living in luxury (boxes)

Last week, some friends invited me to join them in their ultra-discounted luxury box at the A's vs Angels game.

I'm not a particularly huge baseball fan; I usually go to games at most 3-4 times a year. But, the luxury box experience isn't exactly the same as sitting in a normal seat, where you run the risk of getting beer spilled on you or getting sunburned. In fact, I didn't hesitate for a second; I'd sat in a luxury box once before (at a Raiders game, also at the Oakland Coliseum) and remembered the bank of TVs, with access to all other concurrent games, the large sitting room area, and the stats printouts that the concierge brought after every quarter.

We didn't get the printouts (maybe they were just for football?) but the space was even nicer than I remembered; I'd forgotten about the in-suite bathroom and full kitchen, which turned out to be useful for pouring margaritas and sharing junk food. The game was pretty good too; close up until the eighth, when the A's broke things wide open with a five-run rally. Vlad hit two home runs, which made several fantasy baseball players in our box very happy, and we got to see Huston Street coming back from his injury (he pitched the seventh).

Here's the view from our box into the next box:


Here's someone in our group mistaking the TV for a touchscreen:


Here's a shot of us hanging out in the sitting area: