new stadiums

I was lucky enough to win luxury suite tickets to opening day at the new Yankee Stadium. And Mike got ticktes through a co-worker to the Mets game this past Sunday, less than two weeks after Citi Field opening day. They were very different experiences, since one was in a catered luxury suite and the other was in the nosebleed stadium seats.

The luxury suite was very posh, the food was good, the Yankees lost, and the new stadium is beautiful. The enormous screen in the outfield is the nicest I've seen. The park is intimate and very well designed.

It was fun, but really, that's not a real baseball experience. I like to watch the game in the stadium seats, in the middle of the excitement. I like to walk the stadium and see everything, and pay $6 for a hot dog and $7 for some nachos. Call me crazy, but I enjoy that whole experience.

In a lot of ways, I enjoyed the Mets game more. We explored the stadium, overpaid for good food, sat outside in the stands and soaked in the gorgeous weather. Citi Field isn't quite as nice a stadium, and lost points for the toilet flushing on me twice while I was trying to pee, and half the stall doors not closing (in a brand new stadium). The stadium doesn't feel quite as intimate as Yankee Stadium, which is a closer design to my favorite baseball stadium, the Phillies' Citizens Bank Park.

However, when comparing Citi Field to its predecessor, it is a major improvement. Shea Stadium was a horrid, dank, cement behemoth, laid out badly and without ability to walk around much beyond your section. It was closed off in every direction and was almost prison-like. So all things considered, Citi Field is a nice place to watch a ball game.

Unfortunately, blogger is refusing to let me upload pictures right now, so I can't share baseball photos. I'll post them when I can get it to work.