Latest / The Red Solo Traveler Podcast / Shea Sold You a Dog. Citi Field Sells You the City.

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Shea Sold You a Dog. Citi Field Sells You the City. · The Red Solo Traveler Podcast

• 0:08
  Speaker 1: So if you think back to the old days of
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: going to a baseball game, right, like the culinary expectations
• 0:13
  Speaker 1: were literally just baked into the concrete.
• 0:16
  Speaker 2: Oh, completely.
• 0:16
  Speaker 1: Like you think of Shea Stadium, you walked in, they
• 0:18
  Speaker 1: sold you a hot dog wrapped in foil, maybe some peanuts.
• 0:22
  Speaker 1: And whatever lukewarm liquid they were pouring into a cup
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: that day, it was just fuel. Right.
• 0:26
  Speaker 2: It was sustenance. You were a captive audience.
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: Exactly. But then you step into Citi Field, which opened
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: in 2009, and the whole paradigm shifts. Like this building
• 0:35
  Speaker 1: doesn't just sell you a hot dog. It tries to
• 0:37
  Speaker 1: sell you literally New York on a concourse. Yeah.
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: And they charge you for it.
• 0:41
  Speaker 1: Oh, they charge you food festival prices for the privilege.
• 0:45
  Speaker 1: And that is the door we're walking through today. Welcome
• 0:48
  Speaker 1: to the Red Solo Traveler podcast.
• 0:50
  Speaker 2: Glad to be here for this one.
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: And we are exploring this highly detailed destination food essay
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: from our source, Louis, because, well, the USA Today streak
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: is very real. Readers voted Citi Field the best stadium
• 1:04
  Speaker 1: food in 2023 and then best baseball stadium food from
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: 2024 to 2026.
• 1:10
  Speaker 2: What's fascinating here is that this award streak, it's actually
• 1:13
  Speaker 2: a setup.
• 1:13
  Speaker 1: A setup?
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: Yeah, the award is the setup and your final check
• 1:17
  Speaker 2: is the punchline. Because when a stadium wins best food
• 1:22
  Speaker 2: four years running, your instinct is to, you know, treat
• 1:25
  Speaker 2: it like a tasting menu.
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: Right. You want to try everything.
• 1:28
  Speaker 2: Exactly.
• 1:28
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 1:29
  Speaker 2: But our mission today isn't to read a catalog of
• 1:32
  Speaker 2: all 37 rotating items.
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: No, please don't.
• 1:35
  Speaker 2: Right. Those Taste of the City vendors, they churn constantly.
• 1:40
  Speaker 2: So this is a highly curated short list based on
• 1:43
  Speaker 2: the plates our source actually ate so you don't get robbed.
• 1:46
  Speaker 1: Yeah, because if you try to eat everything, you're just
• 1:49
  Speaker 1: going to be physically and financially immobilized by, like, the
• 1:52
  Speaker 1: fifth inning.
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: Without a doubt.
• 1:54
  Speaker 1: So if we aren't eating everything, where do you actually start?
• 1:57
  Speaker 1: I mean, you start with the heavy hitters, right? The
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: plates that built the park's reputation.
• 2:01
  Speaker 2: Yeah, the reputation plates.
• 2:02
  Speaker 1: And the undisputed king of that is the hot pastrami sandwich.
• 2:06
  Speaker 1: The sensory experience of this thing is just wild for
• 2:09
  Speaker 1: a ballpark.
• 2:10
  Speaker 2: It really is.
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: You're standing there, and they pull this thing. Thick brisket
• 2:14
  Speaker 1: and slice it right in front of you. You can
• 2:16
  Speaker 1: see the bark, that dark crust, and they drop it
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: on rye with deli mustard. And that's it. Nothing else.
• 2:23
  Speaker 2: Which is such a confident move.
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: But let's unpack this, though, because the source specifically calls
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: out a massive flaw here. The rye bread is untoasted
• 2:32
  Speaker 1: and it collapses.
• 2:33
  Speaker 2: It does. It completely falls apart. Right.
• 2:35
  Speaker 1: So you need two hands. You need speed. And if
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: you're a solo traveler holding a beer, it's a ticking
• 2:40
  Speaker 1: time bomb. So why is this still the reigning champion
• 2:45
  Speaker 1: if it's a structural disaster?
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: Well, you have to look at the mechanics of it.
• 2:48
  Speaker 2: That untoasted bread, it's a line speed choice. It's not
• 2:51
  Speaker 2: some chef's theory.
