Yankee Stadium vs. Citi Field

After a few (10) months of anticipation baseball season has begun.  Prior to making the big move to NYC last year I had been a baseball fan, but a fairly casual one.  I had been to a few stadiums in years past and watched some games.  I found that going to baseball games is one of the most enjoyable things to do in the late spring, summer, and early fall.  It doesn’t really matter too much if you’re a fan or if you’re not.  It’s more about who you’re with that really matters.  I have gone to Salt Lake Bees, Provo Angels-now the Orem Owlz, Dodgers, SF Giants, Indians, Yankees, and the Mets games.  I have enjoyed the company of the people that I have been with; having a great game is just added value.

Now onto the title of my posting for today.  There are many pros and cons to each stadium.

I’ll start with Citi Field

First off it’s very pretty from the outside.  It has a very retro feel.  Lots of red brick and arches surrounding the exterior.  As we arrived we had to go to will call to pick up the tickets.  CITI gives the option of doing everything via kiosks, provided you have your credit card used to purchase the tickets.  This would be a very easy way to avoid lines and streamline your experience.  There were many helpful staff members nearby to help with questions.  It’s much better than last year in this regard.

Getting through the left field entrance was very easy to do.  They don’t seem to search you as rigidly as they do at Yankee Stadium.  It was more of a formality than anything.  We saw people with all kinds of food that was brought in from the ‘outside’  Yankee Stadium is much more like a prison in this respect.  Any outside contraband will be taken away and cavity searches seem inevitable.  Once getting through the gates we proceeded up the escalators to the top of the stadium.  Someday I’ll be able to walk in and then walk DOWN to my seats, but until then a birds eye view will suffice.  Transport to our seats via escalator was flawless.

We got to our seats in left field and were sitting in row 1.  You would think that first row seating is a good thing.  In this case it’s not.  In order for us to see we had to look through steel bars, glass, and the rope holding up the backstop just to see the batter.  We moved several rows up very quickly.  The view became better the higher we went.  We moved 4 or 5 times before settling in but did notice that if there was a person directly in front of you the view became obstructed.  If the person sat forward in their seats the view of either the pitcher or the batter was eliminated.  This was very frustrating.  I understand that having a good, close view of the field is important, but not at the cost of being able to see the two most vital things on the field.  I’ve been to stadiums/ arenas (Autzen/Mac Court)  that try to put you on top of the field of play by using steep inclined seating.  At Autzen/Mac Court this works.  At CITI it doesn’t.

The inside of the stadium is a thing of beauty.  The dark accents of the field are nice, the brick is nostalgic, and the field is well groomed.  There are 2 large screens showing various stats/facts about the respective players.  This is a nice feature and a welcome addition to the stadium.  One thing that was less welcome is the amount of pictures of the same player at a given time.  When Santana was introduced there were 7 pictures of him in various poses on screen at the same time.  That seems like overkill to me.  I would have thought that one 25 foot portrait would be sufficient.  Overall the stadium had a feel and a look that I could get used to.

The NEW Yankee Stadium

The new Yankee Stadium is a thing of beauty.  And for $1.3 BILLION dollars it should  be amazing.  I would say that it lives up to expectations.  I’ve now been there 5 times.  The first game I attended was the first game ever played at the stadium.  It was an exhibition against the Cubs.  Wang pitched and won. Strange really considering his early season breakdown and his current 34.5 ERA.  Anyway, before I get too far along, I must talk about the outside of the stadium.  We took the D train up to the Bronx and as one exits the subway you are kind of thrust into madness.  You see this massive stadium glaring down at you and can’t help but be drawn to it.  The most depressing part is the old Yankee Stadium, forlorn and gray just across the street.  It looks like the forgotten garden of year’s past.  It’s still lingering but the love that was so recently given to it had simply gone away.  Its children grown and moved on, never forgetting, but beginning anew.

We got up to the gates and faced little madness.  Crew and fans alike were adjusting to the new feel and things didn’t seem to be running quite as sharply as they had across the street in years past.  I was patted down and asked if I had a cell phone.  I did and they asked me to turn it on to verify it was in working order.  I showed them that it did work and they let me pass.  My friend had her purse quickly looked through and we were in.  Upon entering the main gates we were able to look straight down legends hall.

It’s a very awe-inspiring sight.  Love the Yankees, hate the Yankees, or feel nothing towards the Yankees, you have to admit they have had many of the all time greats play for them.  It did seem appropriate that they look down upon many of those entering the hallowed grounds of the Bronx.  I found that the way up to the upper decks wasn’t as easy as CITI.  There are massive elevators, never ending ramps, and stairs.  The ramps are NOT the way to go.  I honestly prefer to walk 99% of the time, but the ramps do take forever.  So if you have 10 minutes to blow, by all means ramp it up.  One advantage to the ramps is seeing the field level seating.  It’s nice and the food on that level is impressive.  Expensive of course, but sushi at a ball game?  I never would’ve thought.

