Green Monsters and the Lone Red Seat

My dream to visit every single MLB baseball stadium leapt onto my Bucket List when I was a child. I watched the Yankees and Mets play on TV, and just wanted to hear a homerun pop off of the bat and shoot into the stands.

Happily, I’ve been able to visit both Camden Yards, to see the Yankees play the Orioles and both the old, and the new, Yankee Stadiums. Now, as a Yankees fan, I’ve also seen Fenway and (surprisingly) haven’t spontaneously combust into hellfire.

The stadium is tucked away in the middle of Boston. Fenway is built onto a natural hill, so it blends into the road, making the highest seats look maybe 2 stories high.

We heard that the Red Sox were going to play Sunday afternoon, so we rushed to get into the first tour.

The tour began and I became snap-happy. There’s so much to see, from the old banners to the giant Budweiser sign, and the Green Monster looming in left field. Fenway is one of the oldest stadiums in the country, with Wrigley taking the top spot. However, the field is beautiful and although Fenway is rather small, it would be worth it to see a game here.

The guide directed our attention to the score board, indicating that 1 or 2 people have to manually fill in the numbers for the Boston game and every single game being played. During commercials breaks they have to run out that tiny door and stand in front of the sign to place number cards, by hand.

I can just imagine a man running around with handfuls of green numbers, frantically filling in scores.

Lucky for me, we landed the special tour that takes you up into the Green Monster and gets a picture with the very creepy mascot, Wally the Green Monster.

Wally did scare me a little bit. He looks like an odd combination of Grover and Oscar the Grouch. I wish the Red Sox mascot was a giant, dirty, red gym sock instead of Green Grover.

Obligatory family photo

Yes, I am a giant. It’s well known throughout the land.

Everyone who knows me knows that I am a diehard Yankees fan. (See 1^st paragraph)

So I couldn’t help but show my complete disgust to the team and honor to our rivalry by throwing a big ‘ol thumbs down.

All jokes aside, Fenway Park holds a huge amount of history. The best part is that almost all of the history is visible. My favorite story was of the Lone Red Seat. Around 502 feet away from home plate, in right field, is one red seat in a sea of pine green.

This seat signifies the location of the longest home run ever hit at Fenway. Ted Williams launched the ball 502 feet (it could have gone 530 feet, if it was unobstructed), in 1946. The ball hit a man on the head, breaking his straw hat, and bounced farther back into the stands. Today, Fenway makes sure that this seat cannot be bought as a season ticket, this way anybody has a chance to sit in this historical spot.

The best part of the whole tour was the view from the Green Monster, I mean look at the field!!

We were told the Green Monster seats originally sold for cheap, because they were seen as “bad” seating. Fans were clamoring to get tickets. Surprised owners realized the commodity and made sure the tickets are now only acquired through a lottery. There are only about

The view is amazing, I can understand why people crave these seats.

Avery was pretty impressed with the view of her dad instead of the field, but what can you do?

It was cool to see the players come out to warm up. I guess an afternoon game doesn’t stop for a tour.

There they all are, far away from me . . . of course.

Our tour ended, we were (quickly) escorted out of the stadium as fans began to stream in. Yawkee Way began to smell of hot dogs, melted cheese, and other delicious, artery clogging, hot foods.

One day I’ll make it to Fenway for a game. Maybe I’ll make it to every MLB stadium. I have time, so why not?

I think I want to live in Boston, one day.

Following the Freedom Trail

A long post awaits you. I recommend brewing some coffee, tea, or grabbing a snack while reading through my historical trip.

The Sam Adams Brewery was only the beginning of the first whole day exploring Boston. My cousins and I drove into the city where I followed them like a well-trained puppy through the streets and into Downtown Boston. 

Avery finally realized I had a camera and struck a quick pose.

Her chubby cheeks are overwhelming! When she knows a camera is nearby, she attempts a (minimally) toothy grin.

