fenway park guide
Fenway Park held its first game in 1912, and since the selling of Babe Ruth it has been home to a lot of losing baseball. Alright, calm down Sox fans; I am just joking. The Sox are arguably the team of the century thus far, which has made finding tickets nearly impossible. It's going to be tough to go to a game on the cheap, but hopefully this guide will give some strategies on how to optimize the use of your money. If you are interested in more facts and figures on the Red Sox ballpark, click here for Fenway Park according to the official team site.
parking
Hold your laughter. If you live in Boston you definitely know, and if you are planning a trip there you have probably heard; Parking is scarce. Most people will tell you that riding the "T" is your best bet, and they may be right. I still want to cover a couple of places where you can park if you are going to drive. First of all, If you are going to park at an affordable lot you will probably have to walk about 15 minutes.
For me that is no big deal. In fact, the Red Sox have a partnership with 100 Clarendon Garage which provides 2,000 parking spots for $9 each. For Boston, $9 is like free. If you park at some of the "lots" close to Fenway Park, you can pay on the upwards of $50 - $60 bucks. So for $9 you can park at the official Red Sox garage and be a 15 minute walk to Fenway Park. You can also find cheap parking ($6) at Boston University, but there are only 375 spots at 286 Babcock St. You are again about a 15 minute walk from Fenway Park, but you may have a better shot of actually getting a parking spot at the official Red Sox garage.
If you are fat and flatulent, you may not want to walk 15 minutes. You may also have a legitimate reason for not walking, which is when you may want to take the Ruggles Shuttle at Northeastern University. Basically you park at the Renaissance Parking garage is at 835 Columbus Ave, Boston MA. On weekends (after 6pm on Friday) you will be charged $6 to park, and then you can take a free shuttle to Fenway Park and be dropped off at Gate B. The shuttle is handicap accessible, and you do have to show your game ticket to get on for free. The shuttles leave every 10 minutes, starting 90 minutes before the game and take you back until 1 hour after the game. Even though this option is featured on the Red Sox website, I think you will still find this as a great option which relatively few people take advantage of. If you use the shuttle on a weekday, the parking is hourly and will cost you $14 for 5 - 8 hours. Still that is a relatively good deal when the shuttle drops you off at the gate.
Taking the T is a well known and widely recommended method for getting to Fenway Park. To get to Fenway, you need to take the green line to the Kenmore stop. That information is everywhere, but I do want to point out that if you live or stay near the orange line, you can take the T to the Ruggles Station and then take the Fenway Park shuttle. That may be a little easier than making a transfer to the green line, but that is probably a matter of preference. Taking the T will cost you a couple of bucks each way, so if you have easy access to a station from where you are staying, most Red Sox fans would agree that it is the most efficient way to get to Fenway Park.
parking
Hold your laughter. If you live in Boston you definitely know, and if you are planning a trip there you have probably heard; Parking is scarce. Most people will tell you that riding the "T" is your best bet, and they may be right. I still want to cover a couple of places where you can park if you are going to drive. First of all, If you are going to park at an affordable lot you will probably have to walk about 15 minutes.
For me that is no big deal. In fact, the Red Sox have a partnership with 100 Clarendon Garage which provides 2,000 parking spots for $9 each. For Boston, $9 is like free. If you park at some of the "lots" close to Fenway Park, you can pay on the upwards of $50 - $60 bucks. So for $9 you can park at the official Red Sox garage and be a 15 minute walk to Fenway Park. You can also find cheap parking ($6) at Boston University, but there are only 375 spots at 286 Babcock St. You are again about a 15 minute walk from Fenway Park, but you may have a better shot of actually getting a parking spot at the official Red Sox garage.
