The next stop on our trip was Shea Stadium, home of the Mets. Unlike the new stadiums that have been built in the last few years and historic stadiums such as Fenway, Shea is not an attraction in and of itself. The only thing to do there is watch the game, which isn’t a bad thing. The only thing worth seeing inside the stadium was a preview room of Citi Park, set to open next year. The preview included the different seats from the different sections, the private lounge for the big spenders, a full size suite, and an amazing virtual tour of the stadium and its unique features. The new park looks absolutely gorgeous, both from the preview and even just looking at the outside of it. We’ll have to make another trip to New York next year.

Our seats were in the middle deck, and the upper deck hung over way to far. It obstructed the view from the upper rows on all fly balls. Fortunately, there were plenty of open seats in front of us and we were able to move up for an unobstructed view.

The game provided little drama, as the visiting Pirates scored seven runs in the second inning and never looked back. It was a boring game basically from the start, which contributed I’m sure to a somewhat restless atmosphere. It was a sharp contrast from Fenway the night before. The fans did provide some entertainment, from the creative jeers to the mock cheers when the Mets finally did something right. My favorite moment came in the 6th or 7th inning, when the Pirates were in the middle of a 5 run rally to put the game even more out of reach. A fan got up from behind us and stormed out, throwing his Mets hat into the section in front of us as he left. His friend followed close behind, and went down to the lower section, I thought to retrieve the hat the first guy threw away in the heat of the moment. Instead, he got the hat and threw it completely off the middle deck, onto the screen protecting the seats right behind the plate! I’m sure they both swore off their Mets for at least 24 hours.

While a fine place to watch a ballgame (as long as you can see the whole field), there was nothing special about Shea. It didn’t have the tradition of older parks or the amenities and activities of the newer parks. However, I am actually excited about Citi Park. I know my only basis for this was their sales pitch, but I am sold. It really looks like it will be one of the nicest stadiums in the country. I guess that will be for the next trip.