Yankee Stadium, Shea, and New York in general

[Garwilly]

This summer I will be heading East before they shut the doors on these places. As some of you have been out there, do you have any tips or advice on either stadium (yes I know Shea is a dump)? Also, any pointers on the city itself (as a tourist) would be great.

 

 

Thanks

Gary

[cbbryan]

Get drunk and urinate on the bat in front of Yankee Stadium. It's a tradition of Yankee fans! Seriously!

[moorecg]

This summer I will be heading East before they shut the doors on these places. As some of you have been out there, do you have any tips or advice on either stadium (yes I know Shea is a dump)? Also, any pointers on the city itself (as a tourist) would be great.

 

 

Thanks

Gary

 

 

I'm also interested in this...making the same trip in August.

[apete6]

Honestly? Be prepared to be thoroughly unimpressed with Yankee Stadium. I thought it was a POS when I was there. Beers were like 9 bucks and that was in 2003, I would imagine its like $12 now. The ramps leading to the upper deck are all enclosed, so they smell like urine/beer/bad hot dogs and you get no wind through there or any view of outside. The neighborhood is a POS, so the before game options are limited. And you have to deal with 55,000 New Yorkers--pretty knowledgeable fans, but generally a bunch of d-bags. Get there early to check out the monument park thing which is pretty cool. Oh ya, don't sit in the bleachers if you plan on drinking at the game, they are alcohol-free.

 

Shea is an even bigger POS. I went to the bathroom about 1 hour before the game and the floor was completely flooded from toilet/sink overflow. Although Mr. Met is prominently featured all over the place in the stadium, so that is pretty damn neat.

 

Also, near Shea is the US Tennis Center where they have the US Open, so if you are there around late August/early September, you could check that out. The tailgating at Shea was pretty decent as well. The Met fans weren't nearly as d-bag-ish as the Yankee fans, although that could change since they are good now.

 

Try and check out Coney Island and the minor league Brooklyn Cyclones stadium. That is one hell of a good time. You can go to the amusement park (kind of lame, but cool) and beach during the day and go to a game at night.

[Cubsmac]

Doin this trip in late september. Catchin the O's-Yanks and then Cubs-Mets a couple days later. Hoping to catch a Giants or Jets game in between. Never been to NY either. Any tips suggestions would be more the welcome about anything.

[MikeG]

I'm also making this trip and I just got my tickets to the first game of the Subway series in Yankee stadium yesterday. We'll also be catching the Mets/Nationals the day before.

[laurens]

I'm also making this trip and I just got my tickets to the first game of the Subway series in Yankee stadium yesterday. We'll also be catching the Mets/Nationals the day before.

 

Oh god, when I saw your name, I thought JesseG was back :lol:

[jersey cubs fan]

Rule number 1, take public transportation. And I wouldn't waste any time trying to take in either neighborhood.

 

Yankee Stadium is a dud, but the atmosphere is pretty good. In college the bleachers were fun, as they were around $10, and you were guaranteed to see at least one boob an inning. But due to lots of booby inspired fighting, they went dry, and I haven't been back out there. The upper deck is insanely steep with narrow walkways. and you feel like you're watching from a blimp. There is a very large difference between games against Boston, the Mets, and maybe Anaheim, and every other game. The DBag factor declines exponentially in those other contests.

 

I actually think Shea is a better place to see a game. The sight lines are better, and there are more accessible decent seats. Then again, I can easily get good seats to Shea, so maybe my opinion is skewed.

 

If you go into Yankee Stadium wearing Yankees or Red Sox gear, expect harrassment. Anything else and you're fine, unless you are an idiot who invites trouble. If you go into Shea with a Yankee or Chipper Jones uni, expect problems, anything else is fine.

 

Hotels are another question. You can literally get any level of quality. It's hard to point you in any one direction. Personally, I'd stear clear of Times Square. It's not horrible, but other than maybe seeing it for a few minutes, it doesn't offer much. Some of the hotel areas are actually in rather dead places for hanging out. If you don't need to sleep in Manhattan, there are plenty of options to stay in Brooklyn as well as Jersey City/Hoboken for a little less money, with plenty of public transportation (bus/ferry/train).

[Roast]

This summer I will be heading East before they shut the doors on these places. As some of you have been out there, do you have any tips or advice on either stadium (yes I know Shea is a dump)? Also, any pointers on the city itself (as a tourist) would be great.

 

 

Thanks

Gary

 

 

I'm also interested in this...making the same trip in August.

...might be making this same trip in june/july.

[Garwilly]

Thanks for the help guys.

