Our guide to Citi Field in New York includes information on events, tickets, parking, public transportation, nearby hotels and restaurants, seating, food, bag policy and more. Read on to find out how to get the most out of your gameday experience.

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There’s a certain charm, a certain personality, to attending an event at Citi Field. From the architectural echoes of Ebbets Field to the planes flying overhead after takeoff from nearby LaGuardia Airport, the game experience at the home of the New York Mets is unique in a lot of ways.

While the ballpark’s location deep in the heart of Queens can make it a challenge to visit for the average New York tourist, it’s worth a ride on the 7 train to see what Citi Field is like. Once you get there, you’ll find plenty of fan comforts and a few surprises.

Mets’ fans opinions of their team’s home were largely negative early on, but have gradually improved thanks to various improvements to the seating bowl and other features over Citi Field’s first decade of existence. But there’s no denying the park is a vast improvement over the team’s old and decaying home, Shea Stadium.

The team and city had explored ways to replace the old Shea for years, at one point considering building a ballpark in Manhattan, before finally clearing the hurdles to build the new place on the same site.

Citi Field has seen a few highlights in the first 10 years, having hosted the MLB All-Star Game (in 2013) and the World Series (in 2015), as well as international soccer matches, the NHL Winter Classic and more events.

For more on visiting New York City, check out our New York City sports travel guide.

Top photo credit: Christopher Lopez

Getting to Citi Field

Citi Field, like most major attractions in New York City, is easily reachable via public transportation — and if you’re visiting the Big Apple, it’s definitely the most pain-free way of getting to the park.

The 7 train of the NYC Subway begins in Manhattan, stopping at Times Square and Grand Central Station, before emerging from underground and winding through Queens on its way to Flushing, the neighborhood adjacent to Citi Field. If you board the train in Manhattan, count on a journey of about 45 minutes unless you’re lucky enough to catch an express train, which makes fewer stops and shaves about 10-15 minutes off the trip.

Citi Field’s subway stop is helpfully labeled “Mets-Willets Point” and the ballpark will be visible out of the left side of the train as it approaches. Citi Field’s stop is used to access the USTA Tennis Center, on the opposite side of the train tracks, but there are plenty of signs within the station directing baseball fans in the right direction for their event.

For a faster but more expensive ride, the Long Island Rail Road also runs trains to Citi Field from Penn Station in Manhattan. These trains also stop at the Mets-Willets Point station. Follow the link to find timetables, fares and more.

Taxis and rideshares are also a viable option but be prepared to pay up the nose if you’re trying to reach Citi Field from Manhattan, especially close to game time and right after the final out (for the return trip). Expect the cost to start around $45 if the trip begins in Midtown Manhattan.

Parking at Citi Field

Drivers can reach the ballpark via the Grand Central Parkway, which runs just west of the park; follow signs for Flushing Meadows/Citi Field. Surface parking lots surround Citi Field, two of which are accessible for general parking, but the team warns that those lots fill up quickly.

Satellite lots are also available in the surrounding neighborhoods. Follow the link for Citi Field parking information; in addition, advance-purchase parking is available for purchase online.

New York City hotels near the ballpark

If your visit to New York City revolves around seeing an event at Citi Field, you can check out the numerous hotels around LaGuardia Airport, including a handful just past the parking lots of Citi Field and on the other side of the parkway.

• Holiday Inn LaGuardia Airport at Citi Field/Flushing – 0.3 miles away
• Corona Hotel New York – LaGuardia Airport – 0.4 miles away
• SpringHill Suites by Marriott New York LaGuardia Airport – 0.6 miles away
Search for more New York City hotels on Booking.com.

Map of Flushing, Queens

Check out rates for hotels near Citi Field below.

Things to do around Citi Field

Surrounded mostly by parking lots, Citi Field — or, at least, the immediate vicinity of it — doesn’t offer much in terms of pregame entertainment. The Mets and the city of New York have been trying to change, that, though, with a grand plan to redevelop the neighborhood just to the east, known as Willets Point.

In the early days of Citi Field, and during Shea Stadium’s existence before it, the Willets Point neighborhood was known mainly for its blocks and blocks of auto body shops, all visible from the upper concourses.

But in the mid-2010s, the city evicted the shops, clearing the way for development of a residential and entertainment district across the street from the ballpark. Development is underway but likely still a few years away from becoming a destination for fans attending Citi Field events.

