Although Traci and I both have visited Boston before (Traci once, Ray twice) neither of us had the pleasure of experiencing Fenway Park, baseball’s oldest cathedral. With that in mind we decided to follow our team into the heart of Red Sox nation.
April isn’t usually a peak tourist season, but because the Boston Marathon took place during the Mariners visit, we expected some difficulty with planning. We were able to use Alaska Airlines frequent flyer miles (we scheduled the trip 5 months or so in advance) – Alaska Airlines is a great option because they offer the only non-stop flight from Seattle to Boston. Many of the hotels in the heart of Boston were booked far in advance due to the marathon but we found a fairly good discounted rate at the Omni Parker House. We found out later that the Parker House hotel is the oldest continuously operating hotel in the United States – many renovations have taken place since it opened and the accommodations were quite nice! Getting Red Sox tickets is difficult – they have sold out over 230 games in a row! Fenway is one of baseball’s smallest parks (36,000) and winning the World Series in 2005 only makes tickets scarcer. We decided on going to two games, the Friday night immediately after our plane arrived and then Sunday afternoon. Because of the uncertainty with cross country plane travel these days, I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on Friday night tickets only to miss the game. Although I got on the Red Sox internet site the day single game tickets went on sale to the public, the best tickets I could “score” were Standing Room only…$25 each! I did find a pair of overpriced tickets behind 3rd base for the Sunday game from a ticket broker (stubhub.com) so we could enjoy at least one game from a good location.
Our Friday morning flight from Seattle to Boston’s Logan airport was uneventful and we landed on time (around 5pm). We concluded, while still in the airport, that Boston is spending all of their money on the “big dig” (20 billion dollar ten lane highway underneath the city that is the target for many jokes and criticisms) as their airport has much to be desired. To go from terminal to terminal you have to get your luggage and hop on busses (they really need an airport subway like Seattle!). The bus eventually takes you to the parking garage as well as the main downtown subway station. The airport subway stations lack escalators and aren’t friendly to the air traveler. Thankfully our subway trip to the Omni was quite short and we lugged our stuff up more stairs to the street.
Our hotel, the venerable Parker House, was 2 blocks from the Government Center subway stop. We checked in without incident and found a small but clean, relatively modern room (effective climate control, good plumbing and free high speed internet.) We dropped our bags off and walked north thru the Boston Commons park (a smaller version of New York’s Central Park) and then down Newbury street (a very fashionable collection of boutiques, restaurants and Starbucks shops) toward Fenway. Two observations about the walk – the crowds were huge and many (perhaps most) were wearing Red Sox jerseys. For all of the criticism of Boston fans for their loud/possibly obnoxious behavior especially when the Yankees are in town, they are definitely loyal and enthusiastic supporters – unlike some other “what have you won lately” cities which will go nameless. Second, Bostonians have no idea what “Don’t Walk” signals mean. It is amazing to see people intentionally walk into traffic and get angry when they almost get hit. Perhaps all Boston’s pedestrians harbor deep seated rebellious feelings toward traffic authorities. Fenway is quite close to the main downtown area and has a subway stop (Kenmore) for those who don’t want to walk. Large crowds milled around the ballpark area. Some parking lots charged $45 for a routine game against the Mariners – Don’t Drive. Many people have pre-game celebrations in the many establishments that ring the park. Since we didn’t have any seats to Friday’s game, we roamed around the various areas of the park. While the park itself was old and had the vintage feel of Wrigley, there were many modern amenities like ballpark restaurant areas, bar areas – concession areas actually had plasma televisions to watch the action. One of the most surprising (but possibly unsettling thing) is the fact that most if not all the concession drinks/food were cheaper than at Safeco. The Red Sox must sell hundreds of standing room only seats – there were fans standing behind the last row of seats virtually everywhere that had an unobstructed view of the field. After wandering around the stadium for 3 innings we found a spot behind the 3rd base line and watched a very good pitchers duel between Curt Schilling and Jamie Moyer. After 6 innings a Red Sox fan who was standing next to us with his friends kindly offered us his seats behind 3rd base – standing room only seating is so accepted in Boston that people actually prefer hanging out with their buddies in back rather then sitting in their seats. Traci and I jumped at the chance and watched the final 3 innings of a great game but disappointing outcome – Red Sox won 2-1. Walking back to downtown with the Red Sox fans was interesting – they were so excited about the win, it was easy to forget they only won a game in the 2nd week of a long season against a team who hasn’t even been .500 since 2003. Once we got back to the downtown convention area it was 10:30 pm and we were hungry. We decided to eat at the Copley Place Legal Seafoods – Copley place is their giant high end indoor mall and Legal Seafoods is a large chain much like Seattle’s Ivars or Anthony’s. Traci had a nice Ravioli dish and Ray enjoyed a shrimp platter (grilled, coconut and shrimp stuffed with crabmeat). With appetites satisfied we returned to the Omni for the night.
