Overall Score:  65.7 out of 100

 

We arrived at Fenway Park on August 7, 2019. Tom and his family had surprised me to the Red Sox playing my hometown team the Royals a 7:10 pm game. Before the game we had a few hours to kill. We first got some food at Sweet Cheeks BBQ on Boylston about a 10 minute walk from the park. Afterwards, we poked around and made a lap around the stadium and waited until 5:30 pm when the gates opened. 

 

Aesthetic:  8.3

Fenway Park is the definition of historic ballparks. As soon as you lay eyes on the field and walk inside it takes you back to what you envision baseball parks to be like in the early to mid 1900's. The architecture was robust and full of green. There are vendors just outside the stadium selling hot dogs, burgers, programs ($2), water ($3), memorabilia, and more. The signage around the outside of the stadium and inside along the concourse continued with the historic feel. The advertisement panels blended in with the rest of the park. A lot of the logos were matched to the green color scheme in the park. The green monster was an eye catching jewel of the park. The stadium seats were green in the outfield, red in the infield, and blue in the club levels. Lastly, we noticed when looking at maps and the area it looks like the area/Boston was built around this historic park.  

 

Atmosphere: 8.1

We can say that Red Sox fans are loyal and love their beer. Despite the slim chances of playoff hopes, they had a large turnout for playing a mediocre. The park was woven into the social fabric of Boston. Like we said before, the park leaves you feeling like you are back in time enjoying the country's national pastime. 

 

Cleanliness: 5.3

The first thing that comes to mind from the night is that I was disappointed in the cleanliness of the bathrooms. I went just before the game started and there was already toilet paper all over the floor and it just felt grimy. It needs a little touching up and deep clean. The rest of the stadium was relatively clean and taken care of, but felt dingy and dark in the concourse level. Lighting could have definitely played a factor. We sat out in center field, and the stairs could've used a fresh coat of paint and new numbers so you could better read what row it was. 

 

Seating Options: 8.3

There were a lot of different seating options. First, there were a few rows above the green monster that only the people with those tickets could access. Next, was the bleachers section in the outfield which is where we ended up sitting. It seemed like more of a social section than the rest of the park. Other options are the outfield grandstand, field box seats (which would be an infield level to most fields), loge box seats which are behind the field box seats, above the loge is the infield grandstand, roof box (2nd level), and pavilion section at the top. We also read that there is an alcohol free section (32 and 33 in the left field grandstand). There really isn't a bad seat the field with how compact the park is. One thing that is notable in the seating area is that the seats are relatively small and close together. 

 

Parking: 3.6

Parking is a huge downside to Fenway. First it is very pricey. Second, trying to park before 5:00 pm is hard because you need a permit for nearly every close lot. We parked in the Haviland Street lot and it was about a 15 minute walk to the field and in a pretty safe area on/near the Berklee campus. Our garage was valet with limited spots, and you need to return within 30 minutes of the conclusion of the game. All of the lots and garages seemed very small and compact. 

 

Pricing: 3.9

Parking- Parking costs were between $50-$60 at garages right next to the field and you gradually got lower the further from the field you got. We paid $35 at a garage 15 minutes from the field and that was the lowest in the area. 

Food- Food was reasonably priced at Fenway. Hot dogs were $5.75 for a footlong, $5 for water inside, $5.50 for ice cream, $7.75 for beer.

Tickets- The best prices will typically be in the bleachers in the outfield, in the right field grandstand, or in the pavilion box in left field. We were able to find tickets on Seat Geek for $32 each, but Fenway is ranked the most expensive ballpark for tickets and it varies widely by game. 

Merchandise- The merchandise was pricey. A baseball costs around $15. 

 

Fan Involvement: 6.2

Fans are die hard Red Sox fans. They are into the game, but the Red Sox lack involving their fans through entertainment on the field. It is more of a traditional experience where you sit and watch the game. There is dance off on the jumbo tron, 7th inning stretch, and Sweet Caroline in the 8th inning. 

 

Food: 8.3

There were traditional ball park options at Fenway. There are not many specialized restaurants. A lot of hot dogs, Tasty Burgers, pizza, ice cream, lemonade. There are however outside the park a lot of restaurants to go and enjoy before or after the game. The notable House of Blues music venue is just across the street. 

 

Mascot: 6.2

Honestly, we never saw Wally at our time at Fenway. We did see a Lego statue of him, but he was not in any of the areas we were in. We were surprised he never made his way down to the field or appear on the jumbo tron to interact with fans. He looks like a friendly guy and are bummed we didn't get to know him better. 

 

Souvenir Shop: 7.5

The souvenir shops were quite tiny inside the concourse. They were crowded with people and it was hard to actually look at what was in the shop. There was one bigger team store across the way from the stadium that we did not venture out to. The shops contained typical ball park souvenirs. 

 

Miscellaneous/Extra Innings:

• The green monster breaks up the park so you cannot walk in a full circle around the park. You have to walk back through the whole concourse to get back to your seat. 

• There were some kids interactive areas where they could play VR hitting.

• There were some cool memorabilia, records, and historical artifacts displayed on the walls of the concourse that were fun to stop at.