petco park guide
We learned about the history of San Diego from Ron Burgundy in Anchorman. San Diego has more recently been defined by boring baseball. Petco Park is infamous for being a pitcher friendly field. Do you remember when Brian Giles used to be a 30+ homer guy? Well take out the 'roids and make Petco your home park and now Brian Giles has the home run numbers of Mark Lemke. My point? if you dig the long ball you may not want to attend a Padres home game. That really isn't our focus, lets start looking at money saving ideas for Petco Park.
parking
Parking can definitely be a challenge at a Padres game, especially when you factor in downtown traffic. Free parking near Petco Park can be incredibly tough, but one option if you want to avoid traffic is taking one of the trolleys to Petco Park. You are going to spend $5 per person round trip, but typically you can park for free at most stations where you get on. I am going to provide this link which provides great detail on where you can get on and when. The things you need to know are:
- If you take the trolley by a $5 day pass when you arrive so you don't have to mess with buying a return ticket after the game.
- They start about 2.5 hours before the game and end 45 minutes after
- You can park for free at Qualcomm Stadium or one of the suburban stations and get on the trolley
- The Padres will probably lose when you go
Now, being ballpark savvy means different things to different people. I say if you hate downtown traffic, or you get confused driving into a big city you should head to your nearest suburban station and ride the trolley. Keep in mind that the $5 per person will add up if you are taking a family of four, but it may be worth it to you.
If you are going to try to park for free, your best shot is metered parking. Get there early and drive around a little bit is what I say. San Diego does a nice job of color coordinating their parking signs so you know what they mean. What you need to look for is the color green for on street parking. These are timed parking areas, but they are only monitored until 6pm so if you get there around that time you will be fine. As always, read the meter to make sure it doesn't have a special rule - but generally after 6 you are good.
Finally, if you decide that you don't want to mess with searching for free parking - you can always pay to park at the Padres lot. One thing they offer that is fairly unique is the ability to pre-pay for parking online. If you are planning out your trip and you don't carry cash that can be a pretty convenient choice. You will then have a sure spot and a known destination which provides you some stability. I would try to park for free, but that's just me.
tickets
In my opinion the ticket prices at Petco Park don't offer that much value (comparatively speaking). They do offer a standing room ticket for $5, and they have a pretty unique place to stand. They have a Park in the Park which is a grass berm out in center field and provides a decent view, but you are kind of free to roam around which is nice. I would also think that you could buy this ticket and sit in some open seats in the upper deck. Usually ushers aren't that touchy about the nose bleeds.
A couple of other general points about the best value tickets at Petco Park. The left field line is usually in the shade first in the evening, if that is important to you. San Diego has beautiful weather most of the time, but if it's a hot evening I think seats in the shade are worth their weight in gold. You also want to avoid the seats behind the left field fence because the scoreboard and big screen are right behind you; and that sucks. Modern day baseball is so much enhanced by the between inning fun and the in game information from the big screen. This is especially true if you are taking kids. So if you are just buying seats, I say the behind the plate/left field line beats the right field line in the summer.
If you only go to a couple of games a year, you can always save money by planning ahead. The Padres have a phenomenal deal in the $12 weekend special which includes and upper deck ticket, a Coke, and a hot dog. Those tickets are normally about $15 a piece by themselves. This is for every home game Friday through Saturday in 2009; great deal. FYI; Sundays are a great day to find free on street parking as all meters are not monitored and most businesses are closed.
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.
parking
Parking can definitely be a challenge at a Padres game, especially when you factor in downtown traffic. Free parking near Petco Park can be incredibly tough, but one option if you want to avoid traffic is taking one of the trolleys to Petco Park. You are going to spend $5 per person round trip, but typically you can park for free at most stations where you get on. I am going to provide this link which provides great detail on where you can get on and when. The things you need to know are:
- If you take the trolley by a $5 day pass when you arrive so you don't have to mess with buying a return ticket after the game.
- They start about 2.5 hours before the game and end 45 minutes after
- You can park for free at Qualcomm Stadium or one of the suburban stations and get on the trolley
- The Padres will probably lose when you go
Now, being ballpark savvy means different things to different people. I say if you hate downtown traffic, or you get confused driving into a big city you should head to your nearest suburban station and ride the trolley. Keep in mind that the $5 per person will add up if you are taking a family of four, but it may be worth it to you.
