Game 5 - AT&T Park

After a long, nine hour drive from San Diego to San Francisco, we made it to AT&T park a few hours before game time. The previous night ended at 12:30 a.m., sleeping on the side of a road at a truck stop. We headed out around 6:30 am so we could make it to the park with time to setup. Although the crew was a bit tired from all the driving, we were anxious to see some familiar faces. The Giants were playing the CARDINALS. Of all the games on the schedule, this was the one I looked forward to the most. I love San Francisco and I heard great things about the park. Plus, this was the only time we would see the Cardinals until we made it to St. Louis.

We didn't have tickets setup for this game, so we made our way to the ticket counter and found three great seats along the third base side. I was surprised there were still tickets available, but the game eventually sold out and the stadium was full. Two things immediately jumped out at me: it was colder than I thought it would be, and the park was as advertised. The wind whipping off the bay made for some chilly moments, even in the sun, but we dressed appropriately after experiencing the chilly California evenings from the past few days. The views from the infield were incredible, and I could see how someone with no interest in baseball would still enjoy seeing this park. Although the concourses were a bit narrow for larger crowds, the rest of the park was beautifully built. I especially liked the outfield, as it was very open and easy to meander around.

Unfortunately, the Cardinals played poorly in the field and gave a game away to the Giants. To make ourselves feel better, we all got ghiradelli ice cream.

Although he just gave Petco Park five big Jim's, AT&T deserved the same:

Pros: Beautiful ballpark layout, views of the bay, great fan support, awesome chicken nachos.
Cons: Cold weather, corned beef was a bit dry, and my Dad's hat flew off several times.

After the game, we were excited to drive 45 minutes south to Santa Cruz, CA. We would have the next three days off and planned to spend a good portion of it with one of my best friends, Jacob Sullivan, his wife Kelly and their boys Hudson and Caleb.

-JJS