Anyone else remember catching a final glimpse of the field from that walkway after leaving a game? I sure do.
I was surprised by how quickly the deconstruction of Giants Stadium began. Seat removal was underway as early as January 26, 2010, barely three weeks after the final game was played on January 3!
I love how "Giants Stadium" literally overshadows "Jets" painted on the end zone.
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I think part of the reason that Giants Stadium is coming down so quickly is that by knocking it down they will be able to expand parking back to it's pre-construction capacity (a la Shea Stadium-Citi Field).
ReplyDeletePlus - why not take it down quickly? They don't need it anymore. It is the dead of winter so the stadium isn't in use, and the new one will be completely ready come spring. Might as well get it done now when the demolition isn't an inconvenience in the area
ReplyDeleteSeriously - what's so depressing about this? NY Sports fans have gotten amazing new venues for the NFL and MLB teams - nostalgia my butt. ON WITH PROGRESS!
ReplyDeleteI am completely with you Sarah. But it actually goes further. The Devils are playing in what I am told is a great new facility (I'm not going to Newark to check, sorry), the Nets have finally started construction on their new arena in downtown Brooklyn, the Jets and Giants both have brand new state of the art practice facilities, Cablevision is moving forward with plans for a 9 figure renovation of the Garden and the Islanders figure to either move out of town or get something new built in the next 5 years or so.
ReplyDeleteNot bad for a city that just 4 years ago sported the oldest venues for all major teams in the entire country, while housing the largest and most lucrative market.
I think Ben and Ari are correct about parking. Parking has been a major issue for the current Giants Stadium while the New Meadowlands was being built. I think that when the New Meadowlands Stadium opens in a few months, they want to have all the available parking that's possible. Hence, quick deconstruction.
ReplyDeleteAnd for the record, I'm ALL for progress. The Rock (aka Prudential Center) in Newark is amazing, and it's worth the trip, Ari. But there's something to be said for nostalgia. SO MUCH has happened at Giants Stadium from 1976-2009...concerts, World Cup, and oh yeah 3 Super Bowl winning Giants teams. I know the new place is going to be sick, and I'm proud of the NYC metro area for rebounding with a TON of new beautiful venues, but it's pretty understandable to feel sad watching these places be destroyed after so many great memories there. Tell me you're not going to be thinking about all the great Giants games you saw there when those wrecking balls start destroying the place...
Here's the issue for me with Giants Stadium: the Giants never actually WON any of their Super Bowls there. Football stadiums hold a different place than other sports venues because teams don't play their championship games there.
ReplyDeleteAlso, Giants Stadium was built during the time when very boring stadiums were built and, truthfully, it had no sou. No matter how many times I went, there was nothing that really got me excited or drew me back.
I got an e-mail from the Giants about buying the Giants Stadium Book yesterday but despite all that happened there, I have zero interest
Good point about the Super Bowl never actually being played there. The other side of it is that the playoff games that *were* played there are more meaningful because there are so few of them. Who can forget Kerry Collins and 41-0 over the Vikings? Probably the best one I ever saw there.
ReplyDeleteI also disagree that Giants Stadium had no soul. Its design is bland and it offers no technology, especially compared to newer facilities like Dallas (HD screen), Seattle (awesome design), and Phoenix (portable field). BUT, there were some cool aspects. One was the persistent urban legend that Jimmy Hoffa is buried underneath. Another is the famous Meadowlands wind, which swirled ferociously and could help the Giants when their staff opened certain tunnels at certain times (remember that helping Brad Daluiso's pathetic right leg?) One last one is its capacity, which ranked 2nd in the NFL behind only RFK, and created a deafening crowd noise that I believe was underrated in the league.
So yeah, it's not a particularly memorable structure. But I will definitely remember some of its likable quirks. Probably not enough to buy that "Giants Stadium Book" though ;-)
Sure it was big. But the new one is nearly twice the size (in sq footage) and holds an additional 2,500 people seated. Super size me baby!
ReplyDeletePlus - why not take it down quickly? They don't need it anymore. It is the dead of winter so the stadium isn't in use, and the new one will be completely ready come spring. Might as well get it done now when the demolition isn't an inconvenience in the areaa3trading
ReplyDelete