If you are going to try to park for free, your best shot is metered parking. Get there early and drive around a little bit is what I say. San Diego does a nice job of color coordinating their parking signs so you know what they mean. What you need to look for is the color green for on street parking. These are timed parking areas, but they are only monitored until 6pm so if you get there around that time you will be fine. As always, read the meter to make sure it doesn't have a special rule - but generally after 6 you are good.
Finally, if you decide that you don't want to mess with searching for free parking - you can always pay to park at the Padres lot. One thing they offer that is fairly unique is the ability to pre-pay for parking online. If you are planning out your trip and you don't carry cash that can be a pretty convenient choice. You will then have a sure spot and a known destination which provides you some stability. I would try to park for free, but that's just me.
tickets
In my opinion the ticket prices at Petco Park don't offer that much value (comparatively speaking). They do offer a standing room ticket for $5, and they have a pretty unique place to stand. They have a Park in the Park which is a grass berm out in center field and provides a decent view, but you are kind of free to roam around which is nice. I would also think that you could buy this ticket and sit in some open seats in the upper deck. Usually ushers aren't that touchy about the nose bleeds.
A couple of other general points about the best value tickets at Petco Park. The left field line is usually in the shade first in the evening, if that is important to you. San Diego has beautiful weather most of the time, but if it's a hot evening I think seats in the shade are worth their weight in gold. You also want to avoid the seats behind the left field fence because the scoreboard and big screen are right behind you; and that sucks. Modern day baseball is so much enhanced by the between inning fun and the in game information from the big screen. This is especially true if you are taking kids. So if you are just buying seats, I say the behind the plate/left field line beats the right field line in the summer.
If you only go to a couple of games a year, you can always save money by planning ahead. The Padres have a phenomenal deal in the $12 weekend special which includes and upper deck ticket, a Coke, and a hot dog. Those tickets are normally about $15 a piece by themselves. This is for every home game Friday through Saturday in 2009; great deal. FYI; Sundays are a great day to find free on street parking as all meters are not monitored and most businesses are closed.
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.
food
Most stadium food prices are outrageous and Petco Park is no exception. However you do have value options. First of all in the stadium they have a 5 for $5 deal that is about as good as I have seen in a major league park. Enjoy a hot dog, regular soda, popcorn, peanuts and a cookie, all for only $5 at any Padres regular season home game. Substitute a 16 oz beer for the regular soda and pay only $10 for all five items. I think 2 people could split that and be happy. I know I would if I just needed a ballpark snack.
You also have the ability to bring in your own food to Petco Park. You can actually bring bottled water in 20 oz bottles if it is factory sealed. So you have choices in that there is one great deal in the stadium and you can just bring your own stuff - which always saves money.
Another option that I consistently recommend is Restaurant.com Here you can buy $25 gift certificates to local restaurants for $10. You can also do a google search for "Restaurant.com coupon codes" and almost always get an extra 60 - 80% off that. I often buy these $25 certificates for $2. That is the best way to eat a decent meal before or after the game and save a chunk of change. When you follow the link, just type in the zip code of Petco Park (92101) to see what restaurants are nearby.
Most stadium food prices are outrageous and Petco Park is no exception. However you do have value options. First of all in the stadium they have a 5 for $5 deal that is about as good as I have seen in a major league park. Enjoy a hot dog, regular soda, popcorn, peanuts and a cookie, all for only $5 at any Padres regular season home game. Substitute a 16 oz beer for the regular soda and pay only $10 for all five items. I think 2 people could split that and be happy. I know I would if I just needed a ballpark snack.
You also have the ability to bring in your own food to Petco Park. You can actually bring bottled water in 20 oz bottles if it is factory sealed. So you have choices in that there is one great deal in the stadium and you can just bring your own stuff - which always saves money.
Another option that I consistently recommend is Restaurant.com Here you can buy $25 gift certificates to local restaurants for $10. You can also do a google search for "Restaurant.com coupon codes" and almost always get an extra 60 - 80% off that. I often buy these $25 certificates for $2. That is the best way to eat a decent meal before or after the game and save a chunk of change. When you follow the link, just type in the zip code of Petco Park (92101) to see what restaurants are nearby.