Bay Baseball Bites - Oakland Edition # 1
This year I got to celebrate the 4th of July by checking off another ballpark from my list - the Oakland Coliseum. I couldn’t imagine a better way to celebrate the holiday and enjoy it on the sunny side of the bay!
Oakland A’s versus Boston Red Sox - July 4th, 2021
Though I had tickets to watch this game somewhere in the 200 level on the 3rd base side, I ended up watching the whole game from the Treehouse patio area (as shown in the picture above). The Treehouse is a huge area of this ballpark with tiered rows of standing bars to watch the game from plus a huge indoor space that houses a large bar for all of your drink desires.
Since I spent the game up in the Treehouse, I’ll start there on my first review of the baseball bites at this ballpark!
Hanging out in the Treehouse
I loved spending my day at the Coliseum in the Treehouse. It felt homey and familiar (in some ways) to the ‘Pen back in Seattle at T-Mobile Park, but a better environment to actually watch a baseball game. Don’t get me wrong, the ‘Pen in Seattle can be great during certain games but it can easily become a rowdy and overly crowded place that makes it hard to fully take in the game.
The Treehouse with its tiered setup of rows makes it so even if you are in the back row, you will still be able to get a view of the field. The hooks built in underneath the bar tops are also a nice touch to make sure you can fit in your whole party but also keep track of your stuff and not have to worry about stepping on it throughout the game. And when it is a gorgeous sunny summer day, its a great way to catch some rays and watching the game play out.
Another perk of being in the Treehouse is that you have access to a huge indoor bar that is just steps away from where I watched the game, along with a smaller secondary bar that it set back with a more casual seating and standing area.
If you are interested in souvenir cups you’ll want to come up to the Treehouse to get the exclusive one that you will find here that is different from the others throughout the stadium.
Treehouse Exclusive Souvenir Cup
Different shape and design than you will find elsewhere, so you bet I took this one home!
Draft Beer Souvenir Cup
This is the souvenir draft beer cup that is sold throughout the rest of the stadium. Also couldn’t resist taking one of these home too.
Another beer-related exclusive that I believe is only available in the Treehouse is the Holy Toledo Blonde Ale from Golden Road Brewing. It is a nice, light, flavored easy-drinking beer with a spectacular name that connects you back to the A’s organization, which I always appreciate when beers have names that have true connections to those that will be drinking them.
I have been extremely positive on the Treehouse, and like I have said, it was such a great way to experience a game at the Coliseum. However, the one downfall that I have here is that there wasn’t anywhere close by that was open for food service. I understand that the stadium is still working with limited operations but I sure am glad that I grabbed food during batting practice from the main level to enjoy before finding myself sticking around here for the whole game.
TLC Chicken
Even though I did a whole lap around the concourse at the Coliseum before the game started to scope out all of the food options I just went with a ballpark comfort food classic with the chicken strips and fries from TLC Chicken. I was too hungry to take a picture of the food this time around, so you’ll just have to take my word for it that it is your better than average ballpark chicken strips and fries (in flavor, price, and size of serving). What I appreciate most about this offering is that you are given the choice of four or so dipping sauces to pair with your entree. Even though I was hungry, I could not finish all of the wonderfully seasoned salt and pepper fries on my own on top of all of the chicken I was given.
Mini Helmet of Ice Cream
During my early lap around the ballpark, I was on a mission to figure out where I would be able to track down a mini helmet of ice cream later in the day. I found the spot almost directly underneath the Treehouse on the main level of the ballpark. I forgot the name of the stand, but it is obvious when you get to it because it is the one specializing in ice cream and I did not find any other stand like it in the ballpark.
Mini A’s helmet filled with chocolate ice cream
I am trying to get a mini helmet of ice cream at every park that I visit so it was critical for me to secure one early on in my eventual continued visits to the Coliseum. I will say that this serving of ice cream in a helmet is different than anywhere else that I have been so far because it was an actual scoop of ice cream, not the swirl of soft serve that I have gotten every other time with my other mini helmets. I chose a scoop of chocolate on this sunny summer holiday.
Another noteworthy thing about this mini helmet is that the color scheme isn’t representative of what you see the players wearing on the field. The A’s players are wearing the helmets with the top half in the green, the yellow brim, and no outline on the “A’s” logo. I will have to pay more attention next time that I am at the park to see what color scheme is on the full-sized helmet nachos. Stay tuned as I report back on that later.
All in all, a great first experience taking in a new “home” ballpark for me. I stuck with some classic food choices this time around but cannot wait to report back on more things at the Coliseum, including those illusive food trucks that I heard about and saw teased on the video scoreboards.
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