Friday, May 07, 2010

INSIDE THE DELTA SKY 360 CLUB.

For the last Sunday home game at Citi Field, which was the Sunday pm-ESPN night game switcheroo, we picked up deeply discounted tickets in the Caesar’s Club Platinum, which are the first two rows of the Caesar’s Club. That specific location was important, because we wanted access to the Delta Sky 360 Club, because the chances of us being able to afford this on a frequent basis in the very near future are likely close to zero. Our seats were very close to home plate, right in front of the press box.

You can access the Delta Club via the VIP entrances, but since there were no lines, we went in through the Jackie Robinson Rotunda. The access to the Delta Club are from those two escalators in the Jackie Robinson Rotunda that you’re not allowed to go up without a ticket that says ‘Delta Sky 360/All Club Access’. You’ve probably tried to go up them before by accident and been turned away. Let me take you behind the velvet rope.

There’s no denying it - it’s a gorgeous space. It has absolutely zero to do with baseball (although there are beautiful historical photos of the Mets all over the place), but I’d be lying through my teeth if I said it wasn’t attractive and comfortable. There are two bars, a sit-down restaurant, and a ‘market’ area, which is a more informal concession stand line with tables and booths to sit at, and another stand with coffee and snacks that I haven’t seen elsewhere in the ballpark. There were hot pretzels which I’d wager were actually *hot*. We didn’t have time to eat at the sit-down restaurant, and I’m actually not upset about that, because there is no view of the field from the restaurant, which kind of shocked me. I did appreciate being able to get my Taco Combo Platter there, along with a kahlua & coffee (I swear I’d buy seats with access just to have that on cold nights) and be able to take the elevator straight up to the Excelsior Level. From a convenience level, as a regular baseball-goer it would absolutely be convenient to be able to get the food I wanted - or at least a fair choice of food - and then grab the elevator up to my seating level. But I’d probably trade the access to a club - or at least access to a club this ritzy - for more games, to be totally honest.

The best part of the Delta 360 Club is the photo at the top, and the one below: the two porches that open out onto the field with a terrific view of everything. There are tables and some seats there - I believe the seats are ticketed seats, but am unsure - and you could, theoretically, hang out there for the entire game if you wanted to. The Mets would certainly not complain if you wanted to keep ordering beers and standing out there, and I’ve watched people do it (through gritted teeth) especially during less-than-pleasant weather.

The two bars were nice, but one is closer to the left field porch than the other, so I’d prefer that one. There’s also a ton of casual seating around both bars. The right field bar has two windows into the Mets’ batting cages.

Of course, I especially appreciated the comfort of the Delta Club during the 90 minute rain delay. I appreciated the access to good food, the bathrooms, and the elevators. If the weather was crappy, I could see how it would be nice to stand on the porch and have some protection from the weather. Now, having said all of that, I know the Mets opened club access this year, and obviously I don’t know how it was last year, but it felt a tiny bit crowded for one of the more exclusive clubs (only the Delta Sky360 Lounge is more exclusive) and this was on a rainy Sunday night.  On the other hand, we easily found seating every time we looked for it.

The saddest thing about being on the Excelsior level was how much the sightlines reminded me of our old seats in Section 12 at Shea. The Excelsior level is absolutely not comparable to the Shea Mezzanine at Citi Field in terms of price, and I think the insistence on a club/luxury level shuts out an awful lot of fans, because I think as a whole the level is overpriced because you’re paying for the bars and the club. Not everyone cares about those things but would like to sit on that level. (Oh, nevermind.)