Last week on the CNN web page (www.cnn.com) I found an article that listed 15 landmarks throughout the U.S that every child should visit. Not surprisingly to me that Fenway Park was on the list. It is after all 99 years old this year and despite numerous upgrades and renovations, it still has the character and charisma that it has had for almost a century.
In the article it briefly describes what tours and entertainment is offered at each landmark and what the cost is. For Fenway Park they mention you can take a tour of the ballpark for a cost of $12 for adults and $10 for kids. For a 50 minute tour you have the ability to roam Fenway and have numerous stops throughout the ballpark. One stop includes the green monster where you can sit and take in the beautiful view of the most storied ballpark in America. A nice touch on the tour is the tour guide who is a walking dictionary of both the Red Sox and Fenway Park. He or she will share intimate stories of historic moments from the Red Sox past, including the Fisk 1975 home run, how Pesky pole got it’s name, the history of the green monster amongst so many others. On a good day, I have heard you may even get the chance to walk the warning track and stand in left field in front of the monster.
My top three stories/memories from when I took the tour were:
1. The sole red seat out in the right field bleachers that signifies the longest, recordable home run ever hit at Fenway Park. Ted Williams hit a 502 foot dinger on June 9, 1946 off of Detroit Tigers pitcher Fred Hutchinson. What makes this story even greater is that sitting in that seat was a Yankee fan who was catching up on his sleep at the time and took the Williams homer off the noggin! Not to worry, he was treated and released from hospital with only a bruised ego.
2. The green ladder that runs above the manual scoreboard to the top of the green monster. It was first put in place to help fetch balls that were hit over the monster and caught by the giant netting. When access to the top of the monster was re-constructed and the ladder was no longer needed, it for some reason remained on the wall. To this day, if a ball gets caught up in the ladder, it is the only ground rule triple in the Majors.
3. The original wooden seats that still make up part of the seating along the first and third baselines. While these historic features don’t offer a lot of leg room they do keep you moving throughout the game. Anyone that has sat in those seats knows that if someone in their row has to get up and go get an adult beverage or visit the restroom, the entire row has to stand up, fold their seat in and move back as far as you can to let that person pass. This is a classic feature of old Fenway. I’ve included a picture of the seats that I took during the tour.
To view the entire list of landmarks, please follow the link to the CNN website http://www.cnn.com/2011/TRAVEL/03/24/15.places.before.15/index.html?iref=allsearch#
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