The Newest English New England Patriot Fan

[NewEnglish]

Hi there folks!

I've signed up to this forum in the hope that some of you out there will be able to give me some hints and tips.

We are spending some of our Summer holiday in Boston this year and my wife and I were thinking of taking our boys (11 and 8.5) to see a game. We took them to see some baseball in North Carolina a couple of years ago and so this seems like the next logical step in their cultural education.

I've seen that there is a pre-season match being held on the 10th August between the NEP and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

My general questions are these:

(1) What's the best way to get hold of some tickets?
(2) Where would be the best place to sit striking a reasonable balance between cost and view?
(3) Does anyone have any experience of getting the train to the stadium? Is it any good? If so, how does someone like me stuck in England (for the time being) get hold of tickets for the train?
(4) Does anyone have any other hints and tips?

Many thanks,

Chris

 

[Nikolai]

Welcome!

I'm not sure I can answer those questions for a preseason game other than to say that it's probably similar to a regular season game in that stubhub is probably going to be the best bet, outside of having someone here sell you some. As for cost, it's steep compared to other teams, but it's preseason so perhaps they'll be cheaper.

If the game is the centerpiece of your trip, stay at the hotel near the stadium and save yourself the hassle of dealing with getting there and back.

Good luck

 

[Tony2046]

Here's the stubhub link.

StubHub!

I was thinking of doing the same with my kids. Personally cost/view for me puts me in section 310 or so.

As for hint or tips etc... maybe @Tunescribe or @Joker can help.

 

[Tunescribe]

Hi there folks!

I've signed up to this forum in the hope that some of you out there will be able to give me some hints and tips.

We are spending some of our Summer holiday in Boston this year and my wife and I were thinking of taking our boys (11 and 8.5) to see a game. We took them to see some baseball in North Carolina a couple of years ago and so this seems like the next logical step in their cultural education.

I've seen that there is a pre-season match being held on the 10th August between the NEP and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

My general questions are these:

(1) What's the best way to get hold of some tickets?
(2) Where would be the best place to sit striking a reasonable balance between cost and view?
(3) Does anyone have any experience of getting the train to the stadium? Is it any good? If so, how does someone like me stuck in England (for the time being) get hold of tickets for the train?
(4) Does anyone have any other hints and tips?

Many thanks,

Chris

DO NOT take the train, it is NOT reliable (I'm not sure it runs for preseason games anyway). Overall, your logistics for a preseason game are different than during the regular season. Tickets should be easier to find and cheaper. Shoot for anything in the lower bowl or mezzanine levels (100s and 200s) vs. 300-level uppers. Ticket brokers and eBay always will have something. The team might make a limited number of preseason game tickets available directly, check the Patriots website for information on if/when they go on sale. Stay away from Craigslist. Plan on arriving at Patriot Place (the near-stadium business area) at least three hours before kickoff so you can avoid rush-hour traffic, relax and enjoy the local scene -- restaurants, shops, Patriots pro shop, etc. It will be a night game ending quite late so keep that in mind.

 

[neali]

If you feel comfortable renting a car and driving on the wrong side of the road, stay in Providence. As someone who lived in Foxboro for 24 years, besides the Patriots, you are not missing much. Visit the Newport mansions, the bars on College Hill in Providence, Mystic, Groton, and if your brave, drive up to Boston. Forget about the train.

 

[NewEnglish]

Thanks guys. Really appreciated.

We already have accommodation booked in central Boston for the period.

The train looks like a pain (even if it's running) because getting hold of tickets isn't easy and we'd have to wait until the very end of the game to get home.

Because it's going to be a late finish I'm considering a more local hotel / motel for the night. Perhaps I'll do a little more research this weekend.

It's all looking super expensive but this is a very special family holiday and I know that my boys will love the whole stadium atmosphere. They loved the baseball in NC.

Any more tips welcome.

 

[captain insano]

Hi there folks!

