Stadium Secrets

[burningyen]

If you take the 4 train to Yankee Stadium, get in the very last car. It will let you off right next to the stairwell leading down to the stadium entrance. Also, the 3rd tier seats behind home plate are closer to the action than the 2nd tier seats beyond 1st base.

[PITTM]

SBC/ATT/Whatever Park, San Francisco.

Take the Muni or BART to the games. WAYYYYY faster and less waiting time.

Don't go to MoMo's, its packed.

Go to Orlando Cepeda's Carribean Grill, easily best ballpark food ive ever had.

[MrWookie]

I don't really have anything to contribute, but this is a cool thread.

[disjunction]

Fenway: (let's see if I get this right, it's been a couple of years for me but this is important)

Going home, if you're catching the Green Line back to Park St., don't follow the whole stadium to the crowded underground subway stop. Instead, walk down the B line for a stop or two, and catch the train at an earlier point.

[brettbrettr]

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I don't really have anything to contribute, but this is a cool thread.

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[Kneel B4 Zod]

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Fenway: (let's see if I get this right, it's been a couple of years for me but this is important)

Going home, if you're catching the Green Line back to Park St., don't follow the whole stadium to the crowded underground subway stop. Instead, walk down the B line for a stop or two, and catch the train at an earlier point.

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I'll just add to that and say:

1) if you are going to take the green line home, then go out for a beer after the game. the crowds crush is awful, you're better off just waiting a half-hour

2) make sure you buy your T pass/card before the game. you absolutely don't want to buy one after the game

[dcasper70]

[ QUOTE ]
Fenway: (let's see if I get this right, it's been a couple of years for me but this is important)

Going home, if you're catching the Green Line back to Park St., don't follow the whole stadium to the crowded underground subway stop. Instead, walk down the B line for a stop or two, and catch the train at an earlier point.

[/ QUOTE ]
On a similar note...
I usually ride the D line from points west. When leaving the park, everyone heading outbound on the D line heads to the Fenway T stop.
Do this and you're doomed to wait your turn to board, and likely will be stuck standing for most of your ride.
Instead, head the other way and get on at Kenmore. Empty trains and no wait guarantees you a seat on the next ride coming through.

[KurtSF]

Its not really a secret to locals, but I don't know how well known it is to out-of-towners, and if you don't have the money or time for a Giants game at AT&T park its a nice tip. If you walk along McCovey Cove toward right field, part of the outfield wall is made of chain link fence, and you can watch a game for free. Can't beat free.

I have a feeling if this next one gets abused they will be changing it, but eff them for leaving Oakland anyway so...

At the Oakland Coliseum it costs $15 to park at the stadium, but parking at BART is free. Take the tunnel into the BART station, then the bridge out of it, and in 5 minutes your at the Coliseum with free parking.

Edited to add - The best beer bargain at the Coliseum is the $10 "Big Beer". I can't recall how many ounces it is, but its like double the usual beer size and is only a couple bucks more. Plus they still will sell you 2 per ID, so its like 4 beers per trip. Its Corona, but what can you do. If you go in the main entrance, the one behind home on the 3rd base side, the stand is on the ground level just to your left as you come in.

[KurtSF]

One more about the Oakland Coliseum, but its too late to edit.

If you ask for the "best seats", they give you the ones closes to home plate, the ones that are central (in line with CFer-pitcher-catcher). The thing is, you might be back 20 rows or more, and its ofter better to ask for seats in sections down the first and third baselines, where (what with the poor attendance and all) its often possible to get seats in the first few rows.

[nolanfan34]

Safeco Field

I think the best parking is south of the stadium, along 6th avenue. You have to walk 10-15 minutes, but you can park for free on the street. Plus, after the game, you can either head south on 6th to get to I-5, or swing over to 4th and get on the new I-90 onramp.

Your best chance to buy good tickets is when the box office opens two hours before game time. That's when the VIP tickets that are held for the front office get released back to the ticket office if they're not being used. Those seats are sold, so it's possible - even on near sellout days - to get seats in the first few rows near first or third if you're willing to shell out the bucks.

The Dixie's BBQ stand on the first base side had Mac&Jack's, and unlike the individual beer stands, they take credit cards so you don't need to have cash.

Finally, this is really elementary but some people aren't aware. You can pack food into the game, so buy peanuts or sandwiches at the store to bring in instead of paying crappy ballpark prices. Makes it a little easier to pay $8 for a 16 oz beer.