Things that I have seen: A Sunset at Pac Bell Park

We Were a Bit Further Down the Line (towards the fair pole)

Long time readers know how I feel about baseball (hint: I don't much care for it). But in Jonah Keri's rankings of the best ballpark experiences I was reminded of how great it can be to go to a baseball game.

Many years ago Ze Newbs dragged me to a ball game at the then Pac Bell Park. Future Mrs. Newbs was also in attendance; she's a fan, and it was good she was there to chaperone us in case we overindulged (probability of which was fixed at 100%).

We still joke about it because the Giants got spanked, I think by the Blue Jays, and although the score was something like 10-3 going into the 8th His Nibs refused to let us leave early. He's like that. The Jays tacked on a few more runs and we stuck around for the desultory, inevitable conclusion.

Our seats were in the way, way tippy top along the right-field line. Literally, we were in the very top row. It was a bit of a hike but we had a commanding view of the field and a panoramic view across the bay.

Downside was the beers we smuggled in were a bit frothy from the climb and when I cracked one open in the second inning my sneaky ankle-level opening technique (to avoid the hawkeyed septuagenarian security personnel) was directly behind the neck of the poor gentleman sitting in front of me. He caught some a considerable amount of the overspray on his neck/collar, which sucked for everyone, but mostly for him. It wasn't cool but what can you do? BEERS.

Another highlight of our vantage was that on a temperate early Fall night in the park you can watch the landscape directly in front of you cascade through a series of beautiful colors as the sun goes down. If you're very lucky it will be clear enough for the windows across the bay to reflect pinpoints of light as the sun sets way off to your left. Imagine a golden landscape with highlights of reflecting windows and the (otherwise hideous) Bay Bridge shimmering across the water. It was impossibly, absurdly beautiful, and I will never forget it.

There are no bad seats in Pac Bell AT&T Park but if you can get a ticket high on the right-field line then you are in for a treat. It helps to have awesome peeps to keep you company. Also the Giants will do baseball, if you're into that.