I've signed up to this forum in the hope that some of you out there will be able to give me some hints and tips.

We are spending some of our Summer holiday in Boston this year and my wife and I were thinking of taking our boys (11 and 8.5) to see a game. We took them to see some baseball in North Carolina a couple of years ago and so this seems like the next logical step in their cultural education.

I've seen that there is a pre-season match being held on the 10th August between the NEP and the Jacksonville Jaguars.

My general questions are these:

(1) What's the best way to get hold of some tickets?
(2) Where would be the best place to sit striking a reasonable balance between cost and view?
(3) Does anyone have any experience of getting the train to the stadium? Is it any good? If so, how does someone like me stuck in England (for the time being) get hold of tickets for the train?
(4) Does anyone have any other hints and tips?

Many thanks,

Chris

Make sure you bring a bowl spoon and a bib. once you get here people will be offering you non-stop beans and clam chowder. that's all we eat here in Boston. and sometimes it gets very messy. people have been known to dump clam chowder and pork and beans on foreigners heads to welcome them to the area.

 

[Mike the Brit]

Make sure you bring a bowl spoon and a bib. once you get here people will be offering you non-stop beans and clam chowder. that's all we eat here in Boston. and sometimes it gets very messy. people have been known to dump clam chowder and pork and beans on foreigners heads to welcome them to the area.

Don't worry. All we eat in England is baked beans too.

 

[supafly]

Make sure you bring a bowl spoon and a bib. once you get here people will be offering you non-stop beans and clam chowder. that's all we eat here in Boston. and sometimes it gets very messy. people have been known to dump clam chowder and pork and beans on foreigners heads to welcome them to the area.

That's why all the locals call it bean town.

(Ducks)

 

[Mike the Brit]

Some helpfully meant advice ...

• Yes, the train sucks, even if it's running in pre-season. If you're doing this as a big trip for the family, you want some time at the stadium beforehand for Patriot Place, tailgating, etc.

• I LOVE pre-season games, but most fans don't. What I like is that guys you have never seen before (and, in some cases, will never see again) get to showcase themselves. It's true that some of the football is pretty bad (I blame the second and third-string O-lines, which make it almost impossible for a backup offense to get going) but it's still an occasion. I'm sure an English guy who knows the difference between Cody and Jacob Hollister will make a big impression.

• What it means is that there should be plenty of spare tickets around. The difficulty is getting them. Perhaps there will be people on this Board who can fix you up, or, at least advise (though four together may be more difficult).

• Boston itself is well worth it. Americans often describe it as a "European" city, but all of the Europeans I know think of it as very American.

• Here are some things that might be fun with two young lads: the Aquarium (OK, fish are fish, but there's a big vertical glass tank to walk around. And lots of penguins -- they don't half pen-and-ink.) The Museum of Science (I think this is truly great). The USS Constitution (sailing ship from the 1812 War docked in the North End EDIT: oops, Charlestown). The Harbour (and going out on a boat) is great. Harvard and M.I.T. Both have museums that are good for kids (M.I.T. more techy, Harvard for natural history). If you had more time, getting up to Gloucester (it's a whaling/fishing port on the coast this side of the Atlantic!) and going whale watching could be a lot of fun.

Hoping you and your family have a great trip,


Mike

​

 

[Kontradiction]

Make sure you bring a bowl spoon and a bib. once you get here people will be offering you non-stop beans and clam chowder. that's all we eat here in Boston. and sometimes it gets very messy. people have been known to dump clam chowder and pork and beans on foreigners heads to welcome them to the area.

Damn xenophobes.

 

[PatsGuy]

Some helpfully meant advice ...

• Yes, the train sucks, even if it's running in pre-season. If you're doing this as a big trip for the family, you want some time at the stadium beforehand for Patriot Place, tailgating, etc.

