Saturday, March 21, 2009
THE METSGRRL CITI FIELD PREVIEW.
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If you are looking for information about Citi Field, I would refer you to my comprehensive Citi Field Guide instead.
[Welcome to readers from MetsBlog, Baseball Musings, Baseball Fever and everywhere else.]
It is difficult right now for me to put into words how and what you will feel when you walk into the new Mets ballpark for the first time. I have been sad, and angry, and with the downgrade of my planholding and the loss of the People’s Seats I have felt seriously disenfranchised as a fan. The demise of Shea was heartbreaking, even for a newbie such as myself. It was tough to find joy in “our new world-class home” when it seemed like the Welcome mat was not out in that home for average schlubs like you and me.
An awful lot of that has shifted with my tour of the new ballpark today. It was like that scene in the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy wakes up and everything is in color. It felt odd, because I am not used to being comfortable when I go see the Mets. I am not used to having room. I am not used to things being carefully thought out and well-planned.
I will get used to this. I am ready to get used to this. It will be so good, so very very good, to finally have my home ballpark be near the top of my all-time favorite ballpark list.
[a whole lot more after the jump]
Citi Field is breathtakingly beautiful. It is absolutely stunning. Everything that Jeff Wilpon has said about it is true and then some. (it is very hard for me to type that sentence.) You will walk in the first time and be speechless, because they did such a terrible job in trying to describe it to fans. That’s because the people doing the describing were, at best, professional fans, and at worst, people parroting the party line.
The worst disservice was probably the fact that everyone dismissed it as just another HOK ballpark, as though there was some cookie cutter that HOK dropped down from the sky. It does not feel like anyone else’s ballpark, which is what I was worried about. Yes, there are elements that will seem familiar, but they are not identical. The ironwork is the best example I can think of. It’s a visual theme in Pittsburgh and in Arlington as well, but you’re not walking into Citi Field and thinking, “Oh, yeah, ironwork, just like X ballpark.” Yes, there are similarities, I’d be stupid to suggest otherwise. But cookie cutter it is not.
The space. Everyone talks about bigger seats and more legroom and the width of the concourses, but what’s tough to visualize is what the sum total of all that new room does. The ballpark is already remarkably spacious but the use of open public space just makes you feel comfortable. You know that cramped feeling you had at the end of a game at Shea, especially if the Mets lost? You won’t have that here.
The aisles aren’t cramped, the concourses aren’t cramped, the food plazas aren’t cramped, and dear god in heaven, the SEATING is not cramped. I will not be massaging my bad knee by the top of the 5th inning any more. It will increase your enjoyment of Mets baseball exponentially, especially if the team is any good. If they are not, at least you will not go home with aching body parts.
The other thing that will get you is how intelligently they thought about the access points. They make it easy to get everywhere, and they put in multiple ways to do so. You’re not going to be stuck with five sets of incredibly inconvenient ramps that don’t take you where you want to go. You are going to feel incredibly liberated, compared to how you felt sitting at Shea during a game. If you ever had to make the trek from the upper deck to the mezzanine just to get your kids chicken fingers, this will make you happy. And unless you’re jonesing for Shake Shack or one of the speciality restaurants, you’re probably going to be fine with what’s near you, and what’s going to be near you is probably going to be A LOT.
Of course, we wanted to check our our seats. I think we did pretty well, but tell me what you think. This is from row 14 of section 514.
Even our tour guide was impressed we had done so well. The only down side is that we are going to be windier than we were before because the top of the stadium is chain link and we are only three rows from the top. However, we are also getting a little bit of cover, and I imagine that will come in handy from time to time.
