Sunday Stadium Review - Raiders

 Oakland Raiders

Name of Stadium: O.co Coliseum

Capacity: 56,057

Game Attended: versus Ravens in September 2015 with Chris

Worked a game at this stadium? No.

If nothing else, the Raiders stadium is located in a quaint area full of running trails.  I was quite surprised when we pulled into the parking area!  The day was another absolute scorcher which made the long walk from the parking lot to the stadium seem even longer!

As we moved closer and closer to the stadium, we came upon pods of tailgaters.  I loved the decked out vehicles and fans we saw along the way.  Once we arrived at the gate to enter, there was a major jam of people.  I'm not sure if they have a more thorough security process that other stadiums I have attended or there was just a lack of staff to screen fans, but we waited for quite some time before making it to the front of the line.

I was excited to see how the stadium looked inside.  It is an older stadium and also shared with the Oakland A's baseball team.  The stadium could certainly use an upgrade, but it also didn't appear near as old as the Chargers stadium we visited the week before.  I am guessing they cover the upper deck on one side because they aren't able to sell enough tickets.  I have only noticed that one other place - Jacksonville.  The section covered here seemed to expand over a much larger space though!

I really liked the huge video boards in both endzones.  One was almost directly behind our seats which made for some nice views of replays!  I have never been a big fan of the way the field is laid out to include the baseball infield, but I don't think there is much that can be done about that.  It made it difficult for me to see at times.  I'm sure it is very odd for the players out there as well.

The heat (and insanely long concession lines) caused us to miss a portion of the third quarter.  And we had to leave with about five minutes left in the game in order to catch our flight.  However, I would actually be interested in going back to a game here again.  It was a fun and friendly atmosphere...especially since we weren't rooting against the home team!

Andrea :)

Sunday Stadium Review - 49ers

  San Francisco 49ers

Name of Stadium: Levi's Stadium

Capacity: 68,500

Game Attended: versus Vikings in September 2015 with Chris

Worked a game at this stadium? No.

We took the train from San Jose to the stadium.  It was quick and easy.  And it dropped us off just outside the stadium.  Definitely recommend taking the train if you are visiting the area just for a game. Or biking there - so impressed to see the massive amount of bikes being stored by stadium staff in the parking lot area!

Once we arrived, there was a bit of a walk over to the entrance of the stadium from the train.  Since it was the first MNF game of the year, the energy level was high.  Lots of excited fans surrounded us as we walked toward the entrance.  Security lines moved quickly and several staff were on hand to direct us to our section.

We had seats in the upper level for this one and arrived in plenty of time to see the final pre-game activities on field.  Additionally, we were excited to see that t-shirts had been laid across each seat in the stadium - what a treat!  It is something I might expect in the lower bowl or for the first 10,000 fans to enter, but t-shirts for everyone?!?  Wow...totally impressed!

As it turns out, we needed those shirts!  The warm temps in California fooled us into thinking it would nice all night for the game.  It never really got cold exactly...but it was super windy in our area!  That was the only bummer of the night to be honest.  The stadium is stunning!  And even from our bird's eye view, we could see everything easily.  I love the big screens and interactive feel of the stadium.  We could definitely tell we were in a special place!

We managed to grab some hot chocolate at the half to warm up.  It worked pretty well for awhile, but we eventually made our way down to the concourse level of a lower part of the stadium to attempt to avoid the wind.  It worked pretty well, but we couldn't see much standing in that area.  Fortunately, the game was nearly over by that point.

Exiting a stadium is nearly always a chaotic mess, but the 49ers had a really great system.  Several stadium attendants were stationed at the exit directing fans toward three different lines based on which direction they planned to go on the train.  It seemed to be very effective.  And we were fortunate enough to be heading in the opposite direction of most of the crowd.

Andrea :)

Sunday Stadium Review - Chargers

San Diego Chargers

Name of Stadium: Qualcomm Stadium

Capacity: 70,561

Game Attended: versus Lions in September 2015 with Chris

Worked a game at this stadium? No.

We had been warned by others that the Qualcomm experience leaves much to be desired, but we were optimistic going into the day.  We decided to take public transportation via train to avoid parking issues.  Unfortunately, the train was running about 30 minutes behind schedule so we missed a good chunk of the first quarter by the time we finally arrived at the stadium.

Our tickets were in the upper deck just a few rows shy of the top of the stadium.  The photo above was taken from the top row so the entire field could be seen.  Please notice how small the only screen in the stadium appears.  It fits right in with all the banners - barely noticeable at all.  However, our overall view wasn't terrible even though about 15 yards of the left side of the endzone on our end couldn't be seen when sitting in our seats.  We had to stand if there was any action going on in that area.  I'd definitely recommend getting tickets along the sidelines for the best view.

As it turned out, I didn't mind sitting with a wall barrier blocking my view because it was blazing hot and that wall provided me the tiniest bit of much needed shade.  And that was really my central focus at the time!  We weren't prepared for it to be such a scorcher!

To be completely honest, this stadium was by far the worst I have visited.  The building is old and the technology in the stadium needs to be updated without a doubt.  They weren't even using flat screens in the concourse area.  And just to preview a bit, it wasn't the only stadium on our California tour using such old school technology.  I really couldn't comprehend it! 

Between the heat and lack of being able to see the only "big" screen in the stadium, I didn't have a very enjoyable experience.  The best part was when I watched the game during the 3rd quarter from the shaded concourse on one of those old school TVs.  Well...and the end, of course.  That is always my favorite part!

Taking the train after the game proved to be an adventure in itself - check out that line!!  Fortunately, we were going in the opposite direction of most of the crowd, but we still had a packed train!  In the end, I'm glad we checked this one off the list...but I certainly won't be making plans for a return visit anytime soon!

