BASEBALL IN CALIFORNIA USED TO BE LIKE DODGER STADIUM. A BIG BALLPARK SURROUNDED BY AN OCEAN OF PARKING. WELL, THE NEW PARKS IN CALIFORNIA ARE DOING THE EAST COAST THING, BUILDING THE PARKS IN THE DOWNTOWN AREA WHERE THE PEOPLE ARE.  IT DOESN'T MAKE TRAVELING TO THE PARK EASIER, BUT AFTER VISITING AT&T PARK, I CAN'T SEE HOW I COULD COMPLAIN ABOUT THE LOCATION.

AT&T PARK IS ALL ABOUT VIEWS AND THE LOCATION. I'M NOT GOING TO SAY THIS PLACE IS PERFECT BECAUSE I FOUND A FEW AREAS WHERE I THINK THEY COULD DO SOME THINGS, BUT WHEN THE MANTRA IS "THE WORSE THE SEAT THE BETTER THE VIEW" A LOT OF GOOD HAS TO BE MENTIONED.

GOING FORWARD, THE ISSUE OF BARRY BONDS BREAKING THE HOME RUN RECORD

WILL NOT BE AN ISSUE SO I AM SURE YOU WILL HAVE A BETTER CLASS OF FAN AT THE PARK. SADLY, ON MY VISIT, THE DAY BEFORE BONDS BROKE THE RECORD, THERE WERE JUST "BIG EVENT" FANS AT THE GAME, PROVEN BY THEIR DEPARTURE WHEN BONDS WAS REPLACED IN THE GAME.

  I WAS VERY HAPPY TO SEE FROM MY UPPER DECK SEAT THAT I WAS IN WITH A GROUP OF FANS ALL KEEPING SCORE. A LOST ART AT THE PARK, EVERYONE INCLUDING MYSELF HAD A HOME MADE SCOREBOOK KEEPING TRACK OF THE GAME ON THE FIELD. I SAW THIS THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA REALIZING THAT THE WEST COAST WAS A BIT MORE LIKE THE MID WEST THAN THE EAST COAST.

BACK TO THE PARK, GETTING TO THE BALLPARK IN SAN FRANCISCO, WHICH WILL PROBABLY CHANGE ITS NAME BY THE TIME YOU READ THIS, IS A CHALLENGE BUT MANY OPTIONS ARE OFFERED. CAL - TRANS STOPS RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE PARK, I ADDED A CAL - TRANS LINK TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE SO YOU CAN PLAN YOUR TRIP ON CAL - TRANS AND THE B.A.R.T. A SECOND CHOICE IF COMING FROM OAKLAND IS A FERRY THAT RUNS FROM NEAR THE AIRPORT ACROSS THE BAY TO THE PARK. THIS COULD BE THE COOLEST WAY TO ARRIVE AT THE BALLPARK. IMAGINE FLOATING UP SEEING THE BALLPARK ALONG THE SHORELINE. THE THIRD CHOICE, UNFORTUNATELY MY CHOICE, AND THE WITHOUT QUESTION THE WORST CHOICE WOULD BE DRIVING. NOW, I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS DUE TO THE BONDS RUN OR NOT, BUT ACROSS THE STREET ON A DIRT LOT THE GIANTS CHARGED $30 TO PARK. ISN'T THAT A LITTLE RIDICULOUS? MAYBE, BUT I PAID IT SO WHO IS WORSE?

ONCE LEAVING THE CAR IN THIS LOT I WALK OVER TO THE PARK. A BEAUTIFUL JOB IS DONE HERE FROM THE FIRST SIGHT OF THE PARK. THE GIANTS STORE RESTS BELOW A BEAUTIFUL BRICK BUILDING WITH THE BLACK STEEL AT THE ENDS REFLECTING THE STRUCTURE OF THE UPPER DECK. WALK TOWARDS THE MAIN STREET

AREA OF THE PARK TO SEE A PALM TREE LINED SIDEWALK WITH A STATUE OF WILLIE MAYS READY FOR GAME ACTION UNDERNEATH.

UPON ENTERING THE PARK, PURE LAID BACK CALIFORNIA ATTITUDE FROM THE USHERS YOU HAVE A TICKET? YOU'LL GET TO YOUR SEAT, WALK AROUND AND ENJOY THE PARK. I DIDN'T SHOW MY TICKET TO ANYONE THE WHOLE NIGHT AND WAS NEVER ESCORTED OR BLOCKED FROM AN AREA. I LIKED THAT. I COULD SEE WHY THEY WOULD HAVE THIS ATTITUDE, WHAT A SPECTACULAR BALLPARK! THE FIRST

THING YOU SEE IS A SUPER CLEAR AND SHARP SCOREBOARD TELEVISION WHICH IS EXTRA CLEAR. ABOVE IT ARE THE BOARD AND THE LETTERS A T & T PARK WRITTEN TO MAKE A SEMI CIRCLE.

THE FIELD HERE IS JUST ANOTHER AREA THAT EXCELS, A DEEP EMERALD GREEN WHICH CONTRASTS NICELY OFF OF THE ORANGE TINTED BRICK WHICH SURROUNDS THE PARK. BECAUSE YOU ARE ABLE TO CIRCLE THE PARK, YOU CAN VIEW THE FIELD FROM EVERY ANGLE AND THE VIEW IS THE SAME, PERFECT.

