New York Yankees

My intention was to see Yankee Stadium last.  It is, in many ways, the most iconic, even though it’s one of the newer stadiums now.  For better or for worse, the Yankees are America’s team. 

While on a UFC Countdown shoot, we arrived a bit early on our travel day, and the rest of the crew wanted to go.  I initially resisted, but finally gave in, because the alternative was to sit alone in the hotel room.  And the Mets were out of town, so that was my only real option.

Found some reasonably priced tickets.  Apparently (and maybe not surprisingly), Yankee Stadium is known as one of the most expensive parks to visit.  So for about $100, we got outfield (lower level) tickets.  Ouch.  But could be worse, I suppose.

So we headed out to the stadium.  Found parking easy in a covered parking structure.  And just as we walked out, the rain began to fall.  Not too heavy, but enough that I found a guy on the street in front of the park selling ponchos.  Blue is the only choice?  Done.

The “New Yankee Stadium” opened in April 2009, in what used to be a park across from the original Yankee Stadium (which has since been turned into a park).  So it was basically about 10 years old during my visit.  It’s Indiana Limestone and granite exterior was still in great shape, and I would have guessed it was even newer. 

We headed up to the top level to get a birds-eye view.  We got to see the iconic frieze up close, which was a feature that was replicated from the original stadium and is one of the defining features.

After a few hours and some more beer, snacks, and food (nothing particularly memorable), the rain let up and we headed backs to our seats.  Many people had given up and gone home, so we were able to watch the game without too many people in the stands.