What is the story about?
Look, we know why you’re here: you want to know how to get your mitts on one of those souvenir ferry boats. Or maybe you want to have a cute date (gay panic voice: orisitadate?). Or maybe family is visiting and you’ve been tasked with entertaining everyone because you are the only one with a) executive functioning skills who b) everyone still speaks to. Read on, for we have planned some perfect scenarios for you for whatever you’re looking to get out of your visit to T-Mobile Park.
(Let’s get this
out of the way early. Ferry Boat tips: Get to the park early on Opening Day. Like 2 PM early. Proceed directly to the concessions where they are sold – list here, we recommend sidewinder fries at section 329 if you care intensely about the boat and not so much about what goes in it and crab nachos at 187 if you care about taste and are independently wealthy. Step three: get your ferry boat and guard it with your life.)
General tips:
Getting there:
- If at all possible, do not drive. If it is a weekend game or a game against the Yankees or Red Sox, absolutely do not drive. Take light rail, the bus, walk on to a ferry, park and ride, bike, go by unicycle if you have to, but parking around the stadium is miserable and expensive and the only thing worse than the cost of getting into your parking spot is trying to leave it at the same time 30,000 other people are trying to do the exact same thing. If you have to drive, go as early as you can and check the side streets south of the stadium – Utah Street is a popular one. Also, in a pinch, you can park in the International District where rates are lower and walk over, cutting through the Lumen parking lot, and as a bonus get something yummy to eat on your way.
- If you’re part of the light rail horde, consider this. For northbound travelers, get on the southbound train, hop off at Sodo, then hop on the next northbound train. You’ll get a seat and avoid the crush. You can do the inverse for southbound travel. It’s not the most efficient, obviously, but it can be helpful if you really want to avoid the crush.
- King County Metro (a.ka. The light rail and all King County buses) now take credit card taps and Apple Pay! You do not need to buy a ticket, have an ORCA Card, or cash anymore! You can just show up and tap, and it lasts like a normal transfer (2 hours). And the dang 2-line train will be connected all season to boot starting Saturday. (JT)
- If the weather is tolerable and you’re an avid or even mediocre bike rider living somewhere in the greater Seattle area, I absolutely recommend riding your bike to a game. It’s glorious, honestly. And you get to taunt death a little bit on they way ducking cars and pedestrians who wander into bike paths. But, wear your helmet, use common sense, and you’ll make it in one piece. The best part besides getting some cardio? You can park your bike for free right in the very front of the TMO parking garage and just walk across the street to either the right field of home plate gate. I think they lock up the bike cage like an hour after the game ends, so you can’t just leave it there while you hit a bar or something, but if you hate traffic, paying for parking, and/or don’t like the sardine crush of the light rail going home, then riding a bike is truly a great choice. (ES)
Pregame:
- On a nice day, hitting up the beer garden at Hatback directly across the street is a great way to kill time while you’re waiting for gates to open. For danker days, Hooverville south of the stadium will serve you a city special, or next door you can grab a beer and some pizza over at Fast Fashion. Vinason, right next to the King 5 building, is your home for delicious pho or banh mis if you need to fuel up before the game.
- We are always advocates here for starting your game day experience in the International District for a variety of delicious food – dumplings at Dough Zone! Hood Famous! Crispy pork from Ton Kiang in a plastic clamshell you can bring into the park!
- Coming from the south, Hooverville and Fast Fashion all day. Coming from downtown, Collin’s Pub forever. (ES)
Boring details:
Remember the clear bag policy, don’t try to bring in metal water bottles, etc., don’t slow everyone down in the bag check line because you didn’t look at the rules. Make sure you don’t have aerosol sunscreen, that’s an annoying one to have taken away on a July day game.
Giveaway Day Guide:
- There’s really only one tip and it’s this: get there early. However early you think you need to be, add an hour. Media gates open for a 6:40 game at 1:30ish and it’s not uncommon for me to see people already lined up when I walk in on the really hot giveaway item days (Ichiro plaque, anything Cal-related). Bring someone with you to hold your place in line so one of you can go get coffee, pizza, whatever, bring a book, bring your patience.
