Visting Seattle / Sounders Game Info Thread

I thought we had a "coming to seattle" thread, but doesn't look like it has made the transition yet and/or it disappeared into the ether. Either way, might as well start a new one

Sounders Info:

Here's the current seating chart for CenturyLink Field:



Where to park:
- There is covered parking at the 4th Ave S, near the King Street Station of Amtrak/Sounder trains. There is also another covered parking at the Wamu theater (Entrance is at S Royal Brougham Way). Rates are dependent on the opponent but are usually around $20.
- If the Mariners aren't playing, the Safeco field is also open for covered parking (Entrance is at Edgar Martinez Dr S). Rates are around $10.
- If you prefer shorter walks and wont mind rain pouring down on your car, the Northern parking lot of CLink is better (Entrance is at S King St/2nd Ave S). This is also a preferred parking lots for Electric Vehicles as there is a charging station here. Rates are around $25.
- If you don't mind tight parking, there are some small lots beside 1st Ave S. Rates vary per lot but most lots range between $10-$20.
- If you feel lucky and don't mind a hike, there is a lot of street parking around CenturyLink, some of it is free, but some is also pay. Seattle does not have meters for each spot, so just because you don't see a meter it does not mean that spot is free. Look for a nearby pay station. They look like skinny, green ATM machines and are generally clearly marked with signs.

Where to sit:

Away fans:
- Visiting fans for most games sit in section 203 and the upper portion for the 300 level sections are closed for most MLS games, with only the smaller "lodge" sections open.
- You will most likely want to stay away from sections 120 through 123 as those are the Supporters Sections. These sections are also considered obstructed view as ECS does hoist flags, banners, and two poles periodically throughout the game.

Home fans:
- All 100 level seats are standing seats, so if you are unable to stand for the entire game, you don't want to be in these sections. Prepare to be laughed at if you ask anyone standing in front of you to sit.
- 120 through 123 is where Gorilla FC and ECS stand, so if you want to join in on the singing and chanting, you may wish to head there.
- Scattered around the dark green sections on the left side of the image (100, 144-151) is where you'll find the North End Fellowship. They generally aren't as active as ECS and GFC, but will occasionally have pre-game tifo.
- The 200 level club seats (205-213,231-239) and 300 level seats are sitting sections, but you may, on occasion, have someone standing in front of you. If that is the case, it is okay to ask them to sit, or have an usher to ask them to sit if you aren't comfortable doing that.
- That wedge shaped seating section on the left of the image (146, 147, 149, 150) is the Hawk's nest. It is a metal bleacher section and quite steep, this is a newly opened area of the stadium so they are still working out the sitting vs. standing situation.

 

Arriving in Seattle/how to get to a Sounders game:

If you are flying into Seattle and only plan on going to a Sounders game and/or visiting downtown tourist attractions, you probably won't need to rent a car. There is a light rail station just outside the airport terminal on the back end of the parking garage:



The light rail line runs directly to downtown Seattle and there is a stop by CenturyLink Field that you can use. If you're going to CenturyLink Field via light rail make sure that you get off at King Station/International District stop and not the Stadium Station as King Station is closer to CenturyLink than the Stadium Station is.

Where to stay:
There are a number of different hotels in downtown Seattle and most of them are reasonably inexpensive. Silver Cloud has a hotel that is literally across the street from CenturyLink, but there are many others in downtown if you're visiting Seattle for more than just a Sounders game.

Where to hang out pre/post-game:
Just north of CenturyLink Field is an area of Seattle called Pioneer Square. This is one of the "night life" areas of Seattle and there are a number of bars here that will cater to your drinking and eating needs. Just be aware that Fuel, McCoys, and Fado are where the Sounders SGs meet pre/post game, so if you're an away fan, you may wish to avoid these bars, if only because they will be packed to the point of overflow. If you want to join the March to the Match, Pioneer Square is where this starts 60 minutes before kick-off.

Where to eat:
Seattle has turned into a bit of a foody city and there are a number of good restaurants in downtown Seattle. Sites like Yelp.com can help you find restaurants. Being a coastal city there are a number of good seafood restaurants, the ones on the Seattle waterfront cater to tourists, so you can get a decent meal and have a nice view while you eat.

Where to visit:
If you're coming to Seattle as a tourist, the prerequisite spots to visit are the Space Needle, Seattle Center, and Monorail. These are all remnants of the 1962 Seattle World's Fair that largely put Seattle on the map. Pike Place Market is another location that is extremely popular and is where you'll find the famous Flying Fish. The Seattle Waterfront is also a popular stop for tourists. The Seattle Art Museum is a good way to spend an afternoon and there are a number of other museums in Seattle you can hit up as well. If you have kids the Pacific Science Center is a must stop, IMHO. Also, if you're going to be in Pioneer Square to see the game anyways, don't miss the Underground Tour. There really isn't much to see, but the tour guides are generally quite amusing and they'll fill you in on all the dirt about the early days in Seattle.

 

The above two posts aren't meant to be exhaustive. If anyone has anymore suggestions, feel free to add to this thread. Depending on my mood I'll either add it to the posts above, of just leave the post as a stand alone.

 

Visiting fans sit in section 203 (see above map). If you want seats in that section, I'd suggest calling the Sounders ticket office at 1-877-657-4625 and asking about away section seats. They usually reserve 100 or so and might have some left. The Galaxy fans usually come in decent numbers and they might have claimed all the tickets, but you never know.

 

Yeah, if there are any left, they'll be reserved and won't show on the site. They won't come available on TicketBastard until a week or two prior to the game.

 

TicketMaster. The Sounders sell their tickets through them and they add exorbitant fees upon the price of the tickets. They also, invariably, have a complete cock-up on selling Sounders tickets at least once or twice a season.

 

There should be plenty of tickets available for the Chelsea game. They've only sold 49,000 so far, so that means about 18,000 are still available. Also note that probably around 30,000 of the 49,000 are season ticket holders who had the game included in their ST package, so only about 19,000 or so bought tickets outside of the ST package. You might also keep an eye on Living Social and other similar sites. The Sounders just sold out a deal on there for $35 tickets, which is about half price of the going rate for the Chelsea game.

I'd suggest staying downtown, the price difference in the hotels between inside the city and outside the city will most likely be offset by the cost of renting the car, gas, and parking. If you are staying downtown and only plan on visiting the downtown attractions, I wouldn't worry about renting a car. You can take light rail from the airport to downtown, just make sure to ask the hotel which stop you need to get off at. Most attraction will also be within walking distance, or you can just jump on a bus and it will be a short ride. The ride free zone is still in place and that covers the downtown core and if the downtown attraction isn't in the free zone, it is only a few blocks outside of it.

Backpacks are allowed in the stadium, but it has to be "searched" before they'll let you take it in. You can also bring in outside food and drink, but the drinks can not be open or they make you dump out the contents. There are a ton of vendors outside CenturyLink so if you're thinking of getting food and/or water/soda, make sure to bring some cash and get it outside the stadium and take it in.

 

Ah, if you're driving anyways, then staying outside is definitely an option. But yes, the Silver Cloud is expensive, but it is literally across the street from the stadium. It should be a good time for you. If you aren't going to be wearing Chelsea colors, you might consider partaking in the march to the match. Not that anything bad will happen if you're wearing Chelsea colors, but you'll get a lot of heckling and it might be a little less enjoyable than if you weren't.

 

Hit Fuel an hour or two prior to the game and you'll find someone more than willing to hook you up with goodies.

http://www.fuelseattle.com/

 

You might try talking to wheezl. He's also American that lives in Italy that is a Sounders fan. He seems to know how to watch MLS live.