Its summer and you’re visiting Boston, Massachusetts. If you’re an American then the two questions on your mind “are the Red Sox in town, and can I get tickets for one of the games?”

The Boston Red Sox play in America’s most beloved and historical ball park – Fenway Park. It’s the oldest park in the Major Baseball League and this means real grass and traditions. It means the Green Monster, the Triangle, and Pesky Pole. And of course singing “take me out to the ballpark” during the seventh inning stretch.

Or listening to “Sweet Caroline” by Neil Diamond during the 8^th – I still don’t get this tradition!

You can even take a Fenway Park tour.

I don’t go to many ball games but had purchased two tickets for the Toronto game on Saturday August 21^st, 2010 for my wife and I. We had been to see Red Sox games before… but not together. This was a date and a special occasion for us.

I was told to park out of the city and catch a train in but decided to park in Brookline and walk to Kenmore Square and across to Yawkey Way. It turned out to be a nice evening for a walk sandwiched in between some dreadful rainy days, and the game result for Red Sox fans was good. The home team struggled for most of the evening – as they have for most of the season in the AL East division – but pulled it out with an 11^th evening walk-off home run by Jed Lowrie.

For many people visiting Fenway Park for the first time seeing the team win isn’t the primary motivation for attending. It’s experiencing the atmosphere and traditions you just can’t get at any other stadium in North America. Fenway Park is the ballpark stadium for fans of the game. Almost a shrine you have to visit at some time in your life regardless of which team you support.

Every home game since May 15^th, 2003 has sold out – a major league record – and a testament to the team’s avid supporters and fans of the stadium.

Over the years there has been talk of building a new stadium and tearing Fenway Park down but nothing ever seems to come of it. And so the park has adjusted and renovated, adding more seats here and there and creating some quirky and unique features about the park compared to a modern stadium. But this seems to add to its appeal to fans rather than cause any angst.

Over the years Fenway Park has held other sporting events such as soccer and ice hockey exhibition games, and the park is a vibrant piece of the Boston Community and contributes millions of dollars each year to the city treasury coffers. Everything is expensive around the park from a T-shirt to a Fenway Frank – you’ll pay through the nose for mediocre merchandise and food. But I guess its part of the tradition.

But baseball is America’s favorite sport and Fenway Park, arguably, its favorite stadium. And the fans keep coming and singing and soaking up the hope they’ll see their team win. I’ll probably take in a few more games at Fenway Park and sing a few more lines during the seventh inning stretch before I hang up my baseball cap for good.

So when you next visit Boston call ahead and reserve your tickets for a ball game at Fenway Park at Ace Tickets or Stub Hub – you can get tickets even though the game made be sold out – and soak up the traditions and atmosphere and take yourself out to Fenway Ballpark for a treat.

Beantown has many attractions and for more ideas for things to see and do check out our special Boston Vacations section here.

Another New England post by one of our writers is being prepared right now so be sure to visit again or just subscribe to our RSS Feed here and get notified automatically of events and news.

Cliff Calderwood
Publisher
New England Online Magazine

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