Surface:  Natural Grass
Capacity:  33,871 (Lowest in the Major Leagues)
Dimensions:  Left 310 ft.  Centerfield 390 ft.  Right 302 ft.
Stadium Opened:  1912
Date Visited: April 12, 2003

Food:

Since the stadium concourse is only one level, the number of concession stands was limited, but Fenway made the best of the space that they had in order to try to fit the most food stands in the stadium.  Although, the lines for food were extremely long and not worth the wait once the game had started.

Parking:

• Take mass transit

Atmosphere:

Fenway Park is definitely a classic ballpark.  Although, I tend to not like old ballparks, Fenway was much better than I expected.  The atmosphere was what I expected it to be….very little music, minimal sound effects, etc.  I do tend to enjoy the music played in stadiums, so this was definitely a downfall for this park.  Given the fact that the stadium is old, I can respect their desire to keep with tradition.  There were some minor PA system problems.  The PA was very hard to hear so it was hard to follow the game. 

As far as the atmosphere of the stands, the fans were your typical die-hard baseball fans.  I felt they were inappropriate at many times, throwing popcorn at the rookie right fielder, shouting obscenities, and booing their own relief pitcher coming in from the bullpen.  Many fights broke out in the bleachers, which is expected, and stadium security was right on top of the situations.  It seemed to me to be a little more tense in the bleachers than in other stadiums, but if I were a Red Sox fan and my best pitcher was getting beaten pretty badly, I’d find other entertainment too. 

The fans were definitely into the game and were very loud.  Given that, the 7th inning stretch consisted of the most pitiful rendition of “Take me out to the Ballgame” that I have ever heard.  Hardly any of the fans were into it and you could barely hear it coming out of the PA system.  It was disappointing to see fans so into the game, but not into one of the most famous baseball traditions. 

Overall, the park architecture was a pleasant surprise.  The stadium was very clean and was located in a very festive area of Boston.  The outside of the stadium was very similar to Yankee Stadium, with shops located up and down the nearby streets. 

Restrooms:

• Plentiful and very clean

Seating:

• Sections were clearly marked.
• The seats under the overhang have a pole obstructing the field.
• All seats seemed fairly close to the field.
• "Green Monster" seats

Interesting Facts/Features:

• The new Green Monster seats added a unique touch to the stadium, but I feel it took away from the intimidation of the Green Monster.

• Manual scoreboard in left field.

• The Red Seat in the outfield marked Ted Williams’ homerun, the longest homerun hit in Fenway Park.  (502 Feet)  Section 42, Row 37, Seat 21.

• The Green Monster in left field is 37 feet tall.

Questions? Comments? E-Mail me:amanda@baseballstadiumreviews.com