Upon arrival to our seats we were blown away by the biggest, sexiest, nicest HD screen I have ever seen in my life.  It’s the things dreams consist of.

It’s 103×58 foot beast.  It make replays, player information, and great ‘subway race’ that much more vivid.  I usually root for the D train.  It’s usually a winner.  After a few innings we decided to go over to seats behind home plate and sit for a bit.  By this time the Yankees had a comfortable lead and people were beginning to leave.  We sat in the cushioned seats and were amazed.  They were the most comfortable seats I have ever sat in while at a game of any type.  The views, no matter where you sit, are amazing.  I usually prefer to sit behind home of course, but if I can’t do that I like to be in right field, near first base. But, in this stadium, it seems to be better to sit in left field.  The views are nothing short of perfect no matter where in left you are.  In right field there is a chance you’ll miss large parts of the screen if you’re sitting where the stadium begins to bend.  Usually this is not a big deal, but in this particular stadium it is.

When forced to choose a winner, Yankee Stadium takes the cake.  CITI is easy to access but the seating is a big downer.  I have plans on going back, but only if the Yankees are out of town.  There are of course intangibles that come into play.  By no fault of CITI, Yankee Stadium has a certain aura.  I have no doubt that 26 world series victories help, but it is fact.  The simple feel of the stadium is enough to make one return.  The Yankees aren’t playing great right now, but they are still more fun to watch than the Mets.  I tend to pay attention to the feeling that I get when entering a venue.  The feeling I get at the Yankees games is nothing short of giddiness.  CITI doesn’t evoke the feelings that Yankee Stadium does.  But if anyone ever wants to hit a game in either stadium I’ll be right there with you.  Like I said earlier, it’s all about who you’re with at a baseball game.  It’s just happens to be a lot better if you’re in the Bronx watching the Bombers try to win one for the Bambino.

So Damn Lucky.

Ok, so I’m the worst blogger ever.  I suppose I blame a large majority of it on the fact I don’t think anyone ever reads it unless I change my Adium status to my blog address or do something desperate like force people to read my blog by changing my Facebook status.  So instead I will make an entry now and if there is no response, consider my blog done.   I will keep my photo blog up (more pics to come soon), but if you want to know about my life, there are other ways to become informed.

Now onward to the real happenings.  These past few months have been mostly insane.  First off, work.  I am still at Y&R working as a global account coordinator on the LG mobile account.  I was on TVs and Blu-ray players, but have since been switched onto something that I love.  I am, as most of you know, a tech dork.  I like phones and LG has some nice ones, with more on the way.  I just can’t tell you about them.  It’s a very integrated campaign and makes use of the entire marketing mix.  So, if ever you see an ad for LG know that it’s more than likely that I worked on it.  LG is making some progress in the mobile phone world, but time shall tell.

As far as fun, I have had my share.  Instead of telling all the details about what I did, I’ve decided to make a list of what has happened in the past few months.

D.C. I went to DC for the 4th of July.  It was a great place to go for the 4th.  What could be better than to be in our nation’s capital for its independence day.

Palmyra/Niagara Falls.  I saw the pageant and the falls.  Went on the boat out to the falls, loved the whole thing.  It was amazing.  And the Canada side of the falls is much much nicer than ours is.  When we came back from the Canada side, it felt much like I was leaving the US and entering a Mexican border town.
I moved.  I no longer live at 168th and Amsterdam.  Instead I moved to the West Village.  It’s amazing down there.  There are many things I love, but proximity to everything is great.  “The Hummus Place” is nearby, the A, C, B, D, F, V, 1,2,3; subways are all within a few mins.  The Blue and Orange lines are 150 feet away.  I can get to work in 17 mins.  New Yorkers have the longest daily, on average commute out of anyone in the country.  Look it up, it’s true.

I sold my bike.  I nearly cried.  It was a terrible thing.  I didn’t lose much money on it, that helped, but it was hard.  My landlady won’t allow them in the apartment, so it was either starve on the streets with the hobos, live in upper Harlem (which wouldn’t be bad, I love it up there), or live in the most coveted neighborhood in the city, or give up the bike.  I almost chose starvation on the street.

Conan. Dave Matthews Band. Julia Roberts. 50 Cent. Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. The Met. Ingrid Michaelson. All in one day.  It was amazing.  The DMB was, of course, the highlight.  It was the second best Dave concert I’ve ever seen. I got to hear Spoon for the first time ever.  If you want to hear more about Dave let me know, otherwise suffice it to say I was content.

Sabrina the Teenage Witch.  I sat across from Melissa Joan-Hart on the airtrain out to JFK.  She was there with her husband and kids.  She is very pretty in person.