So this is the part where I say, “You know how they kept saying how even though you might be higher, you’re closer to the field, and I kept saying, ‘Yeah right, idiots, do you think I’m stupid, you’re just trying to spin it so everyone who got relocated from the mezz isn’t pissed off.” I am almost sorry to report that they’re telling the truth. I know, I know. You don’t believe me either. I don’t know if it’s an optical illusion - part of it is - but by moving the backstop back, home plate is brought in closer to the stands. The final proof will be when I am sitting in those seats and taking photos of actual baseball players. I should have done that today, but instead we just - enjoyed the view.
My number one priority was to find out was if I was going to be able to shoot the games from our seats. Other photos people have taken from our section seemed to put glass dividers and railings in the way. I was thrilled to be able to test it for myself and ascertain that I will be just fine. It will be a much different vantage point, but I think it will be better, also given that I made an off-season purchase of a new zoom lens.
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Posted by Caryn at 06:09 PM
Thanks, My anxiety about this park was 96% about getting seats, and 4% about whether it would suck or not. To me it’s always looked like it would be pretty nice inside.
What great photos!!! Thank you for shairing!
Yeah, great pics and story. As much as I love Chicago and living out here now, I’m gonna miss all this new stadium/baseball season hoopla.
[Not muted sighs] Two weeks…two weeks. Sounds (& looks) wonderful. The pictures were marvelous; I’ve linked to this. [/Sighs]
jon - it wasn’t that i thought it would suck, it was just that it would feel too foreign or artificial. kind of like how i envision the new house of evil is going to be for most folks in their cheap seats. i was worried about it being too disney and about them cutting corners for the hoi polloi and spending their time on making it great for the royalty.
i also thought that the giant chip on my shoulder would make it hard to get in the gate or for the people behind me to see.
thank you for all the compliments on the photos, but all credit to mother nature - the lighting was PERFECT today.
Excellent Photos and thanks for sharing! I can’t wait for my first trip to CitiField. Next weekend for the St Johns/Georgetown College Baseball game!
Oh man, can’t wait! Thanks Caryn, these are the best pics I’ve seen so far!
Great preview! I just got done reading it to my girlfriend. You addressed a lot of my concerns - especially my fear of this being “yet another HOK park.” My first view will be the April 4 exhibition game against the Red Sox. The first real game will be our Saturday plan seats on the 18th in the last row of section 518. The pictures from your seats made me feel a little better about my Uecker seats :-)
So I have a question about the “chain link fence” at the top of the stadium bit. Do you mean that the wall at your back is chain link? Or the overhand that would be above your head is chain link? I’m going to be in Row 14 and I was hoping that I would have cover from the top overhang if it is raining, but that would only work if it is somewhat solid, not chain link.
Also, what time of day were you there? My seats are in the shade again, and while that is nice in the dead of summer, I hated being in the shade for the whole game at Shea because I was always freezing! Looks like it may be sweaters again for me.
Great job, Caryn. These pictures and your thorough account (and honest expression of your admiration for something you thought you weren’t going to like) is a real public service. I look forward to seeing what it’s like to have a crowd in there, and an actual Mets game, but you’ve given me a great sense of the stadium design.
Thanks to all the other kind commenters!
Shell: Row 14 is the same row we are in and that is the first row that is covered by the overhang. The wall at your back is chain link. If you’ve ever sat in the upper level of CBP, it’s the same thing there at the very top.
As for time/sun, our tour started at 10:30, so judge from there. If you’re in row 14, unless it’s august, bring a sweater. I myself am investing in silk long underwear for this season :)
how does the left field reserved prom boxes look?? - i cant wait !!
I didn’t look at the boxes, sorry.
Looks nice, and nice photos.
Looking forward to exploring the place myself, and taking pictures during a game I care nothing about next week.
Good news on the admission/BP stuff. I’d emailed them about that a week or two ago and they blew me off.
I’m sure we’ll all have complaints here and there. Hopefully they listen to some of them and address what can be addressed.
