Page 356 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - New York City

354  TR A VELERS ’ NEEDS

Sports Horse Races
A day at the races may not
Many New Yorkers are ardent sports fans, and you’ll find be quite the lavish affair it
a range of sporting events, both to watch and participate in, once was, but the high-stakes
going on throughout the year. The city boasts two professional races still draw the society
baseball teams, two hockey teams, two basketball teams, crowd – hats, summer dresses,
and all – along with lively
and two football teams. Madison Square Garden plays host crowds who have come to
to an extraordinary variety of spectator sports, including cheer, jeer, and bet on their
basketball, hockey, boxing, and track and field events. Tennis lucky horse. Harness racing, in
fans can take in the US Open tournament every August and which horses pull sulkies (small
September in Queens, and those who follow track and field carts), takes place year-round
at the Yonkers Raceway. Flat
events swarm to the Millrose Games, where top runners and races are held daily, except
other athletes compete. Tuesday, October to May, at
the Aqueduct Race Track in
Tickets players as Joe DiMaggio and Queens, and May to October
The easiest way to get hold of Jackie Robinson. The New York at the Belmont Park Race
tickets is through Ticketmaster. Mets, the other major baseball Track in Long Island.
For the big games, you may team, play at Citi Field in Queens.
need a ticket agent or an online Catching a game of “America’s
ticketing reseller such as favorite pastime” on a crisp Ice Hockey
StubHub!, which is far safer to summer day is a memorable Fists and ice fly when the
use than a scalper (tout) outside event. If you can, try and catch a New York Rangers meet their
the venue. You can also buy game when the Yankees are competition at Madison Square
tickets at the stadium box office playing their arch rivals, the Garden. Two other National
itself, though these tickets often Boston Red Sox. The baseball Hockey League teams call the
sell out quickly. Finally, keep season runs April–October. metro area home: the New
your eyes peeled for ticket offers York Islanders play in Brooklyn
in the free weeklies that are Basketball at the Barclays Center, and
distributed throughout town. the New Jersey Devils play
The NBA season runs from in the modern Prudential
November–June. The New York Center in Newark. The hockey
Football
Knicks play their home games at season runs October–June,
The city’s two professional Madison Square Garden; tickets depending on playoffs.
football teams are the New York are pricey and difficult to attain,
Giants and the New York Jets. so reserve them far in advance
They both play their home through Ticketmaster or an online Ice Skating
games across the river in New ticketing reseller. The Brooklyn There are a variety of good
Jersey at the MetLife Stadium, Nets are the only major places to go ice skating out
which hosted the 2014 Super professional sports team in the of doors. One is the Rockefeller
Bowl – the first time the NYC borough; home matches are Plaza Rink, which looks
area was the site of the big held at Brooklyn’s gleaming beauti ful at Christmas. The
game. Tickets for the Giants, a Barclays Center. The ever-popular others are in Central Park:
team with many NFL and Super Harlem Globetrotters also play Wollman Rink and Lasker Ice
Bowl champion ships under their exhibition games at the Garden. Rink. For indoor sites, try the
belt, are very difficult to obtain, Sky Rink at Chelsea Piers.
but they may be available for Boxing
the Jets, seen by some as
perpetual also-rans but no less Professional boxing matches are Marathon
beloved by their fans. Their last occasionally held at Madison To be one of the 50,000-plus
championship win was in 1969. Square Garden and the who enter the New York
Barclays Center, which is home Marathon, you have to sign
to the Daily News Golden up six months in advance.
Baseball Gloves in mid-April, the largest The race is held on the first
To capture the essence of this and oldest amateur boxing Sunday in November. Visit
American institution, baseball tourna ment in the US, with tcsnycmarathon.org for
fans should try to see the famed boxers from New York’s five further information.
New York Yankees, who play at boroughs competing. Past
Yankee Stadium. The team’s Golden Glove winners, many Tennis
leg endary accomplish ments of whom have gone on to
include win ning the highest become world champions, The top tennis tournament in
number of World Series titles have included Sugar Ray New York is the US Open, played
and boasting such cele brated Robinson and Floyd Patterson. each August at the National

354-355_EW_New_York_City.indd 354 4/3/17 11:42 AM