In the movies and on TV, whenever someone is driving somewhere, they invariably find a parking spot right in front of wherever they're going. It doesn't matter what time of day it is or how much traffic there is, there's always a parking spot for the main character, even at the airport. Heaven forbid they use a parking garage, but that probably wouldn't do much for the continuity of the movie.
Too bad Pro Park America can't get a movie product placement deal for their many garages throughout the country. If they had a deal, we'd see more parking garages in movies and more realistic parking by characters. Even though Pro Park America offers convenient parking options at airports and garages all over the USA, their rapid shuttle services can't compare to the unreality of a parking space out front.
I live near Boston, a city notorious for its parking woes. If you can find a space, you will most likely pay big bucks. Heck, it costs $40 to park at Fenway! And if you tourists want to "Pahk the Cah in Hahvahd Yahd," Harvard Square parking is not much cheaper. Parking and tickets to Fenway are so expensive, it's actually cheaper to fly to Baltimore to watch the Sox play at Camden Yards!
We did just that a few years ago. I was spending time with friends out in Western Mass and a bunch of us drove to Bradley international airport, parked the car (we didn't use Bradley Airport long term parking as we just flew down for the day), flew to Baltimore and cabbed it over to Camden Yards.
There were no parking spots in front of the park.
Parking or Flying
The Fenway Flashback Strikes Back
I'll never forget the first time I saw Star Wars.
My dad woke up one fine Saturday morning (July 23, 1977 to be exact) and announced to my brother and I "Call up a friend, I'm taking you to the ballgame!" We each rallied a friend and off we went to Fenway.
Back in those days it was fairly routine to go to the park on game day and get tickets. Even though it was only two years removed from the great 1975 team, Fenway rarely sold out. You could always get bleacher seats (they were actually bleachers back then too). So off we went through Newton, past Boston College, through Cleveland Circle and down Commonwealth Avenue towards Fenway.
We were particularly excited because a young pitching phenom named Dennis Eckersley was pitching for the visiting Indians. I was going to be quite a day.
Dad parked the car in his secret spot and we walked a few blocks to Fenway and went to the ticket office. No seats available there-"try the bleachers" said the gal at the counter. We went around to the other side of the park to the bleacher gate and to our shock, there were no seats available there either. A sellout at Fenway! It was unheard of!
Now my father had four very disappointed boys on his hands. He rallied quickly. "How about we go see that new Star Wars movie? It's playing at the Cleveland Circle Cinema."
A resounding "YEAH!" from the boys assured him the afternoon wouldn't be a failure after all.
We motored over to the cinema and got tickets. Dad bought us whatever we wanted at the concession stand to further establish his expertise in averting a disastrous day.
After the movie got out, we found out the Sox lost to Cleveland 9-8. We were very happy about our good fortune at not having wasted a day on a Sox loss. Plus we got to see "the awesomest movie EVAH!"
I have seen Star Wars (and all its sequels) dozens of times since that day, but it will forever be a Fenway Flashback memory for me.
Battle for the Planet of the Fenway Flashback
On October 6, 2001, I had the honor of attending Cal Ripkin's final game at Fenway Park with my son. While there wasn't some of the insanity that sometimes accompanies me and my trips to Fenway, it was a memorable night nonetheless.
It was the final game of the season and I had purchased 5 games from a friend with season tickets. Every year this guy sends out a list of 25-30 games he's making available for purchase before the season starts. This means he sells the tickets for games he doesn't want.
I always like going to opening day and the last game of the season. Opening Day is fun because its Opening Day! The final game can be fun too-they always give away a car (I'll win one of these years), the game could have playoff implications, it could be a farewell game for a player headed to free agency or something else cool could happen, like Cal Ripkin's Fenway finale.
Ripkin announced his retirement after the season began, and my friend started needling me about taking him to the game. I told him I was taking my son.
At the game some of the season ticket regulars got on my friend for giving up such an historic ticket. My son had a blast. It was his 7th Birthday celebration so he got a bunch of "ballpark stuff" (foam finger, cap, baseball etc) courtesy of dad.
At the end of the game he tried to get Cal's autograph, but the push of the crowd was too much for such a small kid and he came away empty handed. I made a framed collage of the ticket stubs, a picture of us at the park and the commemorative program for him later. He still talks about the game now and again. It's one of his early Fenway memories and destined to be one of his Fenway Flashbacks someday.
Another Fenway Flashback
Before game 1 of the 1986 playoffs, I was standing in front of the ticket office at Fenway Park waiting for my brother. I was just watching the crowd and I noticed Steven King (the author) walking up and down Yawkey Way.
There was a guy standing across the street with a sign that said "I've been a Red Sox Fan Since: (followed by a list of tidbits which indicated he'd been a Sox fan for a long time) AND I NEED A TICKET!!" The guy really wanted to get into the game.
I watched Stephen King walk up to him and they started talking. Stephen King reached into his pocket, pulled out a ticket, and gave it to the sign guy. This guy went NUTS. He started whooping and hollering and he ran down the street screaming "I GOT A TICKET!! WOOOHOOO!"
