Take Thee out to the Ballgame

Take Thee out to the Ballgame

New York has two major league baseball teams and several places to play, but let's face it, there's only one Yankee Stadium. "The house that Ruth built" has been a baseball landmark ever since Babe Ruth hit a home run in the park's inaugural game in 1923. Mickey Mantle once said that he got goose pimples from walking in the stadium, and this is a common reaction. Jonathan Keyes, who went to his first Yankees game at age six, says he gets a thrill when he emerges from the enclosed cinder-block corridors into the stadium itself. "All the new ballparks have this openness," he says, allowing you to keep your eye on the ball while standing in line for a soda, "but with Yankee Stadium, there's so much of an element of surprise -- when you finally find your gate and walk through and the field opens up to you and you see it all at once, it's very overwhelming."

There are a couple of ways to work this cathedral of baseball into a trip to New York. Tours are given every day at noon, all year round, unless there's a daytime game scheduled or a home game on a Saturday or Sunday.

Of course, the best way to experience the stadium is to go for a game. Tickets for matchups against high-profile teams can be hard to come by; if the Yankees are taking on the Red Sox a month from now, for instance, you're probably out of luck unless you'd care to line a scalper's pockets. But you can sometimes walk up to the box office at the last minute and have a chance of snagging some nosebleed seats. Still, it's always best to plan ahead if you can.

Speaking of planning ahead, tightened security protocols mean that you can't bring any bag bigger than a small purse or child's backpack into the stadium; and any food must be in a clear plastic bag. There's no claim check, so leave the daypack at the hotel.

Here are some more hints to help you get the most out of your Yankee Stadium experience:

Do some hero worship. The Yankees were the first team to retire players' numbers, and this reverence is alive and well in Monument Park out in left field, where plaques and monuments pay homage to the great players of Yankees history (and baseball history, period), including Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, and Joe DiMaggio. Monument Park opens when the stadium gates open -- two hours before the start of the game -- and closes 45 minutes before the game begins. Note that if you have bleacher tickets, you can't access Monument Park.

Consider the bleachers. "The bleacher seats are the most authentic experience," says Keyes of the low-rent right-field seating, noting "bleacher creature" traditions like chanting Yankees' names until the players wave hello. Alcohol was banned from the bleachers a few years ago, but Keyes admits that this hasn't entirely dampened the section's rowdy spirit: "Sit elsewhere if you're with kids," he advises.

Stuff yourself. For many fans, a game without the traditional snacks is just a whole other ballpark. From roasted peanuts in the shell to hot dogs to the ubiquitous plastic cups of beer, refreshments are never hard to find here. As the cost of your snacks for two effortlessly spills over the $40 mark, it helps to bear in mind that what you're paying for isn't outrageously pricey food, but part of your day's entertainment.

Don't wear a red hat. The rivalry with Boston runs deep and passionate; wearers of Red Sox caps can be subjected to merciless, almost sinister hassling. Unless you're spoiling for conflict, play it safe on this one.

Savor the end of an era. The third oldest stadium in baseball (Fenway and Wrigley are older), Yankee Stadium has undergone several substantial renovations in its lifetime but is showing its age nonetheless, and its days are numbered. In August 2006, construction crews broke ground on a new Yankee Stadium.

On game nights, New York Waterway's ferry Yankee Clipper (800/533-3779 departure information) departs for the stadium from Manhattan's East Side, Wall Street, and Weehawken, New Jersey. A round-trip ferry ride is $18.