Following on from last years trip up north, taking in the San Francisco Giants and San Jose Earthquakes, it was time to knock out another couple of Bay area legends in the San Francisco 49ers and the Golden State Warriors.
I had my old mate Rich Kendall from back home who lives in the city, for company again. Rich's son William who is 9, is a big 49ers fan so the Sunday night nationally televised game against my mighty Chargers was a no brainer for us both.
I drove up on the Friday morning, taking the opportunity to knock out some business in San Jose, before checking into my hotel in Santa Clara, close to the home of the 49ers, Levi's Stadium.
Opened in 2014, Levi's cost $1.3b to build and provided a new home for the Niners after a move away from the iconic Candlestick Park.
After failing to reach an agreement with the city of San Francisco for a new stadium closer to downtown, the franchise opted to relocate 40 miles south to the city of Santa Clara, surrounded by the tech giants of Silicon Valley.
From the outside it's a tidy stadium, not overwhelmingly big and has a nice partial view inside of it from the street, which certainly wetted my appetite.
I was surprised at how accessible it was to walk up to, I even cheekily tried to trespass a couple of times but was unsuccessful. That's ok, I'd be back for the real thing in 48 hours.
I was tired after a long day of driving and having my business head on so I retired for the evening at my hotel.
The next morning I had a dreadful experience at a Denny's in nearby Sunnyvale where I bemoaned quietly to myself the difficulty of getting a decent cup of tea in America.
Due to some language barriers I was provided with some milk at the third time of asking, but no spoon. After finally grabbing someone's attention to ask for a spoon, whilst pointing at my tea to make it obvious what I was looking to do, the confused looking waitress went away and came back with...a knife and fork.
Anyway, after spending over $20 on an average tasting breakfast and having to stir my tea with a fucking knife, I decided to take the 40 or so mile drive to the coast and a place I've never been to before, Santa Cruz.
I took a breathtaking walk in Wilder Ranch State Park, along the coastal cliffs before heading into downtown, taking in the famous Boardwalk and some magnificent Clam Chowder in a bread bowl on the pier.
A great way to kill a day before the main event.
Game day rolled around and after a much more satisfying breakfast (and cheaper) at the hotel - and a bit of work and multiple sports on TV - Rich and young William picked me up on the way to the stadium.
The 49ers went into this game with a record of 4-4. After starting the season with the exciting young Trey Lance at quarterback, an ankle injury in September opened the door for the handsome veteran Jimmy Garoppolo. The Niners had plenty of explosive offensive weapons in Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and newly acquired running back Christian McCaffrey and went into this game as the betting favourites. That was mostly down to the 5-3 Chargers being ravaged by injury as they have so often been in the past. Star quarterback Justin Herbert was playing with a rib injury, presumably with game time injections to null the pain every week. Despite that he was still playing well enough, albeit clearly with some limitations.
Both starting wide receivers, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams were out plus defensive stud Joey Bosa along with other starters.
Yet, the Chargers always seem to put up a fight regardless of the circumstances and tonight promised to be electric, under the lights and beamed across the world in Primetime.
Upon arriving at the stadium, we checked out the Niners museum which was very nicely put together and a reminder of the legacy of an iconic American franchise.
Ironically their last Super Bowl victory came back in 1995, a 49-26 rout against non other than tonight's opponents.
Levi's stadium feels intimate, not as big as some of the other newer builds in the NFL but nicely designed with great food options. I had a lovely bacon and cheddar bratwurst before the game and we enjoyed a beer on one of the many terraces.
I was decked out in full Chargers gear which is perfectly acceptable in the NFL although depending on the opponents will determine how warm the welcome is.
I was perhaps spoilt by my experience in Kansas City and shouldn't compare other fan bases to the respectful and classy Chiefs fans but I probably will anyway.
Our seats were on the third tier, of which there a four tiers at most points in the stadium. This particular part of the stadium at one endzone stops at the third, with only five rows of seats and a terrace bar on the concourse immediately above.
Right before kick off there was the usual over-the-top razzmatazz but very enjoyable non the less. Some kind of military personnel team parachuted onto the field followed by fireworks and a flag that covered the entire field for the national anthem.
As the sun set in the distance, the air was crisp and an electric atmosphere carried into the first drive as the Chargers started with the ball.
Justin Herbert quietened the crowd by driving down the field and connecting with DeAndre Carter for the opening touchdown. The Chargers were here for business and it was the perfect start.
The home fans were fairly subdued for the rest of the half. Their team couldn't get going on offense and a few field goals with a Jimmy G quarterback sneak reply, saw the Chargers go into the break with a 16-10 lead.
At this point let me share some downsides of an otherwise fantastic stadium from a visitors perspective.
Firstly the restroom situation is appalling. For a fairly new stadium there simply isn't enough of them, they are too small and long lines formed for the mens toilets constantly throughout the game. If they'd thought that through better, those lines would only form at half time but it's non stop and once inside well, I can only compare it to visiting a monkey enclosure at the zoo.
