Oakland – Ok, so this one is always beaten up and maligned and rightfully so. It’s old. It’s falling apart. I reported about the fly infestation in the men’s room that was certainly among the more gross moments of my 30 days on the road but there are some points to recommend this old dump. First, it’s the closest thing – really the only thing – left that approximates Memorial Stadium and my experiences as a kid. Really, if you wouldn’t laugh I’d have this 10 spots further up the list because I’d definitely return to the Oakland Coliseum (or whatever they’re calling it this week) before I’d go to a bunch of places higher on this list. They had a variety of food, dudes banging on drums, people were watching the game and the vibe was great for a baseball game if you lived baseball in the 1970s like I did. Just don’t expect any V.I.P. experiences. From a personal standpoint, this is a dump I recommend and it’s easy to get to on the BART. It gets a huge boost in my rankings simply because it’s unique. Make sure you get to this place before it deconstructs or simply evaporates. At some point it’ll fade to dust and you’ll be sorry you missed it.
It’s also the last place on earth where they play NFL football on a baseball diamond.
So, you can visit for a football game. But hurry. You’ll have to go to Los Angeles to see the Raiders the next time!
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On Sept. 8-9-10, I will be releasing an extensive essay documenting my 30-30 MLB #GiveASpit journey of 2015. You can read it and all of my work here: http://wnst.net/author/nestoraparicio/
