METLIFE STADIUM
STADIUM DUDE’S NFL STADIUM RANK: #24
STADIUM INFORMATION
- Located: East Rutherford, NJ
- Opened: 2010
- Capacity: 82,500
- Weather: OK (ranked 8th out of 20 outdoor venues)
- Games Attended: 2
- Last visited: 2019
STADIUM REVIEW
I don’t understand how this was the most expensive stadium constructed in human history (until the cost of SoFi Stadium nearly tripled it). While it’s a fine facility, I don’t see the over-the-top grandeur as I do at some of its brethren.
The first cold-weather stadium to host a Super Bowl, this privately-financed venue is designed to sport the home team colors via adjustable lighting and louvers. So Giants games get the blue treatment and feel like Giants games and Jets games get the green treatment and feel like Jets games. It’s a classic bowl-shaped structure featuring gray seats, good sightlines from every seat, and four large videoboards to provide replays. Concourses are wide but concessions are surprisingly ordinary compared to the New York baseball parks.
Giant games are little more corporate; Jets games a little more blue-collar. Both teams sell the place out even if the teams stink. There’s always a pretty good angsty New York Vibe, especially if you’re in the “cheaper” seats.
Getting there can be easier than getting out. If coming from Manhattan, you can take a train with a single transfer that drops you at the stadium door. The train can act a little like a pre-tailgate with several riders starting to get their gameday drink on. There’s usually entertainment in the parking lots. Going back is a real bitch since exit times aren’t staggered. You either feel compelled to leave early, or just accept that you’ll be packed in like sardines hoping to catch the next train. Uber surge pricing makes that a pricy option. Driving, assuming you can get a parking pass, may actually be the easiest way to go, especially for a Sunday game.
Good place, but $1.6 billion? Ooof.
