Tips for Fenway Visitors

From SoSH

Contents 1 Getting to Fenway Park 1.1 Public Transportation 1.2 Driving to Fenway 1.2.1 Coming from I-90 (Massachusetts Turnpike) 1.2.2 Coming from I-93 Heading South 1.3 Parking at Fenway 2 Eating and Drinking 2.1 Brookline Avenue 2.2 Landsdowne Street 2.3 Kenmore Square 2.4 Landmark Center 2.5 Boylston Street 2.6 The Fens: Jersey/Petersborough/Kilmarnock/Queensberry Streets 3 Souvenirs 4 Notes 5 Links

Getting to Fenway Park

Fenway Park is located just west of downtown Boston. There are myriad ways to get to the park, including virtually all forms of public transit. Driving to Fenway is certainly possible, but not recommended. Traffic around the Fens is usually congested, especially on Brookline Avenue. Game-related traffic delays typically begin an hour before gametime.

Public Transportation

For most, public transportation represents the fastest, simplest and least expensive means of getting to Fenway Park. The MBTA runs regular shuttle, subway and commuter rail service to Fenway. For those attending a game, this probably is the best option for transit.

• For those living west of Boston, the fastest way to get to Fenway is by commuter rail. Yawkey station lies directly across the street from the park and is located on the Worcester/Framingham line. Commuter rail fare varies depending on the distance from the city, but does not exceed $6.00, which is the fare from Worcester. Trains run frequently, with two trains running after the game. Schedules can be found on the MBTA website.

• Another great way to get to Fenway is by subway. Riverside is the terminal station on the D line and is located near exit 22 off of I-95. There is ample parking, which costs $3.25. The fare for the approximately 28 minute subway ride to Fenway station is three dollars. The ride back from Fenway Station is free. For those travelling from the north, Alewife, the northern terminal red line station, has parking for $5. Travelling from Alewife requires a change over at Park Street, where outbound riders should take the B, C, or D lines to Kenmore station. The standard fare is $1.70 if you have a CharlieCard ($2.00 if paying with cash or Charlie Ticket) for each direction. The Red Line also operates out of Braintree at the southern terminus of the red line. The fare for riders coming from that station is $2.50.

• A free shuttle to Fenway Park is available on game days at the Ruggles stop on the Orange Line. Handicapped-accessible shuttle buses depart every ten minutes from Ruggles beginning 90 minutes before gametime, and is complimentary for those holding tickets to the game. Service back to Ruggles begins after the seventh inning and ends one hour after the game.

Driving to Fenway

Driving to Fenway is not recommended, as traffic is generally very congested on both Boylston Street and Brookline Avenue, the streets that feed the Fenway area. Landsdowne Street is generally unnavigable and Yawkey Way is closed for traffic at least three hours before gametime. Parking in the area is limited and generally expensive.

Coming from I-90 (Massachusetts Turnpike)

Those driving from I-95 or the western suburbs will find this the most convenient means of getting to the park:

• Take I-90 east towards Boston, exiting at the Allston/Cambridge tolls.
• Bear right out of the tolls, heading in the direction of Cambridge.
• Turn right on Storrow Drive before crossing the Charles River.
• Continue on Storrow Drive east to the Kenmore exit (for Brookline Avenue, Beacon Street and Commonwealth Avenue) or the Fenway exit (for Boylston Street).

Coming from I-93 Heading South

• Take I-93 towards Boston, exiting at Storrow Drive heading west.
• Continue on Storrow Drive to the Fenway exit.

Parking at Fenway

Reasonable values can be found for parking in the Fenway area.

• One option is the garage at Daulton Street near Kings/Summer Shack and the Back Bay fire station. Parking at Daulton Street costs $10 with a ticket stub, and is about a 5 minute walk to the ballpark. Bike taxis, operating on tips, are generally waiting to transport people from this location.

• The The Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center is another option for paid parking in the area. Parking at Beth Israel costs ~$15 and is a short (0.6mi) walk to the park.

• The Prudential Center has $15 Red Sox parking for night and weekend games. Easy drive from Pike eastbound - just follow signs to the Prudential Center and go into the parking garage. Park closer to the Sheraton side of the garage. Walk (Boylston St westbound, right on Ipswich St, park is on the corner of Ipswich and Landsdowne) is the same as the Daulton Street Garage (the Sheraton entrance to the Pru garage is across the street from Summer Shack).

• Metered parking is uncommon, but can be found on small feeder streets near Harvard Medical School and around the Museum of Fine Arts.

