oakland coliseum guide
Oakland Coliseum held its fist sporting event in 1966. For more information like that, go to the Oakland Coliseum page. From what I can gather, real A's fans seem to hold this stadium in high regard. It's strange what an emotional connection to your team can do to your feel for a ballpark. One man's trash is another man's treasure might be a nice fit here.
parking
Parking is really a non-issue if you take the BART to the Oakland Coliseum. If you are not familiar the BART refers to the Bay Area Rapid Transit system. They have a stop that drops you off at the Coliseum. Its probably going to run you about $5 round trip depending on where you are coming from, but when you compare it to traffic and $15 to park; I think we have a winner. If you do go that route you might want to avoid the scalpers and other pedalers from all walks of life that may hound you when you get off to go to the game.
Parking for Free
If you drive to a game you can park at the BART Station near the stadium for free. I hear differing opinions on the safety of it, but I have talked to some who have parked there for years without incident. If you are looking for a nice mile long walk before the game, I know others who have parked at the Walmart on Edgewater DR. and walked to the Coliseum. For me that is a little ridiculous, but to each his own. If you are from out of town I think you need to consider the convenience of a BART station relative to where you are staying. If you are planning on driving to the game, I would save my $15 and park at the BART station.
Many times if you park in the main stadium lot, you are going to wait forever in traffic after the game. I just wanted to throw in one last reason to not pay $15 to park there. Click here for more information on that particular BART station.
parking
Parking is really a non-issue if you take the BART to the Oakland Coliseum. If you are not familiar the BART refers to the Bay Area Rapid Transit system. They have a stop that drops you off at the Coliseum. Its probably going to run you about $5 round trip depending on where you are coming from, but when you compare it to traffic and $15 to park; I think we have a winner. If you do go that route you might want to avoid the scalpers and other pedalers from all walks of life that may hound you when you get off to go to the game.
Parking for Free
If you drive to a game you can park at the BART Station near the stadium for free. I hear differing opinions on the safety of it, but I have talked to some who have parked there for years without incident. If you are looking for a nice mile long walk before the game, I know others who have parked at the Walmart on Edgewater DR. and walked to the Coliseum. For me that is a little ridiculous, but to each his own. If you are from out of town I think you need to consider the convenience of a BART station relative to where you are staying. If you are planning on driving to the game, I would save my $15 and park at the BART station.
Many times if you park in the main stadium lot, you are going to wait forever in traffic after the game. I just wanted to throw in one last reason to not pay $15 to park there. Click here for more information on that particular BART station.
food
First of all, if you are going to eat at the stadium, please choose the garlic fries. If you are sticking to a tight budget, please take your own food to the stadium. Oakland Coliseum has a very liberal policy on bringing food into the ballpark which is you can basically bring anything. You are allowed to bring a soft cooler even, with sealed plastic bottles of non-alcoholic drinks and snacks. So why not run through a drive-thru and pick up dinner for you and a date for about $10 bucks on the way to the ballpark? Then you park at the BART station for free, and you are well on your way to a cheap night at Oakland Coliseum. If you are getting dinner at the game you might want to take a friend to the concession stand with you, as the concourses at Oakland Coliseum are not known for being extra spacious. Its nice if you can put food in one hand and use a stiff-arm with the other.
If you want to eat a little better before or after the game and not spend alot; may I recommend restaurant.com This is such an amazing way to experience different Restaurants for dirt cheap. When you click on that link, just type in the zip code of Oakland Coliseum (94621) and you will have tons of dining options. Typically on this site you can buy a $25 gift certificate for $10, but I never pay that much. I do a little google search for "restaurant.com coupon codes" and find discounts for 60 - 80% off. Yes, I have bought many o $25 certificates for $2. "The Catch" is usually you have to spend at least $35 at the place, which is easy to do. But still, if you are a bargain seeker you can get a high quality meal for what you usually pay for fast food. Now that is value.
tickets
Sticking with the cheap theme here; you can't go wrong with the bleachers at Oakland Coliseum. The real fans are known to hang out in the bleachers so it can provide an exciting environment to watch a game. The other nice thing is, there are normal seats in the "bleachers". When I think bleachers, I think sitting on a metal seat with no back, but here you can sit close to the field in a stadium style seat for $9. Are you kidding me? I personally love sitting in the outfield in stadiums where you can sit right behind the wall. If you brought dinner with you, and parked for free at the BART, and now you just bought 2 seats for $18; you are having a good night.
If you want to eat a little better before or after the game and not spend alot; may I recommend restaurant.com This is such an amazing way to experience different Restaurants for dirt cheap. When you click on that link, just type in the zip code of Oakland Coliseum (94621) and you will have tons of dining options. Typically on this site you can buy a $25 gift certificate for $10, but I never pay that much. I do a little google search for "restaurant.com coupon codes" and find discounts for 60 - 80% off. Yes, I have bought many o $25 certificates for $2. "The Catch" is usually you have to spend at least $35 at the place, which is easy to do. But still, if you are a bargain seeker you can get a high quality meal for what you usually pay for fast food. Now that is value.
tickets
Sticking with the cheap theme here; you can't go wrong with the bleachers at Oakland Coliseum. The real fans are known to hang out in the bleachers so it can provide an exciting environment to watch a game. The other nice thing is, there are normal seats in the "bleachers". When I think bleachers, I think sitting on a metal seat with no back, but here you can sit close to the field in a stadium style seat for $9. Are you kidding me? I personally love sitting in the outfield in stadiums where you can sit right behind the wall. If you brought dinner with you, and parked for free at the BART, and now you just bought 2 seats for $18; you are having a good night.
photo courtesy of doginasweater.com
If you decide to spend some of your well saved money on better seats, you want to be smart about it. If you are taking kids to the game you might want to go with the infield seats on the second deck. The Oakland Coliseum seating is a little more exaggerated on the second level so your short people can see over the adults in front of them. If you shoot for somewhere in the 214 - 220 sections, you are going to have one of the best views in the ballpark for $30 a ticket. If you sit in that area, please sit at least 8 or 9 rows up to avoid missing the game because of vendors and fans who can't stay put. Its tempting to get a lower row, but you will regret it.
