Sunday, March 29, 2009
THE CITI FIELD DRESS REHEARSAL.
If you are looking for information about Citi Field, I would refer you to my comprehensive Citi Field Guide instead.
Like everyone else, we went out to Citi Field today to check the place out during the St. John’s vs. Georgetown game. Most people just wanted to walk around and see the new place. There were cameras everywhere. I felt sorry for the people who genuinely came to watch the game; at one point I suggested to TBF that we take our section 110, Row 2 seats, head up to the top of the Promenade level, and hand them over to someone sitting up there. He looked at me, horrified. “But I’m never ever going to sit in these seats ever, ever again.”
We spent three hours walking around the ballpark, and 15 minutes sitting in Section 110, Row 2. They’ve done A LOT in a week; you have to give them credit for hustle. Now that we’ve had a chance to spend some quality time there, there’s a lot more to say, especially after having had the initial infatuation already. I will be incorporating a lot of my thoughts about thinto my Unofficial MetsGrrl Citi Field A-Z (which will take a few weeks to be written), but here are some initial thoughts:
- Do not try to go into the ballpark through the Jackie Robinson Rotunda for at least three months. Go in through any other gate and then make your way to the rotunda. The security there seemed to be the most disorganized, you have to deal with all the people walking around reading and looking at the bricks for the Mets Fan Walk, and it’s the first gate from the subway so it’s going to have the largest influx of people… all who will want to stop and take their photo with the ballpark in the background. Head to your left or your right and avoid all that, plus have better access to the good food.
- Conversely, the Left Field gate, which had the initial influx since it’s the gate that opens first, seemed to go very smoothly. Plus you want to see all the photo banners in that corner anyway.
[the rest of the list, and more photos, after the jump]
- The new bar code scanners were kind of cool, I have to admit:
- The food was FANTASTIC, even with the limited options today. We visited the Taqueria and will do so again (although the guys behind us who thought it was going to be your standard ballpark nachos were simultaneously pathetic and funny). Serious value for the price, quality and quantity. The fries from Box Frites were similar.
- There are no representations of the Mets or Mets history aside from the old Home Run Apple and the skyline once you enter the ballpark. If you enter the ballpark through the Jackie Robinson Rotunda - which, again, is lovely - you are presented with the entrance to the Ebbets Club, and the only other visual is Ebbets Field imagery. There is NOTHING about the Mets anywhere near the main entrance to the ballpark. There is also no sign yet of the retired numbers, the championship banners, the trophies or the Mets Hall of Fame. I continue to hope that this is a temporary situation and that it will be rectified by Opening Day.
- Count on long lines at concessions for the first month of games. When we got our food, the girl couldn’t get the soda fountain to work initially. I know, we have new staff and everyone has to learn, but plan for delays and you’ll be happier. If you want any of the premium food options, I’d recommend that you enter the ballpark through the Bullpen gate (126th St.) or the Left Field gate.
- The staff are pleasant and helpful. There were people everywhere, wearing maroon or green (ugly colors, but not colors that anyone else is going to be wearing). Attitudes - even if they are fake - are helpful and pleasant and a marked improvement over Shea. Lots of “Welcome to Citi Field” and it was *almost* believable.
- I very much enjoyed the new Team Store. We FINALLY have representation of the main position players in t-shirts and jerseys (even if we think the existence of a Luis Castillo jersey as an in-demand item to be highly optimistic). I spent more money than I anticipated at the new team store, and this is the part where I finally say that I am thoroughly tired of being treated like a shoplifter every time I buy something from the Mets at the ballpark. There is zero logic whatsoever in only checking the bags of people who just gave you money. I could understand if they checked all bags leaving the store, but they don’t. And if you’re going to do it, do what you need to do, say thank you, and that should be it. If I’m standing there holding out my bag and my receipt, please forgive me but I’m not going to joyfully participate in this process or make small talk with you while you search my packages. It’s not pleasant for me as a shopper, it’s humiliating and inconvenient. I can’t put my receipt in my wallet, I have to hold everything separately while you check it. If you don’t have a better way to deal with shrinkage then you are doing something wrong. At least the people doing it now are not barking at you (at least not yet) like the old security guys used to. I’ll point out that I have not been to any other team store in any other ballpark that does this to paying customers.
- We know Daniel Murphy is Irish. That doesn’t mean that his only shirt option has to be green.
