I've been going to Fenway Park ever since I was a little boy back in the 70s. Back in the day when Carl Yastrzemski, Butch Hobson, Jim Rice, Carlton Fisk and Dwight Evans were the big names on the team. Back then, there was no Portland Sea Dogs baseball team, so our Little League team took a school bus to Boston to see the Red Sox play.

Tickets were a lot cheaper back then too. We always had box seats a few rows back behind the Red Sox dugout. In 1979, when I was 8 years old, box seats at Fenway went for $5.75. A game against the Yankees!

lowreydt via ebay
lowreydt via ebay
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Granted, it was over 40 years ago and the Red Sox weren't all that great then, but when you saw a game at Fenway, it's all about the experience. A win doesn't hurt though.

As I got older, my trips to Fenway were few and far between, until this past weekend when Michele went down to see the Red Sox play the Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday. It was my birthday present and I couldn't have asked for anything better.

Jeff Parsons - Townsquare Media
Jeff Parsons - Townsquare Media
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I had been wanting to go for a long time, but ticket prices aren't that cheap and it's certainly not as convenient as seeing the Sea Dogs play at Hadlock. But Michele came through and got us some decent seats in the grandstand under the roof, so the 91-degree sun. The view was spectacular except for one pole which was just a little bit in the way.

Jeff Parsons - Townsquare Media
Jeff Parsons - Townsquare Media
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If you've never been to Fenway Park, I highly recommend you take the trip but I have some advice for you in the form of some do's and don'ts.

Don't Drive To Boston

If you think parking in Portland is prohibitively expensive, which it is, Boston is even worse. Save yourself the hassle of parking fees and gas and get a ticket on the Amtrak Downeaster. It's about $50 round trip per person and brings you right into North Station. Take the T from there to Kenmore Square for about $4 round trip. You'll end up spending way more than that in gas, tolls and parking if you drive.

Jeff Parsons - Townsquare Media
Jeff Parsons - Townsquare Media
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Do Get There Early

Gates open 90 minutes before the first pitch. Get there early enough and you can grab lunch or dinner and a few beers and several places on Lansdowne Street. We ate and drank at Cheeky Monkey Brewing. I highly recommend it.

Google Maps
Google Maps
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Don't Expect to Have Comfortable Seats

Unless you're paying big bucks for box seats, you'll likely be in the grandstands like we were, and those seats have been there since 1933. They're wooden, not wide and spaced apart for very little leg or arm room. You will constantly be bumping into someone beside you or in front of you and the entire row will need to get up to let you out and go to the concession stand or the bathroom. If you can stay put you're better off, but with an average of three hours for a game, you're going to be there for a while. See how close these two guys are sitting? Imagine that for the entire row. Despite that uncomfortableness, it's still worth the trip.

Jeff Parsons - Townsquare Media
Jeff Parsons - Townsquare Media
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Do Bring Your Credit or Debit Card

stack of multi colored credit cards
Laurent davoust
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Fenway Park no longer accepts cash anywhere except for the food vendors walking up and down the aisles for the stands and those guys can be hard to get. If you want food and beverages, grab them and the concession stand and swipe or tap card.

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