July 11 and 12, 2105 Phillies at Giants

Last year I went to AT&T Park but arrived late and gave the stadium a nice, if tepid review. I wanted to go back and sit in the upper deck. Now I don't like to sit in the upper deck. I don't get that good a view of the action up there. So why did I want to sit there? You can't see McCovey Cove and San Francisco Bay. With so few teams giving the fans a great view I was disappointed I didn't see this one. I decided to go for two games when my beloved Phillies were in town. You know I must be a fan because the Phillies are horrible.

Getting to see two games while only staying over one night fit with my thrifty philosophy. The cost for LAX parking, airfare, the BART, the hotel, and game tickets both days was $394. I'm pretty proud of that.

I entered through the Willie Mays gate.

As I entered they shot out confetti because we were the 50 millionth fans at AT&T during the regular season. It took the team 15 seasons+ to get that. Apparently that's the fastest of any stadium ever.

Here's another view.

They had these little food stands in the upper deck with interesting cuisine. If you want to make a stadium fun you should have fun food stands and fun food and drink. If you want to contrast this with Dodger Stadium, they have neither of these things. Dodger Stadium pretty much has none of the things AT&T does.

I decided to try a veggie sandwich, 'cause I figure I'll try the local specialty everywhere. I was reminded why I like veggies in small amounts on the side. If you like massive amounts of veggies, it's a good sandwich. I think I like NorCal beer better.

On he lower level they had this kids' batting cage that rivals any in baseball.

And they had this bigger fun food area with even more selection.

In centerfield they had this little garden bar/longue that you'd find in an upscale hotel. At the back of it they have little knotholes so you could watch the game from there if you liked.

What about watching the game? As I mentioned last year they have a lot of seats that are in the infield. The view from below, which you can find in that post, takes you close to the action, but the view up here allows you to see McCovey Cove and San Francisco Bay. This view rivals any in baseball. I got to see Phillie Cody Asche deposit one in McCovey Cove.

Here's a night time view of the Bay. Just as breathtaking.

Photo Credit: Outward Bound California

AT&T has everything from good fun food and beer to kids' areas, bars, a view, and they even have a mascot. I'm just going to tease here but expect to see AT&T near the top of my list.