I went to Yankee Stadium on Saturday, camera in hand, and I think that I have figured out some solutions for the obstructed views in the Promenade at Citi Field.
I previously thought that the design of the staircases at Citi would make it impossible to fix the views without tearing off the top deck. I now think there’s a way to fix it. It won’t be cheap, it won’t please the Wilpons, I’m not architect, but here’s a suggestion.
Most of the obstructed views are caused by the placement of the landing. The landing is in front of the seats at an angle that causes the railing to jut out in front of people.
This next shot is from Grandstand 406 (Grandstand is Yankee for Promenade). It is not my best photo, and I wish I had taken it further to the right, but see that railing…that’s the landing at Yankee. Even with the first row, not in front.
I think what the Mets need to do with the Promenade is best represented here with this view of the field level at Yankee Stadium.
The Mets need to rip out the first three to five rows of the entire Promenade and make that a walkway. See how deep the one is at Yankee? Nobody is being blocked. If the Mets take the seats out, they can eliminate some of the immediate turning aspects of the landing (you would just walk up some stairs to a walkway), and thus get rid of some of the plexiglass.
This photo is also from 406 at Yankee. While there is plexiglass, there isn’t much of it, and the people were able to sit in their seats without leaning forward.
While I haven’t experienced it first hand, I am hearing complaints about the ribbon blocking people at Citi Field…..
…as you can see in this photo, the Yankees figured out how to do a scoreboard ribbon and safety railing without making people lean forward in their seats.
I wasn’t too impressed with Yankee Stadium on my first visit, but as I discover more flaws in Flushing, I wonder who will have the last laugh.
Come back tomorrow morning for some suggestions on how they can “Mets Up” Citi Field by borrowing some ideas from the Bronx.
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@metspolice
I’ve said it myself that the Mets didn’t build the facade in front of the Promenade think enough for to hold the LED ribbon WITHOUT blocking people’s views. From what I can see of your Yankee Stadium pic, the Yankees did that part right.
For the railing, I’m not sure which rows you’re talking about removing. the front rows of the Prom reserved seats are high enough without losing a few more rows. aside from the height, it looks like the same type of staircase as Shea, except that it’s one-sided. Shea made it work because it had railings that blended in with the seats instead of plexiglass. What you should from the Yankee Stadium Field Level just couldn’t be done because of the separation of the 400 (boxes) and 500 (reserved) in the Promenade.
They should paint that bridge (behind center field)orange and blue & call it the Shea Bridge….bridging the past….bridging Shea to Citi….and it would add some much needed color.
The question I have is why did the Mets change the design from the original concept first introduced at the press conference held April 6, 2006. If you go to http://www.stadiumpage.com/stpages/mets.html, there is an original computer rendering (scroll to the bottom) of Citi Field (then simply known as Mets Ballpark). The promenade had portals or tunnels instead of staircases with the landings that have been causing so many complaints. It’s the same design as the new Yankee stadium. Another cut away image shows a split staircase tucked in under the deck with no obstructing landing. Why did the Mets change the original design? The newer design, via computer animation, shows the obstructions. You can see them for yourselves at http://www.seats3d.com/mlb/new_york_mets/. Ripping out the first three rows of the promenade is not going to happen. As it is, Citi Field only holds 41,900. They don’t want to move below that. A cheap solution is to remove the Plexi-glass on the stair ways. That just does not work because of glare and smudges. Replace the glass with standard rails. The railings will obstruct but at least if you can manuever a bit, you can get a more clear shot at the action not having to look through scratched up Plexi-glass. A very expensive, and unlikely solution, would be to go back to the original design concept. But that would involve cutting through sections of cast concrete risers then moving the stairs under the deck. Honestly, I can’t see that ever happening. I have been to Citi Field twice and I love the park. But I do think the Mets blew it with the promenade. The other problem that can never be corrected easily is that parts of the left and right field corners are blocked (in the promenade) the further down the lines you go. Many outfield seats prohibit seeing all of the outfield. This is a more common problem found in many of the new retro parks. The Mets wanted a small intimate ballpark with tight seating and “unprecedented” sight lines. They got that but not for everybody.
Too long; didn’t read.
Stop painting things blue and orange; it hurts the eyes. Use them as highlight colors but don’t paint entire walls or bridges with them.
the bigger question is 'how could they spend THAT much money on a new stadium and have ANY obstructed views???'
david f