Andrea :)

Maitlands Go West: Muir Woods & Wine Tasting

On our last day in the bay area, we ventured outside the city to Muir Woods in the morning.  The redwood trees there are such a beauty.  We aren't huge nature lovers, but we really enjoyed spending a quiet morning walking through the trees.

In the afternoon, we ventured to both Somona Valley and Napa Valley for a some wine tasting.  When in Rome, right?  We began our wine tour in Sonoma Valley at Jacuzzi Family Vineyards.  We sampled a few wines before roaming around the vineyard for a bit.  Gorgeous scenery!

Next, we headed to Napa Valley for tastings at Beringer and Sutter Home.  Both proved fabulous, but Beringer was a little stuffy.  The tasting was ridiculously overpriced, but the product is good.  Needless to say, we didn't stay long at Beringer.

Sutter Home was far and away our best stop of the day!  We lucked out by having Rich host us for a tasting.  He was fantastic!!  We gave him an idea of our preferences and he totally ran with it!  We tried several different types...and honestly, he never suggested one we didn't like!  We spent much more time here than we anticipated, but it was well worth it!

Our last stop of the day was back in Sonoma Valley at Highway 12.  We just dropped in here quickly before our dinner reservation.  They really only had a dry selection of wines so I spent most of my time trying to get the perfect photo. 

Dinner was amazing!  The restaurant - Saddles - was located inside a hotel.  We ordered steak...and left wishing we lived closer!  It was SO good.  And the mac and cheese just put the whole meal over the top!  Definitely a great way to end our time in California!

Have you ever been wine tasting on the west coast?

Andrea :)

Maitlands Go West: Coit Tower & Cable Car Fun

San Francisco has a multitude of fun and exciting neighborhoods to explore.  We didn't have time to check out all of them, but we did spend some time in the Telegraph Hill area that boasts Coit Tower.  We were also able to browse City Lights Books on our way over to the tower.  This famous bookstore has multiple levels of both old and new books.

Eventually, we continued our uphill journey toward Coit Tower.  It was the steepest climb you could imagine!  Definitely not easy to access, but the views were stunning!  We waited in line for about 45 minutes to take a super small elevator to the top.  Upon arrival, we were able to see nearly all of San Fran with a bird's eye view!

On our way back down, we found a couple of stores with an insane amount of records on display!  Chris enjoyed looking through them...and even found a few for his collection!  I was just amazing at the sheer volume for people to sort through.

Our final task on the San Francisco list involved riding the cable cars.  We walked toward the end of one line passing famous Lombard street along the way.  You know I had to stop for pictures there!  We could actually see this street from the top of the tower, but it was in the shade so the photos from up there didn't turn out as clear.

Finally, we found the end of the cable car line!  We rode it both as seated passengers as well as those crazy folks that hang off the side.  I highly recommend riding while standing - SO much fun!!  Experiencing a ride on the cable cars has been on my San Fran to do list for quite some time.  I am so glad that I was able to share the experience with Chris on this trip!

We rounded out our evening with an improv show.  Our hotel advertised the San Francisco Improv Festival was going on the week we were in town. We thought it looked like fun so we bought tickets.  We actually saw a troupe from Louisville (where we held our wedding...so ironic!) perform the night we attended!    We had some good laughs and enjoyed experiencing a bit of the local life.

Our time in this fabulous city was dwindling, but we had big plans to continue to make the most of it.

Do you enjoy experiencing local activities when visiting a new place? 

Or do you prefer to stick to the tourist attractions?

Andrea :)

Maitlands Go West: Alcatraz & Fisherman's Wharf

After walking the Golden Gate Bridge, we made our way toward Alcatraz Landing to board our boat for the island.  This was my second trip to Alcatraz, but I found it just as fascinating on round two. I love the audio tour that allows you to explore the island at your own pace.

We also managed to catch a demonstration where we witnessed the slammer doors being opened and closed.  This is a manual process at Alcatraz.  It was interesting to hear how loud it is in person.  Definitely not a place I have any interest in staying for an extended amount of time!!

After spending a few hours on the island, we boarded a boat back to San Fransisco.  We worked our way down to Pier 39 to check out the seals.  It is amazing how they just hang out on those docks all day.  What a life!

We noticed a neat window display with sourdough bread figures outside the Boudin Bakery.  We were able to see part of the bread making process through the window as well.  Too bad they didn't have samples available for the onlookers!

Have you ever been to Fisherman's Wharf in San Fran? 

What is your favorite activity on the piers?

Andrea :)

Maitlands Go West: Golden Gate Bridge & Ghirardelli Square

After our stunningly beautiful drive on Hwy 1, we ended up in San Fransisco - the land of endless hills!  Our first adventure included a walk across the Golden Gate Bridge.  We walked the Brooklyn Bridge on one of our very first dates so it was fun to experience this one together as we celebrated our one year anniversary.

The walk was nice - breezy and sunny, but not too hot.  Unfortunately, the bikers and pedestrians were all on the same path so that made for a few tricky moments.  We could easily see Alcatraz and the city from the bridge.  There were lots of boats out, too.

We walked to a photo area just before the off ramp for the bridge before turning around.  We spent a total of about two hours here between walking and taking photos.

Later that night, we made our way to Ghirardelli Square for a treat!  We decided to go for the banana split, appropriately named Golden Gate on the menu.  The store was unique with a display of the chocolate making process set up in the far end of the room.  I enjoyed checking it out while we waited for our ice cream treat.

Do you enjoy Ghirardelli chocolates?  Which flavor is your favorite?

Andrea :)