One of the biggest stories of the 2009 Major League Baseball season is the opening of brand new ballpark in New York, specifically in the borough of the Bronx. Largely overlooked by the national media, however, has been the debut of another ballpark in New York, this one in the borough of Queens.
Citi Field, the new home of the New York Mets, was designed by Populous, the architectural firm that has designed a large number of the retro-style baseball parks that have replaced the multi-purpose stadiums in the major leagues today. And Citi Field is every bit a ballpark, not a stadium. And it is a tremendous upgrade over the team's previous home, Shea Stadium.
Outside Citi Field
One of the most memorable features of the new ballpark actually lies outside its confines, in parking lot D. That is the newly paved section of the parking lot that occupies the land where Shea Stadium once stood. Here, the ballclub has inlaid plaques indicating the former sites of Shea's home plate, the pitcher's mound, and the rest of the bases.