May 25-  Enjoy Baseball?  Want to see a ballpark that offers a great experience?  The Seattle Mariners and Safeco Field won’t disappoint…at least not this day with a win (5-3) vs. the Detroit Tigers.  www.seattlemariners.com

Safeco Field is a terrific ballpark for baseball.  It offers a view of the downtown Seattle skyline, the ability to watch the pitchers in the bullpen up close and personal and  .  It features a comprehensive, state-of-the art scoreboard system and a one-of-kind retractable roof (designed to cover not enclose the ballpark).  The Mariner Moose…the Mariners mascot, can be seen around the ballpark, in the stands, and in the Moose Den (at certain times during each game).  Take note of your surroundings as the Art in the Park is varied and impressive.  My particular favorite is the “quilt” made of license plates, discarded pop cans and other metals.  Also, located at the Home Plate Gate, a sculpture (chandelier) made of baseball bats.

A wide assortment of food vendors can be found here – Thai, sushi (including the famous Ichiroll), hot dogs, pizza, soft pretzels, microbrews, organic/veggie selections, Mexican fare, BBQ, Ivar’s seafood,  Kidd Valley burgers… and the garlic fries with the can’t miss aroma, Shishkaberry (chocolate covered strawberries on a stick), and of course the typical ballpark fare (along with some surprises). The club level offers the Terrace Club, specialty food selections, suites, and the Hit It Here Cafe.  The third level offers sweeping views of the Olympic Mountains, Seattle and Puget Sound.

 An ongoing suggestion:  more rock music…although I did like “If you’re happy and you know it clap your hands” 🙂

Prior to the game, we enjoyed Taco Tuesday (in the bar from 4-6 pm) at Elysian Fields.  It is located in the Stadium District (with two other locations around Seattle).  The restaurant has windowed garage doors that open to its patio which adds to the atmosphere during the nice weather.  The beer selection consists of beer from Elysian Brewing (I liked the Mens Room Original Red (KISW radio)) as well as a variety of “guest” beer.  The menu doesn’t fail to impress. On certain game nights, Elysian Fields has a special/limited bar menu and on the regular menu, a number of items have been tried (and enjoyed)…steamed mussels (or clams), steak sandwich (or salad), and the hamburger is a continued favorite.  http://www.elysianbrewing.com/elysianfields.html