Ultimate Baseball Road Trip (14 page)

Josh:
When I realized I can usually score seats below face value.

As a general rule, we like the home run territory seats in right field better than the ones in left because right field is shallower and, thus, fans sitting on that side of the park are closer to the infield than those in left. However, for night games, right field is the sun field. If you’re sitting in the second or third decks on a summer eve—say in Sections 205, 305, or 405—you will be squinting into the sun for a full hour while the rest of the park is in shadow. If you’re fair skinned or anticipate being sunburned from a day spent goofing around at Coney Island, then you’d be smart to sit elsewhere. At the very least, be sure to bring your sunglasses. Those sitting at field level in right don’t suffer nearly as much, because they’re tucked almost completely beneath the overhang of the second deck, but they should still have their shades ready for the first inning.

The first eight rows on the infield are separated from the rest of the lower bowl by a low concrete wall. This exclusive part of the park is fiercely guarded by ushers who could probably pick up part-time shifts as Secret Service operatives to make a few extra bucks. To say they are vigilant and hell-bent on keeping out the riff raff is an understatement. As for the seats within this concrete moat, they sell for an average price of more than $500 a pop and the ones down in front cost more than $2,600. That’s dollars, not pesos or rubles. And yes, that’s for
one
baseball game, not a season pass. We imagine this is still a pretty sweet deal if you’re Sir Paul McCartney or Keith Olbermann, since the first row of
seats is only fifty-two feet from home plate. But if you’re an average Joe, it’s kind of an affront to reality, especially when you tune in to the YES Network and observe that these posh sections are half-empty on many nights.

From Section 103 beside the Yankees bullpen in right-field home run territory, to Sections 120A and 120B behind the plate, and then out to 136 beside the visitors’ bullpen in left-center, the Field seats offers consistently solid views. We usually don’t have too much difficulty finding compromised sight lines when we visit a new park, especially down the outfield foul lines where the nearside corners often disappear from view, but at Yankee Stadium we struggled to find a seat that didn’t have a clear view of the entire field. Even though there’s very little foul territory down the lines, pretty much all of fair territory is visible throughout the stands. We were also highly impressed that everyone on the first level sits in a wide cushioned seat. These are easily the most comfortable ballpark seats our fannies have ever nestled into. But be advised, they ain’t cheap. Even the home run territory seats cost upwards of $100. If this is beyond your capacity to spend, we recommend visiting the lower bowl right after the park opens to watch forty-five minutes of visitors’ batting practice. Then, an hour and fifteen minutes before first pitch, the ushers start rounding up the fans who don’t have tickets to these lower sections and escorting them to the concourse.

As far as general rules go pertaining to the lower bowl, most sections have between twenty-six and thirty rows. Rows 24 and higher are under the overhang of the second deck. But the obstruction posed by the second deck is minimal. You can still see the flight of most fly balls. If you really can’t tolerate any obstruction, though, shoot for Rows 26 and lower to be assured of following the flight of those big league fly balls.

The only place where the overhang is more noticeable is in right-field home run territory Sections 105–107, where the back several rows are wedged under the roof. The first row in these Sections is actually Row 10 and the last is Row 26. You’ll want to be in Rows 10–20 to avoid the overhang. Or you can just sit a level higher in Sections 205–207, where you’ll enjoy a pure view for half the price. We really liked the view from both of these right-field decks. It’s such a shallow right field that we felt like we were right behind the second baseman.

The tucked-in Main level is called a Club Level at many other parks. These aren’t the same padded seats from down below, but seat holders enjoy the benefit of the cup holders that appear generously on seat backs throughout the stadium. The slope of the deck is gradual here, as on the first level, to keep fans close to the field. And the views are excellent. The sections have twenty-two rows. If you want to be beneath the overhang of the third deck for insurance against a rainy night, aim for Row 12 or higher. There’s really not much of an issue as far as the underhang or overhang detracting from the view. The architects did a great job of layering the decks so as to maximize each tier’s potential. If you’re worried about seeing the very tops of big league flies, then shoot for Rows 1–17 and eschew the back five rows. But this isn’t too terribly necessary. If having the foul pole bisect your view of the infield is going to ruin your night, avoid Sections 207 in right and 233A in left.

Appearing above the field level seats in home run territory, the second level Bleachers take
the form of aluminum benches. These aren’t the benches with backs you’ll find at some parks. They’re just plain metal benches. Making matters worse, nearly a quarter of them provide severely obstructed views due to the protruding presence of the Mohegan Sun Sports Bar, which juts out between the right and left-field bleachers to offer patrons a glassed-in view of the game and open view upstairs. If you’re in the left-field Bleachers, avoid Sections 238 and 239 if you’d like to see right field. If you’re in the right-field Bleachers, avoid Section 201 and 202 if you’d like to see left field. Heck, we couldn’t even see first base from Section 239. These are some of the worst obstructed views we’ve encountered, all so the high rollers can enjoy the posh comfort of a private club behind Monument Park. To their credit, the Yankees mark these tickets as “obstructed view” and sell them at a steeply discounted rate but still….

