Where to stay in the Marina District?
 

We will be staying in San Fransco for 6 nights from 10 - 16 August. We would like to stay in the Marina District and I have been looking on line in the area around Lombard and Van Ness streets. I would love to hear if anyone can recommend a hotel/motel in this area? Some that I have looked at seem to be very old and tired.

Also we would like to see a baseball game. As we have never been to one before, can someone give us some advise on where to sit?

I didn't know Lombard at Van Ness is in the Marina District.

In any event, if this is the neighborhood for you, Comfort Inn by the Bay at 2775 Van Ness is probably your best bet. Some rooms have views and they all come with breakfast. Parking on site.

>>I didn't know Lombard at Van Ness is in the Marina District.
<<

What district would you call that??? Cow Hollow ???

I've always considered Lombard St (west of Van Ness) to be the boundry between the two districts.

Stu Dudley

I'm not sure why you want to stay in the Marina? The hotels there are (IMHO) generally funkier than others anywhere else int the city.;

that said, te Columbus Motor inn in North Beach has 3 sister properties ion the Marina area. I don't know of them personally but the Columbus Motor in is quite nice and highly recommended on he board so you might want to check them out. They are well rated on tripadvisor if that helps

http://www.chelseamotorinn.com/

Let me know what you want to know about seating for baseball -- we are season ticket holders and have sat in two different sections on the first base side, one on the third base side, and otherwise all around the park (AT&T, that is) for years!

Giants have a nice homestand run during your dates pf Aug 10-16
First part of the week they play the Cubs,
2nd half of the week they play the Padres.
When we aren't gifted tickets, we usually purchase them from Stubhub-
www.StubHub.com
and find that Sections 110 or 112 with seats in Rows 31-37
to be terrific seats for day games. Seating chart here-
http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/s...ng_pricing.jsp
Any closer than Row 31 in these sections and and you are
in the sun. You are also close to restrooms and
a variety of food and drink stands.
If you pick Section 112-heads up for foul balls ~
:)

R5

>>2nd half of the week they play the Padres.<<

OH NO !!!! Hopefully not another 0 & 3 series!!!

Stu Dudley

Stu, you read my mind!! I can't believe I was rooting for the Dodgers to beat them yesterday!!

The Cow Hollow Motor Inn is nice -- as are their sister places -- Chelsea and Coventry, I believe.

But if you want something more upscale but at a fantastic price for what they are -- look at Cow Hollow Suites, full nicely furnished and appointed appointments that open to Chestnut near Filmore with free underground parking and a keyed elevator up to your own apartment.

Anywhere from Section 106 (where we currently sit) to Section 124 is excellent. Personally, we prefer to sit in the sun (since San Francisco is not very warm usually) -- we sit in row 18 (were there today as a matter of fact).

Thank you all for this information. I will check out the accommodation recommendations.
Regarding the baseball, as we have never been to a game before (we are from Australia)we have no idea which seats allow a good view at a reasonable price. If it were you going, which game would you prefer to go to??

>>which game would you prefer to go to??<<

Whichever game Lincecom pitches - although you may not see a lot of base hits - on either side. You might not be able to determine which game he pitches until about 10 days before the game - and even with 10 days in advance, you may not be 100% certain.

Stu Dudley

Although Lincecum is the Giants "ace", I'm not sure it matters that much for people who have never been to a baseball game before (hard to tell what a "phenom" he is without having seen anyone else pitch). If it were me, I'd choose a day game, sit on the first level and as close to home plate as possible (within the sections I mentioned above), wear sunscreen, cheer for the home team, and have a great time! By the way, among the major sports in the US, baseball is by far the cheapest ticket!

We ARE going, LOL !
Seriously, if it were my first outing to an American
baseball game AND because your first baseball game is at
AT&T park, I agree with sf7307 and would pick a day game.
AT&T park can be very chilly at night, even in the summer.
I'm talking heavy jackets and hats and, for me, gloves.

So, for your dates that leaves you with-
Thursday, Aug. 12 at 12:45 Giants v, Chicago Cubs
Saturday, Aug. 14 at 1:10 PM Giants v. San Diego Padres
or
Sunday, Aug. 15 at 1:05 PM Giants v. San Diego Padres

We are going to the Thursday game, so I peeked at some possible seats for you at this game over at the StubHub
site. Two possibilities that stood out for me were
View Box, Section 307, Row A, for $26 each.
and
View Box, Section 308, Row A, for $35 each.
In these two sections, you're in the front row of a very small section with about 5-6 rows in each section.
The View Boxes
in this area of the stadium also offer an outstanding view of the water
out in McCovey Cove. It's loads of fun to watch the
kayaks and other small boats awaiting a possible home run
hit over in the cove. Double the entertainment value for your dollar.

So, play around with those dates and see what seems
appropriate for what you want to spend. sf7307 is correct
that baseball ticket prices are a great value !

R5

A much nicer hotel, IMHO, than those recommended and in the Marina area is the Hotel del Sol:

http://www.jdvhotels.com/del_sol/?cid=gl_del


If you find yourself going to a night baseball game, dress for the Arctic and bring blankets.

Thank you all for the advice. I can tell San Francisco has lots of baseball fans!!!!!
I appreciate your advice on attending a daytime game, but going to a night game fits in best with the other things we want to do in San Francisco. Having said that, does your advice on seating apply to a night game as well?? Would it be too late to book our tickets when we arrive in SFO? I wouldnt like to miss out and can book prior to arrival if necessary.

>>>Having said that, does your advice on
seating apply to a night game as well?? <<<

No, those View Box seats are really out in the open.
I'd want to be warmer so I'd pick the Lower Box seats nearest home plate.
The first row of overhang (from seats above)is around row 31.
If you come prepared for the cold, and don't mind it, sit closer. The closer the seats are to the field the more expensive they will be.

>>>Would it be too late to book our tickets when we arrive in SFO? <<<

Yes, most likely all that will be available to you
will be random seats way, way up in the View Reserved
Section-Giants games are nearly always a sell out.

Find some you like that are available and we'll take
a look at them. No shortage of opinion here.
:)

R5

<<<Giants games are nearly always a sell out.>>>

This used to be true, but not so much anymore. However, close-in seats are always more difficult to get.

>>>This used to be true, but not so much anymore.<<<

<I>In 2007, the Giants were fifth in the National League in attendance with 3,223,215 overall fans, <B>39,793 per game.</b> Since its opening in 2000, AT&T Park ranks fourth in the Majors in overall attendance, and<B> the Giants last year became just the fourth franchise in baseball history to draw more than 3 million fans per season for eight consecutive years.</B></I>

http://sanfrancisco.giants.mlb.com/n...t=.jsp&c_id=sf

I'd say those are pretty darn good numbers for a ballpark
with 41,503 seats-so, if 39,793 is an average,
then I'd still have to say it is quite likely that
many of the games are indeed a sell-out.

R5

Good games sell out - the Astros and the Brewers on a Tuesday night don't sell out. You should have seen how many empty seats there were in the upper deck on Sunday -- I'd say a good half to a third of the upper deck was empty.