This September, my father, my two uncles and I are taking my grandfather to a Mets game. He’s a native of upstate New York and a lifelong Mets fan (the life of the Mets, that is; he was a Giants fan prior to that) who taught us all the love of the game, but he’s never actually seen them play one at home. So, we decided it’s high time to set that right.
As the only one of this crew who’s been to NYC before — well, other than Grandpa, but his knowledge is 60-plus years out of date — I’m charged with the planning for this event. I’m finding, though, that my own experience isn’t helping much here; the logistical planning of a plucky 25-year-old traveling solo doesn’t translate so well to a Buick full of five dudes with the walking limitations of a (quite mobile for his age, but still) 81-year-old man.
So, it’s SDMB to the rescue, I hope. Here are the particulars:
The game is Sunday, 9/25. We’re coming into town on Saturday the 24th…no particular time, but figure mid-afternoon unless there’s a reason to do otherwise. We’ll be driving down from Plattsburgh via I-87S. First things first, I’d prefer to park and ride from somewhere outside the city proper if possible*, so I’d like suggestions on good/cheap places to do that. I know traffic is lighter on the weekends, and I’m willing to be convinced to try it, but it’ll take some doing.
Next, I need a hotel. Unless the place is right next to Citi Field, the plan is to take the 7 train to the stadium, so between that and the park-and-ride, proximity to a subway station is priority number one. Remember: 81-year-old man. Priority number two is price; less than $150/night for something with two double beds would be fantastic, though I understand we have to take what we can get. (Rule Zero, of course, is little-to-no likelihood of assault, mugging, gunplay, or other assorted flavors of violent crime…e.g., nothing in the middle of Alphabet City, please; I don’t care how the gentrification is going.)
Beyond that, we’ll be in NYC for three days total, so any miscellaneous advice you have for activities, restaurants, sights, etc. that an old-timer Air Force-retiree baseball enthusiast might enjoy would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance for your help!
- Last time I went to NYC, I ended up driving into the Financial District at 5:15 on a rainy Friday afternoon. Not my idea — my doofus traveling partner revealed somewhere in the middle of New Jersey that he had packed three laundry baskets instead of a suitcase, necessitating the drive directly to the hotel, as well as the use of the $75/day valet parking because fucked if I was heading back to Jersey City to look for a garage. Anyway, this is not an experience I care to repeat.