in that case, I agree with you. Good advice.
If all your daughter wants to see is a ballgame of some sort, maybe the Brooklyn Cylones, a minor league team out at Coney Island, would be fun - and a lot cheaper, with a lot more to do in and outside the stadium, with famous Boardwalk and amusements. You might be able to combine that with the Brooklyn day.
We took a British colleague of my dads to a Mets game once and with zero context, it was hard to explain the game, especially because it was a pitchers duel with not much action to describe.
Great suggestion!
I once took a couple of 30-something colleagues fresh from New Zealand to a minor league ballgame. The small crowd, limited ceremony, lack of crowds & fol-de-rol, and the Field of Dreams sort of presentation appealed to them both.
When I was regularly visiting NYC I always wanted to attend a Staten Island Yankees game. Ride the ferry over from Manhattan, walk a couple blocks to the game, watch the game with lower Manhattan in the middle distance as backdrop, then ferry back afterwards. Such a quintessentially NYC experience.
Sadly I never had time there during season while they were in a homestand. MiLB.com tells me they shut down sometime in the last few years. Probably a victim of the large minor league cull that COVID finished off.
Any NYC people know if that stadium still exists or is used?
The stadium still exists and it seems the Staten Island Ferryhawks play there now.
Right. The Ferryhawks are an independent team in the Atlantic League. The quality of baseball is good but it’s unlikely that you will see any future stars.
I’m a Yankee fan but I love going to Citifield. I think it’s a great place to see a game. Good views from everywhere. Good food throughout the stadium. Good ambiance.
Gates open 90 minutes before the start of the game. If you get there early there is a bar/restaurant called The K Korner that is attached to the stadium. I believe it opens 2.5 hours before the game.
Lots of great answers, thanks!
I was planning to get there at least one hour early to be sure. If it’s too much, we can always visit the neighbourhood. Plus, I think that my daughter would enjoy the batting practice too.
I’ll be buying the tickets directly from the club website, and we’ll use the entrance mentioned on them.
This makes sense but to be honest, I’m aiming for the cheaper seats. I was trying to keep expenses to a minimum and this is an unexpected addition.
3 hours really is the limit, as the subway ride back to Battery Park will take about 1 hour, and my younger daughter would like to stop in Times Square on the way back. I’d rather not go to bed after midnight as we’re leaving the next day. I’ll make sure to time our exit with a lull in the game.
I have one but are Mastercard debit cards accepted too? I used it a lot last summer and found it very practical.
I do know the basics, as I lived in Canada when I was a teen. But that was over 35 years ago. I’m sure I’d still very broadly understand what is going on, but I could probably do with a refresher.
Does this mean I have to install a specific app to show my tickets? I’d rather not do that, but if it’s the only way, so be it. Are e-tickets in my regular download folder not valid? Paper copies (I still use those as a backup)?
Combining this with the Brooklyn day isn’t going to be possible as it is now quite full, and that stadium looks like it’s quite out of the way. Moreover, I’m sure my daughter wants to see one of the “big” teams.
But I’ve thought about it, and it’s still an option if the Mets game doesn’t pan out.
OK, that’s good to know.
Any idea how I can make sure that the three of us have contiguous seats?
I’m sorry; I didn’t say that clearly enough.
I’m not suggesting you have to sit in the more expensive seats. And yeah, NYC baseball tickets can get real expensive.
I’m suggesting that if you want to explore the public areas of the stadium, just know that it’s not homogenous all the way around. So entering, say on the North side, and walking the long way around to seats on the East side you’ll get a thorough tour of what’s on offer. IOW, wherever you sit or enter, the home plate area is the “downtown” part of the stadium richest in interesting things to see or do (and eat or drink) beyond just the game itself. If you can arrange to walk through that on your way to your seats you’ll be rewarded.
Yes, debit cards are also accepted.
Paper copies and screenshots are not accepted and the tickets must be in the app - I don’t think there’s any way to even get them into an e-wallet. In any event, you can only receive the tickets through the app. Also, they don’t go 'live" until the day before the game.
When you choose a date and go to buy tickets on the website , there is a section on the upper right that allows you to either choose your seat by seat map or by section. If you choose by seat map, you will see a map. Click on a dark green area - those have available seats. The orange seats are available and is easy to tell if they are next to each other, on the aisle etc.
3 hr game, 9 innings = 3 innings/hr. With each side getting up, that means a break in the action, with players leaving the field every 10 minutes or so. I’d leave either after a (half) inning or on a pitching change, when a new pitcher trots in from the outfield bullpen & then throws some warmup pitches before the game resumes.
I’m not a big fan of being there early as there’s a lot of down time, including all of the pomp ceremonies between the end of batting practice & the start of the game - singing of the national anthem, ceremonial throwing of the first pitch, which is frequently not by a player; a military member, a first responder, a teacher, the CEO of the company sponsoring that night’s giveaway, etc. If you are there a bit early, walk the ‘wrong’ way to your seats, IOW, the long way around the concourse to your seat section. While most of the concessions will be repeated over & over, there will be some specialty concessions that are rarer to find, whether that’s the beer stand with something slightly better than the mass produced swill (I’m looking at you Coors Diet!) or something other than hot dogs, peanuts & cracker jack, or the team souvenir store. Remember, you’re a captive audience (once you go out, that ticket is done, you can’t come back in w/o paying again) in there so any food or drink is accordingly (over)priced. Eat before for budgetary reasons if you’re doing the trip on the less expensive side.
