Safeco Field - MLB Seattle Mariners

I recently made a trip up to Seattle to catch the US vs. Panama World Cup Qualifier at Century Link Field. Only a few feet across the street sits Safeco Field, home to the Seattle Mariners. The origins of baseball in the Seattle area date back to the early 1900's upon the founding of the Seattle Rainiers. The Rainiers were a minor league baseball team who played in the Pacific Coast League from 1903 to 1906 and 1919 to 1968. Baseball would return for one season in 1969 as the Seattle Pilots before they were sold and relocated to Milwaukee where they would become the Brewers following a controversial sale by then owner and current MLB Commissioner Bud Selig. Thankfully, baseball would return again following a lawsuit in 1970 over the sale and relocation of the Seattle Pilots. The Seattle Mariners entered MLB as an expansion team in 1977 along with the Toronto Blue Jays. The Mariners called The Kingdome their home until 1999 once Safeco Field opened across the street.

Safeco Field is a retractable roof baseball stadium that is owned and operated by the Washington-King County Stadium Authority. While the stadium is known for being a retractable roof stadium, the roof acts as an "umbrella" for the stands and field due to the weather that primarily effects the Pacific Northwest region. Getting to Safeco Field is very accessible and convenient to get to should you decide to visit Seattle by the light rail train spanning from Seattle-Tacoma Airport (SEATAC) that runs through the city limits stopping at many points of interest. There is also the option of driving to the stadium if you are willing to pay $15.00 and up depending on who is in town.

Depending on who is in town, you can score very good seats on Stubhub for the game. I was able to get a seat 25 rows from home plate for a very reasonable price. The stadium offers a wide variety of food options for anyone and everyone but please keep in mind that you will have to pay a little bit more if you plan on eating or drinking at the stadium. Pioneer Square is also located within walking distance should you want to go there if eating from the local street vendor is not your thing.

Touring Safeco Field is one of the must-do attractions while in Seattle as it delivers many behind the scenes areas not available to the general public. Every tour departs from the team store that is just shy of the main entrance to the stadium. The team store is the ultimate destination for any Mariners fan as it contains historical artifacts and merchandise spanning the different areas of Mariners baseball. While on the tour, we explored the owners suite where we learned about the teams affiliation with Nintendo USA in the owners suite, explored the dugout and warning track along the field and visited the press box before the tour ended. Overall, a great tour!