I won a pair of tickets to tonight’s Red Sox vs Texas Rangers game, so I figured “why not”
First off, I’m not a particular fan of team sports, but it’s been ages since I took in a ball game
I wanted to bring Dad, but he’s in his late 80’s and suffers from mild Parkinson’s tremors, he appreciated the offer, but couldn’t make it
So I gave the spare ticket to a co-worker
Today was a day of firsts;
First trip on the Amtrak Downeaster, a quick 10 minute drive from work to the Dover NH station, and a fast, comfortable ride (65-75 MPH, yes, I checked it with the aHUDcams app, yep, I’m a geek ) to North station
Anyway, game’s starting, more updates later, probably on the Amtrak ride back
I left in the bottom of the 8th, to beat the traffic and the sardine-tins-on-rails, otherwise known as the Boston Green Line subway train, besides, the game was a low scorer anyway, and at least 80% of the balls were foul balls hit into the bleachers, still, it was fun and I did see two decent home runs
Anyway, back to the firsts;
My first trip on an Amtrak train
My first ride on the infamous “T” subways
My first time in Fenway as an adult (last went there about 30 years ago as a kid)
I loved the Amtrak Downeaster, fast, relaxing and fun, screaming down the rails at 65-70 MPH, far more relaxing than driving into Boston on my own, heck, I’ll probably take a nap on the ride back to Dover NH station
The green line? I liked the train itself, once I got my “subway legs”, but what I DIDN’T like was being packed in like sardines, I’m antisocial, and being packed that tightly is rather stressful
Still, the game was fun, and thank OG the tickets were free, if I had paid $90 to see tonight’s performance, I’d be a little annoyed
Glad you have a good time. I grew up in eastern MA and only went to a couple of games as a kid; now I manage to get to Fenway once every couple of years. It’s really magical, IMO. We usually take the Red Line up from Braintree and then transfer to the Green - I lived in Chicago for many years so crowded subway cars are no big deal for me and I kind of enjoy the excitement of Game Day. Your story is making me itch to go back!
I know you said you weren’t a sports fan, but a 6-3 baseball game is not a “low scorer”. Last night’s Giants/Phillies game was a “low scorer” - it ended 1-0 in the bottom of the 11th.
I think I paid a scalper $55 to see a game in 2004. It was a decent seat, but I spent most of my time wandering around and soaking up the Fenway vibe. It was a great day for the Sox, they beat KC 9-1. I even got to see an inside-the-park homer from way up in the corner by the edge of The Wall. I got an “official” Boston ball cap that day–I get more comments about it than any other item of clothing I’ve ever worn.