http://newyork.cbslocal.com/guide/new-meadowlands-stadium-guide/ New Meadowlands Stadium Guide August 8, 2010 9:32 PM Print Share 0 From Colin Kelly The New York Giants and New York Jets have a new home starting in the fall of 2010, and it’s located right next to where their old home, Giants Stadium, stood for nearly 34 years. New Meadowlands Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. is the $1.6 billion state-of-the-art home for the Giants and Jets, as well as the site for Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014. The architectural masterpiece seats 82,500 and offers fans the chance to experience modern technology and amenities not seen at other NFL venues. The first regular season game in the stadium’s history will also be the Giants’ season opener on Sunday, September 12, 2010. The Jets will play their first game in the new house the following night on Monday Night Football. Here are a few ways to maximize your experience: Tip: New Meadowlands Stadium is one of the world’s most expensive objects. Coming and Going Driving Unlike driving to most stadiums in the around the city, taking your car to the New Meadowlands Stadium is relatively easy. Driving directions The Stadium is easily accessible and bordered by major roadways including the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway. There are approximately 23,800 parking spaces distributed among 14 lettered Lots at the New Meadowlands Stadium. In addition, there are 5,000 parking spaces adjacent to the East Side of the Stadium. As you approach the New Meadowlands Stadium, there will be highway, street level and variable electronic message signs directing you to our parking lot entrances. It is subject to change but right now parking will cost $25 per car. Parking lots open five hours prior to an event. Parking map Tip: Parkfast also has a lot near Secaucus Junction; you can take the train in from there. Tip: The easiest way out of the stadium following the game (and the best way to avoid traffic) is to park the farthest from the actual stadium. There is a lot next to the Izod Center with a fence running alongside it that is a perfect place to tailgate and also the best place to park if you are looking for a quick and easy exit. The tailgate near the Izod Center gets pretty rowdy and crazy since it isn’t patrolled as much and because it is farther away from the stadium. Tip: There is a garage near the Meadowlands, but it is recommended to not park in there because it is the hardest to get out of and the worst traffic following the game. Tip: The best tailgating area is the section where the Winnebagos and RVs are parked. Train Rail service to the New Meadowlands Stadium is available for all NFL games. Trains begin running 3 hours before game time and continue to run two hours after the event’s end. Purchase roundtrip tickets to the “Meadowlands Sports Complex.” You’ll need to transfer at Secaucus Junction. At Secaucus Junction, step off the train and go upstairs into the station. Then follow the signs to the rail loading area. For most Stadium events, Meadowlands trains board on Tracks G and H. Travel time between Meadowlands Station and Secaucus Junction is 10-13 minutes; the complete trip to or from Hoboken Terminal takes approximately 23 minutes. The train lets passengers off less than 100 feet from the North Gate. Fans can then choose to enter through the North Gate or take the short walk to the Great Hall (West Gate). Visit NJTransit.com for train and bus schedules. Tip: A $5 surcharge applies to tickets purchased aboard the train when a TVM or ticket agent is available. Tip: On weekends, up to two kids (11 and under) travel can travel free with a fare-paying adult. Tip: The MTA also runs a Train to the Game service that starts in New Haven. Here’s the full schedule. Bus Take a Coach USA 351 Meadowlands Express Bus for an inexpensive, nonstop trip to the game. The 351 Meadowlands Express boards at the Port Authority Bus Terminal and takes you to the Meadowlands in plenty of time for you to get to your seat. After each game the bus returns to the Port Authority. The trip runs $10 roundtrip and $5 one way. On NFL game days the bus will drop fans off on the west side of the stadium where fans can make a short walk to the Great Hall entrance. Stashing your stuff: Bag check facility A bag check facility is located in parking lots E and G where guests may check any items which are not permitted into the stadium for a nominal fee. Surprise item you can’t bring in: Strollers or umbrellas Hopefully it won’t rain during the game because umbrellas are not permitted into the Stadium. Neither are Banners and/or signs are not permitted to be carried into the stadium. Bags or purses that are 12″ x 12″ x 12″ or less in size are allowed. Surprise item you can’t bring in: Food Food contained in a clear plastic bag is allowed. Factory-sealed, plastic bottles of water that are 20 oz. or less in size are also permitted (caps will be removed by Safety Services staff). Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images Gates Gates are inevitability corporate sponsored. There is the Pepsi Gate, the Bud Light Gate, the MetLife Gate and the Verizon Gate. We expect the shortest lines into the Stadium at the Bud Light Gate. Ramps There are two ramps in the stadium which access all levels of the stadium. They may be found in either end-zone. Escalators Public escalators are located at the East, West, Pepsi, Verizon and MetLife gates. There are 10 staircases in the stadium. Staircases in the corners of the building will access all levels of the stadium. Back to Top ▲ Tickets Ticket prices at the New Meadowlands Stadium run from expensive to exorbitant. Look to spend $100 minimum per ticket, regardless of the home team or opponent. The Jets have recently reduced the cost of their Personal Seat License seats and have maintained that single-game tickets will not be directly available. This leaves us with the infamous secondary marketplace. Giants and Jets fans can buy and sell tickets at the Ticket Exchange at NFL.com. However you can expect to pay service charges of at least $10 per ticket, but probably much more. Charges for premium seats can run as much as $268.95 per ticket. Delivery fees add another $4.95. Ticketmaster will-call is available at any open ticket window located at each entry gate. Guests may also pick up Ticketmaster will-call or purchase tickets at any Ticketmaster kiosk which are also located at every entry gate. Our old friends Stubhub and Craigslist are two other sources of tickets. Stubhub is secure and you won’t have to haggle or deal with anyone face-to-face. All available tickets are presented in front of you and can be sorted by price or location, but you’ll be paying some pretty high service fees. If you put in some work, you can avoid fees and usually find deals a few days before the game on Craigslist. Ignore any posts that don’t list the price of the tickets and seem suspicious. Tip: Check out FanSnap.com and SeatGeek.com. These two aggregators search for tickets available on all major secondary markets. Both sites also use algorithms to analyze whether each ticket is a good or bad deal. SeatGeek also offers forecasts of ticket prices based on historical transactions. It sounds complicated, but they’re doing all the work. Just sign up for an alert and buy the tickets when they tell you to.
Seating Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images The new stadium has seating for 82,566 fans, including 10,005 club seats and approximately 220 luxury suites, making it the second largest NFL stadium in total seating behind FedEx Field. “There isn’t a bad seat in the house” is the mantra declared by almost every fan that has gotten a sneak peak at the new Stadium. And they may be right. Despite an obstructed view seating dust up this April, the sight lines in this stadium are for the most part stunning. How the seating situation will pan out with a packed house is another matter. There are some rumors swirling that some rows offer less leg room than others with Section 140, row 13 being an example. Check back here after the first preseason game on August 16 for more details. The New Meadowlands Stadium seating chart is pretty worthless at this point. Hopefully we’ll get a more detailed version as the season approaches. Tip: During the Jets home games, section 224B will be alcohol-free. Back to Top ▲ At the Stadium Photo by Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images Unlike Giants Stadium in which the Jets were a junior partner, the new stadium is a 50/50 partnership between both teams. That meant that any design features had to be approved by both clubs. This created a “design by committee style” that is neither mind-blowing, nor particularly disappointing. The seats in the upper deck are slightly closer to the field. Four giant corner video screens provide everybody a good view of replays. But there is a blandness and definite grayness to the stadium. And it appears to be covered in Venetian blinds. Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images Tip: They aren’t Venetian blinds. The outer skin of New Meadowlands Stadium features aluminum louvers backed by interior lighting that will switch colors depending on which team is playing at home. Tip: The EPA has certified the New Meadowlands Stadium as the “greenest” NFL stadium. Tip: There are 1,350 toilets/urinals in the New Meadowlands Stadium, which is a 56% increase from the old stadium. Tip: There are cup holders on every seat. Photo by Jarrett Baker/Getty Images Scoreboards The New Meadowlands Stadium features four 30’ x 118’ HD video display boards in each of the stadium’s four corners. In addition, the New Meadowlands Stadium is equipped with a 48″ x 2200′ ribbon board which circles in the interior seating bowl. HDTVs Whether riding the elevator, grabbing a bite to eat, or enjoying the game from your seat, you will never miss a second of action. There are 2,018 HDTV’s in and around the New Meadowlands Stadium ranging from 20 inch screens in the elevators to the aforementioned video boards, which are equivalent to four 110 foot HDTV’s. Text Messaging Fans who wish to report issues or concerns may ask for information or call for assistance in a fast, easy and