- There are a lot of merchandise stores scattered throughout the ballpark, including a specialty boutique with Alyssa Milano’s clothing out in the right field corner on the third level. A representative photograph is below. Do you know anyone who would wear this to the ballpark, ever? This is the kind of thing a well-meaning but completely impractical fellow might buy for his girlfriend out of a wish to be nice, or that a girl who didn’t know much about baseball would think she should buy and wear to the game, until she thought about the practicality of wearing it on the 7 train, on a Tuesday night in May, or when beer gets spilled all over her on a Saturday afternoon. I was going to say something like “I wish I lived in a world where this kind of attire would be practical in a ballpark setting” but then I realized that no, I actually do not. On the other hand, from one businesswoman to another, I wish her well. I honestly do.
- Bathrooms are large, convenient and plentiful. The facilities are all completely hands-free. For the fellas, TBF’s one complaint was that he would like dividers between the urinals (which they have in the club levels). I’ll reserve final judgment until I’m there with people on every level, actually watching the game, but right now I am a big fan. (You know what? This kind of thing matters to girls. Deal with it.)
- The out of down scoreboard is an unmitigated disaster. You don’t know who’s batting, you don’t know whether it’s the top or the bottom of the inning - it’s completely useless. This is your worst fear, realized. We had the best out of town scoreboard in baseball. Now we don’t. Jeff Wilpon, I blame you.
- Pitch count and pitch speed is only available on the main scoreboard. There are a lot of places - including some very expensive seats - where you will be hurting your neck in order to turn around and see this information. It’s not like they don’t have room for it on the side leaderboards, there is plenty of room. Fix this, please.
- While we have a new World Class Ballpark, with a fantastic sound system enabling you to hear everything no matter where you are, the music is still in the 80’s. Every ballpark I have ever been to (with the exception of the House of Evil) has better, more current, more updated, more relevant music than ours. Do you know what they played when the players went out on the field today? C and C Music Factory. When I expressed my horror at this, TBF said, “Maybe the team specifically requested this.” “Right. A college student in the year 2009 is going to voluntarily request some lame dance song from 1992. Right.” This is not a minor thing. This is not the Mets doing what they think is the right thing to do because they studied it or whatever other lame argument other people have offered here. It does not relate to the players, and the generation of people who remember that music are not going to notice or care that you worked in Foreigner back there. Even “City of Blinding Lights” isn’t a new song. It’s sad, it’s pathetic, it’s out of place , and it’s completely unnecessary for the music to be this bad. There are people who are really, really good at this. HIRE THEM.
- I think the Pepsi Porch is overrated. This is the one part of the ballpark where access is not fantastic. You can’t get there by walking around the ballpark, because that would mean walking around the Caesar’s Club level, and well, of course we can’t have that. The concessions up there are limited. Unless I was in the front row on the fair side of the foul pole, I don’t think these seats are all they were making them out to be.
- Parking: they’ve really been hustling to clear up the demolition debris, and there’s a lot more parking than I thought there would be - but I would still avoid driving until they are completely done.
- Expect long lines for photo ops at the Home Run Apple and the 42 in the Rotunda. Plan for this if you have limited visitation time and if this is important to you. I don’t expect this to let up for the entire first year.
- St. John’s alum John Franco threw out the first pitch. No, I don’t know why we didn’t go downstairs and sit in our REALLY AWESOME seats (that we’ll never sit in again) when John Franco threw out the first pitch. Just wasn’t keeping track of time and I kind of forgot.
I have a lot more photos to see.
My last comment is this: if I had obtained tickets to see a game at Yankee Stadium before it opened, and the Mets were not playing, I would not be parading around in Mets gear at the new House of Evil. It just would strike me as bad form. It would strike me as low class. Why dozens and dozens of Yankee fans felt the need to do just that today is beyond me. Seriously, people. Do you always have to be pompous blowhards about your team everywhere you go, every minute of every day? I appreciate that perhaps you might want to check out our ballpark. But could you just not wear normal clothing? Neither TBF or myself wore Mets gear today, since the Mets were not playing (although we had no problem with people who did, of course). You had to show up to our new ballpark in your freaking pinstripes? Get over yourselves and get some freaking manners.
Questions about smoking sections (they exist), or any other details are probably answered in the Official A-to-Z Guide or by calling the Mets. If it’s a fan perspective question that I honestly haven’t answered yet, please feel free to comment below.
Posted by Caryn at 06:12 PM
We haf no problem entering Jackie Robinson Gate. Here is mini price list…
Coffee…...$3.00
Hot Coco….%3.00
Water…....$4.75
Soda….....$4.75
Peanuts…..$4.75
Berr..16oz..$7.50…P.S. .50 cents less than last year…
Burger…...$5.75
Wine….....$9.75
Nice stadium. Until the Mets break it in, it will feel a bit like watching a game in Baltimore.
paul,
I took a photo of EVERY pricelist at every vendor. I just didn’t have time to distill that today.
