Opened: April 20, 1912
Capacity: 37,731
Fenway Park
Fenway has a mystique. How many times has it been featured in a movie? New Englanders speak of it with reverence. I wanted to cross this one off of the list and decided to head up. I purchased tickets when they went on sale for a late-September game against the Orioles. If I had to do this over I might have done this earlier in the season so I could hit some minor league parks on the way up but in the end it worked out OK. I did miss the AAA World Series being played in Lehigh Valley so that was a bummer. I could have scratched so many Eastern League or New York-Penn League teams off the list though.
How did I get there?
Arrived in the Boston-area from Fall River. I toured Lexington and Concord before heading down. Rode the T to the stadium from Riverside, which provided easy access to the Mass Pike since I stayed in Framingham one exit west. The ride into Boston was easy and I didn’t go directly to the stadium but did a little sightseeing first. Morning traffic in Boston is heavy, no surprise so I was up early both days to get what I wanted to do done.
Ticket prices
Expensive is the best way to put this. For one game I sat in the lower level between the plate and first base and paid enough for that. I balanced that out by sitting in the outfield for the other game. Those seats were affordable and I heard someone say the Red Sox used to sell them day of game only.
Finding my seat and amenities
Not hard to find my seat. Now Fenway has a reputation for having older seats and they do. I am a large individual and the regular seats were very uncomfortable for me. A pole also blocked my view of the left-handed batters box. The seats in the outfield were new and were much more comfortable. If I come back that is where I am sitting. I didn’t eat there other than an ice cream helmet so I won’t comment on food selection. I had developed a large blister on the bottom of my right foot while at Lexington and Concord which made walking very painful so I just went to my seat and sat down.
In game experience
The Red Sox were good that year, they did go on to win the World Series. Yes I was there the year of the Marathon Bombing and did see the area where the bomb went off. There was nothing that stood out as far as in game entertainment. My experience with Red Sox fans come from Baltimore. They act like idiots and spend their time treating a game like a party and getting drunk. The Red Sox fans at Fenway were much different and that was a good thing.
Getting out
To get to the T station you have to walk across a bridge and around the corner. The system in old so its not like that can be changed and there is nothing to do but suck it up. I left after the 8th in both games. I had been up early both days and was getting sleepy. One of the games wound up going 12 innings and to my surprise was still on when I got to the motel. The Orioles won both games.
Wrap
I’ve crossed this off the list and see no reason to really go back. I am sure I will return one day but I am not going to go out of my way to go back. There is a lot to see in the Boston area and I do need to get the minor league parks in New England off the list at some point.