What is so wrong with Candlestick again?
(Written by kencraw)
OK, I was a bit miffed that parking was $30 (was I some ignorant fool who didn’t know about some reasonably close and cheaper parking?), but other than that, I don’t get why people are so down on Candlestick. The concourses were a bit narrow and everything was showing signs of wear (things that could be easily fixed if the plan wasn’t to bolt), but the escalators to the upper decks were very nice, the sight lines weren’t bad (better that the Oakland Coliseum for football) and frankly, after all the nightmares I’ve heard about parking, I was appalled just how easily I got both in and out of the stadium. And the weather… Maybe we just got a nice weather day, because it wasn’t any worse than Memorial is normally.
Perhaps it’s kinda like that movie that everyone tells you is horrible and then when you see it your expectations are low enough that you find it entertaining, but I sure didn’t get why this place is such the abomination that everyone says it is.
September 5th, 2011 at 11:14 pm
Agree parking was fine – got in easily (but out was a little sketchy – mad lane diving), there were no complaints from cops about taking a whole stall for a tailgate, and there was even a recycling patrol for empties.
Sightlines were pretty good in UB14 – no complaints.
With the wind though, the 63 degrees felt a lot colder. We were freezing our collective posteriors off.
September 6th, 2011 at 7:24 am
What football game have you seen at the O.co?
As an unbiased fan here’s my take on the differences between OAK and SFO:
– Mount Davis is by far the best football seating between the two stadiums. It’s light years ahead of SFO’s football only section, whatever it’s called.
– SFO’s second deck is better than OAK’s
– OAK’s first deck is better than SFO’s.
– Concessions/Amenenties are way better at OAK, despite the fact a LARGE beer and a SMALL beer both feature roughly 20 ounces of beer.
– Parking is better at OAK.
– BART is better at OAK.
– Even when it’s sunny at SFO, the sunset is better at OAK.
– SFO has less seagulls than OAK.
– OAK had better food back when I lived in the Bay. So maybe SFO’s food isn’t garbage anymore, i duno.
September 6th, 2011 at 10:10 am
Never been to a football game in Oakland, but having been to the stadium for baseball, it’s not hard to visualize the sight lines. I have to agree that Mt. Davis has good sight lines, but I was more referring to the home plate side, particularly on the bottom deck. You’re a long way from the field and very low. Since Mt. Davis looks into the sun in the afternoon, that’s a big downside for it. I very much care about having the sun behind me.
September 6th, 2011 at 12:12 pm
I see what you’re saying Ken, but it’s not nearly as bad as you think it’d be. The only real “bad seats” are the temporary ones they wheel into the home plate area between the dugouts. Candlestick has the same problem.
As long as you’re in the seats that are there for baseball, you’re fine. Particularly once you’re above the concourse ring.
I’m going to walk Sarah into having my kids baptized at half time at a Raiders game, just to make you go one of these days.
September 6th, 2011 at 5:37 pm
For me, it’s all about access. You have to drive there, the traffic can be terrible, in and out. Now perhaps for this Cal-Fresno game the crowd was so light that it wasn’t a big deal. It was easy to go to Giants games there in the 90s for that same reason. But for a 49ers game it’s just impossible.
Getting to Berkeley for a Cal game is not easy, but I have learned how to navigate the streets of Berkeley so I’m never in a traffic jam. I once sat in the Candlestick lot for 90 minutes before we could escape to 101.
The weather is also not great, much of the time.