• 2:52
  Speaker 1: Oh, because they just have to move people through.
• 2:54
  Speaker 2: Exactly. If they pause to perfectly toast the rye for 50,000 people,
• 2:58
  Speaker 2: the line grinds to a halt. You'd miss three innings.
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: That's a fair point.
• 3:02
  Speaker 2: So despite the flaws, the meat is the argument. The
• 3:05
  Speaker 2: brisket is so good, it literally justifies the part. You
• 3:08
  Speaker 2: just accept the crumbling bread.
• 3:10
  Speaker 1: You just inhale it before it disintegrates.
• 3:13
  Speaker 2: Pretty much. But if you want actual structural integrity and,
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: you know, value, then you pivot to the honest favorite,
• 3:21
  Speaker 2: which is the sausage and peppers. Okay. Yes.
• 3:24
  Speaker 1: The value plate.
• 3:25
  Speaker 2: It is. It's not the most decorated, but it's the
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: one actually worth the line. It's premium sausage right off
• 3:30
  Speaker 2: the grill with onions and peppers on a hoagie roll
• 3:34
  Speaker 2: that actually holds up to the moisture.
• 3:36
  Speaker 1: And our source points out that getting it sweet Just
• 3:39
  Speaker 1: means there's no heat, right? It's not actually sugary.
• 3:41
  Speaker 2: Right, no heat.
• 3:42
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 3:42
  Speaker 2: But the reason this works is because it never dies
• 3:44
  Speaker 2: on the grill. The line is your guarantee that it's fresh.
• 3:48
  Speaker 1: Ah, so a long line is actually a good thing there.
• 3:50
  Speaker 2: Yes, because it means high turnover.
• 3:52
  Speaker 1: Okay, so we have the winners. But a guide only
• 3:55
  Speaker 1: works if it tells you what to walk past.
• 3:56
  Speaker 2: The landmines.
• 3:57
  Speaker 1: Yeah, the landmines. And I want to name the miss
• 4:00
  Speaker 1: out loud right here, the Coca-Cola Corner Carne Asada Tacos.
• 4:05
  Speaker 2: Oh, yeah.
• 4:05
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 4:06
  Speaker 2: The ultimate red flag.
• 4:07
  Speaker 1: Right, because our source notes, they are ready on contact.
• 4:10
  Speaker 2: Which is terrifying for a taco.
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: Yeah, like before you even put your card away, they
• 4:14
  Speaker 1: hand it to you. Which means it's just been sitting there.
• 4:17
  Speaker 2: And it's bland. It's the fast food version of a
• 4:20
  Speaker 2: food truck. You absolutely should not cross the park for it.
• 4:24
  Speaker 1: So if we aren't crossing the park for bad tacos,
• 4:26
  Speaker 1: what is the reliable 2026 routing? If I don't want
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: to taste all 37 new things, what are the safe bets?
• 4:33
  Speaker 2: Well, you've got the Pat LaFrito filet mignon steak sandwich. Oh, yeah.
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: The one with the balsamic onion.
• 4:39
  Speaker 2: Exactly. The onions do all the heavy lifting there. And
• 4:41
  Speaker 2: then there's always Shake Shack.
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: Shake Shack is like the reliable adult bailout choice.
• 4:46
  Speaker 2: It really is. When all those experimental stunt stands are slammed,
• 4:50
  Speaker 2: You know exactly what a shack burger tastes like. Oh, wait.
• 4:53
  Speaker 1: Speaking of stunt stands, what about the ridiculous stuff? Like,
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: Willits Point Brewery has this 999 thing. Nine mini Nathan's
• 5:01
  Speaker 1: hot dogs and nine small beers in keepsake cups for $ 60.
• 5:04
  Speaker 1: Or those massive double patty challenges. Isn't novelty part of
• 5:09
  Speaker 1: the fun?
• 5:09
  Speaker 2: Well, if we connect this to the bigger picture, you
• 5:12
  Speaker 2: have to think about the logistics of being a solo traveler.
• 5:15
  Speaker 2: How do you carry a tray with nine open cups
• 5:19
  Speaker 2: of beer? and nine hot dogs to your seat without
• 5:21
  Speaker 2: spilling it everywhere.
• 5:23
  Speaker 1: Oh, yeah, I didn't think about the stairs.
• 5:25
  Speaker 2: Right, it's a bit. The $ 60 999 is a joke
• 5:30
  Speaker 2: for a group of friends. It's not a solo dinner plan.
