First time going to Fenway - any advice?

Ew276016

Me and my family scored tickets to both shows at Fenway, so excited!! Just in the process of planning the road trip from Canada and trying to decide which hotel to stay at. We want to stay within walking distance of Fenway park to avoid driving around downtown Boston and paying $50 for parking, lol. To any locals who know the area well - are there any areas that you would recommend avoiding? Is there any time of the day you should avoid walking in certain areas? Or any other relevant advice for staying in that area? Any hidden restaurant gems or good eats? Looking forward to getting to know the area better and meeting fellow Jammers!!! Cheers CAN'T FUCKIN' WAIT!

pjl44

If you're staying around Fenway it's totally safe and there is a lot going on. Hotels around there are pricey especially that time of year with colleges just back in session. Maybe try up Beacon Street into Brookline...nice area, nice walk. If you're in town for a few days hop across the river into Cambridge.

curmudgeoness

So we're staying at the Courtyard Boston Cambridge this time; it's across the Charles in Cambridge, obviously, but it's just over a mile's walk to Fenway. There's also a Courtyard up Beacon Street in Coolidge Corner; we stayed there for the Fenway shows in 2018 and it's also about a 1.3 (2km) walk.

Be aware that hotel parking also will cost $$$.

Leave your NY Yankees gear at home and you should be fine. ;-)

YourDirtisMyfood

1) read on your ticket what gate to enter and familiarize yourself with the gates around the park when it's time to enter

2) Don't try to catch an Uber after 6pm if you are coming from the hotel as it might take a while.  You're better off getting around the area by 4pm

3) Bring a hoodie/sweatshirt because New England nights in September can get chilly

4) Cask n Flagon will be a sh*tshow on concert day so maybe find a bar away from there (they'll all be crowded, but that area especially)

5) Check the weather two days earlier and pray for good weather

Will think of more stuff later

Ew276016

Good morning,   
No NY gear here. I have Toronto Maple Leafs blood running through me….yes, I am a glutton for punishment!  My second true love is the Pats….in love since ’86.  For sure the Pat Patriots hoodie will be taken!  I will start checking those places to stay in Cambridge right away.


Appreciate for all the advice! 

RatherStarved

I’m not from Boston but did Fenway 2018.  The Boston subway system is pretty good. Fenway is near Kenmore station.  Any place in town that’s accessible to the subway system should work.  

BF25394

RatherStarved said:

I’m not from Boston but did Fenway 2018.  The Boston subway system is pretty good. Fenway is near Kenmore station.  Any place in town that’s accessible to the subway system should work.  

It's also near the Fenway stop, oddly enough. A good pro tip if you're headed is to walk to the Fenway stop after leaving the park instead of going to Kenmore. If you're heading west on the D line, this is the best option, but even if you're heading east back in towards downtown, you can get the D Line at Fenway and then you'll have a seat when the train pulls into Kenmore and the mobs descend.

Ew276016

Capacity for PJ show at Fenway is about 40,000 guessing. Trying to navigate through the mob as you say will  be fun for the first time. I wonder if there are many choices to get a bite to eat after the show just outside of Fenway? A bowl of Hot Chowder would be great on a cool night!

tempo_n_groove

I stayed 15 minutes away and rode the buses.  Food and whatnot was in walking distance and the concert wasn't far at all.  Plus buses are cheap!

Get_Right

Expect a line to get in or go early. Yawkey way is touristy but not unlike wrigleyville which is fun. And massholes will kill me on this but I love the Union Oyster House. Dozen oysters and a steamed lobster. I miss the Island Creek Oyster Bar. I usually stay at the Wyndham in Beacon Hill, but it has been a few years since I have been there.

tempo_n_groove

Get_Right said:

Expect a line to get in or go early. Yawkey way is touristy but not unlike wrigleyville which is fun. And massholes will kill me on this but I love the Union Oyster House. Dozen oysters and a steamed lobster. I miss the Island Creek Oyster Bar. I usually stay at the Wyndham in Beacon Hill, but it has been a few years since I have been there.

Whats wrong w oysters?

JimmyV

Yawkey Way is now Jersey Street, and on game/event days it becomes part of the park. Meaning you'll show your ticket before even getting that close.