ONCE UP TO THE UPPER LEVEL, EYES LEAVE THE FIELD AND LOOK AT THE SPECTACULAR VIEWS BEGINNING WITH THE RIGHT FIELD McCOVEY COVE AREA, THE BAY AND THE FANS IN KAYAKS MOVING AROUND, SETTING UP TO WAIT FOR A HOME RUN BALL.

 OVER THE CENTER FIELD SCOREBOARD, THE BAY WITH OAKLAND ACROSS IT SHOWING THERE IS LAND OUTSIDE OF SAN FRANCISCO.

THE LOOK OVER TO LEFT, THE BAY BRIDGE FINISHES THE FRAME OF THE OUTFIELD VIEWS IN SAN FRANCISCO.

A VISIT TO THE BAY AREA MADE ME THINK OF MILWAUKEE TWICE. IN OAKLAND I COULDN'T BELIEVE THE TAILGATING SCENE WHICH WAS REMINISISANT OF MILWAUKEE. BUT, HERE AT A T & T PARK, THE FOOD MATCHES THAT OF MILWAUKEE AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT, THE SELECTION SURPASSES IT.  IF YOU CAN'T FIND SOMETHING TO EAT IN SAN FRANCISCO, YOU JUST AREN'T HUNGRY. THE "SIGNATURE" ITEM HERE THOUGH IS THE GILROY GARLIC FRIES. I RECALL ENJOYING THE FRIES AND WONDERING WHY MORE PARKS DON'T TAKE A LITTLE

EXTRA CARE AND MAKING THE EATING EXPERIENCE INSIDE THE PARK BETTER. I WAS AMAZED AT HOW CRISPY THE FRIES WERE AND HOW THERE WAS FRESH GARLIC ON THESE AND JUST HOW GOOD THEY WERE. HOWEVER, EVEN THOUGH THE FOOD IS EXCELLENT, IT AIN'T CHEAP. SO FAR, NOTHING HERE IS. THE FRIES WERE $6.50 BUT YOU CAN'T COMPLAIN LOUDLY BECAUSE THE TRAY OF FRIES I HAD, SADLY I HAD TO TOSS 1/2 OF IT, COULD FEED 4 PEOPLE. I FOUND THIS THROUGHOUT CALIFORNIA, THE FOOD WAS A COUPLE OF DOLLARS MORE BUT THE PORTIONS WERE

MUCH LARGER. I GUESS THERE IS AN EXCEPTION TO EVERYTHING, THE BEER. I CAN UNDERSTAND $8 FOR A PREMIUM BEER, I DON'T AGREE WITH IT BUT I CAN SEE IT. HOWEVER, PABST BLUE RIBBON SHOULD NOT BE SOLD FOR $8 UNLESS IT IS BEING SOLD BY THE CASE, CERTAINLY NOT THE 20 OUNCE CUP.

AS FOR THE GAME, THE GAME IS HANDLED AS WELL IN THE PARK AS THE FIELD IS, PERFECT. THROUGHOUT THE GAME, THE LINE UPS STAY ON THE BOARD, THANK YOU GIANTS. SCORING DECISIONS ARE PUT UP QUICKLY, IF THEY WEREN'T YOU WOULD HEAR A LOUD GROAN CONSIDERING ALL OF THE PEOPLE KEEPING SCORE AT THEIR SEATS. THE VIDEO BOARD IS EXTRA SHARP AND THE REPLAYS GO UP QUICKLY.

THE SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS HAVE BEEN AROUND FOREVER AND THE GIANTS LIKE THE YANKEES AND DODGERS HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN THEIR PAST. PHOTOS AND STATUES OF FORMER GREATS FROM THE NY GIANTS AND WELL AS SF GIANTS ARE PART OF THE MAKE UP OF AT&T PARK. JUST GIVES ONE A GOOD FEELING TO KNOW THAT THE HISTORY IS RESPECTED AS MUCH ON THE WEST COAST AS IT IS ON THE EAST AND MIDWEST.

A TRIP TO A T& T PARK IS A MUST DUE TO THE SCENERY, THE FANS, AND THE WAY THE GAME IS HANDLED. PLAN YOUR TRIP SO YOU WILL NOT HAVE TO DRIVE, REMEMBER, THE BAY BRIDGE HAS ONGOING WORK SO CHECK CONSTRUCTION SCHEDULES, AND THEY STILL DO WORK EVEN IF A GAME IS GOING ON. MY BIGGEST QUESTION ABOUT THE PLACE IS WHY, ESPECIALLY AFTER AN EXCITING GAME, MUST THEY PLAY TONY BENNET'S "I LEFT MY HEART IN SAN FRANCISCO"?? I

UNDERSTAND WHY THEY WOULD PLAY IT... BUT WHY?? THE SONG IS SO SLOW!  MAYBE IT IS JUST MORE OF THE LAID BACK CALIFORNIA STYLE.

A T& T PARK, YOU KNOW IT WILL LOOK GOOD, BUT WHEN YOU GET THERE IT LOOKS EVEN BETTER.