• 5:33
  Speaker 2: And those double patty burgers, they photograph beautifully for social media, sure.
• 5:37
  Speaker 1: But they don't eat well.
• 5:38
  Speaker 2: No, by the fourth inning, you're just miserable. Walk past them.
• 5:41
  Speaker 1: So focus on survivability.
• 5:43
  Speaker 2: Got it.
• 5:44
  Speaker 1: So once we've secured a real meal, you're probably looking
• 5:46
  Speaker 1: for a drink that actually justifies that festival price tag.
• 5:50
  Speaker 2: The beverage program has honestly evolved just as aggressively as
• 5:53
  Speaker 2: the food.
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: Yeah. Our source dedicated a whole paragraph to these cocktails,
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: like the catch julep, Hudson whiskey, cucumber, lime, and it
• 6:02
  Speaker 1: comes in the souvenir cup.
• 6:03
  Speaker 2: It's part of that whole Hendrix family of drinks they do.
• 6:06
  Speaker 1: Yeah, the amazing cucumber lemonade and the perfect game fizz.
• 6:09
  Speaker 1: But the lemonade one is interesting to me because usually
• 6:12
  Speaker 1: stadium lemonade just arbies with itself, right? It's too sweet,
• 6:15
  Speaker 1: then too sour.
• 6:16
  Speaker 2: It's just sugar syrup.
• 6:17
  Speaker 1: Exactly. But this one acts as a palate rinse without
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: the gin punching you in the throat.
• 6:22
  Speaker 2: And they bash them so they pour fast.
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 6:25
  Speaker 2: But the real sleeper on the drink menu is actually
• 6:27
  Speaker 2: the Mio Sparkling Sake.
• 6:29
  Speaker 1: Oh, the sake. Right.
• 6:31
  Speaker 2: Yeah. It's a commercial sake, but it drinks like a
• 6:33
  Speaker 2: crisp seltzer. You literally can't taste the alcohol.
• 6:36
  Speaker 1: Which is dangerous.
• 6:37
  Speaker 2: Very dangerous.
• 6:38
  Speaker 1: Yeah.
• 6:39
  Speaker 2: But it's genuinely refreshing.
• 6:40
  Speaker 1: But what if you just want a beer? Because the
• 6:43
  Speaker 1: craft beer list is quietly great. Brooklyn, Montauk, Allagash, Dogfish.
• 6:49
  Speaker 1: But you have to do some work to find them.
• 6:51
  Speaker 2: You do. You have to be willing to walk the stairs.
• 6:53
  Speaker 1: To sections 310 and 324, right?
• 6:56
  Speaker 2: Exactly. If you want the good taps, you have to
• 6:58
  Speaker 2: climb up to those sections. If you just stay on
• 7:00
  Speaker 2: the field level, you're stuck with the standard macro brews.
• 7:04
  Speaker 1: Okay, so if we're spending premium money on drinks and
• 7:06
  Speaker 1: climbing stairs to get them, that naturally leads us to
• 7:09
  Speaker 1: the premium spaces, the clubs. Right. But how do you
• 7:12
  Speaker 1: justify the cost? Our source mentions a ticket on StubHub
• 7:16
  Speaker 1: for the Hundo Club was about $ 160. That sounds like
• 7:19
  Speaker 1: luxury porn.
• 7:20
  Speaker 2: It does, but you have to look at the clubs
• 7:22
  Speaker 2: as pure math. Okay, lay out the math for me.
• 7:25
  Speaker 1: So a regular lower bowl seat is already expensive. The
• 7:28
  Speaker 1: Hyundai Club includes your seat behind home plate, Plus unlimited
• 7:33
  Speaker 1: soft drinks and essentially two heavy meals. Oh, right.
• 7:37
  Speaker 2: They have roast beef, tortellini, burgers, nachos. Yeah.
• 7:41
  Speaker 1: So if you were going to buy a regular ticket
• 7:43
  Speaker 1: plus a $ 30 burger combo and then go back for
• 7:46
  Speaker 1: $ 25 nachos later.
• 7:48
  Speaker 2: That $ 160 actually starts to make sense.
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: Exactly. It's a way to cap your spending. But the
• 7:53
  Speaker 1: other clubs have very specific purposes, too, like the Heineken
• 7:57
  Speaker 1: Diamond Lounge.
