Hello! I am a massive Manchester City football club season ticket holder. Go to every game and heard recently speculation that you were interested in Steve McManaman. He is coming to the end of his career right now. A bit too slow for Premiership but still has all the qualities of one of the best midfielders in the world. He would make a great asset to the Metrostars i'm sure. The main reason for me posting on here is that i am thinking of visiting New York for a few days in April, around the 16th to 19th. I have noticed you are playing DC United on the 17th and would love to come along and watch to take a feel of American soccer. So i have a few questions..... Can i purchase tickts at the stadium on the day of the game? What is the average attendance for a Metrostars game/expected attendance for this game? And can anybody give me some names of good hotel accomodation not to far away from the Giants Stadium and within easy distance of New York's main attractions. Any help would be massively appreciated. If you want to contact me further please mail me on nickyjgordon@hotmail.com
I expect you'll get answers from some big Metrostars supporters. Here are some thoughts on the things I myself and familiar with: 1) The Game You are in for a treat of sorts. 4/17 is the Metros home opener. Other than the start of another MLS season, you'll be present for the New York debut of DC United wunderkind Freddy Adu. Freddy will be 15 at the time, but in a sense will be MLS' biggest name player. I'd bet on attendance of 30,000-35,000 for the match. That will depend on weather though, as the vast majority of the crowd will be walk up. The stadium seats roughly 80,000, so don't worry about being shut out. Still, operations at Giants Stadium are notoriously slow, so I'd buy tickets in advance if you find a way to do so. I bet a Metrofan will tell you how to do so. Go to the Metrostars forum on this board and ask them. Maybe someone will sell you one in the supportors section. 2) The Trip Stay in New York city, not New Jersey. I live in NJ. I assure you there is no hotel near the Meadowlands that is nice enough to make up for the fact that it is at the Meadowlands. The bus to the game is easy (leaving Port Authority Terminal at 42nd and 8th.) Put up with that bus ride and you'll get to spend the rest of your time in NYC. For hotels, I suggest Priceline.com, if you can get to it from the UK. Bid low and see if you get anything. Hotels.com, etc. are also fine.
I just want to reiterate what Shures said about staying in NYC and taking the bus to the stadium. That's the best way to go. NYC mass transit is the best. You can get an all day subway pass for 7 dollars that'll take you to all of the main attractions.
There are a couple of threads on this topic in the Travel forum and here. I'll see if I can dig up some links because they have suggestions for things to do in the city, etc.
Here are some links on other threads of this type - how to get to the stadium, things to do, tickets, etc.: https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=72500 https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=61370 https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=73359&perpage=15&pagenumber=1 https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=72239 https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=71525
Eh. If you're there for only a couple days and you're a baller on a budget, there's enough 'express' executive hotels in the area of Giants Stadium (Carlstadt area) that can serve the purpose. It's not that bad. A couple weeks ago I had to be in that area, and got a place at the Holiday Eeeeeeeeeen Express there on Paterson Plank Road, and that was just fine. It was so close, you could literally walk to Giants Stadium if you wanted to. Not many places you can say that about. But you'd have to rent a car to get around. If you're going to be spending more than a couple days and want to step out of your hotel and right into the middle of the action, then yeah, stay in NYC.
there will be between 20-22k, as there has been for every pening day for the last few years. not bad, but hardly a treat.
Somebody from California asked the same question about hotels last year, and I gave the same answer: if price is an issue, stay in a hotel along the Jersey City waterfront. You can take PATH 24 hours a day into NYC ($1.50 fare each way, 10 minutes to downtown NYC, 15 minutes to midtown) and save about $100 per night in hotel costs. If you want, you can spend a few of those saved dollars on a rental car from Avis, Hertz or Dollar (all in downtown Jersey City) to get yourself to GS for the game.. Sure it's maybe $50 that you otherwise wouldn't have spent, but you get to avoid the nightmare that is NYC's Port Atrocity Bus Terminal.
Hi mate, Burnley Fan here - also living in the great city of Manchester. I'm gonna try and get a ticket for the forthcoming (pre Euro 2004) England games at the Bluecamp. Stadium looks great from outside. I went to NYC last year and caught a Metrostars game. You'll enjoy it - mostly coz it's very different to what you are used to. If you can - sit behind the goals in section 101 with the supporters club. There's a bit of atmosphere there. As far as accomodation - definitely stay in Manhattan. You can use the PATH trains to get over to NJ. Try www.heraldsquarehotel.com - it's very central and relatively cheap - if basic !! Have a good trip. Up the Clarets !!