The real test comes soon, seeing how it holds up to an actual game with actual crowds. How bad will the lines really be..(I’m sure Shake Shack, which I’ll have to at least go to occasionally, will suck with lines)
I’m still curious about the Acela Club restaurant, which I thought you’d be able to buy public tickets to to watch and eat during the game, but is instead seemingly being treated like the Diamond Club.
Still no work on the sale of the Bridge or the Apple seats, or the SRO (which I think is ‘knothole alley’) seats.
thanks, Voxoo.
Actually, there is work on the sale of the bridge or the Apple seats. They’re just not available to individuals, those are for groups only. The bridge is groups of 8, and the Apple is 25 or more. I don’t remember the limit on the Apple, maybe 300? The rep who took us around is selling Apple and Bridge, so if you want his details, email me and I’ll happily pass them along.
We did not ask about SRO. And it makes sense that the club would require premium seats - I know the equivalent in Milwaukee does. it’s definitely not like the TGIFriday’s in Milwaukee or the Outback in Pittsburgh, I don’t know that they ever intended it that way, to be fair.
This may be a silly question but are they cracking down on brought in food. That was always a nice thing about Shea and quite frankly I don’t like giving the Wilpons any more money then I have to.
Thanks.
I’ve heard/read so much stuff in the past couple of months, so I’m not surprised if I misheard something (or someone out there had misinformation..lots of that going around) Originally I’d heard discussions about the Acela Club being a public access restaurant where you would actually buy tickets for it either pregame, or during game where you would stay for the whole game. Maybe someone was just not being clear. I guess I won’t be seeing it soon then, on the rare occasion I do get premium seats, I usually like to enjoy the view from there.
I suspected as much about the Apple/Bridge seats. I don’t have a big enough group to worry about it, but maybe if ticket sales are down they’ll have a ‘Flushing Flash’ group sale or something similar like they’ve done with the picnic area seats recently. (Bring an Apple, get in free? doubt it.)
I guess I should’ve not been lazy and taken the tour myself last weekend. Oh well, Sunday, 10:40. I wonder if St Johns/Georgetown is taking batting practice on the field.
I didn’t ask about food, because they told us the answer to that last season, repeatedly - they always stressed that even with all the new restaurants, you would still be able to bring food.
you’ve outdone yourself with this post! thank you so much. more than spring training, more than the WBC, this post has gotten me completely psyched for the new season. let’s hope it’s a great one…
Hi Caryn, what section did you take the picture of “your seats” from? I’m in the back of section 514 and I wanted to see if my view is similar.
Thanks for the great preview.
Lots of people here are in 514 it seems! Including us. Both of our plans are in Section 514, Row 14 (different seats for each plan). So the photos were taken from there.
thanks, krup!
I very much enjoyed your post. I had a chance to see the stadium myself; as much as I’m going to miss Shea, Citi Field is unabashedly beautiful. Great post!
Thanks for the info.
I’m sure few care, but as a smoker, are they allowing ticket holders access to an outside smoking area?
Hi David,
That’s probably a question you should throw at Cerrone for his Wednesday trip to CF. I did not ask and did not notice anything. But it’s definitely a good question.
Great reporting and pictures! I was on the Saturday 10:30 tour also but they must have had more than one. My guide said that the Mets bullpen was in the front, while the visitors were protected from being in the back.
I absolutely LOVE those screen-like images covering the stairs (ramps?) outside Citi (last picture in your flickr feed). Where is that located? Do you know if they are going to put any more up?
Is the skyline sign generally visible from the seats? I can’t see it in your photos.
Thanks for the excellent post!
I am getting a lot of insistent mail that we are wrong about the bullpens. I’ve made a note accordingly.
The skyline sign is on top of a food concession. it’s behind the scoreboard, so no, not visible from the seats.
don’t know anything about the screens, but they seem to be putting them up gradually, and in some kind of historical order, so i imagine there will be more to bring us up to the present day.