Jon and Liz got married.  I went to a wedding in Utah where my best friend got married to another good friend.  It was perfect.

Plays.  I do live in NYC and going to plays is great.  As the weather turns colder I will be going more often I think.  But I’ve seen “in the heights” twice in the past 2 weeks.  It is my favorite show.  I’ve seen most of the others, and this one resonates much more than Wicked or Legally Blonde.  I feel the people on stage (chest pounding feel, not literally).  I recommend it.

Jersey.  For the conference weekend I went out and spent the weekend with some friends in Jersey.  It’s beautiful.  I will be adding some pictures to my other blog in the next few weeks of what Jersey in the fall looks like.

Natalie Portman.   I was walking back from church one beautiful Sunday and stopped at a light.  I looked right and was standing next to her.  I said hello and asked how her day was.  She said she was shopping with her mom and her mom’s friend.  I said I liked some of her stuff, she said thanks, I walked away.  She was nice.

SPORTS!!!!!!

Baseball.  Lots and lots of baseball.  I went to 5 or 6 Yankees games and 10-12 Mets games.  Some of the more notable games I saw were the Yankees vs. the Rays right before the All-Star Break.  During this time Longoria and Giambi were going head to head for the final All-Star roster position.  (Longoria won, good call.)  The final night game that the Yankees and the Red Sox ever played at Yankee stadium, the Phillies and the Mets at Shea just to name a few.  During one week I saw the Mets play 3 games in 4 days.  If you’ve been to Shea and live in Manhattan you know what an ordeal that can be.

US Open.  I saw tennis.  I loved tennis.  I want to start playing.  I went out there with a friend for one of the later sessions, Labor Day I believe.  We got to see each of the eventual finalists and one champ, (Andy Murray lost to Federer, and Serena took the women’s title)  Also, some people would find it fun that I saw the cast of Entourage there as well.

Hockey.  I saw the pre-season opener at MSG between the NY Rangers and the NJ Devils.  A very close friend took me for my birthday.  It was amazing.  NY lost; but I don’t have allegiance yet so it was ok.

MLS.  This past Saturday I went out to the Meadowlands and saw the NY Red Bulls defeat the Columbus Crew.  It was cool as anything.  We had amazing seats and got to see something that I’ve never seen before.  The NY Red Bull’s backup goalie scored a goal.  Read this to learn more.
It was a fun time to be had for all.

I think that’s about it for the past few months.  I will try to be better if there is a need to be.  Otherwise I’ll start a journal.  Until then, much love.

The Strangest NYC Commute. Ever.

As a NYC resident I commute.  As do over 5 million of my closest friends.  It’s the only way to geet around here.  It’s fast, fairly easy, and much cheaper than gas.  Generally speaking I go to work between 8:45 and 9:15am.  I take the 1 downtown and switch at 96th or 72nd to the 2 or 3 express train.  This morning wasn’t really that different.  I approached the 125th station and looked up just in time to see Randi getting on the subway and just in time to realize that I just missed the same subway.  Shoot.  Oh well I said to myself, the 1 runs frequently enough.  So I only waited for about 2 minutes and prepared to board the next one.  This is where it got strange.  I usually sit at the back of the subway so, when I get to 42nd street/Times Square, I’m closer to the “S” that runs to Grand Central.  I stepped on the subway and looked right, looked left…it was totally empty.  It was I, myself, and me. Imagine being alone anywhere outside of your domicile in NYC.  It just doesn’t happen.  I was alone until 96th street then a few people got on and looked around and wondered if they were on the right subway.

After I got on the 3 at 72nd street and started flying towards Times Square I looked across to the 1 that we were parallel to and saw no other than Randi!  That was strange.  I then sat down briefly because the subway wasn’t full and then had to leave because this person next to me was eating the nastiest bagel with cream cheese ever.

So I had to move away from her salmon bagel.  Don’t get me wrong, I love fish.  Probably more than most, but not at 9am.  I then finally made it to the “S” and began my commute over to Grand Central.  I got to take track 1 over to Grand Central, which I usually am excited for.  Track 1 has subway wraps on the inside sometimes.  Hugo Boss had one for a few months and Deadwood did it too.

They just rolled out with a new one.  It’s wrapped just like Grand Central looks.  The poles in the middle of the cars run into the middle of chandeliers and the seats are “marble”.  The advert is for the AMC series Mad Men. Then I made it to work.  Strange day already.

Why Dave Matthews Speaks To Me

For anyone who ever reads this blog, if anyone does, you already know that I really enjoy the Dave Matthews Band.  Some say it’s borderline obsession.  I would probably agree with them.  This is not an unhealthy obsession mind you, the music is not degrading, or dark.  It uplifts me and inspires me on so many levels.  Let me articulate why.

