mightyflynn:

With the exception of the home team’s quality of play, I have nothing but high praise for my experience at Citi Field last Saturday. Roy Halladay started for the visiting Phils, so I didn’t expect to see great offensive production, but Mets starter Pat Misch kept the home team in the game with 6 solid innings in his first big-league start of 2010, allowing just one earned run on 8 hits. Unfortunately, the Mets’ sloppy defense (including a David Wright error of the between the wickets variety) gifted the Phils with 3 unearned runs, resulting in a 4-0 final score.

Citi Field, on the other hand, is beautiful. The Mets have done an excellent job of incorporating unique touches to celebrate the team’s history, and the staff was as friendly and helpful as any I’ve encountered at a ballpark. No less than six employees welcomed our group between the parking lot and the Gil Hodges VIP entrance gate, each adding, “Enjoy the game.” After walking through the turnstile, I was handed a green white, and orange Mets cap by a young man who told me it was Irish Night. I was beginning to think it was all a dream. The cynic in me thought the friendliness was due to the location of our seats (Sterling Level, row 19), which my brother won in a charity auction, but even the folks working in the crowded beer garden were just as friendly and welcoming.

We enjoyed coldies in the beer garden for about 30 minutes before completing our lap of the ballpark, stopping to take in the gorgeous Jackie Robinson Rotunda behind home plate. Very classy. Everything about the ballpark impressed me. And it was a beautiful night, about 78 degrees with no humidity.

Apart from the outstanding view and our roomy, padded seats, the best thing about sitting where we did was the service. We were able to skip the hour-long line for Shake Shack’s beer garden location and order directly from our seats. The Shake Shack burgers, hot dogs, shakes, and fries (with bacon aioli dipping sauce) arrived within ten minutes of ordering. Without a doubt, the best ballpark food I’ve ever had. Our tickets also afforded access to the Delta Lounge, a well-appointed bar just steps from our seats, featuring lots of great beer on tap, wine, and cocktails. In the fifth inning, while ordering a couple of brews at the bar, we spotted Mr. Met waiting for an elevator nearby. He shook our hands and posed for a photo with us. I haven’t seen my brother (a serious Mets fan) that excited since Christmas 1974, and I think our encounter with the best mascot in baseball single-handedly justified whatever outrageous price he paid for our seats.

Citi Field is certainly one of the best ballparks I’ve visited. As far as post-1993 facilities, I’d put it up there with PNC Park and Target Field. Now if they could just do something about the quality of play on the field.

Great review.

That new park smell can only last so long, the Mets need to put a quality product on the field to go along with their fancy park otherwise all the delicious Shake Shack burgers in the world will not be enough to fill the void.