I had tickets to a baseball game, but I never actually took a seat.
Though that didn’t stop my friend and me from scoring the best views in the house.
Last week, I took a trip down to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx for the subway rivalry between the Bronx Bombers and the Amazins, which we knew was going to be a lively affair.
When the game began at 7:05 p.m., I wouldn’t have been surprised if every one of the 54,251 seats was filled. For someone like me who attends baseball games more for the ambience than the action, people-watching proved worthwhile, and it was heartening to see the unity among all different kinds of people that sports naturally invites. The spectators perfectly conveyed the eclectic makeup of metropolitan New York.
The last time I attended a Yankees’ game, it was at the original site of Yankee Stadium, where the 1923 ballpark stood until it was remodeled in 1974-75, reopening a year later. Now in its place sits Heritage Field, a beautiful, 11-acre public park that maintains the original pitcher’s mound as well as a piece of the stadium’s previous iteration. And though I remember very little from my first game – I was 12 at the time – I do recall that there wasn’t as large a food selection.
Today, the stadium offers everything from traditional baseball food – hotdogs, peanuts, nachos and pretzels – to slow-cooked Southern barbecue, cheese steaks, sweet treats and even gluten-free options, like fresh fruit and veggies. Being a fish lover, I opted for sushi at the Noodle Bowls/Sushi Stand.
You may be thinking, “Sushi? At a stadium?” Yes, I thought about that, too. But the Bronx roll (when in Rome) and salmon avocado roll both proved delicious. Not to mention, we were happy to eat in a semi-healthy manner at a baseball game.
Being a weekday, we left the game early, though we quickly learned of the Yankees’ win over the Mets, 5-4. Perhaps next time, we’ll make it through the ninth inning.
For more, visit mlb.com/mets and mlb.com/yankees.
– Danielle Renda
