If you are like me and love baseball then you shouldn't pass up the chance to see the Giants play at home. With easy access, variety of food, and located on the bay, it is a great place to watch a ball game.

Getting to the Park
There are many options for getting to the park. You can catch the Muni Metro, walk, drive or even catch a ferry to the ball park. When we attended we took the Muni Metro from the Embarcadero station and it was a quick 10 minute ride and cost $1.50 each way. The Muni metro service runs plenty of trains so overcrowding isn't a problem. The Giants website has loads of info on how to get to the ballpark

Ticket Prices
Ticket prices start at $10 for "Standing room only which grants you access to the park but no seat. The upper level ranges from $10-32. The bleachers are great for those on a budget and sell for between $13-$33. Lower level tickets range between $34-$80. The Giants' Pricing and seating chart will give you updated prices for games. You can also see a photo view from your section on this page.

Inside the Park
The Giants have some big name players and they play some pretty good baseball. The Giants also have one of the best attendance records in the Majors so there is always plenty of ambience and cheering fans. We were there on a Wednesday afternoon and the stadium was almost full.

Our tickets were on the upper level which are good cheap seats as long as you aren't afraid of heights. If you don't like heights then you really should consider sitting somewhere else in the park.

During the game we also wandered around the main level viewing the game from different areas of the park and quickly realised that there isn't a bad seat in the park. You are free to watch the game from any part of the park as long as you stand behind the yellow line.

Food
There was a great variety of food available in the park and should please even the pickiest of eaters. Along with the standard ballpark fare of nachos and hot dogs, you can get burgers, doughnuts and many other foods. We were boring and grabbed a couple of dogs and they were surprisingly tasty and kept us full for several hours. The only complaint we had was the souvenir cups we bought flaked and peeled pretty much instantly and we ended up throwing them away before leaving the city. Click here to see a list of concessions at the ballpark.

Recommendations
If you like baseball then you need to spend some time visiting the Giants at home. With a nice new park, good food, good baseball and good seats, it makes for a great outing for the whole family.

If you are in San Francisco, and it's baseball season, you've gotta catch a Giants game. One of the most beautiful stadiums, SBC Park is set right on the water with views of the bay, the Bay Bridge and the Oakland Hills. There is not a bad seat in the house, and tickets are always available on game day. Five hundred bleacher seats are available to buy at the park, or you can try to get tickets on Craigslist.com or on the actual Giants website. If the sun is shining (or even if it isn't), SBC is always a day filled with fun and excitement. And it is always great to watch Barry hit one out, even if the Giants aren't your home team.

I grew up in a baseball loving family. When the World Series came around, they whole world stopped. Both my parents never missed a Twins game on the TV or radio. We were baseball crazed! But somehow that gene skipped me. I thought watching the sport was downright boring and I never understood the fever. I was bored silly whenever I got to go with my dad to a live game.

Flash forward: I am an adult living in San Francisco. My partner gets Giants tickets a couple times each year. Shouldn't I fake sick or just refuse to go? Hell, NO and miss a chance to go to SBC Park! NO WAY!

Even if you hate baseball, this is one stadium you can fall in love with. The stadium opened in 2000 as Park Bell Park. It was built on the water in the Embarcadero in the image some of the old great parks. The stadium is truly something to see.

You first off notice the huge Coke bottle and the large baseball mit. These are actually playground props for the large kiddie play ground on the side of the field (where were they when I was a kid?).

The park has a great setting right on the water. The outfield sits just a few feet from our bay. Boats hug the stadium during the game in hopes of catching a Bond's homerun. It's a colorful sight.

What this place does have is FOOD, lots and lots and lots of food. Sushi, Chinese, an Irish Pub, Krispy Kreme donuts, a carvery, chowder in a bread bowl, Mexican food, an oyster bar, a dessert bar, the best hot fudge sundaes in the world, full bars and wine tasting from all the great California wineries. Being in California it also has a salad bar and fresh produce. Oh yeah, did I forget hotdogs, nachos, popcorn, Cracker Jacks, and beer are also available? The food is actually good. You can spend the whole game making your way from stand to stand to stand and trying a little of everything.

This week Pullen and Katie came in from Atlanta. The Giants were playing the Marlins from Florida. Chris got tickets. It was a beautiful day on the bay, blue, sunny and even a bit hot. We took BART into the city and went to the game. I took the kids to the playground and Patrick and Breana batted a few whiffel balls. Then we made the food rounds. I admit I did have one of those outrageous hot fudge sundaes! Soon the game was over and it was time to go! Who won the game? I think I heard someone say on the way out that the Giants won!

Pac Bell is simply gorgeous. Even if you don't like baseball, you will enjoy the ballpark. The ballpark is right on the water, so you can see the San Francisco Bay, the Bay Bridge, assorted ships and sailboats. Although most games are sold out, bleacher seats are available on the day of the game. Plus, many people sell extra tickets in front of the park. All of the seats are decent. The upper deck is a little far away, but you can walk throughout the park with any ticket. It's easy to find a spot in the bleachers. There are actually free standing room spots outside the park below the right field wall. Just walk toward the water by right field and you will find it -- a not well-known but very fun spot, especially for nurturing the kid in you. It feels like old-time baseball.

The food and drink inside the park is extensive (micro-brews, garlic fries, krispy kreme donuts, burgers, dogs, etc.) but it is very expensive. Save yourself some cash by bringing in sandwiches or burritos from a local joint. There are several cafes and a cantina on South Park, just two blocks from Pac Bell. If you bring beverages, make sure they are in plastic bottles, as glass is not allowed in.

Pacific Bell Park is a great place to watch a game, watch people, watch the bay, or just watch for the beer man. We attended a game last year between San Francisco and Seattle. The stadium is in SoMa, a short cab ride from downtown. Although Pacific Bell no longer exists as a company (it was acquired by SBC), the stadium is still known as Pac Bell Park, and that probably won't change (just like the 'Stick will always be the 'Stick, regardless of who pays to say otherwise).

The most desirable seat locations in the stadium seem to be the outfield bleachers or the first-base side. The bleacher area is where the party is, and the first-base side seats offer a great bay view (the higher up the better). Our seats were third-base side, which was perfect for watching baseball. After a few innings, we wandered out to right field and watched the end of the game on top of the right-field wall where Barry Bonds likes to hit his home runs (he didn't leave the yard when we were there).

Midwestern baseball fans may have a hard time getting used to Pac Bell's concession offerings. It's quite gourmet. What we in the Midwest would refer to as a dog and a Lite becomes a "specialty sausage" and a Chardonnay at this stadium. The garlic fries are something else, though...

There's a good bar at which to pre- or post-party directly outside the stadium on the third-base side. They serve dogs & beer.