There are some good Bleacher seats, though. We really liked right-field Bleacher Sections 203 and 204. They’re a good value, considering that most of the other tickets down low cost an arm and a leg.

The uppermost deck’s concourse allows folks to walk down some steps to 300 level Terrace Seats or up some steps to 400 level Grandstand Seats. Unlike at some stadiums where the so-called Upper Box seats blend into the Upper Reserved ones and there is little difference between the 300 and 400 levels, there is a very big difference between the two levels at Yankee Stadium. Despite their sharing a concourse, the Terrace seats are much closer to field level. This disparity is due in part to the fact that both levels are very steep, so the Terrace really seems to hang right over the field, whereas the Grandstand quickly rises very high above the game.

If you’re afraid of heights or a little unsteady on your feet, you may want to avoid the first row of the Terrace. We visited Yankee Stadium shortly after the incident in Arlington in which a fan fell to his death from the left-field seats. Maybe it was because this sad event was fresh in our minds, but we were both struck by how low the railing and Plexiglas are along the front of the Terrace. It barely came up to Josh’s waist and made him feel the way he feels when driving over a high bridge. He wanted to get into the center lane—in this case Row 2—as quickly as possible.

There are seven or eight rows in the Terrace sections. And the sight lines are mostly pure. We found only a minimal loss of the left-field corner—due to the underhang of the deck below and rise of the left-field fence—from Sections 330–334. Across the diamond, the underhang claims a bit more of the right-field warning track for those sitting in Sections 305–311. But all in all, the architects did well. If you don’t believe us, head to Citi Field and walk the upper level, from which vast portions of the outfield seem to disappear. In Section 307, seats marked 7 through 22 face a right-field foul-pole obstruction. In Section 333, fans in seats numbered 13 and higher will have their view bisected by the left-field foul pole.

The top deck rises steeply and consists of fourteen rows. Even at the very top we didn’t feel too far removed from the game to enjoy it. Rows 5–14 are under a sunroof that offers shade or protection from the rain. In the corners you lose more of the field to the underhang and outfield fence than on any other level. This is especially true in Sections 405 to 411 in right field. It’s a tolerable loss, but noticeable on deep flies to right. In Section 407A stay in Seats 1–7 so that the right-field foul pole won’t obstruct your view. In Sections 433 and 434A in deep left, the pole is not as much of a factor. We happened to be standing on the stairwell along Section 434B as the National Anthem played and realized the “Stars and Stripes” were nearly close enough for us to reach out and have a touch.

Kevin:
Why is everyone looking at us?

Josh:
I think they’re looking at the flag.

Most folks think of the Bronx as the seedy core of the Big Apple. While the “scenery” on the Cross-Bronx Expressway hasn’t done much to help this image, the “Rotten Apple Rap” is a bit overblown. We had fun checking out some of the neighborhood bars before our game. And we even headed up the hill into the heart of the South Bronx after the game. We elected to keep our wallets in our front pants pockets as a precaution (and Josh carried a virtually empty “dummy wallet” in his back pants pocket) but at no point did we feel our lives were endangered. If you stick with the pregame and postgame crowd, you’ll be fine. If you stumble out of a neighborhood bar at 2:00 a.m. after the other ball fans have departed, well, you might want to carry a dummy wallet.

Driving to the Bronx means you’ll have to deal with New York City traffic. And that’s a bit more stress than either of us cares to face. On the plus side, the parking situation is convenient, as spacious lots and garages operate just across 161st Street from Stadium’s Gates 4 and 6. Those driving Northbound on Interstate 87 (The Major Deegan Expressway) should take Exit 3 (Grand Concourse and E. 138th Street), Exit 4 (E. 149th Street), or Exit 5 (E. 161st Street). Exit 5 deposits you closest to the park. For Southbound motorists, get off Interstate 87 at Exits 5 or 6 (E. 153rd Street and River Avenue).

A better option that allows you to avoid the traffic and $35 parking charge is to take the Metro’s 4 Train to 161st Street. During our return trip to the Big Apple, we found the subway consistently cleaner and friendlier than we remembered it. We observed several attendants sweeping cars and cleaning platforms. We got directions from one of these friendly women, who seemed happy to help us along. Then later, an attendant recommended we change cars at the next stop because he said the AC was working better in the adjoining car. And he was right. The 161st Street Stop is located right in front of the stadium at the corner of River Avenue. It is serviced by not only the 4, but the B Train (weekdays only), and D Train. A trip from midtown Manhattan takes thirty minutes on a 4 local, or twenty on an express. At $2.25 per ride, it’s a bargain.