Saturday, August 15, 2015

There is something really quaint about this ball field. It’s fairly new, but it has a charmingly dated feel to it. I think it’s the adorable Mr. Met? The cute home run apple that pops up in the outfield when the Mets hit a home run? Or the Jackie Robinson rotunda? Or the friendly New Yorkers? (And it’s true. Every New Yorker I met during my weekend stay was as friendly as could be.) Although it replaced Shea Stadium, it looks more like Ebbets Field, which can’t be a coincidence.

I got there by subway two hours before the game started. The site of the World’s Fair is at the same subway stop. I took a picture of the old outfield apple at the main entrance and then walked around the stadium, which was easy because there is NO traffic and NO tailgating. SOME people drive to the game, I guess, but the ball field is in Queens and there is no reason to drive when you can take the subway. (I think it would be an incredibly funny MLB ad to have a Mets fan decked out in Mets gear riding the subway with his portable charcoal grill on his lap and a cooler of beer and brats at his feet.) I shopped in the fan gear shop inside the main entrance and enjoyed the Mr. Mets bobbleheads dressed in various seasons and the Alyssa Milano fan gear. I will say that I am not a fan of pink baseball caps. I think that it dismisses women as serious fans. What I like about Alyssa Milano is that she designs clothes for women but it’s clearly still fan gear. Her shirts are more than just pink ballcaps. I particularly liked the female shaped t-shirts with v-necks and orange or blue sequins in the lettering.

The stadium is easy to walk around. I got a beer in a commemorative cup and enjoyed watching the fans arrive. There are kid games on the outfield side and Shea Bridge, which is a pedestrian walkway.

I went with a Nathan’s hotdog, though there are many more adventurous food choices.

I was forewarned that there are some really bad seats in the stadium. I went with Promenade Level seats which gave me access to an air conditioned club and a great view of the field at a very reasonable price.