He seemed pretty happy.
Now I'd seen Stephen King speak at UMASS and I actually met and spoke with him briefly, so I wasn't intimidated or anything. I walked over to him and said "that was a nice thing you did."
"Thanks."
"You know, if you need a ticket, I'll trade you mine for the rights to your next book."
He smiled, then immediately went deadpan and said "Yeah, sure pal." Then he chuckled and said "enjoy the game."
I don't know what ever happened to the sign guy, but Stephen King went on to make about eight gazillion more dollars after that night!
Fenway Flashback
The American League Division Series begins today with the Red Sox facing the Angels at Fenway Park. I had the chance to get to Fenway this past Sunday and it has changed quite a bit over the years. They've opened up more space at the ballpark and cleaned things up quite a bit. The grandstand seats are still way too small for me though. I get indents in my knee caps because I'm too tall for the seats. Anyone over five feet five inches tall is too tall for those seats.
We sat one section over from our old season tickets. For 12 years our family had section 29, row four, seats 5,6 7 & 8. I also shared an interest with a friend in a pair of bleacher seats in section 40, row 13 seats 5 & 6. I haven't had season tickets since the mid nineties but I always manage to get to Fenway once or twice a year.
Back in the season ticket days, I was ALWAYS at the ballpark. I worked in the city and went to almost every weeknight game-sometimes in the grandstands, sometimes in the bleachers. A common denominator was beer. I got to know all the beer vendors in both sections. They'd let us season ticket holders cut the line and take six beers if we wanted them(the "limit" was and still is, two). All we had to do was tip them! It was worth a few extra bucks to not have to wait in line and make fewer trips.
At last Sunday's game, I ran into one of my favorite beer gals from back in the day. She was still slinging suds and she was just as cute as ever. She remembered me and even remembered what section my seats were in! I asked if she could still send me off with six beers and let me cut the line and, alas, she could not.
"The rules are still the same," she explained, "they just enforce them now!"
I stood chatting with her as she served more customers and I told her about Game 5 in 1986. I was at the game with my mom, brother and uncle (dad was traveling and missed that game). I was the designated beer runner since I could cut the line and get six beers. Nobody (including me) wanted to miss a minute of the game (of course we still wanted the beer) so I used my "connections" to make quick beer runs. I got to the very long line, made eye contact with "John," the beer guy and he waved me to the front where a box 'o beers (six of them) were being freshly poured.
A woman at the front of the line hollered "hey, how come he can cut?!"
John barked back at her, "He's a season ticket holder and he TIPS!!"
I thanked John, paid him and tipped him and turned to leave with my beers. Standing at the end of the line was Dick "The Monster" Radatz, a former Sox reliever from the mid 1960's who was one of the game's original "closers."
I went up to him, handed him a beer and said "You don't have to wait in line, Mohnstah."
He thanked me, took the beer and headed back to his seat, which ended up being across the aisle from mine. He signed my "K" poster and I ran to get beers for him for the rest of the game, he even bought a couple of rounds. The Monster could definitely put the beers away!
I ran into "John" and his wife in the mid 1990's at the Cask and Flagon (a bar across the street from Fenway) and I bought them a beer as thanks for hooking me up all those times!
The beer gal got a kick out of the story, she didn't even make me wait for the next one!
Fenway Fun Day
I went to the final regular season Red Sox game Sunday. The Sox had clinched the AL East so they had nothing to play for. As a result, Terry Francona started Julian Tavares and paraded a whole bunch of pitchers to the mound for post season tune-ups including the aforementioned Tavares, Jon Lester, Mike Timlin, Manny DelCarmen, Eric "He Who Sucks" Gagne, and Jonathon Papelbon.
The starting position players got rotated out as the game wore on leaving Doughboy Dougie Mirabelli to strike out to end the game.
Even though they lost, the post season excitement was in the air on a fine fall afternoon. My brother and I each sank 5 $7 beers and had a grand old time! We sat near our old season ticket seats and I was reminiscing with a gal pouring the beers about the "good old days" at Fenway Park-but that's a story for another day.
Enjoy these photos of scenic Fenway!
THE GREEN MONSTER
FENWAY FACADE
BOSTON SKYLINE FRAMED BY FENWAY
Who do you call when your windshield's busted?
For those of you who live in New England, the ubiquitous jingle in my title is probably so drilled into your brain that you began singing it as you read the it! When I did this last weekend, my son started singing the song!
Today, Scott from Giant Glass came by and fixed me up good as new!
He even managed to chow down on a couple of dogs when he was done. He said he's sat in some of the company seats at Fenway Park; the owner of Giant Glass has seats right behind home plate!
The funny thing is, breaking a car window is no big deal. If more things in life were as easy and painless as getting your auto glass replaced, the world would be a much better place. All I had to do was make a phone call. The folks at Giant Glass did the rest! They take care of all the insurance paperwork, show up just about anywhere when they say they will and they do their job well; I don't even have to pay anything. No hassle at all! Thanks, and I'll be more careful next time!
Now if I could only get some seats behind home plate at Fenway.....
