The Truth About Citi Field

Let’s get one thing straight from the start: Citi Field is a lot nicer than Shea Stadium. But then again, so are most garbage dumps.  While some of my greatest memories occurred at Shea Stadium it was time for a new ballpark. 

I had high expectations based on the newer ballparks I had already seen and from what I had read about the planned Citi Field.  Unfortunately, I was extremely disappointed.

I got off the subway and was going to enter via the nearest entrance, the Jackie Robinson Rotunda.  This is the main entrance that was designed to resemble Ebbets Field, the home ballpark of Jackie Robinson and a Dodger team that abandoned New York.

I arrived early so I could look at the statues of all the old Mets and tributes to the two world championship teams.  None were to be found.  This would have been a great entrance for a new Dodger stadium, not the new home of the New York Mets.

The entrance seemed crowded so I looked for an alternative but the nest closest entrances to the Robinson Rotunda (which is directly behind home plate) was located on either side near the foul poles. 

That’s right, from one foul pole to the other, just one entrance.  There are three entrances on 126th Street  (the outfield) which is accessible to none of the mass transit or most of the parking lots.

When I finally got in I noticed that there was only one escalator to the next level.  After getting to the first level, to get to the upper deck (called the Promenade Level), you can either wait for an elevator (and wait, and wait and wait), or you can walk halfway between either third base or first base and the foul pole to the next single escalator, or walk up several flights of stairs. 

This results in overcrowding on the lower level as everyone is funneled through this area.

As an alternative, you might as well walk to one of the outfield entrances, since you’re going to wind up there anyway no matter which entrance you use.

I had heard about all the new food options, so I thought I would check it out.  For the most part, it’s the same as Shea.  There are a few newer options in the outfield, but the lines were so long I didn’t want to be bothered. 

Waiting on such a long line for something I can get outside the stadium for much cheaper hardly seemed like a wise investment of time.

One improvement is the pizza.  They took a local pizza place and let them have the concession, and it’s probably the best ballpark pizza I have ever had.  But at $5.75 a slice, I don’t expect to be eating much of it. 

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