Seeking Advice on a California Tour

My wife and I, both retired, live in Pennsylvania. We have 10 of the 30 MLB parks tucked away already and are planning to tackle all five California parks next season.

We welcome any advice folks have on the most efficient way to get through San Diego, Los Angeles, Oakland, and San Francisco.

We will likely finish our tour with a trip up to Seattle (visiting the wife's longtime friend) and take in the Mariners, too.

Is adding the Diamondbacks before California smart or silly? We were thinking the D-backs could be lumped in with the two Texas teams for a different trip, but we weren't sure.

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Permalink Reply by Craig (17) 20 hours ago

Thanks for posting, Malcolm! Are you a member of our facebook group? We have over 90k members there and you will receive a lot of help! Unfortunately, this main site doesn't get the traffic anymore and we will be shutting it down in the coming weeks.

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Permalink Reply by Malcolm B McKinsey 16 hours ago

Got it --- joined today!

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Permalink Reply by Dave Andrade 8 hours ago

Hi Malcolm,

I live in North County San Diego. There are multiple ways to navigate the 5 ballparks in California.

If you flew into SD, you could rent a car and hit all five ballparks, starting in SD, then traveling to Anaheim, Dodger Stadium, then drive from there to Sacramento and over to San Francisco. That would probably be the easiest way.

But you could also ride Mass Transit to get from ball park to ball park. There is a shuttle from the airport into downtown SD. Depending on where you stay, there are trains or busses that go right to Petco Park.

You can also ride Amtrak to Anaheim and Dodger Stadium. Amtrak has a stop right next to the Big A. In Los Angeles, the train stops at Union Station Downtown. From there, there is a free shuttle that takes you right to Dodger Stadium and then back to Union Station after the game.

There is also a great place to eat within walking distance of Union Station. Lots of people go to Philippe's after the game for good roast beef sandwiches.

I have never liked paying for parking so I have not driven to Petco. I usually take SD Transits Coaster train. It costs me $7.50 for an all-day senior pass that takes me from North County right to the Petco Park with views of the Pacific Ocean.

I used the train and free shuttle when I went to Dodger Stadium earlier this year. When I have driven by car in previous visits I parked outside the parking gates. There are some streets that line the parking lot where I have always parked for free. You then have a bit of a walk to get to the stadium, but I don't mind walking and coming out after the game I usually walked pass the lines of cars trying to get out of the parking lot.

You could drive or fly from Los Angeles to Northern California and then from there go to Seattle.

I recommend you try the The Tower Restaurant in Sacramento. Great for breakfast and they have the best Jerk Chicken I've ever had. They also have fabulous desserts.

One time we had a work group of maybe 12 people go to dinner there. We each ordered a different dessert. Then passed them around the table so everyone could try the variety.

Best of luck on your journey to the West Coast.

Dave Andrade