New York Attractions: Yankee Stadium

Nothing could personify New York City more than its major league baseball team, the New York Yankees. And no location could be more New York than the team’s home stadium. This monumental construction, located in the Bronx section of New York at East 161st Street and River Avenue, has been home to official Yankee games since the 1920s. More than that, the New York Yankee Stadium has hosted multiple alternative events, such as boxing and football matches.

Owned by the City of New York, the Yankee Stadium has been part and parcel of the city’s history, from Prohibition years, through the Great Depression, the Second World War and right through until the terror attacks on the World Trade Center. New Yorkers have come together through good times and bad to cheer for their team and celebrate the spirit of their city.

History

The Yankee Stadium was built in 1923 thanks to the fame of Babe Ruth – the legendary baseball player. Babe Ruth’s ability to attract the crowds to Yankee games ultimately led to the team being able to afford to build its own stadium in the Bronx. The stadium was the first three-tiered sports construction in the United States and went on to become one of the most famous facilities in the country’s sporting history. The Yankee Stadium has hosted the major league All-Star Game a total of three times, as well as the World Series a whopping 33 times. The stadium went through major renovations in 1937 and again in 1967.

In 2006, construction began on a new Yankee Stadium on adjacent parkland to the present stadium. It is estimated that the new stadium will be built to a tune of over $1.3-billion and is due to open in 2009. Sadly, the old Yankee Stadium will be destroyed to the ground when this happens. The 2008 All-Star Game will take place in the present stadium as a curtain call for this magnificent sports facility.

Things to See at the Stadium

The Big Bat
A huge 138-foot pipe in the shape of a baseball bat greets visitors to the New York Yankee Stadium. Louisville Slugger, the famous baseball equipment production company, sponsored the model, designed to look like Babe Ruth’s bat.

The Stadium Façade
One of the icons of the New York Yankee Stadium is its famous façade – white arches that run around the roof of the stadium’s upper deck. The arches were originally copper but were painted white in the 1960s. When the stadium was renovated in the 1970s, most of the façade was removed and a replica was strung across the billboards and scoreboards. There are plans to construct the façade on the upper deck roof of the new Yankee stadium.

Monument Park
Located inside the Yankee Stadium, Monument Park contains plaques and memorials to all the baseball greats in the team’s history. The park is situated behind the left-center field fence of the stadium. Visitors to Monument Park can see memorials dedicated to New York Yankee legends such as Miller Huggins (team manager in the 1920s), Jacob Rupert (Yankee owner from 1915 to 1939), Babe Ruth, the mythological Yankee player who ruled from 1920-1934, Joe DiMaggio, another great player during the late ‘30s and the ‘40s, and the more contemporary player Reggie Jackson. The right back corner of Monument Park also contains a memorial plaque for the victims of the World Trade Center terror attack of September 11, 2002.

Stadium Tours
Visitors to the New York Yankee Stadium can take advantage of several types of guided tours of the facility. Times and dates are obviously subject to change and visitors should check with the tour organizers directly to ensure accurate details.

The Classic Tour
Up to 11 people can take part in this one-hour tour that takes them to see some of the more classic features of the stadium, including the field, the dugout, the clubhouse (when this is available), the press box and Monument Park. This tour is held daily, except when the Yankees are playing at home.

The Champions Tour
The Champions Tour incorporates all the features of the Classic Tour, with the addition of a film about the history of the stadium that is shown in the Adidas suite.

The Champions Plus Tour
This is the ideal tour for groups of between 12 and 25 people. It includes the Champion Tour, with the addition of an extra tour of the Club Level. Visitors get to tour the Great Moments Room, the Yankee Club and a luxury suite. A promotional gift is handed out to visitors at the end of this tour that lasts just over an hour and a half.

Shopping and Dining
The Yankees Team Store is located at Gate 4 alongside the Big Bat. The shop features authentic team apparel such as jerseys and other sportswear. Visitors can also purchase memorable souvenirs including exclusive items, collectables and gifts. The store also offers clothing for men, women and children.

The Sidewalk Café is the perfect place to grab something to eat before an exciting Yankees game. Conveniently situated between gates six and four, the café offers authentic ballpark food or visitors may bring their own.

Other Features

The New York Yankee Stadium takes utmost care in creating a user-friendly environment for disabled visitors. Its Access Service Center and special wheelchair facilities ensure that the disabled are not left out of the fun at the stadium.

The Stadium prides itself for being family friendly: Children under a certain height are let in for free, there are diaper changing facilities on every level as well as alcohol-free family sections to view the games, a tag-a-kid program to provide children with wristbands with their seating location written on, and lost children services.

Yankee Stadium NYC

Without a doubt, the New York Yankee Stadium remains one of the most frequented locations in the city – by locals and visitors alike. Besides the exciting baseball games that take place on a regular basis, there are non-baseball events that continue to draw the crowds. In addition, visitors can use the stadium’s facilities to organize private affairs, such as parties, Bar/bat Mitzvah celebrations and even weddings.

While the building of a new Yankee Stadium is necessary in order to hold the expanding crowd of fans, New Yorkers still look back with nostalgia on the glorious years of the present stadium and it will remain forever in their hearts as a much loved and classic symbol of New York City.

Location
Yankee Stadium is located at the corner of 161st St. and River Avenue, New York.

Click here to visit Yankee Stadium official website