When deciding what MLB destination I should write about I gave thought to the teams that inhabit the cities on my list. Then, I realized that baseball is more than wins and losses. It’s the glory of the game and the enjoyment of watching it played. A huge part of that enjoyment derives from the ballpark where the game is scheduled. Having made that determination I have chosen Safeco Field in the glorious city of Seattle.

In terms of ballparks there are none better than the jewel that sits south of Elliott Bay. The sightlines are perfect. There really is no bad seat in the stadium, leg room is present in all sections; regardless of ticket price, and the stadium architecture has been unsuccessfully copied by several parks built since Safeco opened. Now approaching its tenth year in existence the park is as pristine as it was on July 15 1999 when the San Diego Padres set the tone for the Mariners fortune and made away with a 3-2 win in the inaugural game.

Amenities abound at Safeco with a bill of fare that offers ballpark standard hotdogs, peanuts and carbonated soft drinks all the way up to sushi, broiled salmon and the pride of the Northwest; our handcrafted beers. The Ichi-roll and a Pyramid Curve Ball beer are highly recommended. If you want to impress your date suggest she tries one of the Northwest wines that are available. Reds are best suited to Mariners baseball.

Along with the food stands that populate the concourse there is also a pub located out by the bullpen and the Hit it Here Café named after those ads of yore that featured Ken Griffey Jr. sending balls into the stratosphere. The Bullpen Pub offers a view from beneath the scoreboard and you can also retire to terraces that are located atop the stadium. These offer a view of the field and, if the action has turned against the home team, you can turn around and admire Puget Sound. If it is a night game you may have one of the best views for a Pacific Northwest sunset. TV monitors and a radio feed will keep you in tune with what is happening virtually anywhere you choose to roam in the stadium and it is the type of place where you will want to see everything there is to see.

One area where you will be most welcome is the Team Store. The Mariners pride themselves on their retail division and it is a model that has been studied by other franchises. As of yet no one has come close to capturing the retail fervor that is found at Safeco. The Team Store is two levels and covers more square feet than retail in any other stadium. The usual can be found on the first level, but the real treat is the second level. Upstairs is where collectibles like autographed items and game used merchandise is found. Since the store outsells any other MLB outlet they get to pick stuff outside of the Mariners, so you could get an autographed David Ortiz shoe, an autographed picture of Nolan Ryan the night he stopped a ball up the middle with his teeth and a Derek Jeter autographed baseball.

Another unique feature to the Team Store is the personalized jersey service. Let’s say you are watching the game and you decide you must have a Roy Corcoran jersey. Or, perhaps you favor having a jersey with your name on the back, or that of your favorite Player Press scribe. All you have to do is purchase a blank jersey and pay to have it personalized. It will be ready for you before the game ends. The man who does the work, Jerry Thornton, also does the embellishing for the team and owns a business where he provides the same service for the Seahawks, Sounders FC, Washington Huskies and a variety of local teams. I’ve even watched him do spot repairs for road teams and attach All Star patches to players uniforms who got picked to the gala. Safeco is the only stadium offering such a service and it is both unique and worth the investment.

If all of this sounds great, but you are fearful of making the trip and encountering the infamous Seattle rain, remember, Safeco has a roof. If the rains come they will close it. Try getting that service in NYC, Boston or Chicago.

You will need accommodations and you can take refuge in a location that is close to the stadium and within walking distance of downtown. The Silver Cloud, a hotel chain from Oregon, has a fantastic facility located across the street from Safeco at 1st and Royal Brougham. It is less than three years old and has an excellent sport themed bar and dining area. Along with being across the street from the ballpark, you are around the corner from Qwest Field, that would be dynamite if you pick a time when both the Mariners and Sounders FC are in town; baseball one night and futbol the next. It also is a block away from two brew pubs. The Pyramid brewery and restaurant is across the street from Safeco on 1st Ave. and the Elysian brewpub is a block north of the Silver Cloud on 1st.  First Avenue will also take you downtown to more restaurants, the Seattle Art Museum and keeps you in walking distance of the Pike Place Market.

The Pike Place Market is a famous food, clothing and sundries market sitting on Elliot Bay. If you don’t think you are familiar with it you are wrong. It is the place where they show the guys tossing the fish every time national television sets up a camera in Seattle. It is an old, barn like structure that has several levels accessible by steps, elevators and ramps. There is plenty of good, inexpensive food to be had, including fresh made mini donuts that are sold by the half dozen and up. 

Seattle is known for a music scene that exploded with the popularity of Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam, but music has always been a staple in the Emerald City. Back in the day Ray Charles developed his chops in Seattle and Quincy Jones is a home town guy who still resides here. The Triple Door on Union St. and Jazz Alley on 6th Ave. cater to jazz, blues, soul, country music worth hearing and rock that isn’t the standard “alternative” fare. The Triple Door is an easy walk from Royal Brougham and while I would hike to Jazz Alley you can grab a reasonably priced cab, or even try your hand at riding King County Metro; the bus service that runs through Seattle. 

The great thing about Seattle is that it is a west coast city where you can walk to your destination.  If you want to avoid the construction on 1st Ave. you can take my favorite route to and from the stadiums and walk on Occidental. Occidental is a street east of 1st Ave that fronts Qwest and will lead you through Pioneer Square. Pioneer Square is part of the old town of Seattle and the architecture is worth stopping and savoring. You will be hit on by panhandlers in Pioneer Square, but welcome to any city in the US.

Before game time you can head over to the Space Needle which was built for the 1960 World’s Fair. It costs $13.00 to go up to the top of the Needle, so I’ll let you decide if it is worth that investment. The Needle is located in the Seattle Center which is also home to the Experience Music Project; a museum dedicated to music, and a curious arena named the Key that spends most of its time alone with its memories of glory days. The Seattle Center is north of downtown.

Another thing to do is take a ride on the ferry to Bainbridge Island. That is the ferry terminal closest to Safeco and it takes you across Elliott Bay and docks at Bainbridge. The Bainbridge dock is on beach front property that contains restaurants and retail. It is quaint and overpriced, but I recommend it over the money spent riding an elevator to the top of the Space Needle. Plus, the ferry ride is something you have to do if you are a visitor.

The Mariners may be a work in progress, but their home and the surrounding city is complete and worth the trip. While I recommend the weather anytime of the year, you may want to arrive in summer when temperatures are lower than most of the country with blue sky and little chance of rain. If you can’t wait to get here, remember, we have a roof, so the game is always on.