This year, I’ve made it to Yankee Stadium twice, which is one more time than I thought I would. As much as I love going to the ballpark, the advent of HD TV and the rising cost of ballpark amenities (beer, food) has taken some of the shine off the live experience, but that’s a post for another day. Today I’m going to focus on transit.
Back in my ticket package purchasing days, I always used to drive to Yankee Stadium, every single time. This was back in the Yankee Stadium 2 days (that’s the 1976-2008 version of Yankee Stadium), when I was much better at getting off Deegan and into the parking lot… is that exit still there as it used to be? I’m not sure. That parking lot was awesome: a great place to tailgate and get some whiffleball in before game time.
But as time has passed, gas prices keep going up, as does the toll into the city, and driving to Yankee Stadium is getting harder to justify, especially with the raise in parking fees. Didn’t that lot by the water used to be under $10 just a few years ago?
The ferry is not an option. Between the price per person and the logistics of the situation for a New Jersey resident like me, it doesn’t make any sense. Check out the Yankee Clipper website: Adults are $25 each, Children under 12 are $18 and Children under 3 are free. So a family of two adults and two children pay $86 for transportation to the game… sounds excessive, no? And in case you want to give NY Waterway a bit more cash, don’t forget to "Ask about our food & beverage packages!" FYI: "All sales are final. No cancellations or refunds are offered." Also: "For your return trip, the boat departs 30-minutes after the final out is recorded." Or I guess they’ll leave you there. Awesome! The departing terminals are Port Imperial/Weehawken, Pier 78/W 38 St, Hoboken, Pier 11/Wall St, and East 34th St. Again, as a NJ resident, awesome: I’d have to drive to all of those NJ locations, fight for parking (probably pay for parking), maybe pay a toll… The Yankee Clipper Ferry is a terrible option for me – they’ve need to pay me $25 to deal with all this nonsense.
I take mass transit these days. I always take the bus from Jersey – NJ Transit or I park near Route 4 and take one of those little white buses that go to the George Washington Bridge terminal – these are your best bet. They’re cheaper than NJ Transit and they come much more frequently. I take the subway from there – there are at least two options… but rather than talk out of school, hit up the MTA’s website instead.
That’s my take – in the last several years, driving to Yankee Stadium has become obsolete – don’t get suckered in!
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Jamie Insalaco