If you are fat and flatulent, you may not want to walk 15 minutes. You may also have a legitimate reason for not walking, which is when you may want to take the Ruggles Shuttle at Northeastern University. Basically you park at the Renaissance Parking garage is at 835 Columbus Ave, Boston MA. On weekends (after 6pm on Friday) you will be charged $6 to park, and then you can take a free shuttle to Fenway Park and be dropped off at Gate B. The shuttle is handicap accessible, and you do have to show your game ticket to get on for free. The shuttles leave every 10 minutes, starting 90 minutes before the game and take you back until 1 hour after the game. Even though this option is featured on the Red Sox website, I think you will still find this as a great option which relatively few people take advantage of. If you use the shuttle on a weekday, the parking is hourly and will cost you $14 for 5 - 8 hours. Still that is a relatively good deal when the shuttle drops you off at the gate.
Taking the T is a well known and widely recommended method for getting to Fenway Park. To get to Fenway, you need to take the green line to the Kenmore stop. That information is everywhere, but I do want to point out that if you live or stay near the orange line, you can take the T to the Ruggles Station and then take the Fenway Park shuttle. That may be a little easier than making a transfer to the green line, but that is probably a matter of preference. Taking the T will cost you a couple of bucks each way, so if you have easy access to a station from where you are staying, most Red Sox fans would agree that it is the most efficient way to get to Fenway Park.
Tickets
Good luck. The Red Sox are always sold out before the season begins. So unless you were left season tickets in your uncle's will, you are pretty much out of luck. The great news is every January the Red Sox have lottery for tickets to Opening Day, The Green Monster, and the Right Field Pavilion. Because these tickets are obviously the most sought after, they do a drawing out of fairness. So even if you aren't from the Boston area, this is a great opportunity to get tough tickets at face value. If you can't go, trust me; you will be able to sell them for at least double your money.
If you aren't lucky enough to win the "lottery," you are probably going to end up buying tickets second hand. If you are trying to go to Fenway Park on the cheap, you need to keep that in perspective; its not going to happen. You can however, have a great baseball experience without spending hundreds or thousands of dollars. First of all, The Red Sox usually offer General Admission, AKA Standing Room Only tickets. I will tell you right now that not all "SRO" tickets are created equal. If you just buy the standard SRO tickets, you are wasting your money. Because of the large number that are sold, you can end up standing in a line of people on the lower level, with not much room to maneuver. You are much better off buying SRO tickets on the Pavilion level; and there is a difference. I bought Standing Room tickets on Stubhub in the Right Field Pavilion for $60 each, which was a little more than double face value. The great thing is, there are only about 12 rows of seats on this level, so the bathrooms and concessions are much easier to get to. There also seems to be considerably less pavilion tickets available, because there weren't many people crowded around us, which was nice. Finally, you have the benefit of leaning against a stand up bar where you can set your food and drinks. It was a great view of the action, and a great experience for $60. Standing isn't bad when you can lean
Tickets are always available on eBay as well. Here is my advice for ticket buying on eBay; wait until the last minute. I know that sounds crazy, and you would think that closer to the event the prices would shoot up; but that is not the case. I have bought and sold plenty of tickets on eBay and I have found that when I sell them early I get top dollar because there is less competition. As the event gets closer, everybody in America who is selling tickets begins to list them at auction. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that when the market is flooded with supply the price is driven down. I don't know if there are any published numbers to back me up, but I have seen it time and time again. So if buying on eBay, buy late. Here are a couple of auctions ending soon with a current bid under $50.