They decided to give me a quick 1-Day, drive-by, run-through of Boston. We walked around the city viewing the Bay:

In my opinion, no scent is better than salty sea air. If I could live by the sea, somewhere preferably in the north, I would move in a heartbeat. Just set me up in a cottage with a paycheck.

The bridge over the bay provided the perfect view of the incoming city skyline was beautiful and showed both the economic and historical sides of Boston.

The clock tower in the above and below pictures has a funny story; I heard it a day later when I took a trolley tour through the city. Apparently, each face of the clock tells a different time. No face matches the other, so some people call it “The Four Lying Faces.”

You can see here – each face is 10 minutes apart. We were warned not to use that tower to determine time or we would be very late. At the time of construction, technology could not match building size and the tiny motor failed to operate the giant 22-ft diameter clock and clock failed to work into the 20^th century.

The easiest way to see all of the historical sites in Boston is to follow the Freedom Trail. A red brick trail snakes along the city, through Downtown, the North End, and around the Public Gardens. If you’re curious what this trail looks like, look no further. 

This path is usually met with these golden plaques. If you’re visiting Boston anytime soon, I recommend following this path, even if you don’t explore the various buildings.

We passed these gorgeous government buildings. I was so happy to see the majority of government buildings were not built in the 60s and have beautiful architecture. 

I know the Traffic and Tunnel Administration Building isn’t very exciting, but the architecture is really gorgeous. 

We also saw the Old State House, the location of the Boston Massacre. For those of you who don’t know your history, 5 American colonists were shot and killed by British infantrymen and 6 were injured.

Many believe the massacre to be a major influence on the American Revolution.

There was a tour going on, but this cobblestone circle is the location of the massacre. 

We also passed the Paul Revere House on the way to my 2^nd favorite stop for the day: the North End.

Hanover Street is the prime location of Boston’s North End. I almost felt at home seeing streets covered in restaurants, bakeries, and cigar bars. My mom and I used to visit New York’s Little Italy a couple of times a year, and it never got old.

That pesky clock tower stayed in view through Boston.

But the main mission was a search for a delicious cannoli: Mike’s; known to be the best bakery in the North End, tourists and locals frequent the tiny shop for delicious goodies. We ordered a whole box of Italian cookies, and cannolis for the road.

The only way to get food was to get the attention of someone behind the counter. Lines are not necessary for this kind of store.

After bakery treats, it’s only important to find a beverage to wash down the deliciousness. One of my super good friends, Maria, suggested I visit The Bell in Hand Tavern. 

The atmosphere was perfect. The wood paneling accented the bar tops and old portraits on the walls. 

The best thing to order in a bar like this would definitely be a cold beer. I honestly can’t remember what I ordered, but I know it was delicious. 

Our waitress made sure to offer Avery a drink, but she was set. It was baby’s first bar! 

Our last stop before finding dinner was the historical cemeteries. On our way we ran into Old City Hall. A gorgeous building that now is home to a Ruth’s Chris in the basement. 

Trees provide the perfect amount of shade to the admirable Ben Franklin in the courtyard.

Sitting comfortably next to a cemetery in the center of the city is King’s Chapel. Founded in 1686, it was the first Anglican Church in New England during James IIs reign. The original chapel was wooden, but was converted to stone in the 18^th century. This chapel has witnessed the city’s history and still stands today. 

I think the best part of the cemetery tour was the artwork on the 400+ year old stones. 

Many famous names are buried in Boston, including men who signed the Declaration, fought to be released from England, and led our country when it was still young.

The Granary bar is across the way. Here you can have a Sam Adams beer while toasting the man’s grave. His grave sits near the sidewalk, making him visible from across the street.

Franklin’s family grave is in the same cemetery, but Benjamin Franklin is not buried here. He’s south, in Philadelphia, where he lived the majority of his life.

