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Basketball and ice hockey are the only major spectator sports that take place in Manhattan but baseball matches are an easy subway ride in either the Bronx (for the Yankees) or Queens (for the Mets). American football fans must head over to New Jersey to watch the Jets or the Giants. Ticketmaster (T1-212 307 7171) sells tickets for all, though it’s usually cheaper to try and buy tickets at the venue. Giants Stadium, Meadowlands Sports Complex, exit 16W, Rutherford, New Jersey, T1-201 935 3900. Regular buses from Port Authority. Both the New York Giants and the New York Jets play professional football here from September to the end of January. Madison Square Garden, 7th Av between 31st and 34th Sts,T1-212 465 6741. Subway 1, 2, 3, 9, A, C, E to 34th St-Herald Sq. The main sports arena in Manhattan is where you can sit courtside to watch the New York Knicks (basketball) dribbling and dunking in the summer or the New York Rangers (ice hockey) checking and deking from fall to spring. Shea Stadium, 126th St at Roosevelt Av, Queens,T1-718 507 8499, http://www.mets.com Subway 7 to Willets Points. This stadium is home to the New York Mets baseball team, regarded as the working-class, everyman’s alternative to the Yankees and, usually, as the underdogs. A huge rivalry exists between Mets and Yankees fans, which becomes apparent whenever the two teams play. The Mets farm team, the minor-league Brooklyn Cyclones, play all summer at Coney Island. Yankee Stadium, 161st St and River Av, The Bronx,T1-718 293 6000. Subway B, D, 4 to 161 St-Yankee Stadium. Babe Ruth’s former hangout is the most famous landmark in the Bronx. Since 1923, the New York Yankees, or Bronx Bombers as locals call them, have been cheered on by thousands of fans at this arena. Lou Gehrig, Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle all played here, helping to amass 26 World Series’ championships – you can see plaques commemorating them in Monument Park. If you’re visiting New York during the baseball season from April to October, take the subway out for a taste of Americana. The music, overpriced beer and hot dogs will keep you entertained if the baseball game does not. The family atmosphere makes it a festive event for kids but beware, most games go on for at least a few hours.
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