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.