My first Gillette/Patriot Place Experience of 2008

[Garbanza]

I go to four games a year - purchase tix from a season ticket holder - anyway, yesterday was my first trip to the stadium since November of last year. Holy cow, what a difference ten months makes! HATE IT! It's absolutely horrid. It's a small cement city - has a stepford wives feel to it - with a freakin' stadium in the middle of "town." Shoot, the stadium is obscured from view with the shops, musuem, high end restaurants, movie complex, entertainment venue, almost completed hotel. I'm waiting for the luxury condos.....you know that's coming next. This is Kraft's vision....a money making mall turned community development where football just seems like the afterthought. It does not feel like a real football venue anymore. Awful. Just awful.

 

[JSn]

I go to four games a year - purchase tix from a season ticket holder - anyway, yesterday was my first trip to the stadium since November of last year. Holy cow, what a difference ten months makes! HATE IT! It's absolutely horrid. It's a small cement city - has a stepford wives feel to it - with a freakin' stadium in the middle of "town." Shoot, the stadium is obscured from view with the shops, musuem, high end restaurants, movie complex, entertainment venue, almost completed hotel. I'm waiting for the luxury condos.....you know that's coming next. This is Kraft's vision....a money making mall turned community development where football just seems like the afterthought. It does not feel like a real football venue anymore. Awful. Just awful.

I think it's actually the centrepiece. Not being able to see it... well, that's architectural maximization.

 

[Sean Pa Patriot]

I go to four games a year - purchase tix from a season ticket holder - anyway, yesterday was my first trip to the stadium since November of last year. Holy cow, what a difference ten months makes! HATE IT! It's absolutely horrid. It's a small cement city - has a stepford wives feel to it - with a freakin' stadium in the middle of "town." Shoot, the stadium is obscured from view with the shops, musuem, high end restaurants, movie complex, entertainment venue, almost completed hotel. I'm waiting for the luxury condos.....you know that's coming next. This is Kraft's vision....a money making mall turned community development where football just seems like the afterthought. It does not feel like a real football venue anymore. Awful. Just awful.

What did you feel about the traffic as well.. I went 2 weeks ago, and never was the traffic as bad as it was 2 weeks ago.. Parking is horrendous.. And the traffic coming from 495 south,to the wrentham exit.. Is horrible.

 

[signbabybrady]

What did you feel about the traffic as well.. I went 2 weeks ago, and never was the traffic as bad as it was 2 weeks ago.. Parking is horrendous.. And the traffic coming from 495 south,to the wrentham exit.. Is horrible.

Right its Kraft and Patriot Places fault traffic sucks on 495.

 

[Sean Pa Patriot]

Right its Kraft and Patriot Places fault traffic sucks on 495.

No but I dont remember it being that bad when your stuck a mile from the exit for a hr.. That is all.. You have to admit that Patriot Place has effected parking and traffic then it did 4 yrs ago..

 

[JAYHAWKS34]

No but I dont remember it being that bad when your stuck a mile from the exit for a hr.. That is all.. You have to admit that Patriot Place has effected parking and traffic then it did 4 yrs ago..

not IMO It has always been bad, if you tailgate after the game for about 45 min. you don’t have to deal with the traffic leaving and in yesterdays case 80 percent of the fans were gone midway through the 4th so it was a straight shot out

 

[Sean Pa Patriot]

not IMO It has always been bad, if you tailgate after the game for about 45 min. you don’t have to deal with the traffic leaving and in yesterdays case 80 percent of the fans were gone midway through the 4th so it was a straight shot out

I was more talking about the traffic going to the game .. It was not as bad on 495 as it was a few weeks ago.. But maybee some people are right its not because Patriot Place, just a bigger fan base..

 

[signbabybrady]

No but I dont remember it being that bad when your stuck a mile from the exit for a hr.. That is all.. You have to admit that Patriot Place has effected parking and traffic then it did 4 yrs ago..

actually I have to admit I have not had to deal with it since 2001 as we live in Foxboro and get to use the access road (back door).

All I was saying is that you can blame Kraft for making you park across the street and you can complain if traffic is worse on rt 1 because of the added signals and intersetion in fron of Gillette but if you want to complain becuase the traffic on the hwy is bad than you should direct it elsewhere that is not Krafts fault.

 

[nepatz11]

They need to build a pedestrian bridge over route 1 in a few key spots. For a couple million dolars the traffic problem would be solved.

 

[strongside]

I go to four games a year - purchase tix from a season ticket holder - anyway, yesterday was my first trip to the stadium since November of last year. Holy cow, what a difference ten months makes! HATE IT! It's absolutely horrid. It's a small cement city - has a stepford wives feel to it - with a freakin' stadium in the middle of "town." Shoot, the stadium is obscured from view with the shops, musuem, high end restaurants, movie complex, entertainment venue, almost completed hotel. I'm waiting for the luxury condos.....you know that's coming next. This is Kraft's vision....a money making mall turned community development where football just seems like the afterthought. It does not feel like a real football venue anymore. Awful. Just awful.

