Top tips for U.K fans attending the divisional play-off game?

[JSM]

Hi all,

Hoping to get some advice on the best things to do pre-game/day before game please?

Will be staying in downtown Boston for the days leading up to the game so any recommendations for the best Pats bars on the Fri or Sat night.

Would like to get to Gillette early (roughly 9am). Not sure what the best travel options would be?

Any tailgating recommendations or bars at patriot place to attend pre-game?

Of course, we won't have our own car to tailgate from but open to bringing plenty of food and drink so was wondering if there are general areas to congregate.

Finally, any particular bars/ places to attend after the game.

Any and as much help as possible would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

James

 

[Triumph]

Anybody here going to the game that would let the British tailgate with them?

Ive never seen anybody tailgate without a tailgate.

 

[A Defiant Goose]

Take the Patriots game day train to the game from Boston for sure. Beer "isn't allowed on the train" but everytime I've used it it's basically been a tailgate on train tracks. Check the MBTA website for details.

Although if I remember correctly it doesn't get there that early. Maybe like an hour before kickoff. There's a bar at Gillette whose name escapes me but it's always packed before the game and has ski ball or bowling or some ****. I'm sure someone knows the name.

 

[Kontradiction]

Anybody here going to the game that would let the British tailgate with them?

Ive never seen anybody tailgate without a tailgate.

Something tells me that the French would give in right away and let the British tailgate with them.

 

[Triumph]

Something tells me that the French would give in right away and let the British tailgate with them.

Brits like stick your ribs grub like bangers and mash washed down with a pint of Beer.

Not spinach quiche, snails and champagne.

 

[dannydyn]

I won't be there this time around, or else I would have gladly PM'd you my cell number and had you join my TG party. I'm sure there are some folks here who will do it.

 

[Clonamery]

Hi all,

Hoping to get some advice on the best things to do pre-game/day before game please?

Will be staying in downtown Boston for the days leading up to the game so any recommendations for the best Pats bars on the Fri or Sat night.

Would like to get to Gillette early (roughly 9am). Not sure what the best travel options would be?

Any tailgating recommendations or bars at patriot place to attend pre-game?

Of course, we won't have our own car to tailgate from but open to bringing plenty of food and drink so was wondering if there are general areas to congregate.

Finally, any particular bars/ places to attend after the game.

Any and as much help as possible would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

James

I would rent a pick up truck that has a tailgate plus you could pass out in it after the game (and drinking at the bars at Patriots Place).

 

[Kontradiction]

Brits like stick your ribs grub like bangers and mash washed down with a pint of Beer.

Not spinach quiche, snails and champagne.

I heard about one tailgate where the French allowed a group of German men to take over their tailgate within a couple of minutes.

 

[Triumph]

I won't be there this time around, or else I would have gladly PM'd you my cell number and had you join my TG party. I'm sure there are some folks here who will do it.

I invite strangers to tailgate with me all the time at road games.

 

[1960Pats]

Hi all,

Hoping to get some advice on the best things to do pre-game/day before game please?

Will be staying in downtown Boston for the days leading up to the game so any recommendations for the best Pats bars on the Fri or Sat night.

Would like to get to Gillette early (roughly 9am). Not sure what the best travel options would be?

Any tailgating recommendations or bars at patriot place to attend pre-game?

Of course, we won't have our own car to tailgate from but open to bringing plenty of food and drink so was wondering if there are general areas to congregate.

Finally, any particular bars/ places to attend after the game.

Any and as much help as possible would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

James

Welcome James.

There are a few of these type of threads here and I'll see if I can dig them up after I type this.

The only thing I've seen here so far that I disagree with is taking the train to the stadium. I don't think you can get there early if you do. You'll get there just in time. I've also heard horror stories about the train arriving late. From what I read in the other threads like this the suggestion was to rent a car for the day and use that for your tailgate.

If you're looking for a place to eat in Boston, my first suggestion would be to go out for some great Italian food in the North End. There are many great places there but Artu on Prince Street is one of my favorites as well as a favorite of many of the locals.

If you decide to go to the one of the bars at Patriot Place on game day, good luck. They, and the restaurants, get very busy on game days from what I understand. Saturday might be a better time to go and see those places.

 

[1960Pats]

Hi all,

Hoping to get some advice on the best things to do pre-game/day before game please?

Will be staying in downtown Boston for the days leading up to the game so any recommendations for the best Pats bars on the Fri or Sat night.

Would like to get to Gillette early (roughly 9am). Not sure what the best travel options would be?