- For regular giveaways, like the hydro socks or whatever, showing up around an hour early should be fine. As for which gates are stocked and which run out, it’s kind of a crapshoot, but the right field gate tends to be a little less busy. Terrace Club seems like it would be a sure thing because there’s a dedicated stock of giveaways for that, press club, suites, etc., but don’t get complacent; you still need to be there early, because they will run out of the good stuff by game time. Alternately, you could skip the hassle and pay the upcharge on eBay, but I’ve always enjoyed hunting my own food, speaking metaphorically and metaphorically only. (KP)
- Bobblehead nights can be tricky, but for the random Monday nights, I’ve had success at 6pm for a 6:40 start. I’ve never quite cracked the code for which gate to go to, from the special T-Mobile line in LF to the Terrace Club entrance. If it’s a big time special giveaways, as Kate mentioned above, I’d say two hours should be plenty. (GB)
- The center field gates are usually my go-to entrance for giveaways and non-giveaways alike, and the Stadium light rail station drops you off a five-minute walk away, though I’ve noticed in recent seasons the secret is out. I echo Kate’s sentiment of getting there early. (CD)
Family Outing:
- I cannot stress this enough: You can bring food into T-Mobile Park! Any food! From chipotle to full charcuterie; from Peeps to pho; avocado toast to arancini. Obviously, the stadium food is fun and good but there is also an abject joy to unpacking a full meal that cost less than two ballpark beers and doesn’t necessarily make your gut gurgle or feel like grease is oozing from your pores (IM)
- Plan for some extra time. It’s baseball. Even with the pitch clock, the game cannot be rushed and neither should you be. If you’ve got kiddos, the 3rd level behind home plate and down the third base line is a playground for youth and adults alike. There are batting cages, beautiful views, and space enough for energetic youths to have a catch or simply frolic. (JT)
- The elevators behind home plate are there for a reason. If you’ve got folks with impaired mobility, give them a break. It’s how Dipoto and Hollander get around, you never know who you might meet! (JT)
- For anyone who hasn’t been to a game before, stop by the guest services desk on the main level and get a “my first game” certificate. It’s a free, adorable memento that’s fun for kids and grown folks alike. (KP)
- The child play area in center field gets full and overwhelming quickly on busy days; the play area on the 300 level over the home plate gate allows for more runaround room, but for the best tire-them-out-so-they’ll-sleep running, hit up the ramps behind right field, where your tiny terrors can run from the 100 level to the 300 level as long as their legs will hold with minimal interruption. (KP)
- With two kids between 5 to 9 years old, I recommend sitting either in the LF bleachers or up in the 300s closer to the foul poles on either side just because it’s usually less crammed and the kids can move around a bit in your row without pissing off some childless person with no empathy. Also, just prepare to hand the Mariners your credit card on the way in, close out on your way out. Don’t forget or you’ll have to do a walk of shame the next morning. (Taking a family of 4 to games is way too expensive now) (ES)
Date Night:
- For a first date: Don’t. Okay, okay, okay, maybe this isn’t universally true – especially with the pitch clock – but do still proceed with caution. They could be a batting average person. They could believe that Barry Bonds doesn’t belong in the Hall of Fame. They could like the Yankees! It’s dangerous out there. (IM)
- For something more than a first date:
- Get two separate trays of garlic fries. Don’t fall for “we’ll split it.” You’re always gonna want more than they leave you and after they see you scoop the leftover garlic into your mouth like Oliver Twist you won’t be able to look them in the eye. Get two separate trays so you can both quietly go feral next to each other. That’s romantic in a way.[JP]
- Try to plan around a wearable giveaway that way you can wear little matching outfits. Shirts/jackets are ideal for this but hats work too. [JP]
