Pirates @ Mets

I took the AirTrain to the subway station and took the E express headed towards Manhattan.  To get to Mets games, you have to use the 7 line, as it's the only one that goes close, which meant changing trains at 71st-Roosevelt Avenue.  At 71st, there were people saying that the 7 train wasn't running.  There was an awful lot of confusion and nobody seemed to know where to go or what to do and there were hundreds of people.  There were very few MTA staff anywhere to be seen.  The one guarding the entrance to the 7 train said we had to leave the subway station and take a bus.  He didn't elaborate on which bus or the location of the bus stop.  Eventually, after about 20 minutes or so or milling around outside, a traffic policeman appeared and indicated that we should walk 4 blocks and catch a Q66 to take us to the ballgame.  I met two Mets fans on their way to the game, both called Bob, who were friendly and we walked together, as they knew roughly where they were going - although there were lots of people streaming along all the pavements.  We passed a tree that had been split in 3.  After 15 minutes of walking, we reached Northern Boulevard and found the bus stop.  There were about 50 people queueing.  No buses came and the road was almost gridlocked.  Then some buses did go past but were out of service.  After 20 minutes of waiting, it was clear we weren't going to get anywhere and after phoning home to check the address of the stadium to see how far away it was, Bob and Bob decided to walk and I went with them.  It was 50 blocks away, and it took over an hour, by which time I was exhausted.  It was still raining slightly too.

I was sent up the private escalator to the Delta 360 club on the Sterling level, where my seat was.  If that sounds posh, then that conveys what it's like perfectly.  Although it was the middle of the 5th inning (half way through the game), I decided to have something to drink and eat inside first, as my seat was out in the rain.  There was a bar, with seats, and lots of large easy chairs everywhere and lots of TVs on which to watch the game.  Outside, most people were huddled at the back under what little shelter there was.  I finally went back out to my seat during the bottom of the 7th inning.  I showed the usher my ticket and he said I didn't have to sit in my assigned seat - it didn't matter where I sat.  There were about 6 people in their seats in my section, section 17, just off to the third base side of the plate, with an excellent view.  There are over 200 seats in the section.  By now, the rain was leaving off and it was just a light drizzle.  The usher had supplied several expensive-looking high-quality paper towels for drying the seat off which worked well.  I was able to sit several rows closer to the front than I should have in a normal game.  It would have been nice to see a whole game from there.

Excellent $102 seats for the Pirates/Mets game

Just as Bob, Bob and I arrived at Citi Field, a 7 train went past on the subway, which at least meant that we'd be able to get back into town on the train after the game.  However, the status updates were giving in the stadium towards the end of the game, indicating that the 7 was running again, but the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) was suspended between Manhattan and Jamaica (the end of the 'E' line, where I have to return to my hotel from).  I did not hurry to leave the stadium after the game, chatting to my usher for a while, taking photos, waiting for the inevitable queues to clear.  The upside of so many people not being able to get to the game in the first place was that there was a lot fewer people trying to leave again!  In the end, I got back to my hotel about 12.30am.  Since the LIRR wasn't working west of Jamaica, the E train was packed with commuters still trying to get home as well.

Later on, I discovered that a tornado had been spotted in Queens (the borough of New York that I'm in and the stadium is in) - something that the weather services here are still trying to clarify - and that lots of trees were down all over the city and the subway and the rail lines.  In fact, this morning, LIRR is still disrupted.

I appear to have developed a cold as well, unfortunately - no doubt caught from the girl sitting next to me who was sniffing all the way from San Diego to Houston a couple of days ago.