Opening Day, for the only professional sports team that San Diego has left, is upon us! I know that the Bolts (Chargers) leaving for LA is still a painful topic for a lot of San Diegans, but here’s to hoping we see even more support for our loyal padres this year at PetCo Park. This is my 4^th year kicking off the Padres season in my beloved East Village neighborhood, so I feel pretty qualified to share the best go-to places to enjoy some good ol’ fashion baseball pastimes.

Opening Day has historically sold out and all of East Village is blazing with excitement with anyone who comes out for the fun, even if they don’t have tickets to the game! Here are 4 of my favorite ways to pass time before, during and after the first pitch of 2017 is thrown.

The 7th Annual East Village Opening Day Block party! This free tailgating event is family friendly & hosts everything to entertain you from games & activities to great local food & craft beer! There’s an impressive list of vendors to check out and it’s an awesome way to experience Padres Opening Day and Downtown San Diego in one jam-packed event!

Friday, April 7th, 2017 from 10 am to 6:30 pm 
J Street between 6th and 10th Avenue
FREE block party admission; ballgame tickets sold separately

Outside of the block party you’ll find all the local restaurants and business have their doors open for locals and out-of-towners to join in on the festivities. Some business host free food and drinks for those guests of drinking age… and you will find some bars and restaurants hosting specials for the day as well.

A popular spot to get into the ball game spirit is Basic Pizza & Bar. The open garage doors help bring the party and excitement onto the street and draws in the locals as well as new faces. Here you’ll find great pizza and beer, a pool table and a lively crowd of fans from both teams. 

If you’re interested in engaging in some competitive bar games, you can walk over to The Deck. This bar has a fun atmosphere for bar gamers of all kinds. Some of the games available are CornHole, shuffle board, foosball, ping pong and even a giant beer pong game! This is a great place to watch the game and engage in some friendly competition with your friends or even some people you may have never met before.

Altitude Sky Lounge is for anyone who may have been a little late to the ticket game, but is still hoping to catch the live action play by play from above PetCo. This rooftop bar posted up on the top level of the Marriott is a great place to enjoy the weather, great food and drinks without having to be so lucky to have a ticket for Opening Day. I would imagine this venue fills up to capacity pretty quickly, so you’ll want to arrive early or call ahead for a spot here!

We’ve had an unusual amount of much-needed rain and it’s starting to look like we will see the sunny skies and warm weather that San Diego is famous for! I couldn’t be more excited to kick-off the spring and try to experience all 4 of these Opening Day options… If you see me, be sure to say hello and tell me how you liked my blog!

Click HERE to check out listings available around the BallPark!

Nicole Justice