- Date Night, Gay Panic! Edition: Basically the same as above, but you must resist the urge to screenshot every message you exchange with the person and poll your friends “is this flirting y/n”. Don’t get popcorn (salty sheen on lips, stuck in teeth); get the $3 Red Rope (fun, eat Lady-and-the-Tramp style if feeling frisky). Stick to the 300 level, where it’s a little easier to hear each other and store away all those comments you’ll want to dissect later on. Important: do not do this in the moment! Watch the baseball. Ask what their favorite building in the skyline is. Around the fifth, suggest a stroll on the little faux boardwalk that got plucked out of a Regency novel and put in T-Mobile Park for exactly this purpose. Look at the water. Look at the buildings. Look at the person. Breathe. You’ve got this. (KP)
Work Outing:
- Pregaming is so important for this one. Find your most fun coworker, sneak out of the office early, and hit up either the Central Saloon or Merchant’s Café in Pioneer Square for some pregame drinks and Seattle history, since statistically speaking your coworker is probably not from Seattle. The Central is excellent if your coworker is enamored with stories of Seattle’s early grunge days; Merchant’s has an amazing downstairs that reportedly a) used to be a brothel and b) is haunted. Pass some time gossiping about office drama and drinking in Seattle history (literally and figuratively). The work-friendly sober alternative: hit up Hood Famous in the ID first and get fun coffee drinks and walk over to the stadium together from there; the gossiping is non-negotiable.
- If you’re a Baseball Person, and you are because you’re reading literally this website, this is your chance to shine. You’ve been training for this your whole life. Don’t dominate the conversation, but fill in the blanks for your less baseball-savvy coworkers: provide fun context about players, explain rules when prompted, direct people’s attention at certain key moments. Remember: be a tour guide, not a textbook. (KP)
- Hood Famous rules, get yourself an ubbe latte and a cookie. Honestly throw a rock in the CID and you’ll hit a lovely restaurant or cafe to get a pre-game meal or snack (do not actually throw a rock, obviously). (ES)
A sleepy, gray Tuesday night against the A’s with your person (romantic or platonic or something vaguely and distressingly in between):
- It’s gonna be cold, so I recommend either the curry katsu or the Ivar’s clam chowder. Nothing like cupping a bowl of chowder in both hands while wearing fingerless gloves to welcome the return of baseball. Also don’t sit on the first base side in the 300 level on cold nights because the wind whips around in there and will give you a nasty chill. (JP)
- This is your person, and the ballpark is empty. Have no fear and get the garlic fries, or the most grease-laden slice of pizza (all of them, it’s all of them), indulge in the specific joy of food attentively made when the lines are short and getting to enjoy it with someone you’re not afraid will judge you for an oil stain on the front of your shirt. Also, sit somewhere nice. Life is short, there’s really not that much difference between paying fifteen dollars for a 300 level seat and thirty dollars for the comfort of Terrace Club. (KP)
Baseballin’ on a budget:
- Purchase the cheapest tickets you can find on the resale site of your choice (I’ve liked GameTime, but we’re beefing right now so I don’t fully endorse). Think: A Monday night against the White Sox. No giveaways, no bells, no whistles. Bonus if the weather is godawful.
- If you’re a nerd like me (and you ARE reading this site), keep score! Especially if you’re going by yourself keeping score can be a fun way to create a little memento of the game. People around you will think you’re very cool and will ask stuff like “was that a fly out or a line out” and “oh man Logan is dealing! How many strikeouts is that” and you’ll have the answer. Keep score, and you can always have the answers. (JP)
- Bus/train and walk over to Cone & Steiner. I’m loath to tell more people about this spot, but I love y’all (and am burying it in the middle of this tome). It’s a bougie general store, with an assortment of snacks and grab and go food. They have a reasonable beer/wine tap list with a happy hour that runs regardless of whether it’s a game day, and they also have a nice selection of alcoholic and non alcoholic goodies that you can purchase and open there. Get a beverage of your choosing and chatter away about roster construction in the relative quiet. Bonus if you get a bag of Tim’s to add to the mix too – then it’s like your very own aperitivo hour!
