New York: New York Mets
New York City Overview
Please see our New York City overview in the New York (AL) section.
The Neighborhood – Citi Field
Citi Field is located in the Flushing section of Queens, not far from La Guardia Airport. It’s common to hear the roar of planes overhead. Other than that, there’s not a whole lot around the site, which was originally the location for the 1964 World’s Fair.
Citi Field is surrounded by parking lots and a public transportation hub, which is far and away the best way to get to the game.
The Ballpark
Beginning with the 2009 season, Citi Field replaced the now demolished Shea Stadium, which sat adjacent to the new ballpark.
Citi Field is a spectacular facility that evokes the Mets historical roots while embracing the franchise’s connection with the city of New York. The first design element you’ll notice is the front rotunda entrance, which is reminiscent of Ebbets Field right down to the color and style of brick work. Around the park, there is a steel bridge design motif, linking the Mets connections with each of New York’s five boroughs.
Inside the stadium, the concourse level provides complete walk around access to the entire ballpark. Concourses are as wide as any in the major leagues and seating is close to the field. As for the field itself, it’s an asymetrical design favoring pitchers, with roughly 380 feet power alleys and 408 to center field.
Ballpark Tours
At this time, no tours of Citi Field are available. Should that change, this section will be updated.
Historic Baseball Sites
The former site of Shea Stadium sits immediately adjacent to Citi Field. At this point, no official marker or plaque has been placed at the site, although we expect something to be forthcoming in the near future.
In the New York (AL) section, we covered the former site of the Polo Grounds. Another historic baseball site is located in a downtrodden Brooklyn neighborhood at the intersection of Sullivan and McKeever Place.
The former site of Ebbets Field is now occupied by a series of high rise low income apartment buildings. They’re called Ebbets Field Apartments and there is little to indicate a ballpark once stood here. On the side of one of the buildings is a plaque, almost completely covered by overgrown shubbery, stating “This is the former site of Ebbets Field”.
Down the street, there’s a McDonald’s which pays homage to the Brooklyn Dodgers with a series of photographs adorning the walls, mostly of former Dodger greats like Jackie Robinson, Gil Hodges, and several more.
Ebbets Field was demolished in 1960.
Mets Tickets
The Mets are a tough ticket, much like the Yankees, particularly with a new ballpark as an added attraction. Secure your tickets well in advance, or find out what’s available here: MLB Baseball Tickets!
Public Transportation
Just steps away from the main rotunda entrance is the transportation center for the Mets/Willets Point Subway, a stop on New York’s extensive subway system. Express trains run during Mets night games and access is fairly simple from anywhere in the metro area. Rail access is also available, with train stops from Penn Station in Manhattan and the Long Island Railroad stopping conveniently nearby.
We highly recommend using public transportation in New York and saving yourself the expense and hassle of renting a car.
Restaurants, Taverns, and Great Beer Bars
Please see our list of Top 10 choices in New York in the New York (AL) section.
