There have often been times to be disappointed as a Mets fan. Countless free agent signings and trades over winters gone by failed before our eyes. Promises of making the playoffs dwindle season after season. And when the Mets do win, the likelihood of it becoming a yearly happenstance has never come true.
There is one event this year that will not follow suit. It is the opening of Citi Field. I was there on Saturday. While it was a miserable meaningless game played in miserable conditions, I can tell you first hand the Mets new ballpark is magnificent. I had to keep reminding myself, as I explored every nuance of the park, that this was the Mets new home. It's truly hard to believe.
Entering the park is a completely different experience from that of Shea Stadium. You scan your own tickets now in a Disney-esk type of turnstile. You enter through the Jackie Robinson Rotunda which is truly awe inspiring. From there, either take the escalators or climb one of the beautiful sweeping staircases till you find yourself on an incredibly wide concourse filled with concessions, shops, and restrooms.
As we walked along the concourse on the first base side, the first view of the field and seating bowl made me feel like I was nine years old again. It was then I asked myself is this place really ours. Is it really the Mets new home?
What is not captured in all the pictures we have seen on the Internet, mainly from Stadiumpage.com, Islandextrem26, and Citi_Field from WebShots, is how intimate, yet big, the ballpark is. The seats are truly close to the field. Our seats were in promenade reserved section 508 along first base, a tremendous view of the entire field. I was perhaps as high as the mezzanine reserved seats in old Shea but much closer to the playing field.
The park (I promise Jeff, I will not refer to the place as a stadium) is extremely well thought out. It is open and invites you to walk around. The seats are comfortable and there is more leg room than at Shea. I am not a tall person but even I was uncomfortable in Shea's upper levels. This is not a problem at Citi.
A great thing about Citi Field is when you walk around, you get to see the field from all different angles. I walked counter clockwise around the park, moving from level to level. At any point on the concourses, you can walk over behind the seats and see a great view of the game. There are wide screen TVs all over the place too. So even if your back is to the field while you are waiting in line at a concession, you can still catch all the action. On the club level, there are TVs that hang over the seats. Miss a play, no problem, the SNY/PIX broadcast is right there to see. There are over 850 flat screen TV's throughout the ballpark. On the promenade level, a lot of them were not on for some reason on Saturday. I'm sure they will be come opening day.
Late in the game I wandered around the park, when it started to thin out, sitting in various locations. There really is not a bad seat in the house. I loved the Pepsi Porch. Even though you cannot see the right field corner (because the stands hang over it) you feel as if you are on the field. It's an unbelievable view. These are going to be very popular seats.
I worked my way down to the field level concourse and walked across the bridge over the bullpens. Here too is another spectacular place to watch an inning or two. The view from the Apple Seats in center field is like nothing ever experienced at a Mets game because Shea had no seats in center. It reminded me of my college days in Boston where I spent many a game in the bleachers at Fenway Park.
The area behind the center field scoreboard is like a game long party. Lots of places to eat including the Shake Shack and Blue Smoke. The line for the kids to play wiffle ball in Kiddie Field was amazing. And while all this was going on, the game on the field could be viewed from a large video board on back of the main scoreboard.
Continuing on my journey I found myself watching from the left field reserved seats, a great view and plenty of cover if it's raining. From there I went up an escalator to the Left Field Landing section. This is the middle tier along the left field fence. Like the Pepsi Porch, these seats make you feel right in the middle of the action.
I took a staircase back up to the promenade. Unlike Shea, there are many stairways instead of ramps although there are a set of ramps in the left field corner. Even in left field and up high, the feeling of closeness and intimacy is not lost. You still feel close to the action. Now it is true, as a caller pointed out on WFAN last week, from these seats, the left field warning track and wall are obstructed. There is two reasons for this, the height and closeness to the field. Had the architects pushed these stands back further so the warning track could be seen, the seats would have been much farther away from home plate and the closeness would have been lost. Personally, I would have no problem sitting in these seats.
One of the really nice features of Citi Field is it's openness. As you circle the ballpark, the field is always present. All concession stands, restrooms, and shops are located on the outside walls. Another great area if you are sitting in the promenade is behind home plate, or specifically behind the promenade club. It's actually an open area on top of the rotunda. There are many concession stands with picnic tables. This is a great place for a family to take a half inning to get something to eat. And while you are eating you can here the TV broadcast through speakers in this area. There are speakers in the restroom too so you will always be aware of what's going on during the game.
Speaking of speakers, the new sound system is light years ahead of the one from Shea. Instead of a mountain of speakers in center field, Citi Field has speakers mounted all over the ballpark. Unlike Shea, the music played prior to the game and between innings is at a more comfortable level. It's not blasting to the point of not being able to hear.
The scoreboards and video boards are superior too. The center field Sharp video board is 70 feet long by 50 feet high. Not as big as the behemoth in Yankee Stadium but it still gets the job done. Stats and the score appear on the 90' by 40' right field board mounted on top of the administration offices. Auxiliary boards appear on the LED ribbons surrounding the promenade facade.
There is handicapped seating all over the place and in good locations on each level. The public address announcements appear in text for the hearing impaired on the ribbon boards as well.
I have fond memories of Shea Stadium. It was the first ballpark I went to as a kid. I never liked hearing Mets fans refer to it as a dump. Maybe it was a dump but just the same, I never felt that way. But yesterday I felt something magical about this new ballpark. The Wilpons, HOK, and whomever else responsible should be proud of what they have built. Citi Field is a first class facility. Now if the Mets can live up to expectations, this truly will be a special year.
