Go Above and Bay-ond
Jun 21, 2021, 3:31 PM | Updated: 3:38 pm
Game 4: Seattle at San Francisco, Oct. 3, 1:05 p.m.
SPONSORED CONTENT – Ever had a friend’s house that seemed so comfortable that you felt like you were at home?
That’s how Seattle feels about San Francisco. Well, Santa Clara. Because in the seven years since Levi’s Stadium opened, Seattle has won six of the seven games played there and absolutely relished the fact that they have done so.
A pair of Seattle players – including Alaska Air’s Chief Football Officer Russell Wilson – were provided a turkey at midfield by the television crew after Seattle won a prime-time game played on Thanksgiving in 2014. That was actually Seattle’s first regular-season game in the new stadium, and it’s only gotten more dramatic since then. Seattle has won in overtime, too. That was in 2019 on a game that included a painful place-kicking miss by San Francisco.
Plus, this is an easy trip. That’s not a comment on the level of difficulty of the game, but on the geographic fact that this is Seattle’s closest opponent. It’s a two-hour flight and Alaska Airlines gives you a choice of three different airports in San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose, the last of which is actually the closest to Levi’s Field.
October is an absolutely beautiful month in San Francisco, a perfect time to see the city whether it’s a walk up to Coit Tower, catching beautiful views of downtown, a tour of Golden Gate Park or – my favorite – the Bay Ridge Trail located up on the San Francisco Presidio.
Wine country is just up to the North, the beach is out to the West with Santa Cruz, the Beach Boardwalk and the surf lineup at Steamer’s Lane less than 90 miles away.
I didn’t get to see a game the first time I flew to the Bay Area.
I made it into the stadium, however. This was Candlestick Park, which was known for the swirling winds and frigid temperatures. And as we were waiting for Game 3 to begin of baseball’s championship series to begin in 1989 and everything started shaking. I thought the crowd was getting loud, trying to urge San Francisco to rally from its 2-0 whole in the series. Nope. Earthquake. A big one: Loma Prieta Earthquake. The game was delayed and I flew back to Oregon with one heck of a story.
The pro football team has moved to more modern digs since then. There’s no wind, and Seattle has managed to find a whole lot of success since that stadium opened.
Arrival: The closest airport to San Francisco’s stadium is actually San Jose (SJC), and Alaska Airlines has at least six direct flights each day from Sea-Tac. You can also fly into San Francisco (SFO) or even to Oakland (OAK). If you want to start out with a few days in wine country, you can fly into Santa Rosa (STS) and drive north.
Stadium: Levi’s Stadium is in Santa Clara right next to Great America. The field is closer to San Jose than it is to San Francisco, which is something that’s very funny to remind San Francisco fans about.
Last time here: Jan. 3, 2021, Seattle 26, San Francisco 23. Seattle is 6-1 since Levi’s Field opened, making themselves right at home.
Dining: Brown Sugar Kitchen (2435 Mandela Parkway, Oakland, 510.839.7685), In-n-Out Burger with multiple locations.