Any tailgating recommendations or bars at patriot place to attend pre-game?

Of course, we won't have our own car to tailgate from but open to bringing plenty of food and drink so was wondering if there are general areas to congregate.

Finally, any particular bars/ places to attend after the game.

Any and as much help as possible would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

James

If I did it correctly a few posts in on the link below is all of the info you need. It's the post with all of the links related to the questions that you have . good luck.

Boston to Gillette other than by train

 

[FCB02062]

Do not bother with the "Pats Train". It is slow and doesn't get to the stadium until maybe 45 minutes before kick. We don't have "Pats Bars" so to speak like you have "United Bars" or "Spurs Bars" in the UK - almost every bar is a "Pats Bar" and will be dominated by Pats fans.

The Pats game is at 1 pm. From my experience the bars at Patriot Place - gigantic retail area surrounding the stadium - do not sell booze till 11 am on game day for 1 pm kickoffs (Red Robin and Tavallino's by my experience). The bars will be jam packed - your best bet is to glom onto someone and join their tailgate.

Now getting there - If you leave early enough and plan on staying at Patriot Place after the game till at least 8 or 9, your best bet is an Uber or a Lyft. But if you plan on leaving soon after the game Uber or Lyft is very difficult and you'll have long wait times and will sit in traffic forever. Plus the "official" Uber pick up spot is at Bass Pro Shops, which is not a short walk from the stadium.

Folks I know have had success with taking an Uber out really early for a 1 pm game - like 7 or 8 am out of the city, killing time and meeting up with your tailgaters, tailgating, tailgating some more after the game and/or hit the bars at Patriot Place, THEN taking a really late (like 9 pm) Uber back to the city OR taking an Uber to the Walpole Commuter Rail Station and grabbing one of the late trains back to South Station or Back Bay. I think the last trains out are 9 and 11 pm.

Good Luck.

 

[jmt57]

Hi all,

Hoping to get some advice on the best things to do pre-game/day before game please?

Will be staying in downtown Boston for the days leading up to the game so any recommendations for the best Pats bars on the Fri or Sat night.

Would like to get to Gillette early (roughly 9am). Not sure what the best travel options would be?

Any tailgating recommendations or bars at patriot place to attend pre-game?

Of course, we won't have our own car to tailgate from but open to bringing plenty of food and drink so was wondering if there are general areas to congregate.

Finally, any particular bars/ places to attend after the game.

Any and as much help as possible would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers,

James

@JSM
Check out the link that 1960Pats provided above in post #11.

You can also click on the tags at the top of this thread, which will lead you to other threads with the same questions.


Enjoy the game!

 

[Joker]

eat and drink well BEFORE you enter the stadium...unless you don't mind being bent over and driven home by the "fan friendly" concession clip joints.

 

[Brick27]

Good advice in here. In terms of tailgating, have to think that Pats faithful would love to hear your story, the travel and commitment you made to get over here to the states to see the game, and that you’ll surely be able to find some folks to settle in with before the game. Can’t promise you that you’ll be able to tolerate their gritty accents, but I do think you can find welcoming folks by simply wandering. I won’t be tailgating, but will be at the game. Keep it posted here if there’s anything you need and I’ll be happy to accommodate. Cheers!

 

[Nikolai]

The best advice I could give is not to identify as British to the Minutemen.

 

[Soliel]

I like the British, our finest ally can join my tailgate any day. I won’t be at the game though and I wish I could do that but it’s not possible

 

[JSM]

Cheers for all of the advice! It's greatly appreciated and gives us a better insight than generic tourist websites I've researched.

My girlfriend and I are trying to experience as much of Boston life (especially Patriots life) as possible during our trip so the travel/restaurant/bars/tailgating suggestions have been really useful.

We'll probably end up getting an uber there and arriving around 9, bringing plenty of drinks and snacks and wander around the tailgaters before hopefully watching the saints smash up nick foles (still bitter about last year) at a bar in patriot place after the game.

Any more ideas people think of or 'must do' experiences in Boston or on game day it would be great to hear.

Cheers.

 

[102 Pat]

If you go into any of the bars at Gillette, bring your passport. Two seasons ago, the other couple my wife and I were with wanted to have a drink at CBS Scene and the wife of the other couple was refused service because she didn't have her Canadian passport on her (the other 3 of us did) and they wouldn't acknowledge her provincial driving license.

Try to avoid the train if all possible, you won't have much, if any time before and after to enjoy everything as it's rush to get to and leave your seats.