Notes from San Francisco before Game 2 of NLDS

SAN FRANCISCO - Everybody take a deep breath. The Reds pulled out a win in Game 1 and despite the injury to starting ace Johnny Cueto, one win in a five-game series sets the team up for success.

In coming down to the ballpark Saturday, I took the long way just to see what the pre-game atmosphere was like, and the areas immediately around AT&T Park were hoppin'.

AT&T Park is on the Bay, so it leaves only a few main roads to get to the ballpark.

There is King Street, which is immediately parallel to the stadium, then there are 2nd and 3rd streets, which run all the way to the downtown area for straight, easy access to get to the ballpark.

It's similar to Great American Ball Park in that there is only one side to really enter to the ballpark, that being the side that faces downtown.

What the Giants and the city of San Francisco have done is set up a baseball fan haven around those three main entrances.

The many railcars that run through the city all culminate at a couple of stations on 3rd Street and 2nd Street. It makes it super convenient if you live on the other side of town, or even if you just live a mile away. All you'd have to do is walk out of your home, catch a railcar and the night is yours to not worry about car keys.

There is very limited parking in the areas around the ballpark, and it seems very intentional that it is that way. I counted one lot that was about a half-mile away from the park, and it held 200 cars at best. That's a general theme for this city, minimal parking, more public transportation and a whole lot of bikes.

2nd Street seems to be where the real ruckus happens. There are at least six bars/restaurants spread out within a half-mile as you walk from downtown to the ballpark. Same on King Street, there are about four bars/restaurants right across the street from the stadium, which allows easy pre-game gathering spots and even better post-game reveling spots.

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It reminds me of what Cincinnati is trying to do with The Banks, and they're succeeding. With the Holy Grail now a mainstay of the Queen City, the Moerlein Lager House always packed before a weekend game, and with Crave and Toby Keith's coming along, it's created a much friendlier experience rather than coming downtown just for a ballgame, which for the folks that live up north in Butler and Warren counties can be more of a hassle than fun.

The more than five percent fan attendance increase in 2012 speaks to that, and going to a Reds game has become an experience, not just 27 outs on the diamond.

Unfortunately for Cincinnati, its residents are just too spread out for any real constructive public transportation system, but even having a future streetcar allot a stop near a large parking area could make the commute to and from easier. But that debate enters a realm separate from sports and entertainment to fund it. Commence streetcar arguments!

First pitch for Game 2 is again at 9:37 p.m. EDT. The game can be seen on TBS and we'll carry LIVE updates here on WCPO.com.