Dave (I will refer to him on an informal basis) and his band mates, Stefan Lessard (Bass Guitar), LeRoi Moore (Sax), Boyd Tinsely (Voilin), and Carter Beauford (Drums) put on a live show that is second to none.  Since many of you will never trust me enough to spend $50 on a 3.5 hour concert, I will never convince you.

Dave sings much deeper lyrics than most of you realize.  Here’s a small smattering of deep lyrics.

Driving in on this highway, all these cars and upon the sidewalk people in every direction no words exchanged no time to exchange and all the little ants are marching…

Look at this big – eyed fish swimming in the sea oh how it dreams to be a bird swoop and diving through the breeze so one day caught a big old wave up on to the beach now he’s dead you see beneath the sea is where a fish should be.

Dave is also a romantic.  Read these lyrics:

Am I right side up or upside down is it real or am I dreaming lovely lady I will treat you sweetly adore you I mean you crush me it’s times like these when my faith I feel and I know how I love you.

Excuse me please, one more drink could you make it strong? ‘Cause I don’t need to think she broke my heart
My Grace is Gone, another drink and I’ll move on.

I’ve converted my family to being Dave Matthews Band fans.  My mom, dad, Lindsay, Alisha, Kathryn, and Marie sometimes retire to their private places and listen to Dave.  Marie (she’s 10) for example was recently caught singing Gravedigger all alone in her room.

If a person isn’t a fan, I totally understand.  Dave isn’t for everyone.  But if someone hates him I might not speak with him.  If you’re not a fan, respect the talent.  A few years back a buddy of mine decided to drive to the Gorge Amphitheater with some girls who thought Dave sounded “like a goat.”  Now check their blogs out.  Meg and Heather.  They are converts.  I’ll be attending a benefit concert this coming September with an up and coming Dave convert.

Everyone needs a healthy obsession.  Some have Pinkberry, some have Corn Dogs, Dr. Pepper, and others live for naming their blog posts after songs.

Oh, for all those ladies out there who are Julia Roberts fans, you’ll like this.

Hey Hey My My

I’ve decided to start completely over on this whole blog thing.  I switched blog servers, got a new layout, and have decided to be more determined in my blog attempts.  I doubt many people will actually read it, but it’s my way of feeling cool.  As a college grad, this seems like the way to keep in touch with everyone.  Facebook is so last year.  I’m still living in New York City and plan on staying for quite some time now.  As a resident of “The Greatest City in the World” I feel like I am afforded opportunities that many are not.  This past Saturday proved to be the best day that I’ve had in the city thus far.  That’s saying something too.  We interns have had a killer good time since getting here.  We plan things and do them.  There hasn’t really been a weekend day that we didn’t have a plethora of activities planned.  Some go through, some don’t.  We manage to fill the day.  This last Saturday we had no plans.  Some were working, some were in Philly, and some were MIA.  So Rachel and I decided to just keep it chill and go relax and see what happens.  This is where the fun begins.  We got a late start and decided to go to a place called Good Enough to Eat.  Let me tell you what, it was amazing.  So after a great brunch we decided to walk to the park and sit down and relax for a bit.  Needless to say this didn’t happen.  There is just so much to look at.  We walked down by the great lawn and then over to the castle.  We then walked over to the end of the lake and onwards to an outdoor fair.  We stopped and took a few pics on the bridge in Enchanted.

We then happened upon the Red Bull Experiment.  Check the video here.  It was totally ridiculous.  We weren’t there the night before, but we hit up the stuff the following day.

We got free Redbull, which didn’t really matter.  We used it to cool off.  It was killer hot that afternoon.  So after that was all over we decided to head back to the iHouse and shower and plan the rest of the day.  We got on the 72nd street station headed uptown as it started to rain.  Usually you would say this is good news, but we both thought it might be sweet if it did rain.  We decided to leave the subway and walk up to 86th and catch it, except 86th was closed.  So 96th is was.  It was a torrential downpour.  Not a momentary one either.  It lasted until we got on the subway.  It looked like this.  I felt like I was 5 again.  It felt so good and we got back to the “dorms” and changed.

We then decided to grab some dinner and it was pouring down rain again, so we wanted to go close.  I took this picture earlier this week, just to show you what storms look like from my widow.  This is what it looked like Saturday night.  We hit up a little hole in the wall place called “Toast”  Talk about amazing burgers.  Who doesn’t want to try a bleu cheese stuffed burger once in their life?  It was great.  After that we just kicked it and went to bed.

The point of this entry is just to say that even if you have no plans for an entire day in NYC you can find something to do.  This is a revolutionary idea to me.  Either I was slow and not creative or there wasn’t much to do in Provo.  Maybe that’s why Provo has stuff like this.  You can’t just walk out of your front door and find something to do.  In this city it’s possible and I recommend it.  Now the weather is looking up.