It’s going to be very interesting to read the reviews from fans such as yourself of the new ballpark. It looks past the propoganda on SNY.
but on the entrance at the Rotunda, I remember that the Devils had a similar problem with their new arena in 2007 and it was worked out, probably after only a few games. I also remember that the Devils did make some tweaks after the first season, but it looks like there’s a lot more to Citi Field than the Prudential Center. It’s probably a growing pain of every new sports venue.
The picture of the pepsi porch with all the flag poles are where the division, league, and world championship banners will fly. i still dont know where the retired numbers are.
jason, we thought that, but the count seemed wrong.
Great post and I’m happy there is at least one MURPHY shirt on sale.
I’m glad to hear that fans entering through the Left Field gate were able to determine which team will play in the stadium. I took the subway, entered through the Rotunda, and walked all around the stadium and if it hadn’t been for all the people in Mets regalia, I wouldn’t have been able to figure it out. Does anyone know where those sculptures of great moments in Mets history will be? I didn’t see them.
I feel like I know what to expect now when I go next Saturday. I’m not ashamed to admit that I nearly bit my computer screen when I saw that pic of the tacos (or that I probably would buy that tank top - I have an alarming tendency to overlook things like practicality where Mets gear is concerned).
That out-of-town scoreboard makes my soul hurt. I loved the Shea scoreboard and seeing this makes me miss it that much more.
TBF noted that the outline of the Endy catch on the left field gate was not that far away from where the actual endy catch was, and wouldn’t it be nice if that was NOTED SOMEWHERE?
they said they would do some marking in the parking lot. well, i don’t see how they’re going to now that the parking lot is, essentially, almost done.
i liked the curmudgeons skulking around this one part of the demolition site where you could lean in and pick up a momento or two. security wasn’t stopping them, either.
Why is there no blue in the stadium!!!
top/bottom of the inning will likely be above or below the inning number during the season. for spring games, that information usually isn’t even reliable/available on MLB.com, so i don’t blame the mets for not having it up yesterday.
I picked up Murphy T-shirts in both Black and Blue from the store at Citifield, they had more than just the green color…
THE OUT OF TOWN SCOREBOARD WOULD BE GREAT IF YOU KNEW WHO WAS UP…THIS SCOREBOARD IS MUCH BETTER THEN SHEA. THIS SHOWS OUTS AND RUNNERS ON BASE
those tacos look awesome…
i’m a beer vendor for the reds and a met fan since birth… i’m curious about the new vendor operations
were there vendors walking in the aisles? were they just beer and soda or were there food vendors too? did this vary by level? notice anything different from shea in terms of their equipment?
@matt in oh: we will be at your fine stadium on Monday (and look forward to your reduced beer prices, as compared to home). yes, there were vendors walking in the aisles. didn’t look at equipment. but i will this weekend at the red sox exhibition games. i like taking photographs of our vendors (and did notice some of the shea regulars walking around)
andy, without knowing what half of the inning you are in or who’s batting, it’s not an improvement, at least imo.
other brian, we are hoping that the out of town scoreboard was not completely functional yet. fingers crossed.
justin, thanks for the correction on the murphy shirts. i only saw the green shirts, which struck me as idiotic.
ronnie - where’s the blue? i think we got bigger problems right now than just ‘where’s the blue’. but dave howard says the historical mets stuff is coming. we shall see.
Re. In-stadium music, the Mets could stand to take a lesson from the Rangers and MSG, whose arena staff do a great job of keeping things current.
The tacos look great; how much did they cost?
The Out of Town board has the spot to note which team is up. It will be in service… It’s still Spring Training…
In addition, the side Ribbon Boards will have spitch speed and other information on them…
This was a trial run… The palce will not be 100% for antoher 2 weeks.
thanks, Tom, that’s good to know.
I’ll be delighted to write about how great everything is on opening day, erm, night.
Terrific write-up. Can’t wait to get my first look at the park on 4/19.
unfortunately i will not be at opening day at GABP… in the off season i moved further north into rural, oh and my tenure as a vendor will be cut short…
beer at GABP was $7 for domestics last year and probably won’t get hiked again till next year they like to put a year inbtween hikes on major products… enjoy the GAP i’ll be down there on wednesday to route on the mets and take advantage of all my connections… :-)
The boards that line the 1st and 3rd base lines will indeed have pitch speed, pitch type and pitch count, along with more game info that wasn’t quite ready to display yesterday.
