| 29 April 2009
(Author's note: This is just one man's unbiased, impartial view of Citi Field. In no way am I implying that I am speaking for all Mets fans. Just my thoughts)
After surviving a brutally cold winter in the northeast, last Sunday was one of those beautiful spring days that made it all worth it.
Upon waking up, I decided that rather than doing the original productive things I had planned, namely sitting around and watching re-runs of King of the Hill until the NBA playoffs started, I wanted to d something productive, and something outdoors.
Maybe go for a hike? Nope, after a winter of sitting on the couch, my lung capacity wasn’t nearly there. Play some hoops? Not really interested in breaking a sweat. How about go to the Mets game? I can sit around, and eat and be outside all at the same time. It’s official, I’m a genius.
After phoning a few friends, me and my buddy Rosa were on our way, without directions, and no tickets in hand, just a few hours before the first pitch.
We did get there right in time, and with it came all the excitement of going to a new stadium for the first time. There were the shiny new signs, and bright new lights, as well as the highs and lows of an afternoon at the park.
Overall it was a great day, but it would have been nice to have a game-plan going in. So with it, I decided to do a little write-up for all you Mets fans out there who may not have made your first excursion to the new park yet.
Here it is folks: Your Idiots Guide to Citi Field
Do: Take Public Transportation If Possible- According to a friend, to get to Citi Field you simply need to take the 7 train from Grand Central. I confirmed this fact via my old pal the internet, and I promise you this is absolutely the best way to go.
Of course despite the advice, we chose to drive in anyways, eschewing the expert opinion of others, for the novelty of the unknown. For a Sunday afternoon the traffic on the Grand Central Parkway was minimal (a plus), but also where the confusion began.
With two exits (22a and 22b) claiming they can get you to Citi Field, it seemed like getting to the stadium would be a breeze. That is, until you actually got off the exits.
Once in Queens, all hell broke loose.
It wasn’t because of the friendly locals (who were more than helpful), but because the signage pointing toward the stadium was arguably the worst I’ve ever seen.
Every direction we went, there were signs pointing toward Citi Field straight ahead. Take a left, Citi Field straight ahead. Go two blocks down, Citi Field straight ahead. Go back in the direction you came, you guessed it, Citi Field straight ahead
I’m sorry but when you take two exits, four turns off each exit, and every sign points to Citi Field straight ahead, someone made an error. It shouldn’t be particularly difficult to find a 42,000 seat stadium, no matter what neighborhood you’re in.
After seeing the same sign for the umpteenth time, we joked that whoever put up the signs had to be on some kind of narcotics. I later rescinded that statement, because even someone on drugs would take more pride in their work. I have zero understanding who approved this work, but my guess is that the whole staff involved knew they were getting fired at the end of the shift and wanted to have some fun. That’s all I’ve got.
Regardless, Flushing is also blessed with some of the nicest locals you’ll find anywhere. It took two or three stops to ask questions, but we did finally get to the stadium, and it was because of the citizens in the surrounding community.
The point I’m trying to make is two-fold:
1) When building a stadium, don’t fire anyone until after the work is complete2) Take the train to Citi Field if at all possible.
Do: Purchase Your Tickets in Advance- Granted, we decided to go to the game at the last minute, on one of the nicest days of the year. But if and when I plan another excursion to Queens, I will make sure to do so in advance.
Upon arriving at the gates, there were about 8-10 windows just for tickets. Being a new stadium, the staff was more than friendly in pointing us to the correct spot.
However, once there, we found out that the only tickets that were left in pairs were $100 each. Now again, this was our own fault for getting to the game at the last minute, I want to make it clear that we have no one to blame but ourselves.
Luckily being the savvy sports fans that we are, we decided to buy two single tickets, at less than half the price of $48 a piece. No we wouldn’t be seated together, but we’d worry about it once we got in the stadium.
A quick scare happened when I got to the window and they momentarily ran out of tickets in the $48 price range. Luckily my friendly attendant and I stayed calm, he punched a few things in his computer, and bam, another reappeared.
