Attending first Pats game, looking for advice

[Tunescribe]

Whats the best site to get tickets? Best section? I'm strongly considering going. Driving up from Philly.

All sites are rip-offs, but that goes with the territory. Don't dismiss eBay as a source. Seating anywhere in the 100s and 200s will give you a good view of the action; the 300s are up pretty high. Bring binoculars. Umbrellas and bags (backpacks, etc.) are not allowed in the stadium.

I've been a season ticket holder for 25 years and my best advice to anyone going is: get there early, especially for opening day. That means arriving/parking at least two hours before kickoff regardless of whether you plan to tailgate. There will be a banner unveiling ceremony, so to be safe, plan on being inside the stadium one hour before kickoff.

For those making your first trip: don't bother with tailgating unless you know EXACTLY where you'll park and are willing to arrive in a car loaded with everything you need -- cooking gear, food, etc. My suggestion to first-timers is forget tailgating and hang out at Patriot Place adjacent to the stadium, where you'll find a selection of eating establishments and bars. You also can spend time at the pro shop. Again, GET THERE EARLY. The Patriot Place restaurants fill up a couple hours before kickoff.

If driving, I strongly advise parking in a private satellite lot about 1 mile from Gillette vs. stadium lots. You'll have to walk 20 minutes each way but you'll get out much faster afterward. The cost of parking is the same, $40. Finally, DO NOT use the train. It can be unreliable and has been known to arrive late, I know this from painful experience.

 

[fnordcircle]

A well-known rite of passage is to wait until after the game, go into one of the bathrooms and sit down on the toilet seat without looking or wiping it down.

Maybe less of a rite of passage and more of a baptism.

 

[Raymond]

A well-known rite of passage is to wait until after the game, go into one of the bathrooms and sit down on the toilet seat without looking or wiping it down.

Maybe less of a rite of passage and more of a baptism.

WTF fnord. Can I send you a donation on paypal or something to get you to remove that hideous avatar of yours?

 

[Tunescribe]

WTF fnord. Can I send you a donation on paypal or something to get you to remove that hideous avatar of yours?

Obviously he's a big fan of Kellyanne Conway.

 

[nabwong]

All sites are rip-offs, but that goes with the territory. Don't dismiss eBay as a source. Seating anywhere in the 100s and 200s will give you a good view of the action; the 300s are up pretty high. Bring binoculars. Umbrellas and bags (backpacks, etc.) are not allowed in the stadium.

I've been a season ticket holder for 25 years and my best advice to anyone going is: get there early, especially for opening day. That means arriving/parking at least two hours before kickoff regardless of whether you plan to tailgate. There will be a banner unveiling ceremony, so to be safe, plan on being inside the stadium one hour before kickoff.

For those making your first trip: don't bother with tailgating unless you know EXACTLY where you'll park and are willing to arrive in a car loaded with everything you need -- cooking gear, food, etc. My suggestion to first-timers is forget tailgating and hang out at Patriot Place adjacent to the stadium, where you'll find a selection of eating establishments and bars. You also can spend time at the pro shop. Again, GET THERE EARLY. The Patriot Place restaurants fill up a couple hours before kickoff.

If driving, I strongly advise parking in a private satellite lot about 1 mile from Gillette vs. stadium lots. You'll have to walk 20 minutes each way but you'll get out much faster afterward. The cost of parking is the same, $40. Finally, DO NOT use the train. It can be unreliable and has been known to arrive late, I know this from painful experience.

Thanks for this. This is awesome. My plan so far is.

1. Drop off the kids at school (9am)
2. Leave Philly (10am)
3. Lunch in NY
4. Get to foxboro before rush hour (4.30pm?)
5. Hang around Patriots Place before the game. Maybe get to meet some forum members.

Not sure if I should stay overnight at a hotel or drive straight back to philly. Do you recommend the hotels at Patriots Place?

Thanks!

 

[Tunescribe]

Thanks for this. This is awesome. My plan so far is.

1. Drop off the kids at school (9am)
2. Leave Philly (10am)
3. Lunch in NY
4. Get to foxboro before rush hour (4.30pm?)
5. Hang around Patriots Place before the game. Maybe get to meet some forum members.

Not sure if I should stay overnight at a hotel or drive straight back to philly. Do you recommend the hotels at Patriots Place?

Thanks!

There's one hotel at Patriot Place that probably is prohibitively expensive and probably will be sold out. A couple small places north of the stadium are dumps; I think there's a decent hotel south on Route 1 that's good but can't remember the name. You probably should Google the Foxboro area for hotels/motels if you're intent on staying the night after the game.

 

[Tony2046]

Also, the t

Nah, not at all. But I'm sure it's fine there too. Portland does have better breweries,

If you want both hit the Great Lost Bear on Forest ave. Tons of micro brews on tap and some kick ass bar food. Try the buffalo chicken sandwich.

