Best: Despite glitches, good start to New Meadowlands Stadium

It was 2 o'clock, a mere hour into New Meadowlands Stadium's first day on the job, and already there was a crisis in the Coach's Club, future lair of $20,000 PSL owners.

"The draft beer isn't cold!'' a supervisor announced, then quickly converted the bartenders to bottled beer mode.

Apologies were made to the affected customers, and the pouring resumed.

So it went Saturday as several of the nation's top college lacrosse teams helped the stadium staff get acclimated, and in the process became answers to future trivia questions.

When they tear the place down a couple of generations from now, those who played for Hofstra and Delaware can tell their grandkids they were in the first event held before paying customers there.

So how did it go?

"It's a learning experience,'' said Mark Lamping, the stadium's CEO. "The attitude of everyone is off the charts. The challenge we have mostly relates to familiarity.''

SEE PHOTOSNew Meadowlands Stadium

Indeed, stadium workers, many of them Giants Stadium veterans, often seemed as lost as fans. But that is to be expected. So were glitches such as traffic delays at parking booths and what Lamping called "strange buzzing every once in a while,'' noises from parts unknown. Still, he said, "It has gone better than I thought it would, I can tell you that for certain. But we have a long way to go. Fortunately, we've got plenty of events between now and football season.''

The next is a May 7 soccer game between Mexico and Ecuador that could fill the 82,500-seat stadium. The NFL arrives Aug. 16 with a Jets-Giants preseason game. Top officials of both teams took in the opener, and the Jets deployed 60 staff members to talk to fans and serve as "secret shoppers,'' owner Woody Johnson said.

"We're absolutely exuberant watching the building filling up with people,'' Johnson said, standing in the posh Commissioner's Club, where renters of suites that go for up to $1 million will socialize. "Everyone I've talked to so far absolutely has the same feeling. They've waited all these years to have something new, and now they're here and they're elated.''

The Jets are counting on fan elation to sell their remaining PSLs. But for Johnson, that was an issue for another day. On this day he was enjoying being in the building for the first time without a hard-hat. Giants president John Mara said that as he drove to the game, he thought about "how many years ago we started discussions on this project.

So it is a pretty special moment to see the building actually open and people enjoying it.'' The event drew a crowd of 25,710. No one was seated in the upper deck, but fans seemed pleased with sight lines. Mara said a priority was to keep that much-loved attribute of Giants Stadium while adding modern amenities. "It's beautiful,'' Ken Panda of Smithtown said as he sat in the second row. "

It feels like you're closer to the field than in the old stadium. And we had good seats there, next to Fireman Ed.'' Peter Roderka of Northport, a union carpenter, admired the handiwork in the new building. "It looks great,'' he said. "I'm surprised they got as far as they did already. I didn't think it would be open yet.''

Wind? Too soon to tell how it will affect football games, but it seemed more blustery outside the stadium than inside.

Food? Even on Day One there was tailgating, and Lamping said people may bring their own food into the stadium. But as a service to those who prefer to pay the inevitably steep stadium food prices, I sampled a pork sandwich, steak sandwich and hot dog at concession stands and sushi in the Mezzanine Club. Oh, and crab cakes, oysters and shrimp in the Commissioner's Club. (Mr. Johnson insisted!) I'm no food critic, but it all tasted pretty good to me. There are limits to my public service commitment, though. After a friendly young woman explained how the $5 "fried hot dog'' is prepared, I passed. The warm beer sounded better.