Going Up To Queens

A few weeks back the Giants came to town to play the Mets.  We had heard from our landlords that, as baseball fans, we needed to check out Citi Field and thought we'd catch the Black & Orange while we were there.  Citi Field opened in 2009 in the parking lot of the old Shea Stadium in Queens.  The main entrance is modeled after the famous Ebbets Field (see below), where Jackie Robinson and the Brooklyn Dodgers played until 1956.  The interior of Citi Field is beautifully crafted with brick, stone, and exposed steel beams to resemble an early-era ballpark (much like AT&T Park).  And to add to the experience, the Giants won in a rout with four homeruns and a Bumgarner gem!  I guess we were good luck during an up-and-down, injury-riddled season.

See any resemblance?

The view from the 'bleeds

Gregg couldn't get over how "Bizarro AT&T" the park was: navy blue beams instead of green, orange and blue banners instead of orange and black, giant Pepsi sign instead of Coke. Madness!

Some great food options (Shake Shack!). The cool skyline sign was taken from the top of the scoreboard at Shea before demolition and placed here.

After the game, we journeyed across the train yard to Flushing Meadows, which is home to the U.S. Open of Tennis.  Since they hadn't quite finished setting up for the big event (which started this past Monday), we were allowed to see the grounds.  Arthur Ashe Stadium houses the headline matches and finals and is impressive in size when you think about how much smaller the court is than most major sports courts/fields/rinks.  What was really cool is that most of the courts are open to the public.  A dad and his kids were whacking tennis balls around on the same court that will hold competition for the U.S. Open this week.  That's a pretty cool experience.

Train graveyard.  Arthur Ashe Stadium in the background.

Cheesin'

 

Gregg loves ESPN <3

The big one...Arthur Ashe Stadium.  Meghan for scale.

You're OUT...ugh...I mean... fault? 

Everything was very well manicured/landscaped.  Meg got lots of ideas for our back patio at the apartment!

Flushing Meadows was also home to two World's Fairs, 1939 and 1964, and we decided to see what was left of them.  The fairs were famous for their optimistic predictions of what life would be like in the "future".  Today only a few of the larger structures from 1964 remain, the Unisphere and the NY State Pavilion.  Both of which are now more famous for their inclusion in various action movies than their original intention.

None of the fountains were working, a sign of the times 

Messin' with the Unisphere

What it looked like in 1964.  Note the brand-new Shea Stadium in the upper left which opened that year as well.

What it looks like when the Men In Black blow it up

And when Robert Downey, Jr. zips by in Iron Man 2

The NY State Pavilion today

with former observation towers....

and the NY State Pavilion in it's former glory

Cool fact for car enthusiasts: the Mustang was unveiled for the first time at the '64 World's Fair and no surprise, was an instant hit



Although the Unisphere is still an impressive sight, it's a shame that there wasn't more permanence to what was built, but that's unfortunately the nature of most World's Fairs.  Cool to see none-the-less!