Before leaving, we asked the attendant whether getting to the stadium an hour earlier would have gotten us cheaper tickets, to which he replied, not really, most of the cheap ones were sold in advance or right when the windows opened.
I followed up by asking him, if we were looking for cheaper tickets, how we could get them day of game (author’s note: in the history of follow-up questions, this maybe the dumbest one ever)?
His answer? He looked at me like I had just asked him to borrow a clean urine sample and responded, “Buy them in advance.”
Well there you have it.
Don’t: Stress About the Prices- Yes, I just mentioned that I paid $48 for a single ticket, but I also arrived just a few minutes before the opening pitch. Once again, if there’s anything you can take from this article, it’s whatever I do, choose the opposite approach and you’ll be just fine.
According to the Mets website you can get into the stadium for as cheaply as $11, and this is an option you should take full advantage of. I know that you’re looking to impress the new girl in the office or the kids when it’s your weekend to have them, but trust me, it simply isn’t worth paying a ton of money for the extra good seats.
There are two reasons why:
One, Citi Field, like other new ballparks, was built with sightlines in mind. From my understanding, there is no intention of ever playing football or hosting many other events there (maybe a concert or two), so it was specifically constructed so that every seat in the house has the best possible view to the baseball action on the field.We took in parts of the game from near the left-field foul pole, the right field upper deck, and behind the plate, and I can honestly say there wasn’t a bad spot in the house. If there was an obstructed view seat in the entire stadium, I couldn’t find it. Trust me, I grew up watching games at Fenway Park, if there was an obstructed view seat at Citi Field, Murphy’s law would have me sitting right behind it.
The second reason not to stress about ticket prices, is that the ushers seemed to let everyone come and go as they pleased. Like the drunk door guy at a frat party, the ticket checker seemed to have about as much interest in enforcing ticket policy as Oprah does to sticking to a diet. Essentially it was non-existent.
With all the talk of the ticket prices coming into the season, this caught me a little off-guard. But when I started asking the stadium staff about it, it seemed to be common sense.
According to them, Mets personnel have been laissez-faire for a purpose. It’s their way of building comfort with the fan base, and saying, “Hey come and go as you please, and have fun. Bring back a friend next time.”
Makes sense, and I will bring a friend next time. Just don’t expect us to splurge for those $100 seats.
Do: Bring Your Camera, There Are Plenty of Pictures To Be Taken: From the grand entrance (which I’m told was built to emulate the old Ebbets Field), to the Jackie Robinson rotunda and the two huge scoreboards, Citi Field can match up with any ballpark anywhere, in its shear, new car smell, beauty.
And as I mentioned before, there really is no bad seat to catch the game, and even if you’re not in a seat, there’s still plenty of great sightlines just walking around.
This may be my favorite part about Citi Field.
At the old Shea, just like Fenway and Wrigley, and basically any stadium built before 1990, whenever you went to get a hot dog or use the bathroom, it was like stepping into a dungeon. It’s damp, stinks of stale of beer and is practically pitch-black. For being at a beautiful baseball game on a warm summer evening, going to use the restroom seems to have a lot more of a Leavenworth Prison feel to it, than that of a Major League Baseball game. Heck, there were times at Shea when I was in line to get a hot dog and thought I heard bats flying above me.
But not at Citi Field.
Walking around- whether it is on the lower level or upper- there are always benches and tables to stop at, grab a bite to eat and never miss the game. The only real place where it is tough to catch the game while waiting in line is behind the center field fence, and even back there is a giant television, so you never miss the action.
Overall, this is by far the best part of the new ballpark. A lot of open air, and never a missed pitch.
Don’t: Expect Scenic Views Beyond the Stadium Walls- Folks, we’re all friends here, but lets be honest, the Queens neighborhood surrounding the stadium isn’t quite the setting from Little House on the Prairie.
Look, I’m by no means trying to degrade the surrounding neighborhood. I have family who grew up there, and take immense pride in the area which made them into the men and women they are today.
But after seeing the entire San Diego skyline at Petco Park, and the bay in San Francisco, it was quite a different feel looking outside the walls of Citi Field and seeing a scrap heap place to the left, and graffiti in every direction.
