Safeco Field: A Wheelchair Fan's Eye View
Written: Apr 18 '00 (Updated Apr 18 '00)
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Pros: Beautiful park, good sightlines, most of the park has excellent accessibility.
Cons: Can be unexpectedly cold, certain seating areas have limited accessibility, expensive food/beverages.
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| telephony's Full Review: Safeco Field |
Safeco Field is Seattle's newest sports stadium. Opening on July 15th 1999, this stadium hosts the Seattle Mariners and brings real grass and outdoor Major League baseball to the Seattle area. The stadium features a retractable roof, which extends to cover the entire field and allow games to be played in almost any weather.
Safeco Field was built with accessibility to the disabled in mind.
Being a wheelchair user, I have first-hand experience with this aspect.
My first visit was on July 17, 1999. I attended seven games last season, and have so far attended one game (Opening Night) this season.
The stadium starts the wheelchair user off by presenting him or her with at least 9 elevators and two ramps. Take your pick, and you're off and running. I enter via the right-field entrance, and take the ramp directly to the 100 level for batting practise. Since I use a motorized wheelchair, this isn't a problem. The ramps are equipped with two flat landings on every level, so users of manual chairs can stop and rest if needed.
Once inside, you will find an abundance of accessible fixtures: lowered drinking fountains and telephones are mounted side-by-side with their normal-height counterparts, lowered counters on some of the concessions, and fully-accessible bathrooms.
Bathrooms are equipped with lowered urinals, and handicapped toilets in stalls large enough to accomodate even a big scooter or power wheelchair and still leave the user enough room to close the stall door once inside.
The bathrooms are also equipped with lowered sinks.
Please note though, that bathroom doors can be a little difficult for some people in wheelchairs to manhandle. They're heavy, and the self-closing mechanisms appear to have been adjusted too tightly. There are usually plenty of people around to help though, if you need a hand getting in or out of a restroom. On the flip side, the doors to the handicapped toilet stalls don't close by themselves very well, and it can be tricky to get your chair in and pull the door closed behind you at the same time - it usually flies back open and you have to dance a little jig in your chair to get a handle on things before you can do your "thing".
The latching mechanism is difficult to grasp, and it tends to shove the door back outwards before you can get it turned and latched.
Seating for the disabled consists of hundreds of nice wide wheelchair spaces devoid of actual seats; other spaces have roll-away and swing-away seats to accomodate even more wheelchairs.
Some wheelchair spaces are said to be equipped with 120VAC outlets for recharging power chairs; however I have yet to find any of these. Still other seats are equipped with only one armrest that some people may find easier to get in and out of. Wheelchair spaces and adaptable seating are found side-by side; this is to allow a wheelchair user to bring his or her attendant to the game if they have one.
The seats I have been using have all been in Section 380 and 381. These are located in left center field to either side of the 3rd base foul pole.
Several seats are partially obstructed by the foul pole in this area; however most have at least good to very good sightlines. They are accessed via stairs from the 100 level, and via the Lucent Terrace Club for wheelchair users.
The only major problem I've had with these seats is the difficulty in getting to them. The wheelchair ramp enters this section at the Lucent Terrace Club, and unless you have one of the expensive Club tickets, you are turned away - sometimes quite rudely - and forced to roll back down and wait for the one and only elevator that services these seats. In my experience, this elevator is usually severely overloaded, will bypass floors, and in one case, was completely broken.
When it *is* working, the wait for this elevator can be as long as 20 to 40 minutes - several innings in some cases!
And you can forget it if you smoke. By the time you leave your seat, have your cigarette, and return to your seat, you can easily miss an hour or more of the game - mostly waiting for that damn elevator!
There is also only one bathroom that a wheelchair user in Sections 380 and 381 can use - you guessed it - it's inside the Terrace Club.
Fortunately, they don't object to you entering the club for this reason, and that particular bathroom isn't as busy as some of the others.
But it is a royal pain when the toilet in the handicapped stall is broken (yes, it has happened to me). So you're again left with a 20 to 40 minute trip to one of the other stadium levels for your bathroom break, or begging the guard to let you pass through the Terrace Club in order to use the wheelchair ramp at its main entrance.
The Section 380/381 wheelchair seats themselves have a good view of the field, the bases, and the pitching mound. The only blind areas are in deep center field anywhere near or beyond the warning track. So you'll have to watch the Provision board for the replay of any catches made in this area. Speaking of the Provision system: the entire video and scoreboard array is clearly visible from these seats - something that cannot be said of the Kingome's wheelchair seating.
The music and PA announcer's voice comes through clearly over the speakers; the stadium is also equipped with an internal radio system and special headsets you can get from the Guest Services counter for those who need a little extra assistance.
One piece of advice: bring lots of clothes!
Opening Night 2000 in particular was as cold as a spring day in Juneau Alaska; even after bundling up with layers of coats and sweaters, I was still uncomfortably cold for most of that game. And don't let the month fool you either - I attended a game last August which felt almost as cold. By the time I got home, all I wanted to do was jack up the thermostat and start a hot bath.
Safeco Field isn't a shirtsleeve park until the temperature approaches 80 degrees. Much below that, you'd better bring a jacket and sweatpants. Below 70? Bring a parka. Below 60? Build an igloo and crawl into it.
Below 50? Watch the game on TV.
If you like taking pictures, Safeco Field abounds in great photo opportunities. The architecture is just beautiful, and some of the skylines viewable from the upper levels are just gorgeous.
The main level is filled with all kinds of great art; from the "bat lite", to the rose compass, to the license plate art, to the metal sculptures - Safeco Field is an art lover's paradise.
Food & beverages: I haven't yet had a chance to try Safeco Field's food and beverage selection, since by the time I've bought my ticket, there usually isn't any money left. Being in the low income category (under $5K a year gross) certainly doesn't help here. I always bring my own food, and fill a plastic cup out of the water fountain. If I'm extra lucky, I'll have enough to purchase a program.
The prices I have seen in passing though seem high: $4.50 for a bottle of Mountain Dew or Pepsi, $4.50 on up for hot dogs, and $5.00 for a cup of beer. The soda comes in 16oz bottles; I believe the beer is also 16oz.
I have noticed some pretty thick crowds around the food vendors; in some sections of the stadium, the wait appears to be around twenty minutes.
Parking: I have no practical experience or advice here either, since I don't own an automobile. I drive my motorized chair from my home in the Pike Place Market all the way to Safeco Field via the sidewalks; so parking is one expense I do not have to face.
As I understand, it can cost as much as $30 to get a prime parking space on some game dates.
Overall, Safeco Field is a great place to spend a SUNNY summer afternoon.
If you don't have a lot of money, buy the cheap seats and bring your own food. You can still enjoy a great baseball game as much as the next guy.
If you do have the money, then buy whatever seats suit your taste, buy as much food, beer, and souvenirs as you can, and just have a blast!
Bring extra clothing or blankets though.
I love this park so much, I devoted a webserver to it.
The link is available in my Profile for those interested.
Recommended:
Yes
Parking Availability: Better Get There Early
Seat Location: Outfield/Endzone
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Epinions.com ID:
telephony
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Member: Craig Johnson
Location: Federal Way WA. USA
Reviews written: 15
Trusted by: 3 members
About Me:
Collector of insulators, and destructor of flashlights, wheelchairs, & vacuums.
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