• 7:58
  Speaker 2: Which used to be Piazza 31, right? Yes, exactly.
• 8:00
  Speaker 1: That room is essentially the weather room.
• 8:02
  Speaker 2: The weather room?
• 8:03
  Speaker 1: Yeah. If it's a freezing raw April night or a
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: sweltering August afternoon, it's your climate-controlled escape.
• 8:10
  Speaker 2: And the metro market is kind of an escape hatch, too. Yes, exactly.
• 8:13
  Speaker 1: It's just a quieter spot to grab a panini and
• 8:15
  Speaker 1: catch your breath away from the sweaty concourse.
• 8:18
  Speaker 2: But the most revealing room, the one with the biggest tell,
• 8:22
  Speaker 2: is the Hudson Whiskey Club on the promenade.
• 8:25
  Speaker 1: Oh, this is the ultimate truth of the building.
• 8:27
  Speaker 2: It fills up when the Mets are losing?
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: Yes.
• 8:30
  Speaker 2: When the team is down by seven runs, the pretense
• 8:33
  Speaker 2: of baseball just vanishes. It just becomes a high-end bar
• 8:37
  Speaker 2: with a view of the skyline.
• 8:39
  Speaker 1: That is highly useful intel. Okay, so we have the map.
• 8:43
  Speaker 1: We have the math. How do we actually execute this visit?
• 8:46
  Speaker 1: Let's give the tactical breakdown.
• 8:48
  Speaker 2: First rule, take the 7 train.
• 8:49
  Speaker 1: Yes, the 7 train. And when you get there, you
• 8:52
  Speaker 1: want to enter through the Jackie Robinson Rotunda.
• 8:55
  Speaker 2: Absolutely. You have to experience the building itself. Don't just
• 8:58
  Speaker 2: sneak in a side gate.
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: And once you're in, don't just buy the first thing
• 9:02
  Speaker 1: you see. Walk the Taste of the City section behind
• 9:04
  Speaker 1: Center Field before you commit to a line. Do a lap.
• 9:07
  Speaker 2: And bring your own sealed water.
• 9:09
  Speaker 1: Wait, you can bring outside food and water in?
• 9:11
  Speaker 2: Yes, outside food is allowed. And you can bring in
• 9:14
  Speaker 2: one factory sealed water bottle, which you will need because
• 9:18
  Speaker 2: all that pastrami and sausage is incredibly salty.
• 9:21
  Speaker 1: Good to know. And just as a heads up, the
• 9:23
  Speaker 1: concession alcohol pours die pretty late in the game. Though
• 9:26
  Speaker 1: we aren't going to sit here and recite the bag
• 9:28
  Speaker 1: policy like an FAQ page. You can just point to
• 9:30
  Speaker 1: the article for those operating details.
• 9:32
  Speaker 2: Right. Nobody wants to hear us read the stadium rules.
• 9:35
  Speaker 1: No. So what does this all mean for you, the traveler?
• 9:38
  Speaker 1: The verdict is treat the park like a shortlist, not
• 9:41
  Speaker 1: a festival pass. Get one real plate, one real drink.
• 9:45
  Speaker 2: One pastrami, one sake.
• 9:47
  Speaker 1: Exactly. Because the Heineken Lounge, plus one real sandwich, plus
• 9:52
  Speaker 1: a lap around the concourse... That is a whole night,
• 9:56
  Speaker 1: even if the team is terrible.
• 9:57
  Speaker 2: And that really leads to a deeper philosophical question. point
• 10:00
  Speaker 2: about modern fandom. Oh. A ballpark visit today is not
• 10:04
  Speaker 2: just a box score. The true test of Citi Field
• 10:07
  Speaker 2: is whether the place still holds your attention and your
• 10:10
  Speaker 2: affection when your team does not.
• 10:12
  Speaker 1: Wow.
• 10:13
  Speaker 2: Yeah.
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: If they're losing, does the building save the night?
• 10:16
  Speaker 2: It does. But it makes you wonder. How much of
• 10:18
  Speaker 2: our loyalty to sports venues today is actually engineered by
• 10:21
  Speaker 2: the hospitality rather than the game itself?
• 10:24
  Speaker 1: Are we loyal to the franchise or are we just
• 10:26
  Speaker 1: fans of the concourse? It was a fantastic, slightly unsettling
• 10:29
  Speaker 1: thought to leave you with. Thanks for joining us on
• 10:31
  Speaker 1: this exploration and we will catch you on the next one.