It’s interesting to see how close this cemetery is to surrounding apartments and downtown. The small cemetery is in the middle of the city and offers tiny insight into the importance of some of the first families to reside in Boston.   

A cemetery built in the 1600s is now surrounded by office buildings, tourism, and apartment complexes; showing how the city has grown in that time.

Tomorrow is an adventure to Fenway . . . 

First Taste of Boston

I’ve never visited Boston before. I wanted to do everything and go everywhere! So, my cousins decided to take me everywhere in the matter of 3 days. (Well 2 technically, I had a self-guided tour on day 3). So of course, I could only hope to look for food, drink, and anything with a history to it, so I began with a tour of Sam Adams Brewery.

(Voted one of the Top 10 Breweries in the US from USA Today)

If you drive too fast through the neighborhood, you’ll miss the building. Tucked away from the road is a brick house/factory/brewery surrounded by homes and apartments. 

The tours are free? Why yes please I would love one. After a minor wait and some hangout time with the littlest nugget, Avery. (I don’t think 9 month old babies are allowed inside).

She’s adorable and I’m in love with my newest cousin. I also wish my outfits were as on point as this little nugget.

Tour Time!

We were led into a big open space, accompanied with 3 barrels full of delicious flavors of barley, and the last barrel full of hops. 

We all got a handful of each barely, ranging from lightest to darkest, and was told to pop each flavor in our mouths. The tour group was a little apprehensive, but the taste was just like uncooked popcorn kernels. The lightest was the best tasting the darkest had a burned coffee – espresso bean flavor. *blegh*

But the best part came when we got a handful of hops and was told to smell and rub the hops between our hands, resulting in hops-confetti and the sweet smell radiating through the room.

We found out that this brewery only puts out kegs of their delicious beer AND we would get to sample some of the special flavors they had. 

LEAD ON, TOUR GUIDE, I’M READY!

 *trumpet noises play*

We were given little tasting glasses. Out giant group crowded around tables and bar tops while pitchers of delicious beer were passed around. We were given strict instructions to view, smell, observe, and discuss each beer before we could finally taste. 

First, we were to try the Boston Lager, which was delicious. It's a personal favorite. 

Second was the Summer Shandy (which was on the tail end because this was August after all), which tasted like a strange mix of lemonade and light beer. The Summer Shandy is possibly my new favorite summer beer. 

Finally, we tried my least favorite, but that’s really only because I don’t like IPAs. You guessed correctly; it was the Rebel IPA. So instead of finishing the glass I handed it to my cousin, and I sneakily finished off the Summer Shandy left in the table pitcher. 

As we were drinking our tour guide showed us THE coolest bottle, holding the most expensive beer they manufacture. In this little metal container is beer that is over $100 and 27% alcohol content per volume!! 

The bottle was passed around and we all sniffed the inside, (because sniffing empty bottles is totally normal) and the aroma smacked us in the face, like a strong awakening of our worst hangover.

We were kicked out for the next tour group, but we got to keep our glasses, which are sitting in my kitchen right now, and were able to tour around the gift shop. I love gift shops! Really, it’s a tiny schmorgasborg of trinkets and fun little things. Gift. Shop. Fiend. 

My cousin and I decided to try one of these gorgeous Belgian style beers and picked the “Tetravis:” flavored with molasses and dark fruits like figs and raisins. 

It sounds too healthy for beer but it was really delicious. They also offer the “American Kriek:” a cherry flavored wheat beer, and the “Thirteenth Hour:” offering chocolate and coffee flavors.

AMERICAN KRIEK -- THIRTEENTH HOUR -- TETRAVIS 

If you follow the links above, they'll take you to the Sam Adams webpage, where each beer is described. The website also suggests similar beers you could find at your grocery store or beer distributor. 

I loved this brewery tour. After taking an amazing tour in Bruge, I look for exciting new beer everywhere I go. If you have the chance, go to one! It’s always worth it to try new flavors and experience different cultures through a common beverage.