Citi Field Review

After almost three years of looking at construction photos, it was finally time. The first game at Citi Field. Coming into the day, all that you could think was "just get me in the damn ballpark" considering the weather. It was a steady rain most of the day. Any other day you complain about the Mets not calling the game early enough and making people come in, pay for parking, pay for dinner and beers, sit for an hour, then find out there's no game. Not on this day. Just get us in, game or no game.

Going down the stairs to exit the "Mets/Willets Point" stop was nothing new. You get out and head left towards Gate E. No more. At the foot of the steps, you were transported to a different place. It's amazing, the last game last October, the new place was up and pretty much done on the exterior, yet this time without our big blue toilet bowl casting a shadow over it the scene is completely different. There was a sidewalk and new parking where what used to be day of game ticket sales and the Mets bullpen.

The Jackie Robinson Rotunda was packed as expected. It was just several minutes before first pitch, so we made our way over to the left field game walking along what used to be the spot for the old apple and just beyond the visitor's bullpen. How appropriate it was that the left field gate featured a silhouette of "the catch", not too far from the spot Endy gave us hope in game 7.

Damn the place smelled good as you walked in. If you were slightly hungry, you were quickly starving. We took the stairs up to the promenade. A good way to get the blood moving on a chilly evening. After nightmares of plexiglass and stairway obstruction, I was relieved to find that my seats were just fine. Perfect view of every scoreboard. Solid seats that you don't have to pull up. Maybe people will be less inclined to hop down seats when making their way down a section. I can't tell you how many broken seats I sat in at Shea.

After one inning, we left our seats to explore the park. Every line for food was at least a 10 minute wait. Centerfield on the field level was shoulder to shoulder. The early start and curiosity of the new place had people hungry and wandering. Wide concourses to ease congestion? Not today, but give it a few games.

Approaching kiddie field and the dunk tank came my first minor gripe. Where the video/audio of the game? No clue what's going on if you're out here. Maybe that will change by the opener.

The Pepsi Porch was above us, but how the heck do you get up there? That's for later. Over the bridge, we peered down at the old Shea apple. The 360 was completed as we arrived at the Rotunda. How quickly the place changes to a museum.

We can take elevators now? That we did, back up to the Promenade for dinner on the picnic tables behind homeplate.

Caesar's Club on the Excelsior level was very nice. A good place to warm up on a cool night or cool down on a steamy one. However, it's probably the only time we'll ever get in. There was no one checking tickets at the door we entered. They were everywhere else, and again later when we tried to get in again.

Exiting the club on the right field side we found the entrance to the Pepsi Porch. Again, another place to hang out and watch the game from a different vantage point. Those junkyards out back gotta go.

One other negative about the place is that maybe there are too many hiding spots. There were more than a few people lighting up to smoke.

An hour rain delay did not ruin things one bit. We were not really paying attention to the game anyway, but if we wanted to we wouldn't miss much. There are TVs everywhere you look. Except Kiddie Field of course.

The old apple in the bullpen plaza got a nice restoration job in the offseason. In a way you kind of wish they kept it dingy and beat up the way it was. It's a heckler's delight down there, with only a chain fence separating the fans from the visitor's bullpen.

Can you believe this is home now? I thought I was on a road trip and was expecting to either go back to my hotel after the game or drive a few hours to get home. Looking forward to a return on opening night and many more games after that. Oh yeah- the Mets beat the Red Sox and closed the game with Putz in the 8th and K-Rod in the 9th. Looking forward to many more results like that as well.