 

I'll be at Yankee Stadium on August 16 and 17, Shea on the 19th.

[CuseCubFan69]

I found Shea easy to find, park and accessible to get to in and out. Ugly as all heck though. We stayed in the Catskills and took the drive to Flushing from there.

[Derwood]

if you like railings, you'll LOVE Shea.

[B]

I'll be there in May. Hotels are crazy high there.

[jersey cubs fan]

I found Shea easy to find, park and accessible to get to in and out. Ugly as all heck though. We stayed in the Catskills and took the drive to Flushing from there.

 

If somebody is coming from nowheresville, driving is an option, but I'm assuming most visitors would be trying to get back into the city.

[jersey cubs fan]

if you like railings, you'll LOVE Shea.

 

Oh man, the worst part. We have a 4 seat box at work, that means two rows of two, with two seats on the aisle and two butted up against a rail, with a rail behind the back two and in front of the rist two. It's so obnoxious. Who designed that nonsense? How ridiculous. I refuse to sit in the inside seats.

[CuseCubFan69]

I found Shea easy to find, park and accessible to get to in and out. Ugly as all heck though. We stayed in the Catskills and took the drive to Flushing from there.

 

If somebody is coming from nowheresville, driving is an option, but I'm assuming most visitors would be trying to get back into the city.

 

True. I just thought I'd add an option if they didn't want to go to NYC.

[jersey cubs fan]

I found Shea easy to find, park and accessible to get to in and out. Ugly as all heck though. We stayed in the Catskills and took the drive to Flushing from there.

 

If somebody is coming from nowheresville, driving is an option, but I'm assuming most visitors would be trying to get back into the city.

 

True. I just thought I'd add an option if they didn't want to go to NYC.

 

Garwilly asked about tips for the city, and I couldn't imagine why anybody would ever consider coming all the way out here and not going into the city. If you've never been, you really have to go to NYC - I mean that in general for anybody thinking of going, not you cuse.

[CuseCubFan69]

I found Shea easy to find, park and accessible to get to in and out. Ugly as all heck though. We stayed in the Catskills and took the drive to Flushing from there.

 

If somebody is coming from nowheresville, driving is an option, but I'm assuming most visitors would be trying to get back into the city.

 

True. I just thought I'd add an option if they didn't want to go to NYC.

 

Garwilly asked about tips for the city, and I couldn't imagine why anybody would ever consider coming all the way out here and not going into the city. If you've never been, you really have to go to NYC - I mean that in general for anybody thinking of going, not you cuse.

 

Oh I agree you have to see NYC if you can. I know I wasn't looking for a bar or to tailgate there but I just remember it being that kind of area to do so. Hey, if you're in NYC for a day, what one thing would you make sure you do?

[Post Count Padder]

My experiences at Yankee Stadium:

 

Bleachers are cheapest. Don't be fooled by the fact there is no alcohol served. The fans out there still act like @sses. As goony/jersey said, the upper deck is very steep and narrow. You trip, you're falling all the way down. The atmosphere is pretty decent though, if you can ignore the more obnoxious fans.

 

I've been to Shea once for a game against the Cubs about 6-7 years ago and it was bad. Planes were flying overhead every 5 minues, so you couldn't hear yourself think. Seats were garbage. Fans were obnoxious to the extreme. This old lady behind us with this annoyingly whiny voice was bad mouthing the Cubs all game and had an unhealthy obsession with Desi Relaford, to the point where she called him "her Desi".

[jersey cubs fan]

Oh I agree you have to see NYC if you can. I know I wasn't looking for a bar or to tailgate there but I just remember it being that kind of area to do so. Hey, if you're in NYC for a day, what one thing would you make sure you do?

 

A day and night, or just a day?

 

I think Central Park is underrated. I'd at least walk across the lower section of it, from east to west. Take the 1/9 downtown from columbus circle (actually, I think it's just the 1 now - the red one). Get off at 14th street and walk south through the Village and toward city hall. Maybe check out the Chinatown/Little Italy area - although not a must. If you get a chance, walk across the Brooklyn Bridge. Try to find a good pizza place and grab a slice to go, or a hot dog at Papayas. Just walk around, stop in a pub or three if you can. Maybe stop by south street seaport area, because the water is another underrated part of Manhattan (Battery Park on the west side is another option). I wouldn't recommend WTC, even though most people ask about it. There's nothing but a giant hole, construction site and office towers there.