If you aren't lucky enough to win the "lottery," you are probably going to end up buying tickets second hand. If you are trying to go to Fenway Park on the cheap, you need to keep that in perspective; its not going to happen. You can however, have a great baseball experience without spending hundreds or thousands of dollars. First of all, The Red Sox usually offer General Admission, AKA Standing Room Only tickets. I will tell you right now that not all "SRO" tickets are created equal. If you just buy the standard SRO tickets, you are wasting your money. Because of the large number that are sold, you can end up standing in a line of people on the lower level, with not much room to maneuver. You are much better off buying SRO tickets on the Pavilion level; and there is a difference. I bought Standing Room tickets on Stubhub in the Right Field Pavilion for $60 each, which was a little more than double face value. The great thing is, there are only about 12 rows of seats on this level, so the bathrooms and concessions are much easier to get to. There also seems to be considerably less pavilion tickets available, because there weren't many people crowded around us, which was nice. Finally, you have the benefit of leaning against a stand up bar where you can set your food and drinks. It was a great view of the action, and a great experience for $60. Standing isn't bad when you can lean
Tickets are always available on eBay as well. Here is my advice for ticket buying on eBay; wait until the last minute. I know that sounds crazy, and you would think that closer to the event the prices would shoot up; but that is not the case. I have bought and sold plenty of tickets on eBay and I have found that when I sell them early I get top dollar because there is less competition. As the event gets closer, everybody in America who is selling tickets begins to list them at auction. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that when the market is flooded with supply the price is driven down. I don't know if there are any published numbers to back me up, but I have seen it time and time again. So if buying on eBay, buy late. Here are a couple of auctions ending soon with a current bid under $50.
A couple of other things to mention about the seats at Fenway Park; not every seat is a good one. That is one negative to historic stadiums, is you really are not assured good sight lines. Most Sox fans already know this, but if you are a first timer be sure your seats are not obstructed view. What a view! courtesy of Boston Globe There are seats at Fenway where obstructed view is an understatement, but in a character way, its kinda cool. Most of these seats are in the grandstand, which is the lower level where steel beams abound.
The second thing you might want to check before buying your seats; are they made of wood? The grandstand is also infamous for the navy blue wooden seats that have been in place since 1933. I am about 6'1 240, which is bigger than average - but not huge. I could not sit back in the wooden seats at all. So they are extremely narrow and have virtually no leg room, you are now warned. In fact, our tour guide said that one reason they are hesitant to replace the old seats with a newer stadium seat, is that Fenway Park would lose about 4,000 seats. That is incredible. All Grandstand seats, which is sections GS1 - GS33 are made up of the small wooden seats. I guess if you are skinny it might add to the historical feel of your experience; just hope you aren't next to a big dude. In all seriousness, if you are overweight and going to Fenway for the first time - you should buy the pavilion standing room tickets or call and ask about the handicap seating which doesn't have the tight arm rests. Anywhere else you will probably be miserable.
The second thing you might want to check before buying your seats; are they made of wood? The grandstand is also infamous for the navy blue wooden seats that have been in place since 1933. I am about 6'1 240, which is bigger than average - but not huge. I could not sit back in the wooden seats at all. So they are extremely narrow and have virtually no leg room, you are now warned. In fact, our tour guide said that one reason they are hesitant to replace the old seats with a newer stadium seat, is that Fenway Park would lose about 4,000 seats. That is incredible. All Grandstand seats, which is sections GS1 - GS33 are made up of the small wooden seats. I guess if you are skinny it might add to the historical feel of your experience; just hope you aren't next to a big dude. In all seriousness, if you are overweight and going to Fenway for the first time - you should buy the pavilion standing room tickets or call and ask about the handicap seating which doesn't have the tight arm rests. Anywhere else you will probably be miserable.
food
Many ballparks give you the opportunity to bring your own food or snacks into the stadium to save money - unfortunately that is not the case at Fenway. You can't bring any food into the Red Sox ballpark, but you can bring sealed bottles of water 16 ounces or smaller. So if you are going to eat a Fenway Frank, you can still save $4 by bringing a bottle of water from the house. Another option that I consistently recommend is restaurant.com. Here you can buy $25 gift certificates to local restaurants for $10. You can also do a google search for "Restaurant.com coupon codes" and almost always get an extra 60 - 80% off that. I often buy these $25 certificates for $2. That is the best way to eat a decent meal before or after the game and save a chunk of change. When you follow the link, just type in the zip code of Fenway Park (02215) to see what restaurants are nearby.