Fenway keeps getting updated and improved. If you have never been or haven't been for years, know that it has never looked better than it does now. Strange to say about such an old place, but true nonetheless.

The sound is going to be better than many here will tell. Your seats might not be, so my advice is always to abandon them and walk around. There are tons of standing room options these days. You are unlikely to get any closer, but you may fine a better view and have a better time.

One of my favorite PJ concerts was night 1 in 2018. We never even went to our seats. Instead we ended up going upstairs and standing to the the third base side of the press box. Not close but great sound and a fine sight line, plus easy access to concessions and room to move around.

JimmyV

tempo_n_groove said:

Get_Right said:

Expect a line to get in or go early. Yawkey way is touristy but not unlike wrigleyville which is fun. And massholes will kill me on this but I love the Union Oyster House. Dozen oysters and a steamed lobster. I miss the Island Creek Oyster Bar. I usually stay at the Wyndham in Beacon Hill, but it has been a few years since I have been there.

Whats wrong w oysters?

Nothing. Locals are just going to say it's too touristy, which is always weird to say to people who are in town for the weekend.

tempo_n_groove

JimmyV said:

tempo_n_groove said:

Get_Right said:

Expect a line to get in or go early. Yawkey way is touristy but not unlike wrigleyville which is fun. And massholes will kill me on this but I love the Union Oyster House. Dozen oysters and a steamed lobster. I miss the Island Creek Oyster Bar. I usually stay at the Wyndham in Beacon Hill, but it has been a few years since I have been there.

Whats wrong w oysters?

Nothing. Locals are just going to say it's too touristy, which is always weird to say to people who are in town for the weekend.

Meh, that's like saying eating a hot Dog at Nathans is touristy

BF25394

tempo_n_groove said:

Get_Right said:

Expect a line to get in or go early. Yawkey way is touristy but not unlike wrigleyville which is fun. And massholes will kill me on this but I love the Union Oyster House. Dozen oysters and a steamed lobster. I miss the Island Creek Oyster Bar. I usually stay at the Wyndham in Beacon Hill, but it has been a few years since I have been there.

Whats wrong w oysters?

Nothing, as long as it's a month with an R. Or is it the other way around? It's a good thing I'm a vegetarian so I'll never pay the price for not knowing which one is right.

Merkin Baller

Ew276016 said:

Capacity for PJ show at Fenway is about 40,000 guessing. Trying to navigate through the mob as you say will  be fun for the first time. I wonder if there are many choices to get a bite to eat after the show just outside of Fenway? A bowl of Hot Chowder would be great on a cool night!

If you want good seafood, you may want to seek it out before the shows, or maybe on the off day in between. Jimmy mentioned Union Oyster house which is an iconic spot and probably as good as any. It's < 4 miles from Fenway, and if you have the legs for it, would make for a very nice walk up Comm Ave from Fenway and through the Public Gardens / Boston Common / Beacon Hill area. If not, it won't be too expensive of an uber or cab if it's not at a peak time / rush hour. UOH is down near the north end, and Faneuil Hall & other iconic spots, so you may want to spend some of that off day exploring that area. 

I would recommend avoiding Chinatown and the theater district late night... those are the only two neighborhoods between Fenway & downtown I would be wary of. (truth be told, I might walk around rather than through the public gardens and common if it's well into the night as well... better safe than sorry) 

YourDirtisMyfood

Wahlburgers is around there too, if memory serves me correctly.

elwayvedder

how has this thread existed so long without anyone talking about Trilium beer?

RatherStarved

Legal Seafood any good?

Merkin Baller

elwayvedder said:

how has this thread existed so long without anyone talking about Trilium beer?

Good call, and there's a tasting room just steps from Fenway. (which will be a $hitshow before & after, of course... but it's great beer). They also have a nice facility over by Fort Point, which is just south of downtown (steps from South Station).

Loujoe

If u want to meet ev...(the rest of the band just waved and cruised by) after the show...go have fun...maybe bring person you are with back to hotel...come back to fenway and wait outside with a few others. You'll find them. Last show I went to he came out to say hi at 4am. Scored a couple of picks and didn't feel like sleeping anyway.

elwayvedder

Merkin Baller said:

elwayvedder said:

how has this thread existed so long without anyone talking about Trilium beer?