Saturday was devoted to tourist activities and we started out by heading toward the Quincy Market area and purchased tickets for the Old Town Trolley – Boston has many different trolley companies – all with different colored trolleys. We picked the Orange Old Town Trolleys because of good experiences with the company in Washington DC. Our driver was named Bud and he had a classic New England accent. He drove us around the city, pointing out the major landmarks and giving funny anecdotes. We passed by many interesting sites although if you really want to see Boston’s historical areas you need to get off the Trolley and walk. There is a “Freedom Trail” marked with red paint and red bricks that is a walking tour of the major historical sites. We just sat on the Trolley from the start at Quincy Market thru Boston and Cambridge before returning back to Quincy Market and had lunch. Inside Quincy Market (www.faneuilhallmarketplace.com), you find a large building filled with all sorts of fast food places serving everything from cream puffs to lobsters. Many restaurants and shops also inhabit the complex. Traci found a good Turkey Wrap and Ray had a Chicken Caesar salad (what did you expect?) in addition to a Beard Papa cream puff (www.muginohousa.com) and some disappointing strawberry gelato. After lunch we got in a taxi to go to the Boston Marathon Expo which was in the Seaport World Trade Center. The expo was huge, much larger than the Seattle Marathon Expo which was the only one either of us had ever seen. There were lots of free samples of power bars and energy drinks and lots of vendors selling everything from T shirts to sunglasses. From the Expo we took the shuttle bus to the subway and the subway to Copley center to wander around the mall.
We wanted to go to the observation deck on the Prudential Tower but it was closed for a private reception. We walked back to the Parker House – on the way Traci had a Starbucks frappuccino and was quite disappointed with the quality, so much so that she went to another Starbucks close to our hotel for a better one. In Boston there are Dunkin Donuts shops everywhere – just like in Seattle where there’s a Starbucks on every corner (sometimes 2!) We’re told many locals prefer coffee at Dunkin Donuts – Traci decided to get a donut to go with her 2nd frappuccino. After a break at the Parker House we crossed the street for a late dinner at the old Boston City Hall – now inhabited by Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse. Ray had a rib eye steak which was prepared quite masterfully and Traci had blackened salmon – both were quite enjoyable. Ray has noted at both the Boston Ruth’s Chris and the one in Bellevue that they use much less seasoning and probably less butter than the one in Palm Springs – the flavor isn’t as intense but it probably doesn’t reduce your life expectancy as much. Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse is probably not in the top tier (such as Daniel’s in Seattle, or the Chop House in Chicago) but it was very good and you can’t beat the location across the street from the Omni Parker House. After a great dinner we returned to the Omni for the night.
Sunday was our day to enjoy a serious baseball game – the Mariners, after losing a 2-1 pitching duel on Friday to Curt Schilling, won a brilliant 3-0 victory thanks to Joel Pineiro and JJ Putz on Saturday. What would Sunday bring? Ray started out with an early morning jog – Traci had previously walked the famous Freedom trail – a 3 mile jaunt which included many of Boston’s historic sites – so Ray decided he was going to run it. After leaving the hotel, Ray found himself in the middle of thousands of runners who were in the pre-Boston Marathon 2.8 mile fun run. Since this is about as close as he’s ever going to get to “the Boston” (you have to run a 3:15 – 26.2 mile marathon to even apply to get in the field, Ray’s best half marathon time is 1:45), he decided to join the crowd of runners for a while. After reaching the Boston Commons he found the Freedom trail and started following it. The trail is marked by 2 red bricks in the middle of concrete sidewalks and red painted lines at street crossings. You can download (for free) the audio tour at http://www.boston.com/travel/boston/freedomtrail/podcast . Ray just followed the trail as it wound around the gravesites next to the Parker House, then Quincy Market and to the North Church, taking a few photos along the way. After the North Church (where the famous signal of 2 lanterns to indicate British arriving by sea – according to our trolley driver it was actually 2 lanterns for arrival by the St. Charles River), he crossed the river to the Bunker Hill memorial which looks like a half sized Washington Monument (from Washington DC). The final stop on the Freedom trail is the USS Constitution which is the oldest currently commissioned warship in the US Navy. Ray was a bit