Stewart ruined my day!!! I took BART over / back and it was easy.

I would definitely include an Alcatraz tour for sightseeing. Walk across the Golden Gate. Do a search for Stu Dudley's posts on SF. Myriad of info there.

Thanks for the info, will do.
I agree about sitting in different sections. We always try to do that as well.
Any good food at either park? I hear AT&T Park has the best garlic frys?

Regarding SF Giants park - bring warm clothes, even if it is a nice day in SF. We were there early July some years ago and found different areas of the Park could be very different temperatures, depending on wind and sun. It was actually warm and sunny outside the Park but quite coldat seats (and it was a day game!)

food at ATT park is quite expensive - we usually bring sandwiches from a deli and just buy garlic fries. (portion is HUGE)

Be aware ATT now has DYNAMIC Pricing which means popular games may cost more than "boring" games

http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/s...ic_pricing.jsp


I find alcatraz very overrated and tours may be sold out anyway.

I'd cut out one of the A's games. They can't even fill the place 1/2way for the Yankees, for any other opponent (other than the Giants) you'll be able to meet and greet all the other attendees by the fifth inning. That's a pretty dull and depressing atmosphere.

Food at AT&T is not bad - had a delicious hot link with sauerkraut myself last night at the Evergood sausage cart. Also good -- the "cha cha bowl" at Orlando Cepeda's stand behind the bleachers. If you're interested, there used to be a cart (not sure if it's still there) that made delicious Irish Coffee (very good on one of those cold days gail mentioned). There are some good places for before or after the game outside the park but within a block or two - Amici's for pizza, Pete's Tavern (drinks good, food not so much, but ok), MoMo's, the Paragon, Tres Agaves. Walking from the financial district to the park (AT&T by the way -- it hasn't changed for awhile now) is fun - everyone walking in that direction will be going to the game. You can take Muni, though, if you don't want to walk.

HTH.

I actually liked Alcatraz very much and would recommend seeing it.

Agreed about the stadiums as described above.

SF, I would have sworn yesterday that they had changed it from AT&T but thats the daze that I was in...I hate corporate naming rights for stadiums. Understand why they do them but wish they wouldn't.

Visit the cable car museum

If you are staying at the Wharf you can take the F car to the Ferry Building and then walk around the Embarcadereo to the park, or then pick up the N streetcar, which stops in front of the park.

Hopefully one of the four Giants game will have Timmy pitching--now that would be a treat~!!!

Shasta - The guided tour of AT&T Park is one of the best baseball park tours I've been on. (Second only to Fenway, in my book.) Tours leave from the souvenir shop. You can buy tix in advance at: http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/s...park/tours.jsp

Also, Gail is right on about bringing warm clothes -- but also bring sunscreen! You never know what you're going to get. Have fun.

If you're going to 6 games in 7 days, you're going to be pretty darned busy. If you want to take a break from baseball and want to do something else fun, head for Golden Gate Park. You could stay outside and see the Japanese Tea Garden or go inside to the California Academy of Sciences, which is a really great and newly refurbished natural history museum, including a rain forest, an exhibit of tropical fish and a planetarium show.

I'll also second what everyone else said about the two stadiums. After seeing many games at Candlestick Park, the move to AT&T was a revelation. Even the days with cold weather don't seem nearly as bad!

I loved Golden Gate Park - especially the Tea Garden. got some beautiful photos there.

We will definetly check out Golden Gate Park! Thanks!

Okay, so census is bring warm clothes. Got it!

I know Oakland's park won't be anything to write home about but we just like to be able to say that we have been to each ballpark and are huge baseball fans so no matter the stadium, we always have a great time. I cant wait for ATT Park! man, im excited!!! My grandma says I just THOUGHT i loved Dodger Stadium, but wait until i visit AT&T

Thanks for the directions to the game SAB.
Thanks for mentioning the baseball tour, dont know if we can get to it, but i'll meniton it. - ECinSF

Oh, and yes, i think Timmy IS pitching one of the days. I bet he pitches a no hitter b/c the Giants will be playing the Astros when we are there (we're from houston so i can say that) :0)

There are no guarantees that he pitches!!! I used to go to a ton of Sox games. Numerous times was lined up to see Clemens and then Pedro pitch. Never saw either one for many different reasons...Hopefully you see him but anything can and will probably happen.

I saw one of his 1st MLB starts when I was there in 07. Unfortunately, he got beat up by Oakland but then he put it together and the rest has been history.

Box score from when I went
http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/boxsco...ancisco-giants

I remember seeing Clemens pitch at least four times. Once when he was with the Bosax he had a 9-0 lead, the Yanks rang up an 11-run inning on him (and relievers) and won in extra innings. Once I saw the Yanks beat him in Bahstin. Once I saw him pitch for the Yanks against the Rangers in Game 3 of the 1999 ALDS. And I saw him win the '99 World Series clincher at the Stadium.

Hey, that's four good Clemens memories!

And trying to figure out when The Freak will pitch from six weeks out is impossible -- off days, fifth starters avoided, random arm or leg pains can all conspire to throw a rotation out of schedule. But you're going to see four Giants games and it's a five-man rotation -- there's an 80% chance you see Lincecum and a 100% chance you see at LEAST one pitcher who can no-hit the Astros (Cain, Sanchez, the revived Zito).

lol sad but true

>>

Just be aware there are no tours on game days.

oh, Okay, thanks.