Our second stop on our Californian baseball adventure was over to Oakland. Criticized as possibly the “worst stadium in baseball”, our visit to the Coliseum was less than fantastic. Tickets are cheap; however, for a Friday night game against the Padres, empty seats were common across the stadium. This all-purpose field makes for a less-than-enjoyable baseball viewing, especially from the value/bleacher seating.
After visiting my good share of baseball stadiums and experiencing all of their ups and their downs, it is really hard to say much good about this park. Although this structure was built in the 60s, the presence of any upgrades over the years have diminished.
Getting to the stadium is an adventure in itself. Take San Francisco’s public transportation, BART, if you must see a game. The BART will drop you off right at the stadium, and this train stop is armed with police officers and a direct walkway to the entrance. Without it, I would have not felt safe in Oakland. Correction, I never did really feel safe in Oakland.
Through there is covered walkway to the stadium, be prepared to meet all types of individuals: homeless, t-shirt and pennant salesmen, magicians, etc. Each has their own reason why they need your money. I wouldn’t necessarily say that any one person would have caused any harm; however, I would suggest not going alone, and be cautious with your belongings. Once we got into the stadium, I knew that it would get better…but it really didn’t. And everything still felt pretty sketchy.
I’m sure that there are multiple seats in the stadium that feel safer and have better views than we had. Some of our favorite places in ballparks are the bleachers and although being a multi-purpose stadium, I expected a better view than what we had. The crowd around us was rough. And the field watching...let's just say that any ball hit into centerfield dropped into an area that was not viewable. The food was just okay and still at ballpark prices.
There are many rumors that baseball will soon move out of Oakland and honestly, I am not sure why it hasn’t already. Until then, baseball will be continued to be played at this subpar park.
Have you ever had an experience at the O.co Coliseum? What are your thoughts about the A’s moving locations?