At the time of this writing "The Chicken Bone" is one of the featured restaurants which is in the shadows of Fenway, and a relatively affordable place to get dinner. Take $25 off your bill by using restaurant.com and you have a great deal on food that will help offset the absurd price you just paid for tickets. If you do eat at the park, the Fenway Frank is overrated. That is just one man's opinion, but thankfully Fenway Park has a nice variety of non typical ballpark foods.
where to stay
If you are coming to Boston and plan on staying the night, believe it or not it can be costly. The other option that I recommend for any city is Hotwire I have had nothing but great experiences with them. Some people are scared because it doesn’t give you the name of the hotel until after you have bought it, but I would never use another travel site. Their ratings are trustworthy, and you can get a really good idea of the area you are staying on their map. A couple of personal examples: I got a room at the Intercontinental on Michigan Ave. in Chicago for $79 per night. I also had a room at the Hilton in St. Louis, with a view of the arch for $89 per night. In my experience; the hotel you get will have you a room available, but when you check in they ask what kind of room you want. If the person is cool, they give you one of the nicest rooms available. I will use no other travel site for hotels. When I went to Boston, I made the great decision to stay at a Bed & Breakfast about a half a mile from Fenway Park. We paid an extra $15 per day for an off street parking spot, but it was completely worth it. We were parked almost directly under the Citgo sign. We found it very convenient because we could just walk to the park, and we didn't have to mess with public transport or parking. If you are coming from out of town, this may be a great option for you. Here is a link to the place we stayed. It was also pretty cool to stay in a unique historical building, and really get a different experience. The hosts were full of good conversation and recommendations as well. I think we paid $150 per night, which included breakfast and the extra $15 for a private parking spot. Thats a pretty good deal if the main focus of your trip is going to Fenway Park.
Many ballparks give you the opportunity to bring your own food or snacks into the stadium to save money - unfortunately that is not the case at Fenway. You can't bring any food into the Red Sox ballpark, but you can bring sealed bottles of water 16 ounces or smaller. So if you are going to eat a Fenway Frank, you can still save $4 by bringing a bottle of water from the house. Another option that I consistently recommend is restaurant.com. Here you can buy $25 gift certificates to local restaurants for $10. You can also do a google search for "Restaurant.com coupon codes" and almost always get an extra 60 - 80% off that. I often buy these $25 certificates for $2. That is the best way to eat a decent meal before or after the game and save a chunk of change. When you follow the link, just type in the zip code of Fenway Park (02215) to see what restaurants are nearby.
At the time of this writing "The Chicken Bone" is one of the featured restaurants which is in the shadows of Fenway, and a relatively affordable place to get dinner. Take $25 off your bill by using restaurant.com and you have a great deal on food that will help offset the absurd price you just paid for tickets. If you do eat at the park, the Fenway Frank is overrated. That is just one man's opinion, but thankfully Fenway Park has a nice variety of non typical ballpark foods.
where to stay
If you are coming to Boston and plan on staying the night, believe it or not it can be costly. The other option that I recommend for any city is Hotwire I have had nothing but great experiences with them. Some people are scared because it doesn’t give you the name of the hotel until after you have bought it, but I would never use another travel site. Their ratings are trustworthy, and you can get a really good idea of the area you are staying on their map. A couple of personal examples: I got a room at the Intercontinental on Michigan Ave. in Chicago for $79 per night. I also had a room at the Hilton in St. Louis, with a view of the arch for $89 per night. In my experience; the hotel you get will have you a room available, but when you check in they ask what kind of room you want. If the person is cool, they give you one of the nicest rooms available. I will use no other travel site for hotels. When I went to Boston, I made the great decision to stay at a Bed & Breakfast about a half a mile from Fenway Park. We paid an extra $15 per day for an off street parking spot, but it was completely worth it. We were parked almost directly under the Citgo sign. We found it very convenient because we could just walk to the park, and we didn't have to mess with public transport or parking. If you are coming from out of town, this may be a great option for you. Here is a link to the place we stayed. It was also pretty cool to stay in a unique historical building, and really get a different experience. The hosts were full of good conversation and recommendations as well. I think we paid $150 per night, which included breakfast and the extra $15 for a private parking spot. Thats a pretty good deal if the main focus of your trip is going to Fenway Park.