Fenway Park (Boston Red Sox)

So good, so good, so good. So sing the fans in Fenway Park during the now traditional playing of Neil Diamond’s Sweet Caroline during the middle of the eighth inning. It’s also the perfect phrase to summarize the typical Fenway experience. Every Red Sox home game comes with its own festival. Fenway is tucked into a tight neighborhood and the streets outside are packed with revelers, memorabilia stores, and even guys in Red Sox jerseys walking on stilts. It’s a true party – you want to arrive early just to soak it all in before entering the park.

The exterior of Fenway is very unassuming, with a low profile made up of bricks topped with green metal. The interior is where Fenway’s quirkiness really shines through – from the Green Monster, the towering 39-foot high wall in left field, to the oddly shaped outfield and Pesky’s Pole in right field.

Recent renovations and improvements have not taken away from Fenway’s historical, old-time feel. What they have done is given fans new ways to enjoy the game – such as the seats located on top of the Green Monster – and given the Red Sox opportunities for more revenue through additional seats, club seating, and permanent luxury boxes. The Red Sox have shown the way in keeping a historical park’s feel while adding contemporary touches to keep it relevant. That’s the challenge the Cubs now face with Wrigley Field.

A Tip of the Cap

The electric atmosphere that surrounds every Sox game
The humble exterior that fits the neighborhood
The beautiful panoramic views inside
The focus on baseball rather than between-inning antics

Swing and a Miss

Fenway Franks. They’re not bad, in fact they’re good. It’s just that people talk about them like they are out-of-this-world good and I don’t get it. So maybe this “swing and a miss” goes to the hype about Fenway Franks and not the franks themselves.

Trip to the Mound

Have fun outside before the game starts, and enjoy the atmosphere afterward as well (not going to get out quickly given the compact concourses anyway). If you want to take pictures of the park from different areas, go up the tunnels for various sections before the game starts – there aren’t a lot of opportunities for moving around after the first pitch.

Overall Rating: A+

Setting (A+): Fits right in on Yawkey Way. You get the feeling Fenway is exactly where it should be, and it’s easily accessible via public transportation.
External Appearance (A-): A neat blend of old brick and green metal; it’s a little difficult to get a picture of the part that says Fenway Park due to the trees that are right in front.
Internal Appearance (A): The view from right field was terrific, with the Green Monster to your right and the home plate grandstand in front of you.
Atmosphere (A+): Boston loves its Red Sox.

Additional Photos