Great, great write-up! Thanks for sharing the info and photos, and thanks for the tip about the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. One question—I remember readinb about the Ballpark having one or more bars, but I haven’t read any report on this from anyone who was there yesterday. Are there in-stadium bars with TVs, liquor, etc. (like the one at Citizen’s Bank Park, if anyone has been there?
Your comments on the Yankee fans parading through the building brings to mind the John Sterling commercials for the seats between the dugouts that are still available for the greatest franchise of all time. Brings back memories of Horace Clark, Ken Phelps, Celerino Sanchez, Fritz Peterson. The days when 400 people showed up, Red Barber pointed it our and got promptly fired.
CitField is still a much easier place to go to than the Bronx.
In regards to the blue… it’s there. The pictures make it seem like the walls are a dark green, when in fact it’s a really really dark blue. It’s actually a pretty sweet blue color, but you haven’t been able to pick up on that in pictures, you have to see it for yourself. It’s almost like a cross between dark blue with a hint of gray.
I went yesterday, and I loved the place. It wasn’t Shea, but nothing ever will be.
I would hope that by this Friday, the Foot Markers will be up(no 408 in center field yet?), the retired numbers will be up, and the pennants will be up along with the advertising being fully up.
Bill L., there were some marks in blue tape on the outfield wall that we wondered if they were there for the retired numbers or if it was more ad placement.
BookieD, there are bars in the clubs. And out near Shake Shack is a big square beer vendor with a mammoth fridge that we all used as a bar to eat our food on. But I did not see any bars around the stadium a la CBP. Maybe someone else did?
Jim, thank you for that info. I appreciate you taking the time to post. But you could of course appreciate our concerns, I hope. Nothing personal.
Average price point for the Meyer restaurants was $7.50. There was some $9.25 taco sampler platter which I’m definitely going to try. I have photos of all of the stands, I just need to go through everything and write it up. Probably tonight, once I pick up my tickets from UPS.
The blue tape is for more ads. I see the dots to show who is batting
Ah, for the record—I am always, always looking for good tank tops to wear to the games—it’s hot out there! The one you pictured is very flattering from the front, and though my first thought was “Why the busy back?” it’s cute on. I’m not a fan of judging one’s “real fandom” by the clothes they wear. Alyssa Milano isn’t my favorite in the world, but she has a few wearable items. Please don’t decide for all of us what “real fans” wear.
I edited this, because it didn’t come out well.
I’m going to stand my statement that the tank top is completely impractical for the ballpark. The first thing I thought when I saw the tank top was that I would be worrying about the back detail getting ripped on the seats or by the arms of the chairs. I couldn’t imagine riding the 7 train wearing that. It didn’t seem practical for a ballpark outing and I stand by that. A lot of other people I know felt the same way.
There was nothing in there that said “and a REAL FAN wouldn’t wear anything like this”. I try to not wear nice things to the ballpark because I don’t want them to get ruined. I couldn’t see going through a game being worried about ruining an expensive garment. I’m not sure I’d enjoy a baseball game where everyone was dressed to the nines. It would just not seem very baseball. I would be uncomfortable and worried about my clothes instead of focusing on the game. Last year, we had some people who got very upset that we were opening peanuts and dropping the shells on the floor because the shells were getting on their very nice work clothes. And then they were ultra sensitive to anything - the kid in front spilling a little water, someone brushing against someone’s jacket, etc. I mean, go sit in the Sterling Club.
If you like it and want to wear it I’m not sure how what I think of it matters at all. If I saw you wearing it I would ask you about how it was holding up and then talk to you about the game before I’d make a judgment on your fandom, though (and since I know you, there wouldn’t be a judgment).
I think it’s a cute top. I wasn’t even condemning it. It’s just - oh, hell, I cannot possibly say anything that’s going to make people happy. I’ll go back to being angry and bitter.
One other thing. This might seem like a totally random question, but do you remember whether those tacos came in corn tortillas or flour?
bluenatic, the tortillas were corn. white corn.
(waiting for the flour activists to come in and post)
I can’t believe the team is still going to be wearing the black garbage in the new ballpark. Why do fans buy the black merchandise? Black is not a Mets color!
SEH, I believe that train has left the station a long time ago. Not sure what made you think it would go away because they moved across the outfield.
The fans buy it because they like it. Which is why they make it and sell it. Don’t like it? Don’t buy it. My other half will not truck with anything black, but doesn’t begrudge me doing it.