Intresting comments. I feel just the opposite. I am a STH for 10 years and although I choose (and always will) to tailgate I think all the shops/resurants/bars add to the excitment of gemeday. Im not sure that having the stadium alone amid a bunch of parking lots is any better.

Not sure if you attended any staduims outside of gillette but some, like Indy, are in the city and you can't really tailgate. Gillette has the best of both worlds.

 

[Sean Pa Patriot]

actually I have to admit I have not had to deal with it since 2001 as we live in Foxboro and get to use the access road (back door).

All I was saying is that you can blame Kraft for making you park across the street and you can complain if traffic is worse on rt 1 because of the added signals and intersetion in fron of Gillette but if you want to complain becuase the traffic on the hwy is bad than you should direct it elsewhere that is not Krafts fault.

I just wanted to know if anyone else felt that way, I come to about 3 games a yr, and usually I get to the game at 1015 for a 1 pm from Pa.. But 2 weeks ago the traffic going in was so bad, I got to the wrentham outlets at 930, but did not park my car till 1140... I found that unusual, maybee it was a 1 time thing, but who knows..

 

[nepatz11]

It is definitely true traffic is worse since Patriot Place. The reason as I understand it is there is more parking on the other side of route 1 and traffic has to be stopped so those people can cross the street. a few pedestrian bridges would be worth their weight in GOLD!

 

[Sporin]

My first time at the new stadium and I thought it was great. The shops and mall will help subside the Krafts and therefor our team. Revenue = Good in my book.

 

[JMarr]

I go to four games a year - purchase tix from a season ticket holder - anyway, yesterday was my first trip to the stadium since November of last year. Holy cow, what a difference ten months makes! HATE IT! It's absolutely horrid. It's a small cement city - has a stepford wives feel to it - with a freakin' stadium in the middle of "town." Shoot, the stadium is obscured from view with the shops, musuem, high end restaurants, movie complex, entertainment venue, almost completed hotel. I'm waiting for the luxury condos.....you know that's coming next. This is Kraft's vision....a money making mall turned community development where football just seems like the afterthought. It does not feel like a real football venue anymore. Awful. Just awful.

Robert Kraft is proving himself to be a more low-key version of Jerry Jones. Totally disappointing.

 

[fgssand]

Robert Kraft is proving himself to be a more low-key version of Jerry Jones. Totally disappointing.

You gotta be kidding me.......

No Kraft - No Patriots, period.

No revenue - No compete (that day is fast approaching).

In our wildest dreams, we could not have found a better owner.

 

[Garbanza]

What did you feel about the traffic as well.. I went 2 weeks ago, and never was the traffic as bad as it was 2 weeks ago.. Parking is horrendous.. And the traffic coming from 495 south,to the wrentham exit.. Is horrible.

The traffic was no worse, no better than before.

Kraft is a shrewd businessman and he is a business man first. I don't blame gim for doing this - I'm just telling you that the football experience is like one big red seat section.

Most bothersome? having the movie titles and show times scrolling on the jumbotron. Are you kidding me?

 

[fgssand]

The traffic was no worse, no better than before.

Correct and you can thank your wonderful politicians from Massachusetts.

They refused to allow the connector road from 95 to rte one.

They shot down every single attempt to locate the stadium in or around Boston going back to 1965 leading right up to the year before Gillette became a reality.

It really is as simple as that.....we are lucky Billy Sullivan found a few million to build Shaeffer / Sullivan/Foxboro Stadium back in the day.

We are lucky Robert Kraft bought up the lease that bound the team here and paid through the nose for the team.

We are lucky to have new Gillette and all that is coming with it.

Try living in LA, some of you have no clue how close we really were to losing this team and Mass. would have never figured out how to bring back a new - never, ever.

 

[Garbanza]

Intresting comments. I feel just the opposite. I am a STH for 10 years and although I choose (and always will) to tailgate I think all the shops/resurants/bars add to the excitment of gemeday. Im not sure that having the stadium alone amid a bunch of parking lots is any better.

Not sure if you attended any staduims outside of gillette but some, like Indy, are in the city and you can't really tailgate. Gillette has the best of both worlds.

What excitement? Walking by the Victoria Secret Store windows?

I've been to Reliant. Loved the stadium. Been to Giants stadium. The tailgating is hardcore. Been to Charlotte - nice stadium, hideous tailgating - it's in the middle of the city. Been to Cleveland. Again - in the city - which kills the tailgating feel. Really does. Thats why this mini- retail city called Patriost Place is so disconcerting.

 

[shmessy]

Kraft is a shrewd businessman and he is a business man first. I don't blame gim for doing this - I'm just telling you that the football experience is like one big red seat section.

Wrong.

If what you state was anywhere near true, you'd be driving to Hartford to watch them.

 

[AStack75]

As I was walking through the shops as I came over from P10, I had the feeling like I was walking through one of those fake streets/cities at Disney World.