As for the comment about the 10:30 tour - I’m not quite sure how to answer that. There wasn’t just one big tour, the sales reps took individual groups of people out and staggered them in 30 minute increments. I give you my word that I was at Citi Field on Saturday and that the time I had booked for a tour was 10:30.
Thank you Caryn for the great review and the blog. It is a great read every time. Is there leg room in the Promenade? My wife and I are in section 522 row 14 on the Friday plan and row 13 on the weekday plan. Is it really a good view from row 14?
Hi, Joe:
I found the leg room everywhere to be ample.
I did not get a chance to see any section on the Promenade except 514. But the photograph above that I note is from our section is taken from row 14.
I compared the photo to what the virtual reality program on mets.com presented us with when we bought our seats and found the views to be pretty much identical.
hope this helps.
section 436 of the prom box reserved here for the sat plan anyone else?? - my wife got me tixx for the apr 29th game against the fish in the ceasers club section - how 331 how do those seats look caryn?
Hey Caryn- Love the site! I am a die-hard Mets fan and can’t wait for my trip up to NYC this Fall to check out the new Citi Field. One thing I couldn’t tell from the photos- is the bar/restaurant in LF an open air bar with views of the field? While I can’t stand the Braves, they do have a very cool hangout spot in the OF where you can hang on the railing, and watch the game, all while enjoying a beverage or two. Was hoping Citi had the same kind of thing.
Keep up the great work!
Mark
Rusty, I love ya, but I honestly wrote about everything that I saw. :)
Mark - the bar-type area in LF is for groups only - think Green Monster-type seating. There is supposed to be SRO locations, but no one knows what’s happening with that yet. Behind the group seating in the OF would be a good space for that. We’ll know more once the games actually start.
Caryn:
I assume if the food policy is the same that the bag policy is as well. Backpacks are fine, just not an unlimited size.
Caryn , Thanks great picture, I’m also in Sec 514 row 14 the view looks great
Sorry caryn - just stoked about the. New stadium the pics u took are great just wondering if they
Mentioned if the escalators would be in operation after the george - that was always a pet peeve of mine also did u fi d it easy to access all areas -such as the playground area behind the scoreboard? Or the bullpen area? Thanx
great pics WE WILL MISS SHEA !!!
i just got 2 passes for the workout on apr 5th at citi !!! general admission and it says gates open at 9 workout from 11 - 1230
damn i hope they sign autographs !!! will u be there caryn? and are you goin to the mets blog opening day viewing party at butterfield 8?
OMG! Reading this makes me excited for OUR new ballpark next year AND excited to come back to NY and see a Mets game. I got to Shea before it was demolished and I can’t wait to see the new park! :) I look forward to reading all about it here!
We’re going to Cincinnati for Opening Day so we will miss the Open Workout and, well, the Metsblog party.
I almost fell over when I opened the tickets to the open workout. Did we know this was coming? Is this really my Mets?! Now I am pumped. Thanks for the great story MG.
yeah mia it should be sweet - i just hope they let us walk around and check out areas like the pepsi porch the bridge etc - i also hope they encourage the players to be a bit more fan friendly - you know commiserate with the fans , take photos autoraphs etc
I would not come into the open workout with that expectation. They are not fan friendly anywhere EVER. They did the open workout a few years ago. I’ll write more about it later.
I’m going to start another post about the open workout - could we pls stop commenting in this post about that and keep it for ppl who have questions or comments about the actual article? (Yes, rusty, this means you :)
I’m not sure how well my site is going to support tons of comments on one post, especially when they’re starting to go off topic. Thanks!
The seats in the upper deck of citifield are the exact same width as shea 19 inches. The legroom was just as tight, citifield is 1 inch deeper. The lower you go at citifield the wider and more leg room the seats and sections have. Chart here.
http://newyork.mets.mlb.com/nym/ballpark/comparison.jsp
Thanks, My anxiety about this park was 96% about getting seats, and 4% about whether it would suck or not. To me it’s always looked like it would be pretty nice inside.