Thank you. Wonderful review. I was a bit depressed by the lack of Orange and Blue and the general “shopping mall” feel. Too metalic, also. I sat in dead center—-section 139—-and the seats are terrible. The entire OF is cut off and the two scoreboards are behind you. Good for drunks, naive buyers, and sun-worshippers, I guess. I wasn’t crazy about having to climb up stairs to reach the 500 level, but 512 has great views, and my other plan in 504 has a bit of RF cut off, but it’s tolerable. 42,000 seats. maybe 25,000 are for the serious baseball fan. I hope I warm to the place by the summer, but I miss Shea.
There were bars in the concourses… open air bars, and they were pretty cool. Not a great view of the field, but there are monitors everywhere, even in the seating areas. As for food, we had Blue Smoke pulled pork sandwiches and they were great! $9… but Blue Smoke ain’t cheap in Manhattan, either. And I share everyone’s concerns about the Mets decor inside the stadium and the color schemes… Seriously, it looked like (yesterday) that ANY team could have called that park home, beautiful as it was. Let’s see LOTS of photos around the ballpark, in the stairwells, ramps and concourses (like they had at Shea), and you know what? Don’t just focus on the stars, include the beloved; Marvelous Marv, the Stork, et. al. Celebrate your history as a beloved underdog as well as that of a championship franchise. And more Blue and Orange!
“Smoking at Citi Field is prohibited. Any ticketholder violating this prohibition will be subject to ejection.”
Where is smoking allowed, caryn? This appears on the Mets Website’s A-Z Guide…
I don’t know where smoking is allowed. I would call the mets. I only mentioned it specifically because people kept asking me. I am not unsympathetic but it is not a personal concern. I will try to ascertain more on the weekend.
As I walked up 126th Street (coming from the direction of Northern Blvd), I saw a sign marked “Designated Smoking Area.” This was outside on the sidewalk. I do not know how you get there once you are inside the stadium. Certainly they cannot let you back in with the same ticket. Anyway, it is not a concern of mine either, just something I noticed as I walked to the stadium, uh, ballpark, yesterday.
BRING THE BLUE OUTFIELD WALLS BACK!
What’s up with the black outfield walls at citi field? In the original rendering on mets.com the outfield walls are blue. Big mistake!
jason, thanks for stopping by.
1) this isn’t an official site, so yelling at us doesn’t do you any good.
2) they are blue. dark blue.
the original rendering at mets.com also had picnic tables on a terrace in the outfield too.
Jason, the walls aren’t black… They are a rich, deep blue. It’s actually a striking color when viewed live. When you see it in pics, it looks black or even green.
I actually like it in person. On video, it does look black. Perhaps it’ll look better in HD?
Thanks for the responses, and sorry for the caps. Of course it’s not directed at anyone, it’s just my frustration of not seeing the Mets incorporate the Shea blue that represents the Mets color. Thanks for the pick Bill, but really does a rich dark blue embody the colors that the Mets are known for? It’s my only gripe, but I just don’t understand why they changed the original rendering colors?
unless you actually saw the physical swatches, you didn’t see the original rendering colors. You saw computer animation and artist’s sketches.
I agree that the colors are not on brand but those colors shift and change. the blue of my paul lo duca shirt is not the blue of my endy chavez shirt. that’s bad identity and poor brand management, i would agree.
or it could be technical - that the mets branding blue was going to be too bright and reflective in the outfield. keep in mind that the outfield is not about branding, it’s about technical requirements. the brand blue might now work against the outfield wall.
As usual, Caryn’s reporting is right on. Per the NY Mets:
“There is a smoking section at the Left Field Gate”
Now if only I could quit…a few 10-0 leads with Frankie coming in for the 9th may help.
Great review, my brother and I went 4/3…also noticed the lack of METS`logos! How about some nice big mets logos on the scoreboard mount instead of advertising? Also ...is it me or can we please get a Seaver statue a.s.a.p.?? he truly is still “THE FRANCHISE” and deserves it along with the “Say hay” kid? The geatest new york national leaguer ever! who retired as a MET??? Also in time, more pictures in the concourse will be expected.All in all love my Shea memories…but am ready for the new ballpark.
We haf no problem entering Jackie Robinson Gate. Here is mini price list…
Coffee…...$3.00
Hot Coco….%3.00
Water…....$4.75
Soda….....$4.75
Peanuts…..$4.75
Berr..16oz..$7.50…P.S. .50 cents less than last year…
Burger…...$5.75
Wine….....$9.75