Take Me Out to the Ballgame: #10 Citizens Bank Park — #11 Citi Field
One amazing trip and two ballparks checked off my list, just in the nick of time as baseball season winds down for the year. Yes, I am still working on my crazy quest to see them all in my lifetime. This visit was made even more special by having my sister and her husband join us, and by ending the trip with a visit to the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
Philadelpha Phillies
We flew into Philadelphia in the early evening, met up with the others, and enjoyed dinner out, getting caught up and simply enjoying each other’s company. The following day, before the evening game, we spent some time sightseeing. We headed to the obvious tourist spots—Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and, of course, the Rocky statue. We also took a look around an indoor market just around the corner from our hotel. We were impressed enough to return for breakfast the next morning before hitting the road for New York.
Citizens Bank Park in south Philly has been the home of the Philadelphia Phillies since 2004. The franchise was founded in 1885 and they played in four other parks before this one. It’s an open-air, retro style stadium with a panoramic view of the Center City Philadelphia skyline. A really fun thing here is the massive replica Liberty Bell in centerfield. This iconic landmark lights up, rings, and mechanically swings back and forth whenever a Phillies player hits a home run or the team wins a game.
And, of course, no visit to Philadelphia would be complete without a Philly cheesesteak. Mine came courtesy of the ballpark, where I had my only cheesesteak of the trip
The weather was pleasant in the beginning, but in the sixth inning, a steady rain began to fall. Despite how hard it came down, the teams played right through it without interruption. We were fortunate to be seated on the club level and managed to stay dry throughout. It was an exciting, close game, and in the end, the home team came through, beating the Miami Marlins 6–5.
New York Mets
Having visited Yankee Stadium twice before, we headed out the next day to Citi Field in Queens to catch the Mets game. The current stadium opened in 2009 and was built directly adjacent to the site of the Mets’ former home, the historic Shea Stadium. Walking around the stadium before game time, I couldn’t help but feel this history that surrounded me.
The main entrance opens into a massive, grand rotunda honoring baseball pioneer Jackie Robinson. The Shea Bridge is located in the right-field concourse. This pedestrian bridge honors the legacy of William A. Shea, whom the original stadium was named after, and connects different parts of the park. And then there was the Home Run Apple—the giant motorized sculpture in center field that rises whenever a New York Mets player hits a home run.
Although they fell to the San Diego Padres 5-2 that night, they managed to hit two homers, so we got to see this contraption in action.
Baseball Hall of Fame
Every baseball fan should experience the Baseball Hall of Fame. The museum houses artifacts spanning the history of professional baseball, from its beginnings in 1869 through the modern day. Upon entering, we were greeted by the plaques of the inductees, lining the walls as far as you can see. From there, we wandered through exhibits filled with historic uniforms, bats, balls, photographs and memorabilia, including special exhibits dedicated to legends like Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron. I especially enjoyed the videos playing historic moments of games throughout.
There was so much to see that it was easy to lose track of time, and we spent close to four hours exploring the three floors. Of course, we had to make a stop at the gift shop, where I picked up my Christmas ornament, as I do on all of my trips.
Cooperstown is a village in central New York State. I found it to be a quaint place, although pretty much defined by the Hall of Fame Museum. Our historic hotel, which was directly across the street, felt like stepping back in time. It was small and a bit cramped, and I was a little surprised when I was asked to fill out an actual registration card and handed a real key.
Baseball is a love affair with the past
Donald Hall
We enjoyed a great dinner at Mel’s at 22, and picked up some delicious pastries at a local bakery the next morning before heading to the Syracuse airport for the journey home.
I think the visit to The Hall of Fame was the perfect addition to this years ballpark quest.
Click below for updates on this quest:
Take Me Out To The Ballgame – Stadiums 1 – 7
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