William A. Shea Stadium was the home of the New York Mets baseball team until 2008 and was located in the Flushing neighborhood of Queens, a borough of New York City on Long Island. William A Shea himself is the man credited with bringing National League baseball back to the Big Apple, and so the history of Shea Stadium begins with its being named for this New York Mets icon.

The biggest date in the history of Shea Stadium is April 17, 1964, the day the New York Mets played their first game at Shea Stadium. This building is full of unforgettable memories, mostly of New York Mets baseball, but also of outdoor performances by major musical acts. The most notable musical performances in the history of Shea Stadium were the groundbreaking concerts by The Beatles in August of 1965, and again in August of 1966. These shows proved that outdoor sports arenas can house major musical acts with great success, and Shea Stadium has hosted occasional major summer concerts since, most recently an unbelievable reuinion of Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band.

But Shea Stadium was no concert hall: the New York Mets were the main attraction here. New York Mets baseball has always been a sort of roller coaster. They constantly seem to either be a major World Series contender or the laughingstock of New York baseball, but recently the Mets have been the former, and this talent steadily brought more fans out to Shea Stadium in the venues' last years to catch the New York Mets in action. The Mets’ greatest memory in the history of Shea Stadium was the dream season of 1969, when they were dubbed the “Miracle Mets” as they defied 100-1 odds by capturing a World Series championship despite their horrible previous season in 1968.

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Shea Stadium also was the home of New York Jets football for a time, but the relationship between Shea Stadium and baseball is a love affair that has lasted for over forty years. However, at time of this writing, your time to see New York Mets baseball at Shea Stadium is running out. Citi Field, currently under construction beyond the outfield fence of Shea Stadium, is scheduled to take over as the home of the New York Mets for the 2009 season and beyond.

If you are an avid fan of our national pastime, you simply must visit both the new Mets Stadium, Citi Field, and Yankee Stadium as a part of your New York City vacation. When you go to see the Amazin’ Mets, take the NYC Subway 7 train, or the “International Express” as it is commonly called. Stop anywhere along the way to enjoy the authentic ethnic food of one of Queens’ unique neighborhoods before you enjoy the game, making for a fun New York City day trip.

Usually, regular season tickets should be purchased in advance, but are readily available. If you plan on seeing an interleague game between the Yankees and Mets, a part of a “Subway Series” as these contests are called, good luck getting tickets! The playoffs are also extremely difficult to see live, with Mets tickets being just a bit less rare than those for the Bronx Bombers. Needless to say, surf the official Mets website to reserve your tickets before you arrive in New York for your best chance of enjoying New York Mets baseball.

Like a stroll through Central Park or a trip to the Bronx Botanical Garden, a New York Mets day game is one of the best things to experience outdoors in New York City.