The Fenway Experience?

[cmduke]

I'm going to be in Boston in a couple of weeks and have a ticket to see a night game. I do plan on getting to the ballpark no later than 4pm or so. I'm assuming this is a once in a lifetime opportunity... What's absolutely critical for me to do while around Fenway to soak up every possible aspect of the "Fenway Experience?"

-Chris

[hellborn]

Take the T to Fenway.
Check out all the rude anti-Yankees merchandise being sold between the T station and the park. Count how many people say, "Tickets?", to you as you walk.
If you enjoy bars, be sure to check out the Cask N Flagon right by the park. Boston Beer Works is a nice place, but doesn't have the same history.
Grab a sandwich on the street before you go in. You can get a Luis Tiant Cuban pressed sandwich, they're pretty decent. You might even get lucky and be able to ask Luis to sign your ticket (I'm looking at mine right now). A sausage or dog is more traditional, though. This is just an appetizer, stuff your face in the park, too.
See if you can get a ticket for the ballpark tour. Haven't done it myself, but coworkers have raved about it.
If you get there early, you can locate the red seat in the RF bleachers where Ted Williams bombed a ball once. People are almost always sitting in it soon after fans are admitted, though.
Sing along to "Sweet Caroline" and "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" with gusto and not a hint of self consciousness.
Keep an eye out for Bill Lee lurking around somewhere. He'll probably be wearing a sport coat or blazer that doesn't really go with the rest of his clothes, but still looks good.

[parlo]

Take the T to Fenway.
Check out all the rude anti-Yankees merchandise being sold between the T station and the park. Count how many people say, "Tickets?", to you as you walk.
If you enjoy bars, be sure to check out the Cask N Flagon right by the park. Boston Beer Works is a nice place, but doesn't have the same history.
Grab a sandwich on the street before you go in. You can get a Luis Tiant Cuban pressed sandwich, they're pretty decent. You might even get lucky and be able to ask Luis to sign your ticket (I'm looking at mine right now). A sausage or dog is more traditional, though. This is just an appetizer, stuff your face in the park, too.
See if you can get a ticket for the ballpark tour. Haven't done it myself, but coworkers have raved about it.
If you get there early, you can locate the red seat in the RF bleachers where Ted Williams bombed a ball once. People are almost always sitting in it soon after fans are admitted, though.
Sing along to "Sweet Caroline" and "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" with gusto and not a hint of self consciousness.
Keep an eye out for Bill Lee lurking around somewhere. He'll probably be wearing a sport coat or blazer that doesn't really go with the rest of his clothes, but still looks good.

Yeah, the area around Fenway has really improved a lot in the past 20 years or so. I can remember going to games in the 1980s and there were not many options in the surrounding area. That has all changed.

[hellborn]

Yeah, the area around Fenway has really improved a lot in the past 20 years or so. I can remember going to games in the 1980s and there were not many options in the surrounding area. That has all changed.

Yeah, it's not bad at all. If you like Indian food, India Quality by the T is excellent. The BU bookstore and good used book place are nearby. Two handy train stations. It still has some urban grit, but there is plenty to do.

I'm going to Wrigley for the first time in years next month. I used to love to hang around the clubs there at any time of year, but the area got so popular that it was impossible to park within a mile or more and I went elsewhere before I moved to NH. I'm curious to see if it's still as vibrant, and I'm definitely taking the L there (via Skokie Swift).

[parlo]

Yeah, it's not bad at all. If you like Indian food, India Quality by the T is excellent. The BU bookstore and good used book place are nearby. Two handy train stations. It still has some urban grit, but there is plenty to do.

I'm going to Wrigley for the first time in years next month. I used to love to hang around the clubs there at any time of year, but the area got so popular that it was impossible to park within a mile or more and I went elsewhere before I moved to NH. I'm curious to see if it's still as vibrant, and I'm definitely taking the L there (via Skokie Swift).

I was at Wrigley in the early to mid 1990s. I too took the rail. Maybe it has changed, but you couldnt get near any of the surrounding bars. They were not just crowded, they had lines out the door. Who knows, that might have been some special weekend that drew extra crowds. It was a night game against the Dodgers.

[hellborn]

Yeah, Wrigleyville was just nuts when the Cubs were in town. I stopped hanging out there at all when it started being jam packed year round, which was a shame because it was a fun area with character. I liked a bar on Grace called the Ginger Man a lot.
Anybody been to the music clubs near Fenway? That's a long way for me to go to see a band, unfortunately.

[parlo]

Yeah, Wrigleyville was just nuts when the Cubs were in town. I stopped hanging out there at all when it started being jam packed year round, which was a shame because it was a fun area with character. I liked a bar on Grace called the Ginger Man a lot.
Anybody been to the music clubs near Fenway? That's a long way for me to go to see a band, unfortunately.

Anytime I have gone out in Boston, it was never near Fenway. I cant remember the names of them, but Back Bay and Symphony area had some good places. That area isnt walking distance, but its not really that far either. Pick up a Boston Phoenix weekly paper. They used to have live music listings. Then you will be able to figure out which ones are near Fenway.

[PlayJay]

Just sit in your seat, and enjoy the game. The truth is, the rest is all superfluous in the end...

You don't have to soak it in. It will envelop you.

[cmduke]

Appreciate all of the suggestions and input. Am really looking forward to the game on Monday; Fenway's been at the top of my "must see ballpark" list for better part of two decades.

I was at Wrigley in the early to mid 1990s. I too took the rail. Maybe it has changed, but you couldnt get near any of the surrounding bars. They were not just crowded, they had lines out the door.

I was at Wrigley two years ago (2006). The two more prominent bars (Cubby Bear and Murphy's, if I remember correctly) were elbow-elbow but manageable. Had a beer in one and dispensed of it in the other ;-)

-cmd

[Koala]

Anybody been to the music clubs near Fenway? That's a long way for me to go to see a band, unfortunately.

Probably one of the closest live music venues is a placed called Church, formally the Linwood. 69 Kilmarnock street, it's definitely a more laid back atmosphere to drink and play pool than the clubs near the ballpark filled with drunk jackballs. Glad to see you still like live music instead of a DJ.