New York: Shea Stadium

Overview

Shea Stadium is home of the New York Mets of the National League.

The Mets have a strange history - somewhat disjointed. They were founded to replace the departed Dodgers and Giants and have had some of the worst teams of all time, and one of the luckiest World Series wins ever.

Shea Stadium is also somehwat awkward. Planes constantly fly overhead, the stadium is dark and dirty, the upper deck scrapes the moon, and the scoreboard is rediculously large for the amount of information it displays. Yet still there are some who like it.

It will be replaced in 2009 by one of the modern superstadia. To many that's a good thing. Shea has a cookie cutter capacity in a cookie cutter shape with only half a cookie. It has five decks around the infield and only some makeshift bleachers around the outfield.

The color scheme is unusual - incorporating the team colors - orange and blue - along with some hideous combinations. The exterior is recognizable for its ramps, blue paint and labeling.

Inside the most recognizable trait is the home run apple - a unique celebration where the "big Apple" pops up out of the ground for home runs. Get it...big apple...New York. Ok, it's not that creative of a ploy. But at least it's different.

The scoreboard is remarkably uninformative for its size, but has been the backdrop for some famous moments, like the Bill Buckner miss.

Perhaps the most notable thing an out-of-towner notices about Shea, though, is the rumbling of airplanes overhead with the airport nearby. It is quite a nuissance. Unfortunately the new stadium will be in the parking lot.