Travel

By CHASE COLSTON
Staff Writer

NEW YORK - Yankee Stadium has nothing left to offer but one last season in the sun, hoping to go out with a bang.

Well, probably not.

Money rules the world, so the historic Yankee Stadium - arguably the most famous sports venue in the world - is counting down the days before its so-called twin across the street steals the show.

A travesty, yes, but as heartbreaking as it is, there is one year left to live a dream.

Baseball fans, sports nuts, history buffs, travel gurus: it's time to visit Mecca.

In 2008, New York offers the best chance in years to pay a visit for those itching to take in a game at one of the world's great sporting arenas.

If you're planning on visiting The House That Ruth Built before it becomes a parking lot, start doing the dirty work now.

Plan your trip in advance, and book it as far ahead of schedule as possible. Regular season tickets are to go on sale soon, so be ready to book travel and accommodations as soon as you get your lucky hands on tickets.

A local travel agent can help you with all the details of planning your trip, and deals can be found by working the different Web sites on the Internet. But the work has to be done in advance.

For our New Year's trip, I booked a five-day, four-night vacation in May. The total price for roundtrip airfare and stay at the Grand Hyatt in the heart of Manhattan came out to $763 per person. Booking the room on the hotel's Web site was an easy $350 per night (ahem, $1,400).

Avoid staying near the stadium. Go to the Bronx only to go to the game. The subway or a cab can get you there quickly, and it's worth it to spend however many days at a decent hotel for a great price.

And unless you have a death wish, do not rent a car. I came to appreciate the medians on Broadway in Tyler or the so-called "traffic jams" in Dallas after trying to ride and walk through rush-hour traffic in Times Square.

Set a budget, not an itinerary. Plan on the game and try to squeeze in as much as possible everywhere else.

You won't want to eat curbside hot dogs and chicken kabobs (though excellent) every meal, and food is the most expensive necessity in New York for tourists. If you want decent food, plan on at least $40 for two each time.

If you're in a baseball mood before or after the game, Mickey Mantle's at 42 Central Park South is fabulous. The home restaurant of my baseball hero, I gawked around the store for hours and the food was great. A couple of other food recommendations: Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square and any food in Chinatown. Hard Rock is almost always packed, but it's worth the wait (and the best spinach dip of your life).

ESPN Zone is also in Times Square. You'll enjoy (and pay for) the experience, but the food isn't great.

While the new stadium (I refuse to call that Yankee Stadium) will be big and glorious and hold more CEOs in luxury boxes, it won't take away from the beauty on 161st and River Avenue.

It won't take anything away from the stadium, especially the memories you'll make at a game. I almost let some tears loose when I "petted" the outside wall, but I'll save those for when I go back.

A NEW HOME: Construction is still ongoing on the new Yankee Stadium, which is scheduled to open for the 2009 season. It is located right across the street from the current Yankee Stadium.
((Staff Photo By Chase Colston))