Gillette

[Real fan 02]

Going to Gillette for the first time this fall. Pending the schedule looking at either September or October. Any suggestions for the smoothest/best experience?

I find that taking the commuter rail into Foxboro works best for me. Or if you choose to drive consider staying a few hours post game to eat at a restaurant at patriots place.

 

[denverpatsfan]

If you want to wait an hour or so to depart, you can park for free now. I believe you need to reserve your pass ahead of time. Might be the best bet. Hopefully you won't need to be somewhere right after the game.

 

[BennyBledsoe]

In my fifty plus years of fandom I've only been to one NFL game, at Gillette. I don't think I need a second.

It was great to view the pageantry on game day. Once. It was great to see in person how hard the linemen hit each other and how fast the WRs and DBs are. Once.

What I don't need is billboards filling my visual space with ads everywhere I look, or to have everything go quiet during a thrilling drive so there can be a TV timeout. On top of that, I don't need to waste an entire day fighting through traffic, paying a lot to park, paying a lot to sit, and paying a lot to eat and drink. At least they haven't started to charge for toilets, yet.

I suppose things would be different if I grew up in a situation where friends or family members went to games, but that wasn't the case for me. It was more the opposite. I was the only person in my family interested in sports, and still am. For me it started as a TV sport, and it still is.

I fully agree. The in-person experience does not beat the TV experience when just watching the game. If you're a social being, you probably would be more likely to enjoy the stadium.

 

[mike_usagisan]

My 15 year old has become obsessed with the Pats and we're thinking of flying in to go to the Falcons game in November as an early holiday gift. I have a few questions for the pros here:

• --Nosebleeds near midfield or lower toward one of the endzones?
• --Is Ticketmaster the best place for tickets or is there a better resale place that people like?

Thanks!

 

[bresna]

If you sit in the lower bowl (100 sections), be prepared to stand for most, if not all of the game.

If you go to a 1:00 game and have seats on the home team side, bring sunblock & sunglasses. Drink lots of $7 water.

The views from the endzone sections are worse the lower you get. Endzone seats in the 300 sections have a better view of the opposite endzone compared to the 100 sections. If you're in the endzone 100/200 sections, when they're at the opposite endzone, you end up watching the big screens a lot. It's hard to tell if they score or not if you don't watch the big screen.

The private lots typically get you out and on the road faster, but they're also $40-60 & some of them are a good 25-40 minute walk, so sometimes, you get stuck in traffic anyway.

If it rains, bring a poncho. If you have to bring ponchos, put them in one of those clear bags they sell in the Pro Shop - it's easier than carrying them in your hand and it's harder to accidentally forget them when you leave. Ponchos save you from a very uncomfortable day and the drive home is a lot better if you're not squelching in your seats.

If you like a certain type of beer, be aware that most of the vendors offer different beers. If you don't see one you like, go to the next booth and see if they have what you're looking for.

At the end of the game, especially if you're in the 300 sections, use the central stairway instead of the long-ass ramps. You'll get out much quicker. Those ramps suck from the 300 sections. They really should call them the cardiac stress test exit ramps.

 

[bresna]

My 15 year old has become obsessed with the Pats and we're thinking of flying in to go to the Falcons game in November as an early holiday gift. I have a few questions for the pros here:

• --Nosebleeds near midfield or lower toward one of the endzones?
• --Is Ticketmaster the best place for tickets or is there a better resale place that people like?

Thanks!

I prefer the views from the 300 sections nearer the 50 over the 100s/200s in the endzones. They're cheaper too.

Ticketmaster is the only official resale site, so if you use them, you know they're legit tickets. That said, wait until you get closer to game day when the prices drop, especially if they don't win many games before that Falcons game. If they are undefeated then, you may pay a bit more. But if they're 0-8, you will get them for pennies on the dollar.

Also, if you know a season ticket holder, they have options to buy additional tickets at face value. They might not last long though.

 

[mike_usagisan]

If you sit in the lower bowl (100 sections), be prepared to stand for most, if not all of the game.

If you go to a 1:00 game and have seats on the home team side, bring sunblock & sunglasses. Drink lots of $7 water.

The views from the endzone sections are worse the lower you get. Endzone seats in the 300 sections have a better view of the opposite endzone compared to the 100 sections. If you're in the endzone 100/200 sections, when they're at the opposite endzone, you end up watching the big screens a lot. It's hard to tell if they score or not if you don't watch the big screen.

The private lots typically get you out and on the road faster, but they're also $40-60 & some of them are a good 25-40 minute walk, so sometimes, you get stuck in traffic anyway.

If it rains, bring a poncho. If you have to bring ponchos, put them in one of those clear bags they sell in the Pro Shop - it's easier than carrying them in your hand and it's harder to accidentally forget them when you leave. Ponchos save you from a very uncomfortable day and the drive home is a lot better if you're not squelching in your seats.

If you like a certain type of beer, be aware that most of the vendors offer different beers. If you don't see one you like, go to the next booth and see if they have what you're looking for.

At the end of the game, especially if you're in the 300 sections, use the central stairway instead of the long-ass ramps. You'll get out much quicker. Those ramps suck from the 300 sections. They really should call them the cardiac stress test exit ramps.

We’ll probably stay overnight, so I was thinking the hotel up the road within walking distance.

 

[denverpatsfan]

If you end up high in the 300 level be advised that the bathroom lines are still a total nightmare. I would not recommend drinking alot of fluids during the game. There might not be lines down in the lower levels but I never sat there while we had seats. Krafty Bob built a nice little stadium but skimped on the restrooms...

 

[stinkypete]

Going to Gillette for the first time this fall. Pending the schedule looking at either September or October. Any suggestions for the smoothest/best experience?

Don’t stand. Two things people from the Boston area don’t do, dance or concerts, and stand at football games.

 

[bresna]

Don’t stand. Two things people from the Boston area don’t do, dance or concerts, and stand at football games.

This is not true at all, especially in 100 sections. Down there, in general, when the visiting team's first 3rd down happens, the crowd stands and they rarely sit back down. The rise of those sections is slight, so once the rows in front of you stand, you have to stand if you want to see the field. Not so much in the 200s and not really in the 300s, which are pretty steep.

I say this with a caveat - this only happens if the Pats are playing well. When they suck, most people stay seated.

That said, at the Jets game last year, there were two young Jets fans who refused to sit down in the 200s section I was in. They were the only people standing at several points and they were doing it to clearly irk the people behind them, as they would constantly turn around to face the crowd while they cheered for the Jets. It was so awesome when the Pats came back and beat their team. They ran out of the stadium as they scored the last points.

 

[Clonamery]

Don’t stand. Two things people from the Boston area don’t do, dance at concerts, and stand at football games.

You mean like the Boston Pops at the hatch shell? Yeah, that makes sense.

 

[Triumph]

Anyone else using the pro glide fusion? I love them.

I see why gravy catchers are all the rage with the cost of shaving these days.