Yankee Stadium vs. Citifield: Baseball Park Awards

After careful observation, taste testing, subway riding, cheering, and doing the wave, I'm happy to announce the Baseball Park Awards amongst 2 strong contenders, Yankee Stadium and Citifield.

Best Historical Presence

The winner is: Yankee Stadium.

And there’s really no contest here. While Mets fans are grumbling about its lack of previous Mets presence in favor of the homage to the Dodgers and Giants, Yankee fans will be very pleased to know that the new Yankee Stadium is essentially a museum of Yankee legacy. From the Great Hall to Monument Park, no triumph is left unturned.  

Best Way of Getting There

The winner is: Yankee Stadium

I don’t know about you, but I dread the ride out to Citifield with a passion. It’s crowded and just takes way too long, even if you do manage to catch the express line, which really is the only acceptable way to go in my opinion. Yankee Stadium, on the other hand, is a quick shoot on the B or D line. Catch the express and it takes 15-20 minutes tops from midtown. 

Best Prices

The winner is: Citifield

If you recall this article, I even made the Mets at Citifield a Date of the Week, primarily because of its very reasonable prices by ballpark standards. Unfortunately Yankee Stadium was a huge disappointment in this category. Not only can the ticket prices be astronomical at Yankee Stadium, but the same Nathan’s hot dog at Citifield for $4.75 will set you back $6.00 at Yankee Stadium. Same with the beer. A large beer at Citifield could go for $7.00, while the Yanks charge a whopping $10.00. Sure, this includes a souvenir cup, but still. Is it me, or are we being taken advantage of?

Best Audience Participation

The winner is: Citifield 

The most fun part of going to a ball game (aside from the food of course) is cheering for your team. I felt Yankee Stadium not only lacked in its jumbotron encouragement for making noise, figuring out which hat the ball was under, trivia questions and seat upgrades, but the game goers just weren’t into it either. Could be because Mets fans are used to being the underdog and therefore are willing to put in more effort. Either way, the crowd seemed way more into the game (and cheering for it) at Citifield.

Best Restrooms

The winner is: Yankee Stadium 

I have fairly low expectations for ballpark bathrooms, but Yankee Stadium surprised me in that the bathrooms were not only clean, but classy with nice lighting and fixtures. I actually enjoyed using the ladies room and didn’t grumble about the long lines. Best Food Item 

The winner is Yankee Stadium’s Garlic French Fries. 

Holy Garlic, these were delicious. Although I’m a ketchup fiend, I found it completely unnecessary on these fries already covered in garlicky goodness. Be sure to share these, as you do not want to be the only member of your party with unbearable garlic stench emanating from your pores. But it’s totally worth it.

Best Concessions

The winner is: Citifield

Better pricing and more fun options, from Nathan's to Blue Smoke to Shake Shack (and we all know how I feel about Shake Shack). While lines can be long for these concessions, the option are fun and delicious.

Best Experience Watching the Game 

The winner is: Yankee Stadium

Perhaps it’s the years of championships that proceed them. Perhaps it’s those pin stripes. Perhaps it’s my own biased opinion…but there’s just something exciting about watching the New York Yankees. Best Overall Ballpark Experience 

The winner is: Citifield 

I hate to do this, and I know I’m going to get angry calls from my parents accusing me of becoming a Mets fan under my husband’s influence, but the honest truth is that as an overall baseball park experience, I’d rather hit up Citifield for an after work game. Ok, so the Mets are just not the Yankees. But for a nice, budget-friendly after work outing where almost every seat is a good seat, I reluctantly vote Citi. Not only were the ticket and concession prices way more reasonable, but the stadium itself is just more welcoming and feels like home. Stepping off the 7 train and bounding down the stairs, Citifield is a huge red brick beauty, while Yankee Stadium is hidden amongst the subway overpasses and just felt like a cold, gray, concrete slab. Angry comments and e-mails are welcome and expected.

Comments

[Steph.]

WHOOHOO! Another Met fan by marriage. I too hated the admission at first, but what can you do right?

Loved this blog post. Love your entire blog. My husband was born and raised in NY [Queens of course. lol]. We visit my in-laws every year and I love it. Thanksgiving in NY is the highlight of my year. I wish we could afford our lifestyle in NY. Very pricey. If we could, I'd be there in 5 minutes.

I can't wait to read more from your "happenings" in the city. Anyways girl, visit the blog more often and talk to you soon.

[Anonymous]

caught your blog trying to google how long the train ride on the 7 is from manhattan to citi field....i'm from LA and headed to NY in 3 weeks and i'll be at a game and was wondering how far in advance i should catch the train to get there!

[Rachel]

It depends if you are doing a weekday or weekend game. You can catch the express on a weekday (which is glorious), but weekends are usually local. I would leave at least 30 minutes from the PT Authority stop. Try this site:
http://www.hopstop.com/?city=newyork

You can type in your starting point and destination, put in your day of week, time of day, etc. It's really the best site for subwaying around NYC.

Enjoy the game/field, and thanks for reading!