disappointed in the freedom trail as the monuments were definitely minor league compared with running the “mall” in Washington DC. With the absolutely gorgeous weather to start the day, the morning run was still thoroughly enjoyable. Ray and Traci met up with Traci’s cousin Denise and her significant other Dow for food and then the game. Denise picked a place called Firefly which was a wonderful café serving scrumptious breakfast – Traci had a waffle/oatmeal combination, Ray had a Belgian waffle topped with whipped cream and fruit. Surprisingly, the restaurant was quite empty considering it was a holiday weekend with the marathon in town. Firefly isn’t located far from the main tourist area (Copley Center) and is a great place to enjoy breakfast or lunch. After the enjoyable meal we headed toward Fenway park for our second game which featured Jarrod Washburn (Mariners) and Josh Beckett (Red Sox). Arriving an hour before game time we took some pictures around the historic stadium before settling into our seats located about 25 rows or so behind the Mariners 3rd base dugout. Fenway divides the “first” level of seats behind the 1st and 3rd base lines with a premium “box” section, a small loge section, and then the “grandstand” section. At Safeco field in Seattle we would call it all the first level (and the Mariners basically charge the same for the 1st row as the 26th row). The Red Sox are much better at price discrimination! We were in the “cheaper” grandstand section which would be about the middle of the 100 level at Safeco behind the Mariner dugout. As on Friday it was a pitchers duel between a sharp Jarrod Washburn against the flame throwing 97 mph fastball of Josh Beckett. As on Friday the Mariners lost, this time the deciding run in the 3-2 game was scored on a contested call at first base that even most Red Sox fans believed was wrong. Our expectations of the Mariners were quite low so it was gratifying to see two excellent games in one of baseball’s most historic parks.
From Fenway we wandered back toward Copley Place and went to the Prudential Center Skywalk (50th floor observation deck). With clear skies we had a gorgeous view of Boston and listened to the audio program providing some of the same stories that our trolley driver Bud gave, along with some new ones. We finished the day by having dinner at a seafood place called Skipjack’s near the Copley Place Westin. Ray tried to sample New England’s famous lobster but the restaurant was out of small ones so he had to settle for some very average baby back ribs. Traci had a much more enjoyable seafood cioppino dish. Late in the day, we walked back in a chilly breeze to the Omni for the night.
Monday was Patriot’s day, a holiday in New England that celebrates “the shot heard round the world” (1775 Colonists against British Soldiers, not the 1951 Bobby Thomson home run). We headed toward Beacon Hill (Boston’s Beacon Hill is quite a bit more upscale then Seattle’s). Famous residents include John Kerry. Residences are all low rise brick structures placed back to back around very narrow streets. Cars are tightly parked on one side of the streets. Mixed in the housing is a conglomeration of little shops and restaurants. We found a cafe called Panificio where Traci found a nice bowl of chicken pasta soup and Ray had a classic BLT. Prices were surprisingly reasonable ($9) for both considering the neighborhood we were exploring – perhaps residents have no money left after paying their mortgages. On our way back from Beacon Hill we purchased obligatory tourist T-shirts at various shops and vendor carts. Next we hopped on the subway to Kenmore (the stop next to Fenway Park) and found a place along the temporary fences to watch the marathon runners go by. It was quite amazing watching the elite runners go by. Two Kenyans, Rita Jeptoo and Robert Cheruiyot eventually prevailed with Robert setting a new course record of 2:07:14! While we were watching the marathon, the Mariners lost another close game 7-6 on a 9th inning walk off home run. It was so sad that the team played so well in Boston yet returned to Seattle winning only 1 of 4. After leaving the marathon we wanted to get some ice cream at the famous Boston shop – Emack & Bolio’s on Newbury Street. Unfortunately the large crowds and street closures made downtown difficult to negotiate so we ended up hopping on the subway to Quincy market and had to settle for unremarkable soft ice cream. Given the inconveniences of accessing the subway from the airport we took a short but expensive ($22) taxi ride from the Omni to Alaska Airlines terminal and had an uneventful and on-time flight back home. As with previous trips, we both enjoyed visiting Boston – the baseball fans are loyal, knowledgeable and respectful and we felt people went out of their way to help clueless tourists. We highly recommend sampling New England hospitality if you have the opportunity.
