Updated 2008-09-23 00:30
Sports
There’s no scene quite like that around a Boston ballpark, arena or stadium. The hometown fans share a passion for their teams that rivals nothing else - so much so that places like Fenway Park, Gillette Stadium and the TD Banknorth Garden aren’t just grounds for local loyalists, they’re hot spots for tourists, too.
As the baseball season winds down, and football, basketball and hockey start up, be sure to take in a game and soak in the surrounding atmosphere. Inhale a Lansdowne Street sausage, grab a cold drink around the North End and join the party in a Foxborough parking lot.
| Red Sox For all you mechanical engineers who are sick of being the only kid with the pocket protector at the beer-pong table, buy a Red Sox ticket on a day when Ben Affleck is in the crowd. That way, you’re guaranteed not to be the biggest tool in the shed. Hey, moving up in society is pricey, and scoring Sox tickets ain’t cheap. It’s definitely the best take of the season, though. MBTA: Green Line to Kenmore. |
| Patriots All of a sudden, the one-time kings of the Boston sports scene are just the third most successful local franchise of last year. What better time to raise ticket prices for the first time in four seasons? Still, the only way to scrounge up a pair involves a trusty green handshake in the Gillette Stadium parking lot. You might be lighter in the pockets, but you’ll have more spring in that step when you get close to Tom Brady. MBTA: Commuter rail from South Station to Foxborough. |
| Celtics Make sure to extend your spring semester leases through June because the Celtics are back to throwing summer parties. The Hub’s newest darlings set out to repeat as world champs in November, and buying tickets is Sox-tough but not Patriots-impossible. Throw some extra dough to sit courtside (as Jay-Z and Beyoncé have been known to do) and learn how to swear like KG, who has made up four-letter word combinations never thought possible. MBTA: Green or Orange Line to North Station. |
| Bruins When you’re more irrelevant than late-night reruns of “King of Queens,” there’s an obvious demand to spike ticket promotions, and the Bruins are the best at that of the area’s four major professional teams. The B’s reach out to college students with half-off nights — ticket prices, not clothing — and be on the lookout for other hot deals in the winter months. MBTA: Green or Orange Line to North Station. |
| Revolution You’ve heard of David Beckham because he’s worth lots of money and he’s married to an international pop star. But while Beckham underwhelms American soccer fans, the Revolution showcase a gritty star and former league MVP in Taylor Twellman. Head out and watch the Revs put together another almost-good-enough season at Gillette Stadium. Nobody in the MLS is better at coming in second place. MBTA: Commuter rail from South Station to Foxborough |