Notes: My Tour of Citi Field
…yesterday, SNY’s Ted Berg and i, along with other reporters and photographers, took an extensive – and freezing cold – tour of Citi Field…did i mention it was snowing…and cold…wow…
…ted and i shot some video, which will hopefully be ready to post in the next day or so…
To view my photos from the tour, click here.
…wearing his Mets jacket and Citi Field hard-hat, Jeff Wilpon told us that his favorite seat in the house will likely be the front row of the right-field upper deck porch, which actually hangs over the field a bit like the old Tiger Stadium…if you’re lucky enough to sit in that first row, i can see how it’ll make it feel like you’re right on top of the field……it’s a pretty slick spot, and a great view, right in line with home plate…
…frankly, they’re right when they say the sight-lines for every seat will be pretty good…i can tell already that i will be spending most of my time hanging out, standing, walking around and watching the game from the promenades…it’s very wide open…very similar to other new parks, like in Atlanta, Baltimore and Philadelphia…it’ll be wide open, but intimate at the same time…
…by the way, left-handed pitchers, like, oh, i don’t know, Johan Santana, are going to love the 18-foot-high fence in left-center field, which is 379 feet from home plate…good luck pulling one 
over that sucker…in fact, i think wilpon mentioned how this caught santana’s eye during his personal tour of the stadium last week…and i don’t doubt it…
…as i noted yesterday, a Home-Run Apple will be featured below the scoreboard at Citi Field, and will rise out of a gigantic cement canister that has already been built, which you can see above, or by clicking here…however, as the team’s spokesman said, “It may or may not be the same apple that is at Shea Stadium today.”…
…wilpon also said, while the entire, overall project is roughly 60 percent complete, Citi Field’s structural steel frame is already 85 percent complete…the steel is a dark, dark color, inspired by the Hells Gate 
Bridge and other bridge work around New York City, and it looks a lot like it…it’s a nice feel…you can see it in this photo here, which displays a foot bridge out in right-center field…also, the first set of lights went up a week or so ago, which you can see here and here, which also uses that same steel work…
…there are a few seats in pairs that have already been bolted in…they’re a very, very dark gray, like the steel…click here for a great photo that appeared in today’s Journal News…ted took a picture of me sitting in the seat, but i accidentally deleted it…ugh…
…there will be 54 suites, 646 toilet fixtures and four restaurants, which will be announced in the next few 
months…
…the Rotunda is under way, and the wide, spiral, concrete steps that border it are already up…but that’s about it…
…all in all, despite the ridiculously cold and wet weather, it was pretty cool to see Citi Field in its infancy…it looks good, and is coming along well…i’m excited…and i can’t wait for its doors to officially open, because i think it’s going to be one hell of a time…