Another free tip from my contact with the A's is to always bring a blanket to a night game. The closer you sit to the concourses, the more windy it will be, but I guess its better safe than sorry when it comes to being too cold to enjoy the game.
View from the bleachers
Tickets are always available on eBay as well. Here is my advice for ticket buying on eBay; wait until the last minute. I know that sounds crazy, and you would think that closer to the event the prices would shoot up; but that is not the case. I have bought and sold plenty of tickets on eBay and I have found that when I sell them early I get top dollar because there is less competition. As the event gets closer, everybody in America who is selling tickets begins to list them at auction. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that when the market is flooded with supply the price is driven down. I don't know if there are any published numbers to back me up, but I have seen it time and time again. So if buying on eBay, buy late. Here are a couple of auctions ending soon with a current bid under $50.
Another free tip from my contact with the A's is to always bring a blanket to a night game. The closer you sit to the concourses, the more windy it will be, but I guess its better safe than sorry when it comes to being too cold to enjoy the game.
View from the bleachers
Tickets are always available on eBay as well. Here is my advice for ticket buying on eBay; wait until the last minute. I know that sounds crazy, and you would think that closer to the event the prices would shoot up; but that is not the case. I have bought and sold plenty of tickets on eBay and I have found that when I sell them early I get top dollar because there is less competition. As the event gets closer, everybody in America who is selling tickets begins to list them at auction. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that when the market is flooded with supply the price is driven down. I don't know if there are any published numbers to back me up, but I have seen it time and time again. So if buying on eBay, buy late. Here are a couple of auctions ending soon with a current bid under $50.
where to stay
First of all I must say that I am not an expert on the surrounding area of Oakland Coliseum, so I am open for suggestion on some of this. There are always a good concentration of hotels by the airport and Oakland is no exception. You have a choice of about 6 hotels within a mile of the stadium, which in turn is within walking distance. If you are in the area for the main purpose of watching baseball, I think this is a sensible option. If you are not really particular about your hotel, I would recommend using Hotwire. I have so many success stories of getting a great deal with them. Most people are scared off because you don't know the name of your hotel until after you book. I guess I am a little adventurous, but if I know the amenities and the area, I don't really care about the name. I would search Hotwire for a good deal that is in the same area of Oakland Coliseum and book it. Again, I have been spoiled with great experiences there so I use that every time I travel. If you are a little more of a loose cannon, you may like this idea:
Where to stay for Free
If you live the life of a cheapskate, you probably are familiar with couchsurfing. I have a profile on there, but I have never actually stayed with someone. However I would feel comfortable with it if somebody had enough references.
If you are not familiar with it; it’s a network of people that will let you stay in a spare room or a couch for free. If that sounds scary to you, I wouldn’t recommend it. I tend to think things like that are great if you use some common sense.
Another option is home exchange. You will pay $100 to sign up, but then you can offer your home to someone in exchange for staying in theirs, and its free. This site is more for families or couples. Believe it or not, some professional couple will probably not want to stay in your dorm room and let you stay in their condo. This obviously can be used for more than a baseball trip, and I think its pretty cool. They boast an unbelievable safety record, and if you think about it, not too many thugs are signing up for home exchange to plan their family vacation. This is generally upper middle class and higher.
Any way you go, you are sure to enjoy your time at Oakland Coliseum.
First of all I must say that I am not an expert on the surrounding area of Oakland Coliseum, so I am open for suggestion on some of this. There are always a good concentration of hotels by the airport and Oakland is no exception. You have a choice of about 6 hotels within a mile of the stadium, which in turn is within walking distance. If you are in the area for the main purpose of watching baseball, I think this is a sensible option. If you are not really particular about your hotel, I would recommend using Hotwire. I have so many success stories of getting a great deal with them. Most people are scared off because you don't know the name of your hotel until after you book. I guess I am a little adventurous, but if I know the amenities and the area, I don't really care about the name. I would search Hotwire for a good deal that is in the same area of Oakland Coliseum and book it. Again, I have been spoiled with great experiences there so I use that every time I travel. If you are a little more of a loose cannon, you may like this idea:
Where to stay for Free
If you live the life of a cheapskate, you probably are familiar with couchsurfing. I have a profile on there, but I have never actually stayed with someone. However I would feel comfortable with it if somebody had enough references.
If you are not familiar with it; it’s a network of people that will let you stay in a spare room or a couch for free. If that sounds scary to you, I wouldn’t recommend it. I tend to think things like that are great if you use some common sense.
Another option is home exchange. You will pay $100 to sign up, but then you can offer your home to someone in exchange for staying in theirs, and its free. This site is more for families or couples. Believe it or not, some professional couple will probably not want to stay in your dorm room and let you stay in their condo. This obviously can be used for more than a baseball trip, and I think its pretty cool. They boast an unbelievable safety record, and if you think about it, not too many thugs are signing up for home exchange to plan their family vacation. This is generally upper middle class and higher.
Any way you go, you are sure to enjoy your time at Oakland Coliseum.