Stadium Tour- Safeco Field

​If a stadium changes names, does it now count as a different stadium?  I did not factor in this possibility when making my corny stadium chaser rules, but alas, here we are.  Safeco Field is no more.  Instead, as of this winter, we now have T-Mobile Park.  How much changes when a stadium name changes?  Obviously, the signs promoting Safeco will change, but beyond that, is there more than your basic upkeep renovations?  This is a real conundrum.

​However, when we did our field tour and series, it was still Safeco Field, so that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.  I’ve mentioned it before, but I love field tours.  Even in newer stadiums, you get to see the things that the builders put in to pay homage to the history of the city and the franchise.  Fenway will always be my favorite field tour (I’ve only been on it 5 times), but I also appreciate other franchises, for a couple of reasons.  One, I learn more about the team and the fanbase.  And second, I always have some realization about something I’ve never put much time into thinking about.  Sometimes it’s the team’s colors (like in Arizona, when I realized they were desert colors), or the logo (like in Pittsburgh when I realized the origin of the Steelers logo on the Pirates stadium tour).  This is time, is was the mascot.  I’d never actually considered what a Mariner was, so I certainly never looked to learn that it’s a sailor, which fits with the city.  This then lead to thinking about the logo and the team colors, which are also very fitting.  People put so much time into picking these things to fit perfectly with the city, and even I, an avid sports fan, look over them mindlessly until something breaks the cycle.  

​In terms of the tour itself, there were a ton of cool stops.  The atrium at the main entrance has a nifty baseball bat chandelier, which I got a picture of but does not do justice to how amazing it is and how much I need a miniature version for my house.  We got to go to the generic field tour stops, including the press box and dugout, although we don’t often get to go in the dugouts on game days, so that was a pleasant surprise.  One stop I’d never made before was the press room, where we got to sit where the players and coaches answer questions from the press, which was pretty cool.  My favorite stop, though, was at the Lookout Landing Bar area in left field.  We didn’t have tickets for any of the games in this area, but when we go back, I’d like to do at least one game out there.  Not only do you have an interesting view of the field, but you also can glance one way and look at the waterfront and all the barges and then glance the other way and see CenturyLink Stadium where the Sounders and Seahawks play.

The tour was cheap ($12 per person) and well run.  I definitely recommend buying your ticket ahead of time- I can only speak to game days, but our time slot was completely sold out.
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Ah, Safeco.  I barely knew thee.  Hopefully T-Mobile doesn’t change too much or turn everything pink.  There are too many good things about the stadium to go messing with it!