I’m cheap. Â I park in Corona. Â It’s not scary and it’s not far.
Park somewhere in the one-teens as close to 34th avenue as you can. Â This shot is from 114th street between 34th and Northern. Â Remember, the far side of Citi Field is 126th, so at the worst you’re walking 12 blocks and it’s more like nine.
At the end of 34th avenue look for this walkway. Â The people on the opposite side are waiting for highway-speed traffic to clear. Â You do have to hustle across an entrance ramp to the Grand Central. Â It’s not that scary.
Now that you’ve dashed across, you will find yourself on this walkway along the Whitestone Expressway. Â It’s loud, but that’s a nice high barrier so you are in no likely danger of being hit by a car.
To your right you can enjoy the beautiful wildflowers of Queens.
Keep walking, keep walking.
Keep walking, keep walking.
You can look down at the Grand Central Parkway.
From here you can follow your eyes.
The walkway ends and you will have to cross across an exit ramp (from the GCP to the Whitestone). Â On the other side is the Citi Field parking lot. Â The NYPD is often stationed at this point and will hold up traffic for you, otherwise you’ll have to play Freeway against highway speed traffic. Â Not so bad.
Now that you’ve made it safely walk down this sidewalk. Â Again, you can see Citi Field so it’s not like you’ll get lost.
Parking has gone up by a dollar since I took this photo, but take a minute to laugh about the people who paid $19 while you got 7 blocks worth of exercise.
This is what their $18 got them in 2009. Â After the game you’ll be over by the highway entrances and they’ll be fighting 20,000 other people to get out of the lot.
And you’ve made it to The Street That I Think Needs A Cool Name.
If you can’t make it from here you need greater help than I can provide.
As always I encourage you to financially support the Mets and their sponsors, so why not take the $19 you have saved and buy a ticket to another game, or buy a blue Mets cap!
If this is your first time visiting Mets Police (thanks to Metsblog’s link!) you may find it easier to get a free daily email, that way you don’t have to remember to come back and visit.
I also park away from the stadium, but I generally to the side streets near the Hall of Science. It’s a further walk, but on the way you pass multiple deli’s… perfect for stocking up on essentials like chips and pretzels.
I moved to Forest Hills so I am lucky to just take the train to the game. Prior to living in FH I did 2 things to find cheap parking.
If you go to main street in flushing there is a parking lot for the subway station. The extended day lot is upstairs. You do not have to pay after 10pm so for a night game you can pay 2 or 3 dollars to park and take the 7 train 1 stop straight to he stadium. Finding a spot is hit and miss during weekend day games but if you are going to a night game or give yourself enough time you should be ok. One of the great things about this lot is you are going the opposite direction of the subway traffic after the game so it isn’t an insanely crowded ride
The other thing I used to do is ride around the northern blvd. area. There are non-metered and metered spots all up and down that area including on side streets. It is probably a shorter walk than the corona stuff and you get the lovely view of the junk yards.
I’ve parked in those flushing lots. Absolute disaster on weekends though. don’t do it!
I park sorta where you say in this post, but I park closer to Roosevelt Avenue and walk over the GCP that way, with a sidewalk, and all that. Only problem is I have yet to find a good way to get to the GCP going west from that side. (Last year was the first time this was an issue for me)
I having a feeling of deja vu
This is one awesome post Shannon. Bravo, and thanks. BB
Have a feeling its cant be safe walking this route on the way back after a night game with being that close to those busy roads. I rather be safe and pay the $19.
its just a side road on a highway, ive done it after night games – my fear-response may be low because I grew up in queens along the 7 train. There are usually others doing the migration, and the cops will hold traffic to let you cross the on-ramp to the Whitestone Expwy.
Interesting stuff.
1. Can you show some pictures of it on a walk home after a night game? I understand that at noon on Saturday it looks pretty safe, but how about 11 PM on a Thursday night?
2. I have 3 daughters under 10 … not so sure I want to be walking that ground with them.
i’ll take some pics after my next night game….or make Media Goon do it since I stink at photos.
little secret, at least even last year, you could park at the tennis center for free, just outside Arthur Ashe stadium, as long as there wasn’t a tennis event… then you just have to walk over the train platform and get there… we would often park there for night games during the week, when there wouldnt be a conflict with people using the tennis center… and police would often drive by and not ticket or say anything… a lot of people park there actually… AND bc there is no lot security, nobody busts you for having a beer or two in the lot before the game, if thats important…
for weekend day games I usually find parking on 41st or 42 aves anywhere between 108 and 114, and then your just walking a couple of blocks (past a couple of interesting bars and some really good food), over the grand central and to the stadium… I havent paid to park anywhere in years, i give them enough money on tickets…
and in the interest of saving money, i often pick up either subway or some empanadas and bring them into the game with me, you are allowed to bring in food and unopened, non-alcoholic plastic beverages…
don’t forget, this is meant to be a financially neutral suggestion – please spend 19 on other fine New York Mets related products and merchandise!
Bike parking is free.
Jesse: fair enough, but there is always a steady stream of Mets fans headed that direction. If you park a couple of blocks further in because you couldn’t find a spot, maybe it gets a little sketchier, and the roads are a mess/potholes, etc.
I always take the train.
you can also park by the Marriot!! there is free parking down those side streets, and it certainly is not as far as some of these locations!
prior to having kids, i usually parked under the van wyck, 112th street, hall of science, etc. after having kids, i unfortunately dish out the hefty $19 bc it’s SOOOO convenient. i was NEVER stuck in the lot last year. the most it took was 5 minutes and that was opening day.
Shannon – I grew up in Queens too, Kew Gardens (now on LI out east near Stony Brook) and I grew up right on a major road, but was mostly thinking of people with kids in regard to the walk.
Well I hope all of you didn’t like parking where you used to for free because now the cat has flown out of the bag…
Nice call with the one-teens area! I’ll try it monday!
2 Things:
1)Didn’t know if you were being sarcastic on the last picture “The Street That I Think Needs A Cool Name.”. It’s actually got a cool name: Shea Road! I saw it on g00gle maps, not sure if i can get my GPS’s Australian voice, Karen, to say it. We’ll see.
2)BY ALL MEANS stay away from the area near the “automobile repair establishments”, IfyaknowwhatImean, say east of 126th. Parked there 5-6 times no problems. (I’m up almost $120. Woo-hoo!)I had avoided the 1 eyed, 3 legged dogs foaming at the mouth, the craters you can land lunar moduals in, and, of course, zombies. Apparently I rolled the dice too many times and came out of a game in June to a busted rear window. Uncomfortable ride back to Brooklyn for my cousin in the backseat. (Sorry, TOM!) I saved $120 and it cost me $140 to replace. So I’m down $20 but learned a valuable lesson.
Jim I was unaware that street was called Shea Road! Have the rest of you heard this? That escaped my brain somehow.
I go to about 10-15 games a year and I’ve found that as long as you don’t mind showing up around 5-530pm for the game, you can park under the overpasses. I’m coming from Connecticut, after you cross the whitestone bridge, if you get off the Citi Field Exit, I forget the number, but you go to the bottom of the ramp and you can find parking under the highway. Hundreds of cars of people going to the game are regularly parked there. It’s free and safe. And it’s about a 5 minute walk to the stadium.
yeah, gotta get there early for those TMALF.
I knew it was called Shea Road, had forgotten about it actually. Maybe I’ll look for a street sign when I do a 360 of the stadium at 9-9:30 Monday.