If you have got a little more time on your hands before the game and are feeling adventurous, check out the Corona neighborhood, west of the Grand Central Parkway. It’s home to large Latino and Italian communities and the restaurants in the neighborhood reflect this.

The well-known Mama’s of Corona on 104th Street no longer operates a stand at Citi Field, so you’ll have to go to the original if you’re looking for a sandwich fix.

New York City restaurants near the ballpark

• Los 3 Potrillos Restaurant – Mexican, 0.5 miles away
• Victoria’s Pizza – pizza, 0.5 miles away
• Shanghai You Garden – Chinese, 0.9 miles away
Search for more New York City restaurants on Tripadvisor.

Watching a game at Citi Field

Citi Field’s a pretty big place as ballparks go, with plenty to explore. The natural starting point is the home plate entrance, also known as the Jackie Robinson Rotunda, which features an extensive tribute to the baseball pioneer just inside.

Before going in, though, make sure to check out the original Mets Home Run Apple, which once was stationed beyond the outfield wall at Shea Stadium.

The rounded corner of the home plate gate is meant to invoke the long-demolished Ebbets Field in Brooklyn, and one of the early criticisms of the ballpark was that there were too many tributes to a different franchise (the Dodgers) and borough (Brooklyn), and not enough attention paid to the Mets or their history in Queens. The team tried to rectify this by installing a Mets Hall of Fame adjacent to the Robinson Rotunda.

Walk around Citi Field’s concourses and peer into the seating bowl, and you’ll see a definite bridge motif — after all, there are many, many bridges in New York and there’s even one in the Mets’ logo. The Shea Bridge is the most prominent — the pedestrian walkway in the outfield concourse crosses over the bullpens in right-center field.

In Citi Field’s early days, fans also complained about obstructed views in some seating sections, with things like glass panes and railings blocking views of the field. Thus, the stands at Citi Field have undergone a few renovations over the years, particularly in the outfield, with new party decks and patio areas created amid the seating areas in left and right field.

Still, there are plenty of cheap seating areas if you prefer to hang out with the bleacher bums at Citi Field. The upper reaches of the stadium, though, are pretty high up as ballparks go, so that’s one thing to consider if you’re bargain-hunting for tickets.

Even if you’re in those faraway seats, the Mets have you covered, as Citi Field is home to the largest videoboard in the majors as of 2023.

Food and drink at Citi Field

From the ballpark’s opening, the department where Citi Field really shines is the food. The selection is amazing in our view, and a lot of it is an admirable reflection of the cuisine that defines New York. Some of it is expensive even for ballpark food, of course, but it’s worth it to walk around Citi Field surveying your options. Some of the choices include:

• Shake Shack (burgers; though they’re all around the world as well as at many MLB ballparks, they got their start in NYC)
• Pat LaFrieda’s (steak sandwiches)
• Fuku (fried chicken sandwiches; created by celebrity chef David Chang)
• Arancini Bros. (risotto balls)
• Patsy’s Pizzeria (New York-style “old world” pizza)

Citi Field also has several food stands for brands that can only be found within the ballpark, such as Amazin’ Chicken Co. (chicken tenders) and Metropolitan Fry Factory (hand-cut fries).

Mets slugger Pete Alonso has his own burger, the Polar Burger (the name being a play on his “Polar Bear” nickname). You can get it at the Alonso’s Arctic Grill stand by Section 102.

And we haven’t even touched on the number of craft beer and cocktail bars around the ballpark. The best places to survey the wide beer selection include the Empire State craft beer stands and the Big Apple Brews stands.

Anheuser-Busch products are prominent, but you can find local breweries Coney Island, Blue Point and Five Boroughs represented on the menu.

Citi Field bag and food policy

Per policy, approved bags for entry into Citi Field must measure 16 inches by 16 inches by 8 inches or smaller. They need not be clear, like those permitted in NFL stadiums.

Backpacks (unless they are clear with no inside pockets), suitcases, large purses, hard-sided containers and bags exceeding the size limit are forbidden at Citi Field per stadium policy.

Outside food is permitted at Citi Field, as long as items are individually portioned and placed inside soft-sided containers. Each guest can bring in one plastic, factory-sealed water bottles 20 ounces in size or smaller.

Bags will be inspected by security at the entry gates to Citi Field, and patrons carrying any bags that don’t comply with stadium policy will be denied entry.

Original publish date: February 4, 2016
Most recent update: June 7, 2024

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