The late kick off time could have played into that from a drinking perspective but sadly from my experience it wasn't unusual, especially in California. Often the lowest denominator of male sports fan is in attendance, knuckles dragging on the piss stained floor, barely able to put a coherent sentence together. Boozed up to the eyeballs, one wrong look or comment from a visitor like me and I would have been in trouble.
It felt very "Raiders" to me. Toxic masculinity and a general low class vibe. A world away from Kansas City (told you I was going to do that).
One guy in our section was ejected in the second half for constantly messing with a unsupervised TV camera, turning it to film himself and his unsavory group of fellow apes.
Earlier in the game, he had "jokingly" called me a "motherfucker" on his way past me, to which I politely smiled. I suspect if I'd have called him a motherfucker back, I may have been writing this from a hospital bed.
Fan disorder is on the rise in the US, you only have to go on social media and you'll find fights galore in the stands, some horrificly violent with people getting knocked out cold and falling down flights of stairs and rows of seats. I have to question the sanity of allowing drinking at seats but as my Chargers ticket rep confirmed to be recently when I asked a bunch of finance related NFL questions, every team in the NFL equally shares in the sales of everything, from merchandise, ticket sales, food and drink. It's ironically the ultimate socialist system mixed with excessive corporate greed.
The outrageous price of a simple can of beer, often as high as $20 only benefit the league and each franchise handsomely.
I wouldn't take my eight year old son to an NFL game, even though I've considered it many times but probably only for a low key opponent at SoFi, with a lower risk of conflict. And that's sad I think. For all the hooligan problems that European soccer has suffered down the years, in England at least it seems young kids are on the rise at games and a great family experience can generally be had in the right circumstance. I have many friends now at an age where they take their kids and have a really positive experience.
You don't see many kids at NFL games and it's no surprise.
This may all sound like a bit stick in the mud, which some will find ironic considering my youthful exuberance in the past. I appreciate the allure of an NFL game for many is the day long tailgating and general party vibe but perhaps I've reached an age where that kind of culture is becoming less attractive and honestly (and shockingly), almost to a point where future season tickets may need to be reassessed. The percentage of enjoyable experiences I'm having is very close to the percentage of not so enjoyable ones
Back to the game and it was all downhill for the Chargers in the second half unfortunately. It was their turn to struggle on offense as the Niners nudged themselves ahead half way through the fourth quarter through Christian McCaffrey.
The Niners defense stood firm to claim a much needed 22-16 win.
The home fans only truly found their voice towards the end and the celebrations coming out of the stadium felt a little over the top for the occasion. You just beat a banged up Chargers team in a regular season game, let's not get too excited here.
I expected defeat before the game due to injuries but fully fit and healthy we are better than them. Unfortunately there's no points on offer for ifs and buts.
The following day after getting some remote work done at the hotel, I took a drive over the Golden Gate Bridge to the small town of Sausalito.
It sits around the corner from the east side of the bridge with a number of quaint cafes and restaurants with a stunning view back across the bay to downtown. I had the nicest BLT I think I've ever had in my life and then took a further drive back towards the bridge to Fort Baker.
An even more stunning view can be enjoyed from there. There are few finer sights on the planet in my opinion than the Golden Gate Bridge on a nice day.
One last stop on the other side of the bridge, a vantage point Rich had taken me to last year which was as stunning as I had remembered it.
That evening we headed downtown, grabbed some great food and beers at a place called New Belgium Brewing, in the Mission Bay district, inbetween Oracle Park and Chase Center, home of the current NBA Champions Golden State Warriors.
Chase Center opened in late 2019 which tells you that a lot of expense went into just a handful of events before it all came to a staggering halt.
It's a magnificent arena that fittingly feels like a massive bank lobby when you first walk in.
Tonight the Warriors, after a shaky start to the new NBA season were taking on the San Antonio Spurs, who are pretty dreadful with no star names that I knew of these days but still coached by the legendary Gregg Popovich.
The first thing that you notice when you walk into the stands is the absolutely gigantic jumbotron. Ludicrously big, It's almost like a digital spaceship casually hanging from the ceiling.
We grabbed a couple of $18 cans of Modelo and sat in comfort on the front row of the top section. Very spacious, very clean, very sleek. I couldn't help notice the private doors in the top level corporate suites which I've never seen before.
The game was an easy stroll for the reigning champions. Jordan Poole the star of the show with 36 points.
I'm not an avid basketball fan but every time I go to a game it's incredible to see up close and personal, the immense talent and athleticism of top tier NBA players.
The Warriors ran out 132-95 winners and are starting to click into gear and send an ominous sign to the rest of the league.
Another great weekend in one of my favorite cities in the world.
Great to see Rich again, it's nice having an old mate close by in the same state.
I was up early the next morning for a long drive home. The sunrise over the city providing a fond farewell and a promise from me of a swift return.
