Where the Pets Can’t Go (Most of the Time)

Home-plate entrance to Petco Park, Aug-2004.

A look in from the “Park in the Park”, Jul-2008.

From here, both the “Park in the Park” and the San Diego skyline are visible.

Chronological Tour: Stop 277

• Location: 10th Street and Imperial Avenue, San Diego, Calif. (map it using Google Maps)
• Opened: 2004
• Home team: San Diego Padres, Major League Baseball (2004-present)
• Capacity: 42,000

Rating: 4 baseballs

The park, which replaces San Diego Stadium as the home of the Padres, is located on the south end of the downtown section. This puts it on the other side of the tracks from the fairly new San Diego Convention Center, which is on the bayfront. The park incorporates one historic building beyond left field; fans walking around the whole park actually walk through the building into an exhibit area featuring the history of baseball in San Diego.

One attractive feature is the “park in the park”. Beyond the outfield wall and concourse is a park featuring a rising berm as well as a Little League-sized diamond where kids can hit pitches, Field of Dreams-style, before the game. The rest of downtown San Diego is visible beyond the “park”.

Fans entering through the main gate have to walk up a flight of stairs to the main concourse level. From there, escalators are provided to allow access to the upper deck. There are also plenty of stairwells, as well as sufficient handicapped access.

Like many new parks, Petco Park is in three levels. The main level is topped by a club level, followed by an upper deck. The press box is suspended above the club level. The appearance of the upper deck is broken up a little bit by large light standards which also contain a few luxury boxes.

While the stadium is sponsored by a pet-supply chain, most days service animals are the only pets allowed. However, at the first game I attended, the promotion was “The Dog Days of Summer”, on which dog owners brought their best friends along for a parade in the outfield before the game.

San Diego has a light-rail system known as the Trolley, and the ballpark is easily accessible off the Green Line at the Gaslamp Quarter station (a one-block walk) or from other lines at the 12th and Imperial station (a two-block walk).

In 2020, when the season was drastically shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Petco Park hosted two rounds of neutral-site playoffs that resulted in the Tampa Bay Rays advancing to a neutral-site World Series played in the newest MLB park, in Arlington, Texas.