In a weird way, this does seem to make sense though, as the Mets are a blue collar team, and the neighborhood surrounding the stadium certainly sticks with those blue collar roots. So while the outside setting isn’t that of a Rembrandt painting, it, for some reason, seems to fit.
Do: Bring Your Wallet If You’re Hungry- Like any other stadium in America, the food is expensive, but you already knew that coming in. What I bet you didn’t know is that you can get fine Italian food (I’m talking eggplant and chicken parm), Mexican and even fresh seafood, all without missing a single pitch.
Sure your kid may be saying, “buy me some peanuts and cracker jacks,” but come on, that’s so 1989. Why not get a burrito and some fresh cod? Does anything say baseball better than that?
If you’re looking for the more cost effective route, try one of the grilled sausage stands around the stadium. For about $8, you can get either spicy or sweet, with or without peppers. It is good, and I can say personally that it filled me up.
But again, if it’s your first time at Citi Field, why not splurge a little more. Sure it’s $18 for a lobster roll, but who cares? When’s the last time you ate a lobster roll while watching the Mets go 1-11 with runners in scoring position?
I thought so.
Don’t: Miss out on “Big Apple Brews”- Located behind the center field fence, the brewery has close to two dozen beers from all over the world to choose from.
Again, you can go with a familiar name like Budweiser, Stella or Bass, but for the same price you can also take a chance on a Longboard (Hawaiian) or Indian Beer.
I tried the “Tiger Beer,” which honestly was good but not great, but did come with an added perk. For roughly three, of what were certain to be the most uncomfortable minutes of my beer vendor’s life, I peppered her with questions as to whether the beer was made with real Tiger parts.
She insisted no, but I have my doubts. And to answer your question, no the conversation wouldn’t have been as interesting if I’d ordered a Budweiser.
Do: Go To The Upper Deck in Right Field If You’re With a Few Friends- Being that high up really is a true baseball fans dream.
From there you can see all the action, from plays developing, fielders taking the wrong routes on fly balls and everything else. Like everywhere else in the stadium, there are food options and even benches to sit down if you don’t want to go to your seats right away.
The best part about being up that high? No one can hear you yelling profanities, and even better, no one will stop you.
Don’t: Go To the Upper Deck in Right Field With A Girlfriend- Or wife, or fiancée. Or even a prostitute.
But why Aaron? Why wouldn’t I take her up to get a good view of all the action?
Because in the right field upper deck is where you’ll find the Touch boutique, a fashion clothing store for female baseball fans, owned by Alyssa Milano. According to the press release, it is the 36-year-old actress’ latest attempt to keep herself relevant, while also hoping to ruin the career of another up and coming young player (sorry Barry Zito).
As for the clothes inside, I was too nervous to venture in. I did check out the clothing line on the internet, and I do have to admit there’s some nice stuff on there.
But needless to say, this is one aspect of Citi Field that your female friends don’t need to know about.
Remember, when it comes to the Touch boutique, it may be exciting for her, but it’s expensive for you. Especially if she’s already charging you by the hour.
Do: Speaking of things to leave at home, it might be best to put away that Oliver Perez jersey for awhile- While the afternoon I went was one of the season’s most beautiful days off the field, on the field it was another Black Sunday for the team, especially pitcher Oliver Perez.
He gave up seven earned runs in 4.1 innings, and left the game to his usual smattering of boos.
Judging by the fact that Perez may be moved to the bullpen, it may be the last we see of Perez for awhile.
The good news? If he continues on this path he’ll be out of the game in just a few years, making his jersey “Retro.”
Don’t: Let the Play on the Field Stop You From Having A Good Time- Yes, the Mets are struggling right now, but remember there’s 162 games in a season, and every one of them count.
And despite the rough start, look at the positive, your hometown Mets still play in a picturesque, state-of-the-art ballpark. The food is top-notch, the beer the same. The sightlines are second to none.
Don’t let Delgado or Wright get you down. There’s still a lot of baseball to be played. And I can’t think of a better place to watch it.