 

If a night is planned, grab a Zagat's, do a great restaurant and drink til dawn. There's a population of people who swear they've never been above 14th street. I think they are insane, and lying, but if you do have one day in NY, you can get all you need south of 14th (and if you have a handheld GPS, bring it).

 

I think things like Empire State Building and Times Square are unnecessary. Wall Street doesn't offer much. Most of midtown is just office buildings. Rockefeller Center is nothing special. Plus you'll just get in my way when I'm trying to get home.

[mcgoobs]

My two cents having lived here for years now.

 

Yankee Stadium: If there's not a specific game you're looking to go to, and I would think only the BoSox or Mets would be ones you would specifically look at, I would try to go there on a weekend instead of a weekday. The times I've been there on the weekdays a larger portion the crowd has been more of the corporates going to the game as a business meeting.

 

The bleachers are fun, but dry. I wouldn't sit in the left field bleachers under any circumstances. The seats are just too far away. The right field bleachers bring in the rowdier crowd anyways, and they're the fans who take attendance of the Yankees players in the top of the first, which is always fun to see. If you want to drink and still want the bleacher atmosphere try to get seats along the first base line so you can listen and see all the ruckus from the bleachers but still drink $8.75 beers. Also there's no signature food item. The only good thing is they let you bring food in from outside, so you're not limited to what's inside the stadium.

 

Aside from that I'll echo that it's nothing special.

 

Shea Stadium: Nothing special to see. You'll deal with planes flying into and out of LaGuardia the entire game, so be prepared for that. I actually don't mind the upper deck seats at Shea if you're looking for a cheap option. I've sat there and the bleachers and would prefer the upper deck actually. I don't remember if you can bring food into Shea. The fans seems to come live for the Yankees, Braves, and Phillies.

 

In general if you can find Yankees-Mets tickets at either stadium those are good buys. I've been to those games at both stadiums and paid simiar prices to what you would find on Stubhub for weekend games at Wrigley.

 

The City: I'll echo that Times Square, Empire State Building, etc aren't that exciting, but if you want to "check the tourist box" then feel fre. I would absolutely recommend checking out Ground Zero though. It's hard to walk by Sears Tower and imagine it not being there, but it hit's you quickly when you go to Ground Zero and see a giant hole in the ground where the equivalent of two Sears Towers used to stand. The other thing I generally tell people is try to head to a comedy club here. Caroline's on Times Square pulls in some decent names, but even some of the smaller venues have funny people performing every night.

 

Aside from that I'm one of those people that JCF referred to about not going above 14th Street, at least on the weekends. I lived in Midtown for three years and never understood that mentality, but after moving to Little Italy I found out what people meant. Head to East Village, the Lower East Side, Greenwich, Village, West Village, Tribeca etc and just walk around - grab some random food, drink a few beers, do some random shopping. For Roast, Garwilly, and any others who want recommendations feel free to PM me. I've lived in the city since I moved east and make good use of my time at restaurants and bars here.

[Yanksfan1523]

CIRCLE LINE is a must! Better at dusk, but day is also fabulous.

 

The intrepid is gone, which still makes me sad when driving the west side.

 

Times square is a waste unless you want to shop and have overpriced chain food.

 

Ground zero is still tough, if you go there make the trip down to battery park.

 

Central park, as mentioned, is very beautiful. Plus that puts you close to Lennon's home, be sure to stop.

 

Now for the stadiums:

 

Get to Yankees stadium at least 2 hours early to get into Monument Park.

 

The Stadium has it's issues, but has cleaned up. Parking can be rough, especially with the construction.

 

Shea is worse. Horrid place to watch a game, definitely past time for the Mets to get a new one! However, Parking is a breeze! Great tailgating is better because of the more open space.

 

While at Shea, you can get to the Tennis center. But more importantly go see the Atlas and the World's fair site!

 

Somewhere near Shea there is a a Brazilian Chusscaria that is a must! They bring a spit of meat right off the flames and carve it onto your plate. Steak, chicken and sausage all rotisserie cooked and fresh. It is all you can eat and OUTSTANDING! There linguisa (sausage) is worth the price.

 

Oh, one thing. Walking around the city, especially around place like Grand Central Station, the Empire State Building, MSG and Penn Station, it is tough to see (HEAVILY) armed National Gaurd Troops lining the streets. But such is the world we live in.

 

Good Luck with your trips! I hope you all have a great time!

Edited February 28, 2008 by Yanksfan1523

[Yanksfan1523]

Get drunk and urinate on the bat in front of Yankee Stadium. It's a tradition of Yankee fans! Seriously!

 

 

AH, but alas those days have passed! I would not recommend that in this day and age.