We went to an NHL hockey game last week & stopped at Wendy’s on the way there; two of us ate & got a drink for less than one comparable meal, w/o a drink, inside the stadium & it was probably better, too.
One thing I like about Citifield is the area in the outfield. They made it up to seem like the boardwalk on Coney Island. Lots of good food choices.
One of the good things about Citifield is that even if you get seats in the upper deck you can still walk around the lower area and you can see the field from anywhere on the concourse.
The average length of a game in 2024 was about 2.5 hours. They have implemented rules to keep game length down and they are working. It can go longer but that will probably be the length of the game.
The ticket apps make it pretty clear how to buy tickets next to each other. It’s usually the default. Getting tickets to a random early season game when you aren’t looking for expensive seats shouldn’t be a problem. You should have no difficulty getting exactly what you are looking for. You can still get some tickets at reasonable prices to a baseball game. Pretty much the only pro sport where that’s true (you can also get really expensive seats). If you go the cheaper route then your biggest expense will be food and drink.
Inside the stadium there is a Mets museum and also the main atrium is dedicated to Jackie Robinson. Honoring Jackie Robinson was a controversial choice with fans when the stadium opened since he played in New York but never played with the Mets.
Ah, OK. That’s a good idea, we’ll try to do that.
Great!
So, what’s the app that I have to download? Would it be better to book the tickets on my computer or with my smartphone? I was planning to use the former.
I’ve just tried this and indeed, it’s very clear and easy to use.
Still, the way the confirmation screen appears gives me pause. I chose three seats which were right next to each other and yet, it shows this :
Section 431, Row 2, Seats 20, 21
$13.00/ea × 2 $26.00
Section 431, Row 2, Seat 22
$13.00/ea × 1 $13.00
Left Aisle
Why is seat 22 listed apart from the other two when it was clearly next to them on the map and costs the same?
Good, this gives me a clearer idea of how long we might stay, and when to leave if needed.
I’m speculating, but the fact it says “left aisle” suggests that seat 22 is right on the aisle. Which seats are often sold at a premium. Not in your case, but in their inventory system aisle seats are different from non-aisle seats.
The app is called Ballpark. I don’t think it really matters if you buy the tickets on a phone or a computer - either way, they will end up in the app. I don’t buy single game tickets much but I exchange tickets a few times a year and always do that on the desktop.
Ok, I’ll download the app, then book the tickets on my computer, probably this weekend.
That makes sense as I had indeed picked a seat next to what looked like a flight of stairs.
If you’re looking at the neighborhoods around Citi Field, warning, definitely stay away from the area to the east of the stadium, Seaver Avenue, 34th and 35th Avenue, and Willets Pt. Blvd. It’s a run down area partly under demolition: Willets Point Queens Iron Triangle auto body shops: New York City neighorhood.
Willets Point, Queens: exploring the industrial NYC area, in photos - Curbed NY
On the other hand, the tennis stadium where the US Open is held is a 10 minute walk from Citi Field. The official name is the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. And 5 minutes further is the Unisphere: Flushing Meadows Corona Park Highlights - Unisphere : NYC Parks
The Unisphere looks interesting. I’ll try to add it to the programme.
I’ll heed your advice and not venture in that area, especially not with my daughters in tow, but these pictures are strangely fascinating.
It looks like I’ve got the tickets!
The process was rather smooth thanks to your advice. There was a bit of a fumble with the confirmation email but it looks all right now. The tickets are in the app at least. Well, three lines with the date, seats and a button that says “open” which I guess I’m not supposed to press now.
DIAMONDBACKS at METS
Wed, Apr 30, 2025 7:10 PM EDT
Citi Field
Also, the programme has changed quite a bit.
Day 1
Times Square for an evening walk.
Day 2
Fifth Avenue, so my younger daughter can do some shopping ;
The Strand Bookshop ;
Brooklyn Bridge in the afternoon ;
DUMBO, so my older daughter can take a picture of that Instagrammable bridge ;
Columbus Park ;
Brooklyn Heights ;
Brooklyn Heights Promenade in the evening to see the city lights.
Day 3
Crumbl on Columbus Avenue for my younger daughter ;
Central Park, but just a walk along the west side and The Ramble ;
Columbia University for a quick look ;
Harlem for an afternoon meal ;
Unisphere in the early evening ;
Mets Stadium for my older daughter ;
Times Square at night.
Day 4
Tribeca and Greenwich Village in the morning.
I think you said something about not wanting to be out after midnight but did anyone mention the Midnight Moment? Every night at 11:57 there is a synchronized art show on all the electronic billboards in Times Square. The show changes monthly using different artists. It only lasts 3 minutes but its usually impressive
This is good for 1WTC & the Financial District buildings; Hunter’s Point is much better for midtown buildings like Empire State & Chrysler. I realize it’s much closer to where you’re already planning to be but except for Tribute in Light (leading up to & on 9/11), I prefer Hunter’s Point.