AT&T Park Is A Sight To Behold (Photos & Video)
AT&T Park, the home ballpark of the San Francisco Giants, is located in the most picturesque setting of any stadium in American sports. Situated between downtown San Francisco and the China Basin area of the San Francisco Bay, the facility's surroundings successfully blend the natural beauty and modern skyline of the City by the Bay.
Proximity of the right field corner to the Bay.
View of the Bay Bridge from an outer area of the concourse.
View of the San Francisco skyline from an outer area of the concourse.
View of the Bay from the upper deck seats.
The ballpark is designed in the classic retro look, initially made popular with the opening of Baltimore's Camden Yards in 1992. The trend has been the dominant architectural theme of baseball stadiums during the last two decades. Like many of these venues, brick serves as the preeminent building material of the structure.
The concourses are loaded with classic signage, showcasing the many Northern California foods for sale at concession stands. The area allows for viewing of the field, but appears darker than many other stadium open concourse areas because it is narrower in size and because of all the artwork present.
One negative aspect of the smaller concourses involves a feeling of crowdedness in both concession and bathroom areas. The lines were generally pretty long during the entirety of the game.
AT&T Park pays great tribute to the storied history of the Giants franchise. Statues and photos of the team's San Francisco and New York histories adorn the venue. Below is the statue of the great Willie Mays.
Though located at the intersection of King and 3rd Street, the building's address is 24 Willie Mays Plaza.
Once inside the stadium, the field's roughly 42,000 seating capacity means there is not a bad seat in the place.
Take a look at this video of the ballpark during warm-ups. It does not get much more San Francisco than the “Grateful Dead” blasting over the loud speakers.
Levi's Landing features the field's signature right field brick wall. There is group viewing sections underneath and limited seats on top. Just behind the area is McCovey Cove, the unofficial name for the homerun landing spot in the China Basin. It is of course named after Giants legend Willie McCovey.
The Coca-Cola Fan Lot, located behind the left field stands, is a family friendly section, open year-round. A Coca-Cola bottle slide, giant baseball glove and miniature field are included in this area.
One extremely unique aspect of AT&T Park involves the access fans in the club seats have to the players of both teams. The club concession hallway is the very same area where team members move between the clubhouse and the dugout. Below is a photo of fans standing outside the Giants' third base side locker-room.
Indoor batting cages are also visible in this hallway.
Here is Joe Mauer taking cuts during batting practice prior to a Twins vs. Giants game.
AT&T Park is an amazing venue, with a fan experience distinctive to any other ballpark in baseball. Knowledgeable fans and a world championship team make a trip to San Francisco well worth it for followers of the grand old game.
