Oakland Coliseum

Whenever my sister and I decide on a stadium to visit, we consider the city we would like to see, as well.  On these occasions, I am always thankful I live in the Bay Area so that I do not have to visit Oakland.

Yes, Oakland has its decent areas...I guess... but that is not where the ballpark is.  I don't mean to hate on Oakland or anything, but in terms of baseball-fun towns, this one falls a bit short.  If we were to visit the Bay Area, we'd end up staying in a hostel (yes, they have those in America) in San Francisco, and spend most of our time in the city (I mean, honestly, who wouldn't?), take BART to the Coliseum, and go back to the city.

If you plan to visit the Bay Area ballparks, that is what I recommend for you, as well.  San Francisco has plenty of things to do while not watching a live game of baseball.

View from the bleachers.

The Oakland Coliseum is old and might not be home to the A's for much longer.  Aside from college football games, this might be the only stadium I have ever tailgated in (when we haven't taken BART to it).

Since I know this stadium well, have sat in all different parts of it, and have been to this stadium than any other stadium (le sigh...), here is my list of pros and cons:

Pros

Visitors side.

A lot of people with this view are season ticket holders--but not all!

1. BART: (For those not familiar with the Bay Area, BART is the main system of public transportation connecting the different areas of the Bay Area.)  The Coliseum has BART attached to it, making it super easy to park at a station near your house, hostel, or hotel (or walk if any of these locations are close to one), and then walk through the cage, straight into the park.  I have even met up with friends who were tailgating in the parking lot.  You can also park in the BART parking lot for free and then walk in to the station, through the cage, into the park (also see Cons: The Neighborhood).
2. Seats/Cheap Seats: The nice thing about a big old park is that there are plenty of seats, and plenty of cheap seats.  Even after they've closed off the third deck (during the baseball season).  Promotions are common in any park nowadays, but compared to most parks, you can get pretty close (especially if you go to cheer on a visiting team and sit on that side) for much cheaper--and the tickets are usually available!  There has been a section of the third deck they open to people who want to pay in advance for a voucher for hotdogs and a beverage--and the chance to sit in the nosebleeds...  I wish they would just open another section for that to fill the regular seats of the park, but that's for another conversation.
3. Bullpen: If you like being close to the pitchers warming up, this is a great stadium for you.  The bullpen is right next to the dugouts.  If you're visiting while your team is in town, the visitors side will have plenty of open seats at a reasonable price.
4. Bleachers: You can sit in the bleachers of this ballpark and not have your view obstructed.  That seems to be changing with newer parks.
5. Fireworks Night: I don't know if every stadium does fireworks nights, but the A's have a great display.  They let anyone who wants to watch on the field on to the field (the outfield only), and then play music according to a theme: 80's music, Star Wars, etc.  The show lasts a while and it really impressive.  I highly recommend watching a game and then staying for the fireworks display on the nights that have them.

Cons:

"Jumbotron"

1. The Neighborhood: Looking to get a beverage with your friends/family around the park before or after the game?  Take BART elsewhere.  Drink it up in the parking lot.  Go to the park early.  But you won't find anything around the Coliseum where you would want to hang out.  If you park in the BART parking lot and then walk trough the cage into the park, make sure your car is empty, as I have heard stories of break-ins during the game.
2. Age:  The park is old and not the most attractive park in the country.  Since you spend several hours at the park, it should be aesthetically pleasing, too.  The Oakland Coliseum has none of that.
3. Jumbotron: Back in the day, the Oakland jumbotron was probably really cool.  But nowadays, it is tiny and not in HD.  Have I been too spoiled with other stadiums' impressive HD quality screens?  Most likely.  But this ballpark hasn't had an update in ages, and it shows everywhere, including the screen.