Good call, and there's a tasting room just steps from Fenway. (which will be a $hitshow before & after, of course... but it's great beer). They also have a nice facility over by Fort Point, which is just south of downtown (steps from South Station).

I'm literally going to PJ at Fenway for an excuse to bring coolers full of beer from Massachusetts back to NJ LOL.

CantKeepmedown

Take the ride up to Tree House on the day off (if you're doing both shows). A little out of the way but the beer is worth it. 

elwayvedder

CantKeepmedown said:

Take the ride up to Tree House on the day off (if you're doing both shows). A little out of the way but the beer is worth it. 

Air BNB in Charleton coming up from NJ
Then will hit it on the way back from the 2 shows just in case i dont have enough lol

Get_Right

elwayvedder said:

CantKeepmedown said:

Take the ride up to Tree House on the day off (if you're doing both shows). A little out of the way but the beer is worth it. 

Air BNB in Charleton coming up from NJ
Then will hit it on the way back from the 2 shows just in case i dont have enough lol

Charlton is over an hour away from Fenway. It's been awhile but I have spent some time there. Do not mess around on the Mass Pike. Those state troopers are bad ass.

Get_Right

RatherStarved said:

Legal Seafood any good?

It's not bad, but its not great. Convenient location.

BF25394

Loujoe said:

If u want to meet ev...(the rest of the band just waved and cruised by) after the show...go have fun...maybe bring person you are with back to hotel...come back to fenway and wait outside with a few others. You'll find them. Last show I went to he came out to say hi at 4am. Scored a couple of picks and didn't feel like sleeping anyway.

My first Pearl Jam show was in Boston in 1994. It was also the only time I've ever met any of the core members of the band, despite having seen them 70 times now. At their hotel after the show (a guy I went to school with was from Seattle and knew where they were staying somehow; he was with me), I met Ed, Jeff and Dave in the lobby. They were all very friendly. Ed chatted with a few of us for several minutes. So did Jeff. I asked Jeff what the new songs they played that night were called, and I learned from him that the titles were "Corduroy" and "Immortality," which was pretty cool.

RatherStarved

BF25394 said:

RatherStarved said:

I’m not from Boston but did Fenway 2018.  The Boston subway system is pretty good. Fenway is near Kenmore station.  Any place in town that’s accessible to the subway system should work.  

It's also near the Fenway stop, oddly enough. A good pro tip if you're headed is to walk to the Fenway stop after leaving the park instead of going to Kenmore. If you're heading west on the D line, this is the best option, but even if you're heading east back in towards downtown, you can get the D Line at Fenway and then you'll have a seat when the train pulls into Kenmore and the mobs descend.

I believe I was staying west on the green line and had no issues or delays using Kenmore either night, to or from.    

pjl44

If you're staying in Boston and want to visit Tree House they just opened a spot in Tewksbury which is about half the drive of Charlton

YourDirtisMyfood

Tree House is also down the Cape, for those that will be in the area.

GlowGirl

Merkin Baller said:

Ew276016 said:

Capacity for PJ show at Fenway is about 40,000 guessing. Trying to navigate through the mob as you say will  be fun for the first time. I wonder if there are many choices to get a bite to eat after the show just outside of Fenway? A bowl of Hot Chowder would be great on a cool night!

If you want good seafood, you may want to seek it out before the shows, or maybe on the off day in between. Jimmy mentioned Union Oyster house which is an iconic spot and probably as good as any. It's < 4 miles from Fenway, and if you have the legs for it, would make for a very nice walk up Comm Ave from Fenway and through the Public Gardens / Boston Common / Beacon Hill area. If not, it won't be too expensive of an uber or cab if it's not at a peak time / rush hour. UOH is down near the north end, and Faneuil Hall & other iconic spots, so you may want to spend some of that off day exploring that area. 

I would recommend avoiding Chinatown and the theater district late night... those are the only two neighborhoods between Fenway & downtown I would be wary of. (truth be told, I might walk around rather than through the public gardens and common if it's well into the night as well... better safe than sorry) 

In 2018 we ate at Union Oyster. It was crowded, but the food was amazing. We then took a walk and passed Paul Revere’s house and stopped at Mike’s Pastry - a well known Italian bakery - for a cannoli.