Some Do’s and Don’ts for Your First Red Sox Game at Fenway Park
I've been going to Fenway Park ever since I was a little boy back in the 70s. Back in the day when Carl Yastrzemski, Butch Hobson, Jim Rice, Carlton Fisk and Dwight Evans were the big names on the team. Back then, there was no Portland Sea Dogs baseball team, so our Little League team took a school bus to Boston to see the Red Sox play.
Tickets were a lot cheaper back then too. We always had box seats a few rows back behind the Red Sox dugout. In 1979, when I was 8 years old, box seats at Fenway went for $5.75. A game against the Yankees!
Granted, it was over 40 years ago and the Red Sox weren't all that great then, but when you saw a game at Fenway, it's all about the experience. A win doesn't hurt though.
As I got older, my trips to Fenway were few and far between, until last summer when Michele and I went down to see the Red Sox play the Toronto Blue Jays. It was my birthday present and I couldn't have asked for anything better.
I had been wanting to go for a long time, but ticket prices aren't that cheap and it's certainly not as convenient as seeing the Sea Dogs play at Hadlock. But Michele came through and got us some decent seats in the grandstand under the roof, so the 91-degree sun wouldn't be beating down on us. The view was spectacular except for one pole which was just a little bit in the way.
If you've never been to Fenway Park, I highly recommend you take the trip but I have some advice for you in the form of some do's and don'ts.
Don't Drive To Boston
If you think parking in Portland is prohibitively expensive, which it is, Boston is even worse. Save yourself the hassle of parking fees and gas and get a ticket on the Amtrak Downeaster. It's about $50 round trip per person and brings you right into North Station. Take the T from there to Kenmore Square for about $4 round trip. You'll end up spending way more than that on gas, tolls, and parking if you drive.
Do Get There Early
Gates open 90 minutes before the first pitch. Get there early enough and you can grab lunch or dinner and a few beers at several places on Lansdowne Street. We ate and drank at Cheeky Monkey Brewing. I highly recommend it.
Don't Expect to Have Comfortable Seats
Unless you're paying big bucks for box seats, you'll likely be in the grandstands like we were, and those seats have been there since 1933. They're wooden, not wide, and spaced apart for very little leg or arm room. You will constantly be bumping into someone beside you or in front of you and the entire row will need to get up to let you out and go to the concession stand or the bathroom. If you can stay put you're better off, but with an average of three hours for a game, you're going to be there for a while. See how close these two guys are sitting? Imagine that for the entire row. Despite that uncomfortableness, it's still worth the trip.
Do Bring Your Credit or Debit Card
Fenway Park no longer accepts cash anywhere except for the food vendors walking up and down the aisles for the stands and those guys can be hard to get. If you want food and beverages, grab them at the concession stand and swipe or tap your card.
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