Pacific
Bell Park
San Francisco takes
you out to the ballgame in grand style at this truly awesome new
stadium.
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24
Willie Mays Plaza
San Francisco, CA 94107
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Phone
(415) 972-2000
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The
Venue
With the completion of this gem of a stadium in 2000, San
Francisco went from having one of the ugliest ballparks in the
country (the notoriously chilly Candlestick) to having one of
the most beautiful. Relatively intimate, the park holds
45,000--large enough for a big-league feel but small enough to
make all the fans feel like they're part of the action. Stands
are built along the base paths, and center field is wide open,
offering dramatic views of San Francisco Bay. Sluggers
frequently send homers straight into McCovey Cove.
The Experience
Built by and for the Giants, the park offers all baseball, all
the time. Filled with families, first-daters and little leaguers
with stars in their eyes, the stadium routinely sells out.
There's nothing quite like root, root, rooting for the home team
as the sun hits the bay, casting your ballpark sushi in a golden
light. |
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Compaq
Center at San Jose
The gem of
revitalized downtown San Jose.
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525
W Santa Clara St
San Jose, CA 95113-1520
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Phone
(408) 999-5721 or (408) 287-7070
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Cross
streets
Autumn Street |
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The
Scene
With a steady stream of high-profile events as varied as the
Rolling Stones in concert and "Disney on Ice," the
Compaq Center is busy about 180 days of the year.
The Experience
The arena is known as the Shark Tank, home of the San Jose
Sharks professional hockey team, and the men in teal play at
home about 40 times a year--including, hopefully, playoff games.
When it comes to music events, the arena has hosted lots of big
names, including Garth Brooks, Bob Dylan, U2, Dave Matthews,
Black Sabbath and the Judds. |
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Network
Associates Coliseum
The
once-idyllic stadium has taken on an unsightly corporate sheen
under the polish of Oakland Raiders owner Al Davis.
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7000
Coliseum Way
Oakland, CA 94621-1918
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Phone
(510) 569-2121
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The
Venue
Built in the early '70s, when multipurpose mega-stadiums
were all the rage, the Coliseum was always first and
foremost a baseball haven, with center field wide open
and the stands built out along the first and third base
lines. When Al Davis brought the Raiders back to
Oakland, however, he insisted that the stadium be
upgraded. The resulting center field addition was
promptly dubbed Mount Davis, and remains ill-suited to
both baseball and football. Decent sightlines only go so
far in making up for the botched design.
The Experience
With attendance on the wane following the stadium's
unwelcome redesign, Coliseum officials quickly
instituted dollar-day specials, with all tickets going
for a buck. This hard-to-resist offer has brought the
crowds back in, making for high-spirited weekend games
and memorable moments of frenzied fandom; it's fun to
chant along with the A's fanatics--and possibly
dangerous to challenge their team's primacy. |
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