Just when you think you couldn’t love New York City any more than you already do, you go to a Brooklyn Cyclones game on Coney Island. And fall in love all over again.
How could you not?
You’re watching great baseball sitting next to the Coney Island Boardwalk overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. That’s right – you can see the ocean from your seat in the stands. And because the stadium seats only about 7500 fans, every seat feels like it’s right on the field.
There are couples on dates and families with kids and buddies drinking beers, and in the ladies’ room line an old lady with teased yellow hair who is sitting in a wheelchair and wearing a Cyclones T shirt tells you the score.
You get to sing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” at the top of your lungs and are transported back to your childhood.
While standing in line for a Nathan’s foot long, you strike up a conversation with a big guy from Africa who’s at his first Cyclones game, and when you say it’s your first game too, the two of you look at one another and just smile.
There’s so much going on – not a second is wasted between plays. Every minute of down time on the field is a chance to shoot more t-shirts out to the crowd, to sing more songs, to watch the cheerleaders dance, to have the kids come down to the field for a pitching contest. This is baseball with A.D.D., and it’s fun!
And then there’s that great triple in the bottom of the ninth that won it for the home team.
Not to mention the Ocean sunset.
And the post game fireworks.
And the walk along the beach and the boardwalk on the way back to the subway.
And the Wonder Wheel.
The most fun I’ve ever had at a ball game.
Go.
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This is another post in a special TBTAM series “Shh! Don’t Tell the Tourists!”
Ah, the joys of civilization.
Everytime you post one of these, I'm consumed by jealousy. Could you post some pictures of garbage in the street or pollution or something, so that I won't feel so bad, please?
(It sounds like so much fun!)
That sounds like even more fun than a Cape Cod League game.
You said it all. Great post on our night at the ballgame and Coney Island.
I'll take minor league ball any day of the week over MLB.
As you noted, you can actually *see* the game.
I agree with Bardiac. I heart NY and these photos are mouth watering.
On a trip to the States I went to Albuquerque and went to a triple A Isotopes game. Wow you sure know how to spend a wonderful evening. I have been to many of the big west coast games but when i get back to my gloomy November nights in England I think back to the minor league games in Palm Springs …. Rancho Cucamunga…. I can smell the hot dogs from here. Let's get rid of soccer and build baseball pitches… then all the family can enjoy.
Much as we love coming to NYC, we've almost never left Manhattan, and know we're missing a lot. We did take the train to Coney Island once, and walked the boardwalk to Brighton Beach, where I trotted out my rusty Russian speaking. And we've been to the Brooklyn Museum of Art to see an Annie Liebowitz exhibit. But we haven't really wandered in the neighborhoods and partaken of the food. Our son was there recently and did just that; loved everything about it, including the pizza at Grimaldi's. Next time…