 

[The Brandon Five]

There's one hotel at Patriot Place that probably is prohibitively expensive and probably will be sold out. A couple small places north of the stadium are dumps; I think there's a decent hotel south on Route 1 that's good but can't remember the name. You probably should Google the Foxboro area for hotels/motels if you're intent on staying the night after the game.

Not the Endzone Motor Inn?

 

[Tony2046]

All sites are rip-offs, but that goes with the territory. Don't dismiss eBay as a source. Seating anywhere in the 100s and 200s will give you a good view of the action; the 300s are up pretty high. Bring binoculars. Umbrellas and bags (backpacks, etc.) are not allowed in the stadium.

I've been a season ticket holder for 25 years and my best advice to anyone going is: get there early, especially for opening day. That means arriving/parking at least two hours before kickoff regardless of whether you plan to tailgate. There will be a banner unveiling ceremony, so to be safe, plan on being inside the stadium one hour before kickoff.

For those making your first trip: don't bother with tailgating unless you know EXACTLY where you'll park and are willing to arrive in a car loaded with everything you need -- cooking gear, food, etc. My suggestion to first-timers is forget tailgating and hang out at Patriot Place adjacent to the stadium, where you'll find a selection of eating establishments and bars. You also can spend time at the pro shop. Again, GET THERE EARLY. The Patriot Place restaurants fill up a couple hours before kickoff.

If driving, I strongly advise parking in a private satellite lot about 1 mile from Gillette vs. stadium lots. You'll have to walk 20 minutes each way but you'll get out much faster afterward. The cost of parking is the same, $40. Finally, DO NOT use the train. It can be unreliable and has been known to arrive late, I know this from painful experience.

Is it possible to join a tailgate party? I've never been but had always assumed you could as long as you chipped in somehow.

 

[Tunescribe]

Is it possible to join a tailgate party? I've never been but had always assumed you could as long as you chipped in somehow.

No, they're all private groups of friends and families. If you walked up to one and asked to join in if you paid, nine out of 10 times they'd look at you funny.

 

[The Brandon Five]

No, they're all private groups of friends and families. If you walked up to one and asked to join in if you paid, nine out of 10 times they'd look at you funny.

Maybe a friendly PatFans poster will invite you to theirs?

Post in here:

Patriots Fan Tailgate Meet Ups

 

[Nunchucks]

No, they're all private groups of friends and families. If you walked up to one and asked to join in if you paid, nine out of 10 times they'd look at you funny.

Yeah, but if you told them your situation, it would probably be fine. Just thinking of myself. I mean, I often will hangout with random tailgaters for long periods of time.

 

[Tunescribe]

Yeah, but if you told them your situation, it would probably be fine. Just thinking of myself. I mean, I often will hangout with random tailgaters for long periods of time.

Yeah, I just wanted to save him some awkwardness because it'd be like a total stranger asking to join a private party. In some cases that would be totally fine (perhaps depending on the host's level of inebriation). When I tailgate it's usually with just one other person next to other groups of tailgaters we end up socializing with. We bring just enough food/drink for the two of us.

 

[DaBronxPats14]

I usually stay in a Hotel near by when i'm Foxboro but just wondering, if my Hotel is like 3 miles from Gillette and i took Uber, is there a place to drop off & pick up and would they jack up price?

 

[Raymond]

Yeah, but if you told them your situation, it would probably be fine. Just thinking of myself. I mean, I often will hangout with random tailgaters for long periods of time.

That's only because you don't have any friends.

 

[The Brandon Five]

I usually stay in a Hotel near by when i'm Foxboro but just wondering, if my Hotel is like 3 miles from Gillette and i took Uber, is there a place to drop off & pick up and would they jack up price?

Yeah, I would expect surge pricing on game days.

uberPOOL might be a good option (if available).

 

[fnordcircle]

You can hang out at a tailgate if you do it right, but you're relying on everyone just assuming you're a friend of a friend. Source: I went to a tailgate with friends that had setup really close to another unrelated tailgate and spent a lot of time hanging out with the other tailgate under the assumption they were all friends of my friends. It wasn't until I heard someone talking about 'those people over there' while looking at my friends that I figured it all out.

Honestly - your best bets would be to post here and on reddit asking for anyone who has a tailgate who welcomes randos and promise to bring half a six pack of skunky bear and 3 days too old shrimp ****tails.

 

[1960Pats]

Obviously he's a big fan of Kellyanne Conway.

This a much better match ...



All she needs are the eyelashes.

 

[Tunescribe]

This a much better match ...

View attachment 16776

All she needs are the eyelashes.

Not a fair comparison, she's about 20 years older than Conway.

 

[Jangles]

A well-known rite of passage is to wait until after the game, go into one of the bathrooms and sit down on the toilet seat without looking or wiping it down.

Maybe less of a rite of passage and more of a baptism.

I'll identify as a woman that day