If you are a women you might be inclined to think sporting events are lame but in certain cities sporting events are a spectacle which must be consumed by the masses. New York has the Rangers at Madison Square Garden, Los Angeles has the Lakers at the Staples Center, Green Bay has the Packers at Lambeau Field, and Boston has the Red Sox at Fenway Park. Fenway was opened in 1912 and is currently the oldest ball park in America. The ball park is famous because it has a thirty-seven foot green wall in left field which makes hitting home runs a little tricky for right hand batters and impossible for left handed batters. The sights and sounds of a baseball game at Fenway Park cannot be replicated anywhere in the world. If the Red Sox are on a home stand during your trip to Boston, leave the car in the garage and head to the ball park for a true baseball experience.
Saturday morning we realized the Red Sox were in town so we decided to head down to the stadium to try to acquire tickets. The game started at 1pm so we headed to the stadium and bought a pair of tickets from a scalper for eighty-five dollars each. If you do not feel comfortable buying tickets from a scalper you can buy tickets on stub hub before the game or simply go to the ticket window to see if any tickets are available. There is also a will call line on Lansdowne Street where tickets are given back by businesses and corporations. Tickets are handed out on a first come first come basis. It is not the best way to get tickets but it is an option. Depending on who the Red Sox are playing, and their position I the standings, tickets can be very easy or very hard to obtain. If the Red Sox are playing the Yankees and both teams are playing well the tickets to the game will be expensive and hard to obtain. If the Red Sox are playing the Blue Jays in the middle of July and the Blue Jays are lousy, you will be able to purchase any ticket your precious little heart desires.
As soon as we arrived at Fenway I was inspired. I was inspired about baseball, I was inspired about the weather and I was inspired about being alive. Almost every person we ran into was a Red Sox fan decked out from head to toe in Red Sox gear. The closer we got to the stadium the louder we could hear vendors hawking popcorn, hot dogs and brats. Shortly after we arrived I realized there was more to being at this game than just watching the Red Sox play. It was also about being part of history. There is so much to do before the game even starts. Our first stop was on Van Ness Street where we found the statue of Ted Williams and all the numbers which were retired by the Red Sox. This was a great place to take photos and admire some of the greatest players to ever play the game of Baseball.
Lansdowne and Van Ness are great but all the real action is on Yawkey Way where you where you will see an enormous crowd of people waiting for the game to start. This block will have the majority of food vendors, merchandise tents and this is where you would sign up for Fenway Park tours. Be sure to obtain some merchandise whether it be a Boston jersey, Red Sox hat or Yankees Suck t-shirt. Do not walk away empty handed. People often ask where to go to get a drink or something to eat before the game but Fenway is one of those ball parks you need to consume from the inside. The beer might be a little pricey and the hot dog might not be worth six or seven dollars but this is Fenway and there is no place like it in the world.
I have a few Fenway recommendations:
Do not drive to this landmark. Trying to park a car during a Red Sox game is like trying to pin the tail on a donkey at a Justin Bieber concert with twenty thousand other people. The cheapest lot is ten dollars but it is a thirty minute walk from the stadium. The lots closer to the stadium are forty-five dollars to park and can be well over eighty dollars per spot. Just take a cab and spend the parking money on beer and ball park food.
Get the full Fenway experience. Arrive two to three hours before the game and walk around the stadium visiting the landmarks I mentioned earlier. Bar food would be a real treat but get a beer, a hot dog and a sausage at the game.
The confines of the stadium are small so you do not need the most expensive seats in the house to have a great time. Spend more money on booze and less money on tickets.
Root, root, root for the home team. Unless you are with a large group of people I recommend taking in the game and rooting for the Sox. The Boston faithful are all about sportsmanship but they love their Red Sox. They are not as lethal as Eagles or Flyers fans but do not take any chances. Just enjoy the baseball game and be an honorary Red Sox fan for the day.
Boston is a great city rich with fine seafood, great history and fun charm. If you have three or four days to spare or an angry girlfriend to please see why the spirit of America is in Boston.
