Scoping Out Enemy Territory at Yankee Stadium, Plus a Flamin’ Hot Cheetos Bao and Cajun Mac

Today was the big day: My Red Sox-Yankees face-off at Yankee Stadium! Unfortunately, it didn’t end so well for the Sox, who lost the second game of today’s doubleheader, 6-4, but it was great fun nonetheless.

After work, I took a D train up to Yankee Stadium in the Bronx. You haven’t seen a packed subway car until you’ve climbed aboard a Bronx-bound train before a Yankees game. I introduced myself to the armpit of the guy next to me for the next 20 minutes. Fortunately, the D express train only makes five stops between Bryant Park at 42nd Street (my stop) and 161st Street (the Yankee Stadium stop).

After rushing out of the car and metaphorically kissing the subway floor below me (fresh .... air …!), I got in a long line to pass through security to enter the stadium. I couldn’t have left any earlier than I did due to my work schedule, but I finally made it inside on the third batter of the first inning.

I also made the rookie mistake of not taking a screenshot of my mobile ticket before heading to the stadium, figuring I could just pull it up in line using the Wi-Fi, but my signal was so poor (read: nonexistent) outside the stadium with everyone else also using Wi-Fi that I had to walk a few blocks over to pull up the ticket so I could screenshot it, then head back to my gate.

My first impression was just how large Yankee Stadium is compared to Fenway Park. The outfield looks like it could fit two of Fenway's tiny one inside it.

It was a perfect evening for baseball, with temperatures hovering in the mid-70s and a gentle breeze. I also got a free sunset watch party as I watched the sun sink below the stands behind home plate. It was strange — it felt like I was back in Indy at Victory Field, isolated from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan in a baseball cathedral squirreled away in the Bronx. Would definitely recommend (not that Yankee Stadium needs me to recommend it).

To get to my seat, I climbed the stairs up to section 407A in right field, where I sat behind the foul pole in the upper deck (Yankees tickets are expensive, so it was a cheap seat for me!). But I had no complaints about the view.

The stadium promotions here all have a New York flavor, and I especially enjoyed the racing subway trains prize giveaway (the D train beat the 4 and B trains which, I can confirm, is actually what would happen in real life). Props for accuracy.

The Red Sox held the lead for a few innings early on, but then the Yankees tied the game up and then went ahead, and the Sox never recovered. So, I took the “L” tonight along with my Sox, but honestly I was just happy to be there.

And tonight’s Yankee Stadium eat (though I wish it were a Fenway Frank): Bao on the Toyota Terrace in right field. There are three varieties available: chicken, beef, and buffalo cauliflower. I ordered the chicken and beef baos.

The chicken bao (right) had charbroiled chicken, Sriracha ranch, and crushed kettle chips. The chicken was kind of dry, and needed more of the Sriracha ranch sauce (which was more creamy than even remotely spicy).

The beef bao had marinated beef (think cheesesteak meat), cheddar cheese, and bell peppers, plus a Flamin' Hot Cheeto garnish.

The better of the two was definitely the beef. Neither was standout bao fare, but at two for $8, including tax, the price wasn't bad for stadium food.

Though the weather was perfect early in the evening, lightning kept flashing in the sky beyond the outfield as night fell, signaling that rain was on the way. The game wrapped about a quarter past 11, giving me just enough time to run back to the subway station before the sky opened (when sopping-wet people start boarding your car, you can tell you’ll get to look forward to rain when you re-emerge). Fortunately, I carry an umbrella with me at all times after getting surprise-dumped on one too many times.

On a side note about my subway ride home: May a plague of angry frogs rain down upon the sorry excuse for a human being who released a string of nacho-inspired farts on the claustrophobic Manhattan-bound D train back from Yankee Stadium. Airflow is not exactly great in a packed car anyway, but then my train was held due to an altercation in another car — with doors closed (the stench … it burns!!). When they finally opened the doors, I ran across the station to the B train track, which would also take me home (the D was going nowhere fast, and clogging up the track for all the Yankees trains behind it).

BUT one caveat: The special B that operates on Yankees game days is a local train (the B is normally a weekday-only line), not an express like the D. Just to emphasize: I had to take a local train. FROM THE BRONX. And if you’ve kept up with me on Twitter this summer, you know how I feel about local trains (and that I will wait an only slightly embarrassing amount of time for an express train to avoid making all those additional stops). But, 19 stops later, I was finally back home in the East Village (on the bright side, at least this train wasn’t cursed by a nacho farter!).

It was pouring when I emerged at Bleecker Street, and though I had an umbrella, I took a false step into an inch-deep puddle that was actually about eight inches deep (sorry, shoes). I think I’ve used my hairdryer on my shoes more than my hair this summer.

After-work adventures aside, I also thought I’d share a few stories today that I’ve edited recently at The New York Times (I haven’t shared much of the editing work I’ve done this summer, but I’ll throw together a ‘greatest hits’ list of a few of my favorites when I’m back if you’re curious). Last night, I edited this story about a fake-news feud between Snopes and the Babylon Bee, a Christian humor site. It addresses the question of where we can — and should — draw the line between misinformation and satire.

Then I handled this longer politics piece about President Trump making racist comments on a regular basis, yet courting black voters on Facebook. From the story: "A poll conducted in June offered voters six derogatory descriptions of Mr. Trump: ineffective, false promises, for the rich, divisive, corrupt and racist. Among black voters, the poll found that calling Mr. Trump a racist did not move support to Democrats. Calling him ineffective did." It’s a thought-provoking read with great reporting by Reid Epstein and Jonathan Martin.

Finally, today in food: A nosh-sized Cajun S’mac from S’mac in the East Village. That would be cheddar and pepper jack cheeses, andouille sausage, green peppers, onions, celery, garlic, and Cajun seasoning. Basically jambalaya in cheesy macaroni form (someone please remind me why all mac ‘n’ cheese doesn’t have andouille sausage, again?).

On tap for my last week (*cries again*) in NYC:

Definitely:

-The "Camp: Notes on Fashion" & "Apollo's Muse" exhibits at the Met

-A New York Times farewell toast from the newsroom feat. cake

-The Statue of Liberty

-A Broadway show with Jesse Green (+ editing his review)

-A front-row seat for The Phantom of the Opera

-A last-night visit to my favorite Manhattan Bridge swing plaza

-Another triple garlic mazemen with pork belly from the Ivan Ramen Slurp Shop (remember when I said this ramen was so good it made my eyes explode? I stand by that characterization.)

Possibly one or more of these, depending on my work schedule/meetings and a few other things:

-Shakespeare in Central Park [“Coriolanus” is the current production, but I need to a) win the free ticket lottery (which has proved surprisingly difficult this time around) and b) be available. I saw “Much Ado About Nothing" here in June.]

-The Met Cloisters (a medieval art trove in Washington Heights that’s also home to the famous unicorn tapestry)

-The Museum of the City of New York (probably going to need to see the Blue Man Group and Jackie Robinson exhibits)

-Pickle ice cream (but it’s very out of the way and I don’t really have time to make this trip, so don’t get your hopes up)

-Activated charcoal-and-date mylk (because it's far too hipster to call itself milk)

-A sushi donut, the sequel (I’d totally wrap things up with a rainbow bagel, which was quite possibly the best thing I ate this summer, but The Bagel Store, you know, got shut down by the state for unpaid taxes.)