convenient way can do so by texting our GuestASSIST text message service. Guests should address the text message to 78247, type the word NMS followed by a space, the issue and location. Stadium personnel will respond quickly and accordingly. Kids Changing stations are located in all restrooms. During Giants football games all guests, regardless of height or age, must have a ticket of their own. Back to Top ▲ Food Photo by David Paul Morris/Getty Images The former concession provider for the Giants and Jets, ARAMARK, has been ditched. New provider Delaware North Company has partnered with the Food Network to take a page from ballparks such as Baltimore’s Camden Yards and Seattle’s Safeco Field by offering local favorites. Signature items will include such local favorites as pepper and egg sandwiches and meatball hoagies freshly prepared from a secret family recipe by executive chef and New Jersey native Eric Borgia’s grandmother. Nonna Fusco’s Meatballs ($9) are made from beef, veal and pork. Also added are fresh garlic, fresh parsley, fresh basil, fresh breadcrumbs that are ground in-house. After they come out of oven, they’re braised for about four hours with tomato sauce. Charles W. Granquist, culinary producer for the Food Network, said the menus at the stadium are expected to rotate every four weeks, but one staple will be hot dogs, a must for any sports arena. The list of hot-dog flavors will include short rib dogs with shredded onions and horseradish mustard, beer-cheese dogs, jerk chicken style, buffalo chicken and pretzel dogs. Tip: Concessions will be fully Giants or Jets related, depending on which team is playing. Tip: Prices are still in flux, but what we’ve seen so far indicates that beer prices will run from $8.50 to $9.75. A bottle of water will cost about $4.25. Hot dogs are about $5. Tip: Try to stack up on beers at halftime because the beer sales have ended earlier in recent years and it is harder to get them once the second half begins.
Text messaging is a huge plus and I'm glad we have it. I plan on text messaging a lot during games because it takes my mind off the boring action on the field. Who wants to watch the stupid game anyway when text messaging is available?
Holy crap, I'm not a beer drinker but they've got some balls to nail you mopes for $10 per...Highway robbery.
Food contained in a clear plastic bag is allowed. This is the way to go fellas. If you can't make the tailgate, buy your hoagies ahead of time and bring them in to watch the warmups. Chips are allowed too. Peanuts, popcorn, etc. Items like that will kill your wallet unless you brown-bag it. Factory-sealed, plastic bottles of water that are 20 oz. or less in size are also permitted (caps will be removed by Safety Services staff). It looks like they're on to the "take the cap off yourself and put it in your pocket" routine. Now they want to take the cap off and throw it away themselves. No problem. Save a couple of caps ahead of time and after you pass thru security, re-cap the water bottle for later.
Parking without a pass ...... Is the only place to park for individual games in Secaucus? When I called yesterday they said I could buy a pass for the season but I only have a handful of games that I need an extra for.
So that's good. I found out that fireman Ed just last week got 4 seats in section 123, row2. Who knows if he had to pay for them.
The Jets side is apparently the sunny side, but I don't know why they would put the Jets in the sun. On all the tours I went on I always forgot to check that out.
So stupid, it was like that in the old stadium also. While not a huge deal could be a slight disadvantage early in the season with the sun beating down on you.
The sun rises in the east, arcs to the south, then sets in the west. During the winter, it is lower in the sky while arcing to the south before setting. If you are referring to the Upper Deck, it is all "sunny side." If you are on the Jets side of the field, you will be in the sun and have it in your face. If you are on the Visitor's side, you will be in the sun and have it on your back. The later it gets into the season, the lower the sun will be in the sky and therefore, more in your face if you are on the Home side. If you are sitting in the 200s or 100s, the sunny side/shady sides are more of a consideration. You will more than likely be in the shade on the Visitor's side, especially later in the season and more likely to be in the sun on the Home side, albeit again, with the sun in your face. It all depends on what you like. I have been going to the games for over 28 years and have always preferred sitting with the sun to my back, even if it means sitting in the shade. The several December'January extremely cold games in the shade do not make up for having to sit through all 8 games with the sun blinding me.
GeeTeeEffOhh. Hops make the beer, IMO. And Samuel Adams has some of the most delicious tasting hoppy beer out there (domestic or imported). I suspect you just don't prefer hoppy beers? I will admit, there aren't too many American beers worth boasting about. But I'll stand by a cold mug of Sam any day. Mmmmm... :beer:
