Alright, so I had this idea stuck in my head – I really wanted to get a good aerial view of Petco Park. You see it in pictures all the time, right? Looks pretty cool from up high. I figured, how hard could it be?
First Thoughts
My first thought, maybe like a lot of folks, was maybe a drone? But honestly, dealing with the rules and regulations, especially around a big place like a stadium and downtown San Diego, just seemed like a massive headache. I looked into it briefly, saw all the no-fly zone stuff, potential permits, and just thought, nah, not worth the hassle for me. I just wanted a quick look, not start a new hobby or get tangled up in paperwork.
Then I thought about those helicopter tours. Yeah, that’d give a killer view for sure. But man, have you seen the prices? Way too steep for just wanting a peek at the ballpark from above. I wasn’t looking to make a whole day trip out of it, you know? Just satisfy my curiosity.
What I Actually Did
So, I went low-tech. I was downtown anyway, wandering around the East Village and Gaslamp Quarter. I just started looking up. There are quite a few tall buildings around Petco Park – mostly hotels and some newer apartment or condo towers.
My plan became simple:
- Find a tall hotel nearby.
- See if it had a rooftop bar or restaurant accessible to the public.
- If yes, go up, maybe grab a drink, and check out the view.
- If no public rooftop, sometimes you can just wander into a hotel lobby, hop in an elevator to a high floor, and peek out a hallway window. Not exactly encouraged, maybe, but hey, sometimes you gotta be resourceful.
I ended up spotting a hotel that looked promising, pretty close to the park. Walked in like I belonged there, found the elevator, and went up to one of the higher floors that wasn’t key-card restricted for guests only. Found a window at the end of a hallway facing the right direction.
And there it was. Not quite the perfect, straight-down drone shot you see online, but definitely an aerial perspective. You could see the whole field layout, the stands, the Western Metal Supply Co. building integrated into it, even parts of the Gaslamp and the bay beyond. It wasn’t fancy, didn’t cost me anything except a little bit of walking and nerve, but I got the view I was curious about.
Was It Worth It?
Yeah, I think so. It wasn’t some epic adventure, just a simple mission accomplished. Sometimes the straightforward approach works best. Didn’t need fancy tech or expensive tours. Just used my eyes and feet. Gave me a better sense of how the park sits in the city. Plus, felt kinda satisfying figuring out a simple solution without spending a bunch of cash or getting bogged down in rules. Sometimes the simple ‘practice’ is the best.
