espnga

Traveling thru Boston in May. Husband would like to see Fenway and if possible take in a game. Read about tours and that looks like a great way to tour the park. What is the best way to travel to the park for a game? We will have a rental car but were not sure about parking on a Thursday night. Read about the green line but not sure how to choose a hotel that would be close but not as expensive at the downtown hotels seem to be. What areas of town not too expensive ( $150 range) and safe.? Please give me guidance. Thanks

Tomsd

Years ago - rode the MTA? from Tufts down to friendly Fenway (transferred once?). The main challenge is getting game tickets - although since the Red Sox sucked last year - it should be easier than usual?

gail

Buy tickets at Redsox.com - they are still available for most games. In May, dress warm - the temps dip at night and I have attended quite a few May games wearing a parka and gloves. Seats anywhere are good except right field grandstand sections 2, 3, 4 - they have you sitting at a weird angle to see the game and since seats are narrowest in MLB, turning in your seat is uncomfortable. Same website talks about tours.

May can be a tough hotel month in Boston with so many college commencements.

Parking at Fenway is difficult - gridlock traffic before and after game and cost is $25-35. Green line Kenmore stop is the way to go. Then follow the crowds.

Do a search here on Boston hotels or lodging. I live here so not current on hotels and it has been discussed extensively. Be prepared for sticker shock - there are no areas of town that are safe and convenient and inexpensive.

china_cat

Not much to add to what Gail says, she is spot on. Maybe try Priceline to see if you can find a hotel in town in your price range. It would be more fun to stay in Boston than somewhere out in the burbs.

You could probably stay somplace in Newton or Dedham, or Needham and then drive to Riverside and park there to take the green line in. I don't know the hotel prices though, it wouldn't surprise me at all to find they are $200/night even there.

You could also check the price on the Holiday Inn in Brookline. It's not far from the park. But I bet that's over your price range too.

cw

Here's a link to the dates of Boston graduations in 2013. Check to see if you overlap. If so, hotel rooms will be scarce and expensive. http://www.bostonzest.com/2012/08/bo...ing-20123.html

I think on game days, tour hours may be shortened. The Red Sox website has all the details.

Taking the subway is a good idea, but if you drive in, you can park at the Prudential Center garage for $16 if you relinquish your game ticket as you leave the garage. It's about a 15-20 minute walk to Fenway. You'll be walking on sidewalks full of fans, so it is perfectly safe.

Also, you can check www.lastminutetravel.com for hotels. There are quite a few good deals for Boston. The hotels are not named but can often be identified by the photos and descriptions. It includes hotels in Boston and outside of Boston. If you have an IPad, the LMT hotel names come up. May is a busy month so you may have to increase your room budget.

downtownbrown

a. Don't try to drive to the game.

b. As china suggest, the green line is the best way to get there from the 'burbs, IF you want to stay in the burbs, which is more in your price range. I think there's a hotel (Marriott, maybe) right at the Dedham station.

c. My suggestion: Stay at a suburban hotel (in your price range) near a green line station. Take the green line into the city in the a.m. Plan your day to tour some of the points of interest for you. Then go to the game at night, and return to your hotel via the green line.

cw

There's a Marriott in Quincy near the Red Line. It often is offered on lastminutetravel at a low rate. The other Marriott is in Newton at the Rt. 30/95 intersection. That is a short drive to the Riverside or Woodland stations on the Green Line, but may not be within budget.

There are train stations in Dedham but the commuter rail is much less convenient schedule-wise especially on a Saturday.

china_cat

and if you were going to use the commuter rail, you would want to stay somewhere on the Worcester-Framingham line, since that rail goes right to Fenway (the Yawkey station). Its not impossible to stay someplace like Framingham, drive to the commuter rail station and take the train in. The issue with commuter rail in general is the schedules are not very flexible. And the parking tends to fill up with commuters, so it works well if you want to head in JUST for the game, taking a 5:30 train or thereabouts, but not so well if you want to go in earlier for a tour or other sightseeing.

I actually think driving in and parking at the Pru is not a bad suggestion at all. Its extremely easy to get into the Pru parking garage from the Mass Pike. and not too hard to get out again. Plus, once you take the time to walk back to the Pru from the game, you will not have any trouble with traffic getting out.

BigRuss

Definitely take the T. Fenway is in the middle of a neigborhood and parking in Boston sucks generally (governed by neighborhood parking passes) so it only gets worse at game time. Plus Bostonians drive like New York cabbies.

Beware the rats. There are plenty in that bandbox. Also, beware the partial view seats - there are a ton in the covered section of the park (roughly from third to first) because the stadium is O L D and the support beams that hold up the press box and upper deck can block your view depending upon where you sit.

gail

We go to multiple Red Sox games/year - buying tickets on-line, at a pre-Christmas presale, and sometimes from a ticket broker. All Obstructed View seats are clearly marked as such on the tickets - there is little chance you will get stuck behind a pillar without prior knowledge.

dmcq

I agree with prudential center garage if you cannot stay in town, if you dont want to walk, you can take pedi cab (seats in the back of a bike, and pay what you want either to or from game. Also garage next to jasper whites summer shack validates parking for about $12, and they have great deals at the bar if you eat before game.. less than 10 minute walk to fenway, or take pedicab (less than $10)have fun!

KyleBurrel1979

Hello there,

I agree with all the previous post suggesting you to stay in the suburbs. That would be convenient for your price range and probably safest than Downtown. In general I believe it is a pretty bad idea driving when in vacations and driving from or to the park/hotel is simply not a good idea at all. It is better for you to take the metro. As other post suggested the best you can do is be close to the green metro line and go early to the city and return after rush hour. About 7 or 8 pm would be less crowded.