Eating and Drinking

There is a remarkable variety of eating and drinking institutions near the park, with several pubs in the immediate vicinity of the park and even greater variety in the surrounding neighborhoods. All food sales inside the park are controlled by Aramark, although private vendors do set up shop on Yawkey Way outside of gate D and on Landsdowne Street behind the Green Monster.

Brookline Avenue

• Boston Beer Works is directly across Brookline Avenue from Fenway Park. The menu features decent pub standards, but the main draw is the beer on tap; Beer Works brews their own beer. Probably the most popular meeting place for the pregame crowd, waits before gametime can be an hour or more. 21+ only.
• The Cask 'n'Flagon, located on the corner of Landsdowne Street and Brookline Avenue, has a long history in the Fenway area. Recent renovations have modernized and improved the atmosphere here, but tradition is still the main draw, with mediocre food and standard drink selection. Another very popular meeting place for the pregame crowd, the Cask 'n'Flagon also suffers from long waits before games. 21+ only.
• Game On! is located across Landsdowne street from the Cask 'n'Flagon. Recently renovated, it has two floors, a small outdoor patio, and an incredible number of plasma screens. The menu features mostly pub standards with some midscale selections thrown in. The very large bar has a decent beer selection. Waits here are generally shorter than at neighboring bars.
• Copperfields is located just a few doors south of Fenway along Brookline Avenue. Somewhat dank, Copperfields is generally not patronized for its food menu. They feature a decent beer selection and generally have shorter waits than neighboring establishments, although it does get very crowded before gametime. 21+ only.
• The Boston Billiard Club, located a few doors down from Copperfields and next to the offices of the Boston Phoenix on Brookline Avenue, is a place to play billiards. They also have a decent beer selection and pub food. Tends to be less crowded than the places nearer to the park. 21+ only.
• Short Stop Deli is a sandwich shop and convenience store located on the corner of Brookline and Burlington Avenues, halfway between the park and the Fenway green line station, across the street from the Boston Billiard Club. A good place to get a quick bite before the game.
• There is a D'Angelo Sandwich Shop on the corner of Brookline Avenue and Boylston Street.

Landsdowne Street

• Jillian's is located on the corner of Ipswich and Landsdowne Streets. Jillian's features large projection TV's, pool tables, food and drink and is a popular gathering place for out-of-town college football fans.
• Lucky Strike Lanes is a popular bowling alley owned and operated by the same management as Jillian's and is located in the same building.
• Tiki Room features outdoor seating and tropical drinks.
• Tequila Rain
• Bill's Bar

Kenmore Square

• There is a Bertucci's restaurant located on the Beacon Street side of Kenmore. Prices are reasonable and the location rarely fills up, even on game days.
• A Pizzeria Uno is located on the corner of Brookline Avenue and Beacon Street. Similar in many ways to Bertucci's, also rarely crowded on game days.
• Eastern Standard, part of the Hotel Commonwealth, is located on the Commonwealth Avenue side of Kenmore. Eastern Standard features mid-upscale cuisine and an outdoor patio.
• Great Bay, also part of the Hotel Commonwealth, is a high-end seafood restaurant located next door to Eastern Standard. Highly regarded and very upscale, prices often exceed $50 per diner.
• India Quality is an inexpensive Indian restaurant featuring standard North Indian fare. It is located on the Commonwealth Avenue side of Kenmore, a few doors north from the Hotel Commonwealth.
• Cornwall's is a good spot for a burger and beer before the game, with pool tables and outdoor seating as well. It's also a good place to meet people because it's easy to find, right beneath the Citgo sign.
• UBurger just opened up on the corner of Beacon and Raleigh Street - expensive for a burger joint, but great burgers/sandwiches and hand-pressed fries (much higher quality than the McDonald's across the street, UBurger is aiming to be Boston's "In-N-Out Burger" type establishment).
• Thai Dish, an affordable thai restaurant, is located in the basement level of the building that houses UBurger. The Pad Thai is phenomenal, and portion sizes are very generous (though the dining room is very small, it's usually easy to get a table).

Landmark Center

• Fresh City is located upstairs inside the mall and is only open on weekdays.
• There is a Quizno's located on the Brookline Avenue side of the mall, across the street from the D'Angelo Sandwich Shop.
• Next door to Quizno's is a Cold Stone Creamery, which is generally pretty crowded on weeknights.
• Next door to Cold Stone is a Longhorn Steak House.

