NYC: Yankees Trip in 2007
 

Hi,
A friend and I are meeting in NYC in 2007 with the major attraction being 2 or 3 Yankees games. Time of year is open.

We've never been to NY and will be staying 4-5 nights. Other activities will be the usual tourist spots: Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Financial District, Times Square, Chinatown etc. We have no interest in fancy restaurants or attending shows. We'll be sharing a room, so it can't be too "cozy". We'd like to keep the room below $300/night.

Given the above, what's the best time of year to visit--lower hotel prices being the major consideration. Would you recommend staying in Manhattan or somewhere closer to Yankee Stadium. Thanks.

Definitely stay in Manhattan - the subway runs right to the Stadium and is how 50% of the fans get to the games.

I avoid games in April because the weather can be iffy - night games are a little too cool for my liking. May or June would probably be perfect. Before the hazy, hot, humid days of July/Aug.

Hotel prices will be pretty constant - you won't find lower prices except perhaps last min specials during the winter season (ex holiday periods).

You may also want to look at the NYY schedule and pick some games worth seeing. Weekday games will be easier to get tickets for, but who wants to see Tue/Wed/Thu vs TB or KC? A Fri, Sat, or Sun game vs BOS or the Mets would be a best games, but you won't find box office tickets and aftermarket tickets (ie stubhub.com) will be pricey.

As you get closer to picking games and tickets, be sure to post back here and NYY fans will chime in with opinions about seats.

You will have to wait until the Yankees announce their schedule - usually there is a tentative schedule available in January - since they are on the road half the time. (After that game times may change but not days - except for rainouts.)

Also- be aware that the stadium sells out for almost every game. The better seats are all sold as season tickets - so your option - if you buy tickets the day they go on sale (it's the same day for the whole season) is to get mid range seats or inexpensive seats. For games against some opponents (ie RedSox) the games sell out in hours.

If you want good seats you will need to buy them either on e-bay or from scalpers - ie $100 seats go for $200 and up. If you buy early you will get a good chioce - we have had first row seats next to the dugout - but for big $.

Agree to stay in Manhattan. There are pratically no hotels in the Bronx - and you wouldn;t want to stay in the few that there are. Getting back and forth by subway is esy and inexpensive.

Also agree than May and June are the best times to go, weather is usually plesant but not yet hellishly hot.

Do sign up for a tour of the stadium and Momument Park - it's an incredible experience.

You can get all the info you need at yankees.com

Sorry - forgot to hotel info.

If you can share a bed you might try Priceline - which should get you a 4* hotel for that price. (You may be assinged a room with only one queen bed and yuo don;t find out the hotel until after y ou bid.)

If you prefer to know th ehotel in advance check out Quickbook - which often has good deals. Also affinia.com is a group of all suite moderate hotels (so you can do your own breakfsts if you want) that gets good reviews.

But - it;s really too early to know what the rates will be when you don;t know exact dates. And don;t forget to go to the hotel web sites - which often have the best deals.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm really not concerned who the Yankees play. I just want to get to the stadium before they (sadly) replace it. I'd much rather have better seats against a poor team than the reverse. Sharing a bed is not an option as my friend and I are not that chummy :)

In that case bag Priceline and try Quikbook once you have your dates picked out.

If you come back then with your dates people will be able to give you specific suggestions based on budget then (room costs never seem to stop going up) and who might be having specials.

I do urge you to check the web site - they will announce at least a week in advance what day the schedule will go up. Then buy tickets on-line that day for the best choice. (Download the seating chart from the web site and decide where you want to sit - what the computer thinks is the best choice often isn't - they will put you further from the field to be near home plate - IMHO closer to the field is better - even if in the outfield. (Either way you wil need binoculars).

Tickets that will be hardest to get are typically Red Sox, Mets, Chicago, California teams - and whoever wins the World Series - assuming it isn;t the Yankees.

As for being sorry to see the Stadium go - the new one will incorporate many parts of the current stadium - and in fact will be much closer to the one that "Ruth built" in the 1920s than is the current version.