Ballpark Game Plan: New York Mets & Citi Field

Field: Citi Field

Official Site: https://www.mlb.com/mets/ballpark

Year Completed: 2009

Capacity: 41,800

Covered: No – Postponement/Rainout Policy

Mascot: Mr. Met & Mrs. Met

The Game We’ll See: Monday, August 7: Chicago Cubs vs. New York Mets (see all 30 here!)

Parking & Transportation:

Citi Field has five parking lots, all of which are strictly cashless. Parking is $40 during regular season.

Tailgating is not allowed in Lots A, B, or G. Tailgating is permitted in other lots with some restrictions.

Oversized vehicle: The bus lot is north of Citi Field on Shea Road. It is commonly referred to as “Pork Chop Hill,” and opens one hour prior to the stadium gates opening.

Fans can also attend the game using mass transit. Citi Field recommends taking the subway or the 7 Train to Citi Field.

Citi Field offers a few different options for tours on game days. The “Take Me Out to Citi Field” tour starts at 1:00 and costs $40 per person. The 60-minute tour includes the press conference room, the Mets Hall of Fame and Museum, and the Rotunda, among other features. The Grand Slam Tour includes batting practice and priority access on promotional give aways and is $60 per person. The All Star Tour gives fans on-field access to watch batting practice and is $199 per person. Finally, The Line Drive Experience does not include the regular tour but does allow participants to watch batting practice from the warning track behind home plate.

General Information:

Bags: Citi Field prohibits backpacks but allows other bags and soft-sided coolers that do not exceed 16” x 16” x 8”. Totally clear backpacks are permitted in the park.

Food & Beverages: Fans may bring in their own food and non-alcoholic beverages. Foods must be in personal serving sizes and may not be packed in glass containers. Each fan is allowed to bring in one, factory-sealed bottle of water that is 20 ounces or smaller. Empty metal water bottles are allowed.

Cashless transactions: All transactions are cashless.

Signs: Signs are permitted if they are baseball-related, don’t block views, interfere with the game, contain advertising, or contain offensive materials.

Foul Balls: Fans may keep foul balls, as long as they don’t interfere with play or enter the playing area to retrieve them.

Gates: All gates open 2 hours prior to the game.

Umbrellas: There are no restrictions on umbrellas, including size. However, they must not interfere with another fan’s enjoyment of the game.

Where to Sit:

Ballpark Savvy reports that there few bad seats at Citi Field. They do recommend avoiding Sections 532 to 538. The best value seats are in Sections 510 to 518. These are behind home plate, but higher.

Baseball Bucket List suggests that the best seats for game views are on the 300 level, on the first and third base lines. The 400 Promenade Club sections (Sections 406 to 423) are best value for view versus price. They recommend sitting a few rows back to avoid handrails. The handrails have a silver top that runs over the plexiglass front and it blocks your view.

For shade, try the third base side, particularly in the 300 level. The last 10 rows of any level also generally block the sun.

For foul balls, try Sections 121 to 124 on the third base side, and 111 to 114 on the first base side.

Baseball Road Trips also recommends sections 121 to 124 or 125 to 126, in the lower rows. For the best value, the Excelsior Box, Sections 326 to 333, in higher rows, are also excellent seats. For particularly good views (at higher prices) try for sections 130 to 142.

If the prices seem a bit rich for your budget, The Ultimate Baseball Road Trip suggests buying 500 level seats and looking for a place to stand behind Section 114.

Food:

According to InsideHook, the New York Mets’ signature dish is the NY Deli Pastrami Sandwich, which can be found in Sections 119, 126, 337, 417, and the Piazza 31 Club.
The Ultimate Baseball Road Trip disagrees. They suggest that the Shake Shack’s Shack Burger is the trademark food. This concessionaire’s two beef patties with cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, onion and sauce have people lining up well before the game begins.
Like the Yankees, the Mets feature Nathan’s all beef hot dog at Citi Field.

First Time Visitors:

Visit the Fan Assistance Booth at the top of the escalator and to the left coming from the Rotunda. You’ll see a QR code. Scan it and enter some basic information, and they’ll have a custom certificate printed for you. If you visit during the first two innings of the game, you can pick it up the same day. Otherwise, they’ll mail it to you.

Autographs:

According to the official MLB site for Citi Field, the best opportunity for fans to get autographs is during batting practices, on the first and third base lines. Head to sections 106 through 108/109 and 125/126 through 128. Please do not ask staff members to request autographs or photos from players or coaches.

Other Stadium Tips & Highlights:

Volunteer to be your group’s designated driver and Citi Field will reward you with a free 22-ounce fountain soda at most concession stands. Sign up on the Ballpark App or by visiting the Designated Driver Booth on the 3^rd base side near Section 119.

The Mets Hall of Fame & Museum is located next to the Jackie Robinson Rotunda and the Team Store and is open from the time the gates open until the ballpark closes. It includes interactive exhibits, the team’s trophies and rings, and plaques for every hall of Fame member who played for the Yankees.

The Jackie Robinson Rotunda includes a sculpture in honor of Jackie Robinson. The statue and Rotunda are designed to reflect Robinson’s nine values: courage, integrity, determination, persistence, citizenship, justice, commitment, teamwork, and excellence.

On the Mets Plaza, the Seaver Statue honors Tom Seaver, a three-time Cy Young Award winner. It is located next to the Shea Stadium Home Run Apple.

The Shea Bridge is a tribute to Shea Stadium and leads to the Center Field Plaza. It has great views of the field.

The Ford Fitness Area, located on the field level in Center Field, features equipment where fans can test their strength at body weight exercises. Each game, during the bottom of the 5^th inning, an adult fan can compete against “the Machine.” This section closes at the top of the 7^th inning.

The Mets’ retired numbers include: