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Citi Field, New York
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Citi Field

What a visiting fan needs to know: where to stay, getting in from LGA, parking and tailgating, what to eat and where to sit.

  • New York, NY
  • Home of the Mets
  • Fly into LGA
  • Stadium tours
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Games at Citi Field

Where to stay near Citi Field

Where visiting fans stay

From a specialist guide
  • Midtown Manhattan
    Donny M, Google Maps

    Midtown ManhattanVisiting fans pick this

    40 min by transit. The 7 train runs from all three neighborhoods straight to Mets-Willets Point. Stay here if the trip is also about seeing the city.

  • Long Island City
    Елена Иванова, Google Maps

    Long Island CityVisiting fans pick this

    25 min by transit. Newer hotels with skyline views, cheaper than Midtown and on the 7 train at Court Square or Vernon Blvd-Jackson Ave.

  • Downtown Flushing
    JOO Choi, Google Maps

    Downtown Flushing

    10 min by transit. One stop east of the ballpark on the 7 train at Main Street. Several hotels, great Asian food, and the cheapest base near the game.

  • Near LaGuardia Airport
    Lin Den, Google Maps

    Near LaGuardia Airport

    15 min by rideshare. Airport hotels are a short ride from the ballpark. Good for a quick trip with an early flight.

Around the stadium

From a specialist guide
The ballpark sits in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, ringed by parking lots, highways and construction, so there are no bars or hotels next to it. Downtown Flushing, one stop east on the 7 train, has hotels and some of the best Chinese and Korean food in the city. Most visitors stay in Manhattan or Long Island City and ride the 7.

Map of the area

Tap a pin to see the place.

Getting to Citi Field

From LaGuardia

From a specialist guide
LGA (LaGuardia). It is about 2 miles west of the ballpark, roughly 10 to 20 minutes by rideshare or taxi outside rush hour.

On game day

Checked at the source
7 train to Mets-Willets Point, about 40 min. Mets-Willets Point station, across Roosevelt Avenue from the ballpark. Long Island Rail Road, Port Washington Branch, about 25 min. Mets-Willets Point LIRR station next to the ballpark. Seastreak ferry, about 75 min. World's Fair Marina, a 10-minute walk to the Left Field Gate. Citi Field Direct shuttle, about 60 min. Citi Field Bus Lot, a short walk from the Left Field Gate. Buses leave 30 minutes after the final out.

Parking and tailgating at Citi Field

Tailgating

Checked at the source
Small personal gatherings are allowed in the general lots, but not in Lot G or Orange Reserved, and no organized, catered or pre-sold tailgates anywhere. Stay in front of or behind your car, never in a space, and keep tents, tables and coolers within one space. Drinking alcohol is banned in the lots and on the sidewalks, and open flames of any kind are not allowed. There are no trash bins in the lots, so bring bags and take your trash. Breaking the rules can mean an NYPD summons.

Game day at Citi Field

Getting in

Checked at the source
  • Bag policy: No backpacks, except fully clear backpacks with no hidden pockets. Purses, totes, drawstring bags, messenger bags, non-backpack diaper bags and small soft-sided coolers are fine up to 16 x 16 x 8 inches. There is no bag check inside; a third-party locker service outside opens 2 hours before first pitch.
  • Cashless: Citi Field is cashless. Reverse ATMs that turn cash into a card are at Section 114 by the Team Store, inside the Team Store and outside next to the Rotunda ticket windows.
  • Re-entry: No re-entry unless a Security or Guest Service supervisor approves it before you leave. Smoking and vaping are banned, with no smoking areas.

Touring the stadium

Checked at the source
About 60 minutes, with a premium club, the press conference room, the suite level, the Clover Home Plate Club, the warning track and the press box. Adults $25, children 12 and under $20, children 3 and under free. Tours leave from the Shea Gate; parking in Lot G is free on non-game days. Arrive 15 minutes early. The Mets also sell a Citi Field Clubhouse Tour, a Mets Memorabilia Tour and game-day packages with batting practice passes. See mets.com/tours or email [email protected].

After the final whistle

Checked at the source
After the game, the 7 train platform at Mets-Willets Point gets crowded, and the postgame express (the Mets Super Express) may not run while the 61 St-Woodside station is under construction. Check the Mets live transit tracker in the MLB Ballpark app, or wait out the first rush at the Willets Point Brewery, which stays open an hour after the game. The Long Island Rail Road also stops at Mets-Willets Point.

One thing to avoid

From a specialist guide
Bringing a backpack. Backpacks are banned (fully clear ones are the only exception), and there is no bag check inside. A third-party locker service outside charges a fee.

Food and drink at Citi Field

Bars near the stadium

Checked at the source
  • Willets Point Brewery
    Josh Schmillen, Google Maps

    Willets Point Brewery

    41 Seaver Way, Queens, NY 11368 (on Seaver Way next to the Right Field Gate)

    The Mets' own brewery and bar right outside the ballpark, with beer, drinks and food. Try the 9-9-9 challenge while you wait for the gates.

    Away fans: a Mets crowd right outside the gates. Expect some ribbing in away colors, but it stays friendly.

  • Fifth Hammer Brewing
    Fifth Hammer Brewing Company, Google Maps

    Fifth Hammer BrewingBefore or after

    10-28 46th Ave, Long Island City, NY 11101

    A Long Island City brewery taproom with a rotating lineup of house beers, a few blocks from the Court Square stop on the 7 train. It is an easy pregame if you are staying in Long Island City or Midtown.

    Away fans: a neighborhood brewery taproom, not a team bar. Any jersey is fine.

  • Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden
    Riverstone19, Google Maps

    Bohemian Hall & Beer GardenBefore or after

    29-19 24th Ave, Astoria, NY 11102

    An old Czech beer hall and outdoor beer garden in Astoria that has been open since before Prohibition. Czech and Slovak beers and food make it a good night out before or after a game.

    Away fans: a huge, mixed beer garden crowd. Nobody cares who you root for.

  • Downtown Flushing
    JOO Choi, Google Maps

    Downtown FlushingDistrict

    41-01 Main St, Flushing, NY 11355 (Main Street around Roosevelt Avenue)

    One stop east of the ballpark on the 7 train, downtown Flushing is packed with Chinese, Taiwanese and Korean restaurants, food courts and bakeries. It is the best place near the ballpark to eat well and cheaply.

    Away fans: a busy shopping and food district, not a sports scene. Away colors draw no notice.

Things to do around Citi Field

Listed in the order they happen on game day. Each one earns points.

  1. Landmark40 points

    The Unisphere

    The giant steel globe built for the 1964 World's Fair stands in Flushing Meadows Corona Park, about a 15-minute walk south of the ballpark. It is the symbol of the World's Fair grounds and a classic Queens photo.

    Free. 3 hours before first pitch

  2. Tailgate40 points

    Tailgate in the lots

    Small personal tailgates are allowed in the general lots, which open 2.5 hours before first pitch. Keep it to your own space, with no alcohol and no open flames.

    $$. 2 hours 30 minutes before first pitch

  3. Landmark50 points

    Find Shea's bases in the parking lot

    Bronze plaques in the Lot B pavement mark exactly where Shea Stadium's home plate, pitcher's mound and bases used to be. Stand on the old home plate before the game.

    Free. 2 hours before first pitch

  4. Drink40 points

    Pregame at Willets Point Brewery

    The Mets' own brewery and bar right outside the Right Field Gate, open from when the lots open until an hour after the game. Try the 9-9-9 challenge.

    $$. 2 hours before first pitch

  5. Photo50 points

    The Shea Home Run Apple

    The original home run apple from Shea Stadium, installed there in 1981, now stands in Mets Plaza outside the Rotunda. It is the classic photo before you go in.

    Free. 1 hour 40 minutes before first pitch

  6. Landmark40 points

    Mets Hall of Fame and Museum

    Artifacts from the biggest moments in Mets history, in center field next to Fan Fest. Visit early, since Fan Fest closes after the top of the 7th.

    Free. 1 hour 10 minutes before first pitch

  7. Eat40 points

    Shake Shack at Taste of the City

    The New York burger chain has a stand in the center field food court. USA Today readers voted Citi Field the best baseball stadium food in 2024, 2025 and 2026, so expect lines and go early.

    $$. 1 hour before first pitch

  8. Photo30 points

    Sit in the Grimace seat

    In 2024 the Mets installed a purple seat to honor Grimace, the McDonaldland character fans adopted as a good-luck charm that season. It is in Section 302, Row 6, Seat 12; snap a photo if nobody is in it.

    Free. 50 minutes before first pitch

  9. Eat40 points

    Pat LaFrieda steak sandwich

    Hand-cut Black Angus beef with Monterey Jack, sweet onions and jus on a toasted baguette, from a New York meat purveyor that supplies top restaurants. Find it at Taste of the City or Section 416.

    $$. 45 minutes before first pitch

  10. Outing40 points

    The Panorama at the Queens Museum

    A room-sized scale model of all five boroughs, built for the 1964 World's Fair, inside the Queens Museum near the Unisphere. Admission is pay what you wish.

    $

  11. Eat30 points

    Italian ice at the Lemon Ice King of Corona

    A Corona institution since 1944, famous for creamy Italian ice made in house. It is about a mile from the ballpark.

    $

  12. Outing40 points

    Louis Armstrong House Museum

    The jazz trumpeter's home in Corona, now a museum, about a mile from the ballpark. House tours start every hour from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; adults pay $20.

    $$

  13. Tour50 points

    Citi Field public tour

    A one-hour tour of the clubs, the press conference room, the suite level and the warning track. It costs $25 for adults and leaves from the Shea Gate.

    $$