Walking Down 126th Street By New York Mets Citi Field

One thing I am more convinced of than ever since my return from Wrigley Field is that 126th street and east needs to be redeveloped. At Shea and now Citi there has never been anywhere to hang out before or after a game. I would imagine a mixed use neightborhood – some neo-brownstones (with a quick express ride on the 7 to jobs in Manhattan), some hotels (there’s this airport nearby, you may have noticed the planes) and some bars and restaurants would go along way to making the Citi experience even better.

Here’s beautiful 126th street as it stands today (well as it stood a month ago). Need a tire changed or a replacement window? You’re in good hands!

Here’s another view. Right across from the bullpen gate. At least the place in the middle has chosen to remember Bill Shea’s legacy.

Here is the bullpen gate. Of all the places you might enter the stadium, this is the least likely. Therefore, it is where the Mets honor the history of the Mets by displaying their previous championships.

Ironically, 50 years from now the Brooklyn Marlins will honor the Mets with a giant rotunda. (The Mets have previously announced their intentions to move to Mercury don’t forget. Mercury, Nevada is an hour away from Vegas, and although currently a nuclear test site, I could see the Mets getting a favorable development deal similar to the one in Port St. Lucie)

Here’s what the neighborhood looks like by Wrigley.

Not a place to get a tire fixed.

You tell me which you’d prefer.