Shea Stadium
I woke up on Sunday with a sudden desire to watch a baseball game, so I hopped on the subway and went to a Mets game. First, I'd like to point out that the subway map implies that Flushing is only a couple of miles away from midtown Manhattan, just a short subway hop away, when in fact it is, like ten miles away, and the one subway line that goes out there makes absolutely every stop possible, occasionally stopping the middle of the tracks just for fun. Now I know there is theoretically an express on the 7 line, but I have yet to see proof of its existence. (There was construction this weekend, so waybe this was just bad timing.) It took most of an hour to get there. Fortunately, I had my trusty Sunday New York Times with me - I was able to read most of it, round trip.
Shea Stadium is a pretty good ballpark. Unlike some ballparks, where the third deck goes all the way around the field and the cheap seats are a mile up and in the outfield, Shea's third deck goes only from foul pole to foul pole - so the cheap seats are mostly a mile up and in the infield. On my first visit to a new ballpark, I usually get the second-cheapest kind of seat - the very cheapest are really hit-or-miss, and the more expensive ones are usually a lot more expensive and not much better. Here, the $23 seats had a decent view - I was almost directly behind home plate, waaay above it. Shea also has a distinctive lack of blinky things and blaring pop music, making it much easier to watch the game.
This was the first time I've seen the Mets play in person. When I moved to California, I became a Giants fan, but long before that, my first love was the Mets. I remember in 1986 (as a little kid) being glued to the television set, holding up the bunny ears with tinfoil wrapped around them just so to get reception, watching the World Series. I was certain that when I grew up, I was going to be just like Darryl Strawberry, and play for the Mets. My hopes were dashed when it was pointed out to me that they don't let girls play professional baseball; shortly after that, I discovered computers and never looked back. But it was cool to get to see them.
Shea Stadium is a pretty good ballpark. Unlike some ballparks, where the third deck goes all the way around the field and the cheap seats are a mile up and in the outfield, Shea's third deck goes only from foul pole to foul pole - so the cheap seats are mostly a mile up and in the infield. On my first visit to a new ballpark, I usually get the second-cheapest kind of seat - the very cheapest are really hit-or-miss, and the more expensive ones are usually a lot more expensive and not much better. Here, the $23 seats had a decent view - I was almost directly behind home plate, waaay above it. Shea also has a distinctive lack of blinky things and blaring pop music, making it much easier to watch the game.
This was the first time I've seen the Mets play in person. When I moved to California, I became a Giants fan, but long before that, my first love was the Mets. I remember in 1986 (as a little kid) being glued to the television set, holding up the bunny ears with tinfoil wrapped around them just so to get reception, watching the World Series. I was certain that when I grew up, I was going to be just like Darryl Strawberry, and play for the Mets. My hopes were dashed when it was pointed out to me that they don't let girls play professional baseball; shortly after that, I discovered computers and never looked back. But it was cool to get to see them.
posted by Lexi Baugher at 21:38
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