After weeks of chatting on Tinder, my now-husband and I decided to meet in person. Days before our date, he texted me asking if I liked baseball. I told him I had no idea about the sport, but I would watch a game with him. That was 12 years ago. Since then, we have been
After weeks of chatting on Tinder, my now-husband and I decided to meet in person. Days before our date, he texted me asking if I liked baseball. I told him I had no idea about the sport, but I would watch a game with him. That was 12 years ago.
Since then, we have been married three times, had three children, and watched many baseball games together.
My husband, a die-hard Pirates fan, wanted our kids to love the sport too. A recent family trip to New York City seemed like the best way to introduce them to Major League Baseball: a Mets game at Citi Field. We all had a great time.
Our children had attended little league baseball games.
After the birth of our twins, we decided to move from Brooklyn to Maine for a slower pace of life. Going from a city that loves sports (have you seen the recent support for the Knicks?) to one with all the minor league teams was an adjustment.
The author had not been to Cit Field since 2019. Courtesy of the author
That being said, since tickets are cheaper, we have been able to take our three children to several baseball games since they were little. They love cheering on the Portland Sea Dogs, seeing Slugger the mascot at the stadium, and getting a free pass to purchase affordable snacks.
Our home stadium is small, easy to access, and extremely kid-friendly. And while I love all of this, after six years in Maine, I missed the hustle and chaos of a stadium like Citi Field.
We went to a family Sunday Mets game.
During our trip to New York to see friends, we decided to stop by Citi Field as part of our adventures. The Mets have family games on Sundays, and the day we went, it was “Toy Story 5” day, which was perfect since we had just seen the movie.
As soon as we entered the stadium, each child was given a bucket hat with the characters from the movie. They came in handy as our seats for the 1:40pm game were in full sun and I was worried everyone would overheat and complain.
The author took her children to the Kids’ Club at Citi Field. Courtesy of the author
There were so many little kids everywhere, which helped me feel less stressed about keeping my kids under control. We visited the kids club, where we each received a playground and stickers. You had the option to pay $50 for a different color lanyard, which gave you access to a VIP entry to the basic race with Mr. and Mrs. Met and additional gifts, but we passed because I didn’t think it was worth the price. There was also a small air-conditioned area where the kids could color and play, but my 8, 6, and 6-year-olds were already feeling too old for that.
everyone was entertained
We had access to the living room, which was key with the children. We arrived more than an hour before the game started and headed to the Clover Lounge for lunch. An order of chicken nuggets, two patties, a burger, and a sandwich cost us $81, which seemed pretty standard for stadium prices. The food was delicious.
The author ate at the Clover Lounge at Citi Field. Courtesy of the author
We thought we would have more time to explore the stadium with the kids and show them around. But when we finished lunch, we headed to the kids’ club and it was time for the first pitch, so we ran back to our seats.
The kids were entertained not only by the game (which featured a Mets home run, so we got to see the apple appear), but also trying to spot Mr. and Mrs. Met throughout the stadium and watching the games on the field between innings.
Having access to the living room was key for the author’s children to cool down mid-game. Courtesy of the author
Halfway through the game, we took another break to eat ice cream with baseball helmets (a must) and cool off.
It will be a central memory.
I was surprised by how much fun we were having, before remembering that we had taken our son to see a Mets game when he was a baby, back in 2019. There was a heat wave and I had just found out I was pregnant with twins. Hours before we left for the stadium, I started bleeding. My husband suggested we stay home, but I figured there was nothing else to do if I was having a miscarriage. I’d rather stay busy watching a live game than sit at home. And here we were, almost seven years later, with our twins watching the game as a family of five.
The Mets lost and we left before the crowds jammed the streets. On the way out, a security guard stopped my kids to give them even more stickers and high fives.
On the way home, I asked them what their favorite activity of the day was. They all agreed on one thing: everything.