2025-08-07: Ballpark, Constellation, and Monument

We had a similar morning to yesterday. We woke up, got cleaned up, and grabbed some breakfast at the hotel. We left the hotel at 10:15am. We had a tour of Fenway park booked for 11:00am. Fenway Park is only about a 25 minute walk away so we decided to walk. It was much warmer this morning than the last couple of days.

We arrived at the tour meeting place at 10:50am. We met in the Red Sox Team Store across the street from Fenway Park. At 11:00am we were gathered in the store and headed across the street to the stadium. We had to go through security at the gate where they confiscated Darrell’s tiny Swiss army knife that he forgot he had in his pocket. It’s pretty ridiculous. It’s too small to do any damage with and the stadium is empty except for the tour. Anyway, they said we could pick it up after the tour.

We entered Fenway Park and they took us to some seats in the lower level where they explained some of the history and pointed out some of the features of the stadium. Fenway Park is the oldest stadium still in use by the MLB. It’s also the smallest stadium in use. They were restricted in their footprint due to the surrounding community, so they could only build vertically. It has grown a few levels over the years. Some of the seats still in use are made of wood and are over 90 years old. They took us to the seats at the top of the “Big Green Monster” which is a wall they built to prevent balls from hitting the cars at what was a GM dealership across the street at the time. The seats on top of the wall are not available as season ticket seats. They are only sold on a game by game basis. They also took us to the press box to see where the paper reporters sit. They have a hierarchy of where you sit based on who you work for and your seniority. They also have a garden on the roof where they grow the vegetables for some of the food they sell, such as a kale salad. They have a red seat behind right field where the furthest home run was hit in 1946. It went 502 feet. It hasn’t been surpassed since. They believe it was due to the wind on that particular day helping the ball sail through the air. They’ve since built higher levels to the stadium so the wind doesn’t blow in the stadium the same way. The tour ended with a stop in a museum full of memorabilia from players and championships over the years. It was an interesting tour.

After the tour, we made our way back to Gate D where we entered the park to recover Darrell’s knife before heading back into the Team Store to buy a couple of souvenirs. Then we decided to grab some lunch. Just around the block was a Wahlburgers. We’ve never eaten there, so decided to give it a try. We quite enjoyed the meal. The burgers and milkshakes were very tasty.

Once we finished lunch, we made our way to the subway and headed downtown. We walked from the North Station to the Boston Naval Shipyard where the USS Constitution is docked. On the way we passed the original Converse shoes building and TD Garden where the Boston Bruins play. We arrived at 3:15pm, only to find out the USS Constitution closed at 3:00pm today for a special event. We were pretty disappointed. They had a museum dedicated to the ship across the street so we checked it out instead. The museum was interesting explaining the history of the ship and its importance in the war with England. It had some interactive displays where you could load and fire a cannon, lift a sail, and see how wind affects the movement of a sailing ship. It talked about the daily life of a crew member and how they did 2 year contracts on the ship. The ship is currently cared for by active military personnel, most just out of bootcamp.

After exploring the museum, we headed to the Bunker Hill Monument which was only about a 10 minute walk away. There is a line you follow in the sidewalks and road that leads you to the monument. The monument resembles the Washington Monument, but on a smaller scale. It was erected to commemorate the soldiers who died fighting the British on the hill. You are able to climb to the top of the monument, but we were all too tired and hot to walk the 300 steps to the top.

We made our way back to the North subway station and headed back towards the hotel. Darrell and Patrick returned to the hotel while Amanda and Michael headed to CVS pharmacy a few blocks away. One of Michael’s ears has been bugging him since we flew to Boston. They talked to pharmacist hoping they would be able to take a look at his ear, but they weren’t able to assist. There was an urgent care clinic across the street and about a block away. They continued to the clinic and had a doctor take a look. Michael has a mild ear infection. They gave us a prescription for some antibiotic ear drops and a nasal spray to help reduce the pressure in his ears. Hopefully they will help him out soon.

We all met up at the pharmacy after Amanda filled the prescription and then went to a pub called Hamilton’s for some dinner. We all enjoyed our meals. Once dinner was done, we returned to the hotel and called it a night.