- @ Mariners: If you’re reading this, please know that I would immediately and enthusiastically buy tickets for a Team Italia Night, particularly if it came with a pregame aperitivo hour. Aperol Spritz and some salty snacks on the Trident Deck? [Ryan] Bliss. (IM)
- There are two spots for 8 dollar pints, or at least there were last year. The first is tucked away in the Mariners Hall of Fame on the main concourse. The second is on the 300 level, in the green cargo container behind the batting cages directly above the home plate entrance. Take a sip and peer out at the cranes in the dockyard. They offer a lager, a pilsner, and for all you hops freaks they got an IPA. (JP)
- Eat before you go, pregame at happy hour – if you do the one in the ‘pen, at least buy two beers at once so you’re maximizing your time, and get the good beers at the bar by where ROOT Sports used to be where the lines are shorter – and bring in your own snacks. If you have to buy a snack, the Value Menu offerings will scratch that itch but not fill you up (unless you get the hot dog, but one can only eat so many hot dogs); the mindless carbs of the soft pretzel is the cheapest way to do that. (KP)
When your friend is visiting from out of town and they don’t really care about baseball but it’s a perfect Tuesday evening in July and tickets are $12:
- First of all, great call. Get seats in the 300 level of the first base line (or just buy get-in-the-door tickets and seat yourself there once you’re in) and take in one of the most beautiful views Seattle has to offer.
- Get some food and happy hour drinks wherever your home base is, as that will be cheaper and likely better than whatever is around the stadium. Then bus/train in so that you arrive 3-20 minutes after first pitch and walk right in. On the ride, share a curated assortment of Mariners information with them, depending on what they’re drawn to. It’s important to have rooting interests, even (especially!) if they’re not about the wins and losses.
- Upon entering the stadium, you’re going to walk the 100 level concourse until you reach one of two things: First Base Vine or that one beer stand back by the Mariners history display that sells all the value beers. Depending on your visitor, you either double up on the Bale Breaker and/or Métier or you buy a bottle of middling Chateau Ste Michelle that becomes infinitely more palatable in its plastic Mariners carafe. Take the super escalator by First Base Vine to the 300 level.
- Having literally never had the ferry boat concession giveaway, I feel like it’s a must-have with visitors who don’t know baseball. Embrace your inner Derek Shepherd! (GB)
- Before going to “your” seats, detour to the panoramic overlook that looks out on the Sound and ferries. Take at least one photograph of your visitor in the ever-flattering PNW summer evening light.
- Proceed to seats – the further from other people, the more it feels like a private event. By now it’s the third inning, which does not matter at all, but you will still be in time to see the Salmon Run, which does matter to your visitor.
- Watch the sun set over the skyline, toast your visitor, cheer/heckle/yell as the spirit moves you (IM)
- If you’re in West Seattle, suck it up and take the water taxi there or home, vastly impractical as a mode of transport but so, so picturesque. I saw salmon literally leaping out of the water on one crossing. (I am pretty sure. Do not fact check me.) (KP)
- $12 tickets??? When and where? (ES)
If you want to eat the best food possible while avoiding mid-game concourse time:
- Get to Moto Pizza well before first pitch. If you head up into the nether regions of right field, you’ll find the trendiest pizza place for miles. Moto may be pricey, but it’s certainly worth trying and I know I’ll find myself there multiple times this season. The lines tend to be crazy about 30 minutes ‘til first pitch all the way through the third inning or so, and even then it’s a bit dicey. I’ve had success going there first thing when I enter, and mid-game; as long as you prepare yourself mentally for long lines, you’ll never be disappointed. (GB)
- What Grant said, but with Tamari Bar instead. (KP)
- Okay I lied. The onigiri or Trident Roll in the Walk-Off Market is really the fastest, best food you can get during a game. If the lines at these other places are nuts, try there. (KP)
- I also back Moto Pizza if you are there somewhat early. It’s worth the wait and money because it’s a ton of pizza and you won’t feel the need to eat anything else while you’re there. (ES)
What are your best T-Mobile Park scenarios? Share them in the comments below, and happy Opening Day to all who celebrate