• I LOVE pre-season games, but most fans don't. What I like is that guys you have never seen before (and, in some cases, will never see again) get to showcase themselves. It's true that some of the football is pretty bad (I blame the second and third-string O-lines, which make it almost impossible for a backup offense to get going) but it's still an occasion. I'm sure an English guy who knows the difference between Cody and Jacob Hollister will make a big impression.

• What it means is that there should be plenty of spare tickets around. The difficulty is getting them. Perhaps there will be people on this Board who can fix you up, or, at least advise (though four together may be more difficult).

• Boston itself is well worth it. Americans often describe it as a "European" city, but all of the Europeans I know think of it as very American.

• Here are some things that might be fun with two young lads: the Aquarium (OK, fish are fish, but there's a big vertical glass tank to walk around. And lots of penguins -- they don't half pen-and-ink.) The Museum of Science (I think this is truly great). The USS Constitution (sailing ship from the 1812 War docked in the North End EDIT: oops, Charlestown). The Harbour (and going out on a boat) is great. Harvard and M.I.T. Both have museums that are good for kids (M.I.T. more techy, Harvard for natural history). If you had more time, getting up to Gloucester (it's a whaling/fishing port on the coast this side of the Atlantic!) and going whale watching could be a lot of fun.

Hoping you and your family have a great trip,


Mike

​

Is Mike a "Brit"?? I don't know bout that U should have a great time. And with pre-season the games generally start a litttle earlier.
Where in England r u from? I ask cause we're thinking STRONGLY of going there (along with Ireland next May/June

 

[Mike the Brit]

Is Mike a "Brit"?? I don't know bout that U should have a great time. And with pre-season the games generally start a litttle earlier.
Where in England r u from? I ask cause we're thinking STRONGLY of going there (along with Ireland next May/June

Oh yeah -- or should I say "yah"? I'm originally from Yorkshire, but I've lived in the South (and, more recently, in the People's Republic of Cambridge) for a long time.

 

[PatsGuy]

Oh yeah -- or should I say "yah"? I'm originally from Yorkshire, but I've lived in the South (and, more recently, in the People's Republic of Cambridge) for a long time.

LOL
I did put on a smiley face. It didn't stick!

 

[Tony2046]

Don't worry. All we eat in England is baked beans too.

Man, when I lived in England my friends and I would eat fish n chips served from a corner booth down in Lakenheath village. Had the local split pea soup and steak pie once in awhile as well. Good stuff.

Oh and the Snake bite was a popular pint. Carlsberg beer with a shot or two of woodpecker cider.

 

[Joker]

This site is infested with sots!

 

[captain insano]

Man, when I lived in England my friends and I would eat fish n chips served from a corner booth down in Lakenheath village. Had the local split pea soup and steak pie once in awhile as well. Good stuff.

Oh and the Snake bite was a popular pint. Carlsberg beer with a shot or two of woodpecker cider.

that sounds great. but did anybody dump the pea soup fish and steak pie on your head?

 

[Tony2046]

@NewEnglish

You might want to check out some of these tours and if interested book them before you leave as they may be full.

Boston Tours and Sightseeing Cruises

Personally my family and I went on the Tour of the Freedom Trail - Walking Tour of Boston which was quite good. Both informative and humorous.

Btw: You might be able to catch a Red Sox game as well. On a tight budget I would suggest standing room only (SRO) tickets. They are the cheapest and great for kids because they can run around a bit, there is a concession stand right fifty feet away and you get a great view of the game. It's the oldest baseball park in the US. Chances are that if you go during the week there will be empty seats in the SRO section.

Anyways enjoy your vacation.

 

[Clonamery]

Oh yeah -- or should I say "yah"? I'm originally from Yorkshire, but I've lived in the South (and, more recently, in the People's Republic of Cambridge) for a long time.

I thought you were German...didn't your handle used to be, "Mike the Merkel?"

 

[Mike the Brit]

I thought you were German...didn't your handle used to be, "Mike the Merkel?"

Ja! Onkel Mike, zu Befehl!