I'm a Cards fan living in New Mexico. Taking my wife to Boston this weekend and going to the Saturday game at Fenway. Any recommendations on where to watch the game Friday night? Any other thoughts on must-see places, restaurants, etc. would be greatly appreciated.
Seems like I remember a post here at VEB not so long ago where someone mentioned a bar near Fenway that has been drawing a lot of Cards fans. Anyone have the scoop?
Go Cards!
0 recs | 16 comments
kick paul pierce in the junk
nycbirdo - June 18, 2008
As someone
As someone who lives in Worcester for 9 months of the year (except when I’m in DC or Dublin) and hates most New England sports, I heartily disagree. Paul Pierce is a good guy and a helluva basketball player.
KerouacCardinal - June 19, 2008
convince josh beckett that he needs to be a cardinal
VolsnCards5 - June 18, 2008
the elephant walk is not too far from fenway.
Good french-cambodian food. It was always my idea of a fancy night out.
Walking around the public gardens, down by the charles, or in the fens is nice. There’s lots of touristy stuff to do, but the best parts of Boston are just walking around.
You can also go to the North End and get Italian for dinner—that’s always crowded, so make reservations. Better yet, stop in the afternoon for an espresso and a cannoli.
tom s. - June 18, 2008
No idea
but I went there on business last year, TERRIFIC city. Loved it immensely. You MUST see the Aquarium. Really hard to top.
Zoop - June 19, 2008
And go on the Duck Boat.
Seriously. Do it.
Zoop - June 19, 2008
Information
The cards bar is UNOs on Bolyston.
The Cask and Flagon is a famous bar (Joe Buck famously called it “The Best Bar in America” in 2004), right across the street from Fenway, but don’t wear too much Cards gear in there. Its a scene before and after games, but a ghost town in the offseason.
I’m going to the Saturday and Sunday games (hopefully).
Depends on where you are staying, but there are a lot of great restaurants in every area.
jroman - June 19, 2008
Mother Anna's
in the North End was three thumbs up when we went there a couple of years ago. We went there really early for dinner, there was an old guy sitting at a table close to us that told us that he used to see JFK in there all the time. Get anything with their lemon butter sauce and don’t step on the scale for a couple of days.
If you go see the USS Constitution, wait for the guided tour, it’s the only way you can go below decks.
The State Capitol building is pretty impressive, well worth your time.
Take the T to the game, parking around there is a nightmare.
mikedallas45 - June 19, 2008
I'm going to the Friday and Sunday games....
...just hope the T-storms hold off…. chance of rain all three days/nights….
If you’re already coming all the way to Boston, then stop thinking about money and just head to a couple areas and indulge in whatever strikes your fancy…
The North End is fantastic, just oozing history and garlic. Walking around there during the day is spectacular: the old-timers dressed to the nines on the sidewalk speaking Italian; the coffee/pastry shops; the “Prado” leading up to the Old North Church… now that the highway is down they’ve created some fanstatic gateway parks into the North End with long water features that attract hundreds of people who splash around, or lay in the sun, or play Wiffle Ball, or just people watch…
Charles Street in Beacon Hill is a really nice walk, too. If it’s what you’re into, Newbury Street features great people-watching along with the ritzy shops/cafes, and I get my coffee there every day at work and the I’ll always see at least a half-dozen stunningly gorgeous young women in the two-block round trip. And I’m sure there’s some beefcake for the wife, too.
But again, bring your wallet, because Boston is expensive. Bring your walking shoes, because you can walk from Fenway, through Back Bay, Beacon Hill and to the tip of the North End in about 45 minutes, and it’s an amazing walk, especially if you go through the Public Garden. On the way, you will pass about 150 taverns/bars, any one of which should be fun to watch the game(s).
When I go out to watch sports I go to the Waterfront Cafe in the North End, which is a smallish place with about twenty TVs, great pub grub, and Hoegaarden on tap.
It’s a great city, and you can’t really go wrong anywhere.
In about 6 minutes the Celtics victory parade is going to start and it’s going to rumble right past my office on Boylston Street at Berkeley. If you get a Boston Globe tomorrow look for the picture of the office workers at the window in the white terra cotta building—-I just talked to a Globe photographer who’s setting up to get that shot….
salvomania - June 19, 2008
Sam Adams Brewery Tour was fun, if you have time.
Ray Lankford - June 19, 2008
I love Beantown
I would recommend checking out the North End…Pretty much any restaurant is good, and there was an Italian bakery about 3 blocks from Old North Church that had a mean cannoli along with some amazing pastries and gelato, but there are bakeries everywhere there. The Freedom Trail stuff is nice, Quincy Market is kind of fun, but just walking around is the best. For such a large city, it is actually quite small, so walking is no issue.
I got to go to Fenway last year and it was an experience I’ll never forget. It’s almost like a college football atmosphere there. Yawkey Way on game nights is a true sight to behold.
redbirdnation8206 - June 19, 2008
love the hahvahd square area
and while it’s expensive and trendy, legal sea food has great clam chowder.
if they’re in season, and can find somewhere that locals’ll recommend, some steamers (steamed clams) would be excellent.
sdesserman - June 20, 2008
Soooooo....
How was the weekend. Love to hear some stories.
Tackle Box - June 23, 2008
Boston game on Saturday
I’m not NMCardsFan, but I was at the game in Boston on Saturday and loved every second of it. A few quick bits
-Somehow, by the grace of God, found tickets through Craigslist at $45 each for 4. That was face value, and they were amazing seats down the right field line, about 10 rows up near the foul pole. Perfect views of the Ankiel, Miles and J.D. Drew homer. The tickets came from a guy who at the last minute couldn’t go to the game with his wife and child. Restored my faith that there are more than just crude, cold-blooded scalpers out there. Amazing.
-The seats gave a good view of the Cardinal bullpen. From what I could tell, Izzy is still king out there, at least socially. For all his lumps earlier on the mound, he was a social bee and center of attention in the bullpen. It figures, being a veteran, but he had a smile on his face the whole time, and I think he’s really feeling a little refreshed.
-J.D. Drew could (should?) have robbed at least one of the two homers from Miles and Ankiel with a little more effort. Jim Edmonds or Aaron Rowand (had they been in RF) would not have let those be round-trippers.
-Finally, can’t say enough cool things about Fenway. It’s all been said, but what a great place to be on that Saturday afternoon with the sun shining, the Cardinals winning and Sweet Caroline played in the 8th inning. I love baseball.
IsThisHeaven - June 23, 2008
Great turnout of Cardinals fans over the weekend
Lots of Cardinal jerseys everywhere I went all weekend—-I yelled “Go Birds!” every time I saw some.
One guy I saw in a Rolen jersey near the Paul Revere statue in the North End on Friday, then I ran into the same guy at the game later that night.
Many Molina jerseys—-didn’t realize he moved so much merch.
Friday’s game was really fun--the rain delay began just as the Celtics did a victory lap around Fenway and the crowd went nuts. The rain was weird—from my vantage point all I could see was bright sunshine and puffy clouds, with a shimmering gauze of rain layered over it, as the Celics waved around championship trophies held by Cedric Maxwell (‘81?), Danny Ainge (‘86) and Kevin Garnett (‘08).
One video they showed that amused me during the delay was for the song “Blame it on the Rain,” which I don’t know but I imagine is some kind of a hit featuring some dreadlocked dudes, but in this version it’s Jonathan Papelbon and Manny Del Carmen(?) wearing dreads and mimicking the video and it sounds cheesy, but without even knowing the real vido, it was pretty funny.
The Fenway crowd is a very enthusiastic crowd: when I watch the Busch crowd during a critical moment I have to wonder if they’re too lazy to cheer or if they’re just too busy eating their super-sized nachos. Lots of spontaneous cheers start up from a single guy in the crowd and rapidly spread, and they aren’t inspired by some lame “CHEER” sign on the scoreboard or a clarion call meant to induce a half-hearted “CHARGE” in response.
The “Sweet Caroline”—a song I was sick of about 30 years ago—is a great tradition as well. And the music for Papelbon’s entrance gets the whole joint singing along to that Irish jig-rock song from “The Departed”, especially when they all yell “Sing out for Boston!”. Just a very rocking atmoshphere.
That said, it was great how quickly it quieted down when Kennedy ripped that shot to the wall off Papelbon in the 9th to tie the game on Sunday. It went from house party to city morgue in about three seconds.
Can’t wait til they do it all again in 2013, even though I hate the concept of regular-season interleague play.
salvomania - June 23, 2008
great trip report – thanks!
astrostl - June 23, 2008
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