Boylston Street

• The Baseball Tavern has moved, but is still on Boylston Street. (needs more information) baseballtavern
• The Chicken Bone, opened in 2008, is next door to the Baseball Tavern. It offers 12 flavors of wings, eight flavors of fries, casual classics such as burgers and ribs, and more than 30 draft varieties.
• McDonald's is located across Boylston Street, inbound from Yawkey Way.
• Subway is located on Boylston Street, outbound from Yawkey Way.
• Burger King is located further down and across Boylston Street from Subway.

The Fens: Jersey/Petersborough/Kilmarnock/Queensberry Streets

• There is a great italian place that is fewer than two blocks from Fenway called Canestero's. Great pizza, pasta, etc. The outdoor seating is a great place to pregame.
• El Pelon Taqueria, on Petersborough Street, has quality mexican food, reasonable prices and is very popular with locals. Expect a short wait around gametime.
• The original Brown Sugar Cafe, home to some of Boston's best Thai food, is located on Jersey Street.
• Umi Japanese Restaurant is located on Petersborough Street.
• Sorrento's Italian Gourmet is located on Petersborough Street.
• Rod-Dee is a good place to get inexpensive Thai food and is located on Petersborough Street.
• Thornton's Fenway Grille is located on the corner of Kilmarnock and Petersborough Streets. The main draw here is their outdoor seating, smaller crowds, and a better food and drink selection than pubs closer to the park.
• Linwood Grill is located on Kilmarnock Street. Linwood features typical BBQ fare and live music on occasion.
• Hidyan Cafe is a small middle eastern eatery on the corner of Kilmarnock and Queensberry Streets. Food is pretty good here, although seating is very limited.
• The Asian Cafe is a small, inexpensive chinese joint on Petersborough street. The food is not very good, although the quantities are large and inexpensive.

Souvenirs

The Souvenir Store is a privately run, family-owned enterprise. Twins Enterprise owns and operates several locations around Fenway Park and manufactures most of their own apparel. All licensed souvenir sales in the Fenway area are controlled by the Souvenir Store, and prices are standard across locations (three on Yawkey Way alone). Prices at the Souvenir Store are far more expensive than the same items at your local retail outlet, however they offer a lot in the way of exclusive merchandise including branded baseball caps and numerous player t-shirts made by Majestic Athletic. Souvenir sales inside the park itself are controlled by Aramark, featuring the exact same merchandise at higher prices than the Souvenir Store.

Notes

• Fenway Park opens two hours before game time. On most days, the Sox will be about halfway through batting practice when the gates open, and the visitors go from about 1.5 hours to 45 minutes before game time. You cannot get to the Monster seats without a ticket, but you can frequently get souvenirs along the foul lines and in the RF corner. Your ticket will indicate the closest gate to your seat, but you may enter at any gate. (MLB voted to move BP 15 minutes earlier for the 2007 season so that fans will get to see more of their home team during BP).

Game Time	Gates Open
8:15pm (only on Sunday night games carried by ESPN)	6:00pm
7:05pm (most weeknights & select Saturday nights)	4:50pm
4:15pm (the occasional FOX Saturday game)	2:00pm
2:05pm (most Sunday games)	11:50am
1:15pm (only on Saturday afternoon games carried by FOX)	11:00am
10:05am (Patriots Day game only)	7:50am

• It's important to know that Batting Practice is optional on most (but not all) morning & afternoon games, and often times the Red Sox do NOT hold BP on these games.

• It is possible to bring bags or soft-sided coolers into Fenway, but they must easily fit under your seat, and they will be inspected at the gates.
• You may bring one unopened plastic bottle of water inside the park. The seal must not be broken.
• Alcohol purchased from outside the park is strictly forbidden inside the gates.

• If you are interested in acquiring autographs from Red Sox & visiting players, Red Sox players & VIP parking lot is located on Van Ness Street directly beyond Gate D. As the Parking Lot is not in a public area most players do not need to interact with the public upon arriving at the park although some players do sign autographs for fans. Red Sox players are required to be at the park 3 hours prior to gametime although most arrive 4 hours prior.
• Visiting players usually arrive via taxi and often times will enter the park on Yawkey Way at Gate D where they are required to check in with Fenway Park security, the more popular visiting players will enter through the broadcast truck area directly behind the Big Concourse on Ipswich Street, this is a private area not accessible to the fans, however on Yawkey Way the players are let on out the street making them accessible to the public.

Links

• Google Map