I was thinking of going to Boston in September from NC to see a Sox game or two (at age 62 I'm getting too old to wait much longer). Could you experts give me any advice re getting tickets? For example, if I get them from StubHub.com how can I be sure I don't pay $$$ for seats that are impeded by one of those Fenway posts? Or would it be better to buy from a scalper before the game?

Thanks, Jim

I'll allow a Boston native to reply. But just my own tip as someone coming from Chicago to see a game, it gave tremendous piece of mind to buy the tickets in advance. We would have been very anxious getting there on game day without tickets. That said, it was a big risk at the time b/c they were playing the Yankees and in a race.
We got to the game very early and enjoyed the ambiance. We found the online map of the stadium to be helpful in selecting tickets.
We had a wonderful time and the Red Sox fans were very nice to us Chicagoans!

Stubhub or acetickets.com are your best bets. Stay away from Grandstand seats and the RF boxes and you will be fine. What dates are you looking at? Price range? Lower bleachers behind the bullpens are generally a good bargain if you get the first 10 rows or so.

Thanks. Looking at 9/15-9/17 games vs Angels. Maybe 1 game @ $150+ and 1 game @ $50.

The actual ticket will say "obstructed view" on the face - so see the ticket before you buy. It is not reasonable to say avoid Grandstand and RF box, since that is where most of the tickets for sale will be located - in addition to bleachers.

Bleachers, even upper bleachers are really OK seats - far closer than in most other older Parks. Avoid GS sections 2-5 as these seats are facing a weird angle and you will have a stiff neck turning to face the field to look at something other than left field - and since the seats are quite narrow, it is more of a problem.

We attend about 6 games/year thru a combination of on-line sales (luck and willingness to sit in obstructed view gets these) and ticket brokers. Many of the obstructed view seats are really quite good - because obstructed does not mean there is a big pole 2 inches from your face - it just means some portion of the infield is blocked. Only once was it home plate - and that was awful - but most often it is part of a basepath. Just no way of knowiong, even if you look on a seating map.

I will not buy on the street. For me, the risk of not finding seats, confiscation of tickets at point of sale on street, and since we live a distance out I want the certainty of knowing I will have a seat when I make the trek in and pay for parking.

Prices at Ace ticket (website of same name) are usually identical or close to stubhub and you have the added security of buying from a business and not some guy who could print 6 versions of the same seat on his home computer (using print at home option - in that case, first person in turnstyle with that seat gets to use it). We use Ace tickets several times/year - their website it excellent but if you call them sometimes they give you an upgrade option - if they own the tickets (instead of having them on consignment) they will sometimes on game day offer you a free upgrade to other seats they own. They have a storefront a block from Fenway where you can pick up ordered tickets or even buy last minute, and several other Boston locations, or can do mail or email/print at home.

Prices - it used to be that ticket broker tickets were about 2x face value, with Yankees games 3-4x face value. These prices have dropped this year - dtr and I went to Yankees game this spring for less than 2x face value thru Ace tickets.

Have fun.

Thanks, Gail

Jim

I agree with what Gail said. I thought I had been more specific in my original post but didn't type what I was thinking. Check to see if there are available seats on the Green Monster for a game. Best spot in the house, even if its Standing Room.

If you buy a ticket from a scalper on the street, there's always the risk that the ticket will be a phony -- the park admission people will scan it to be sure -- and there's no money back in such circumstances. I'd stick with StubHub or Ace Ticket.

Thanks to all. Purchased tickets from Ace Tickets for 9/15 (loge 160) and 9/17 (GS12) at a small premium over face value, so I'm very happy. Will be even happier if Beckett and Lester pitch those two games. Also bought 9/17 matinee tickets to "Jersey Boys". Life can't get much better for a diehard Sox and Broadway fan. It's a surprise b/d trip for my wife. Hope she won't mind tagging along!

Check out your seat view here: http://www.preciseseating.com/index.php

Enjoy the game and Boston.