Opened: April 10, 1997
Capacity: 11,071
Affiliated with the New York Mets
NBT Bank Stadium
When asked why he wanted to climb Mt. Everest Sir Edmund Hilary said “because it’s there.” Well, that is how I feel about Syracuse. I have no reason to be in Syracuse but with nothing else to do I went up. I had actually driven up the year before to see a game but it wound up being rained out. That was a boot in the berries. Fortunately when I came back it was sunshine, beautiful sunshine all around.
How did I get there?
The stadium is right off of I-81 and easy to get to. Parking was $5. This should have been my first clue when I went up for the rain out since there were no parking attendants out but I thought it was just my lucky day.
Ticket prices
This was a Thursday matinée game. They were playing the Norfolk Tides. Syracuse does not draw well to begin with and I had no problem showing up 30 minutes before first pitch and getting seat right behind the Tides’ dugout for about $12.
Finding my seat and amenities
Nice and easy to find the seat. I wore my Orioles hat and the Tides’ pitcher that day, Mike Wright, tossed me a ball after he was done warming up. They had the standard food selections and it didn’t seem like much more. The stadium is an almost identical clone of the Tides’ park and that is not a good thing necessarily. At least there you can look out over the river. Here you can watch the Amtrak line.
In game experience
A limited in-game experience with a sparse crowd. I did read on Stadiumjourney.com about the guy who comes and screams things at the opposing team. He showed up in the middle of the game and from what I read I expected worse. The players didn’t seem to mind, maybe they were numb to it at that point.
Getting out
This is where it got a bit difficult. Looking at Google Earth there is a local route through a residential neighborhood that gets you back to 81. The signed route takes you over by the Hiawatha Mall and then onto the highway. Not a major detour but it could be simpler. The one benefit was that Syracuse did not seem to have much of a rush hour. I scooted right out of town.
Wrap
This one has been checked off of the list. I have little reason to ever return here. The trip where the game was actually played was not a waste and I took in an evening game in Binghamton too that day. Oh, and I saw the Carrier Dome too. Part of the draw here was that they were a Nationals affiliate and with Harrisburg near me it was a chance to see some of the former Senators play. Won’t have that pull since they are a Mets affiliate now and the Nationals had to align with Fresno. Ouch.