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Professional - Hockey and Basketball The former Boston Garden, now rebuilt and called the Fleet Center, located at 150 Causeway in Boston, is home to both the Bruins and the Celtics. Professional wrestling, ice skating, and the circus are also staged here. The Fleet Center has a Commuter Rail station and a few eating places and bars. You can get to the Fleet Center by taking the Green Line to North Station. Of course you're always welcome to drive if you're willing to tackle the parking nightmare that downtown Boston offers show-goers. For information about tickets to Fleet Center events and box office hours, call 227-3200. You cannot call the Box Office to order tickets - you must purchase them in person. The Box Office accepts Master Card, Visa, American Express, cash and personal checks only if drawn on a Massachusetts bank and written at least 24 hours before the event. To charge tickets by phone you must call Ticketmaster at 931-2000. Ticket Master accepts American Express, Discover, Master Card and Visa and charges a service fee for each ticket. lf you go in person to a Ticket Master outlet you must use cash only. The hockey season for the Boston Bruins begins in October and ends in April. Even when the Bruins lose they have a mighty following and these tickets are arguably the hottest in town. You can put your name on a waiting list for season tickets by calling the 227-3206 and listening for the audix system to offer you the option to reach the Bruins administration. They will add your name to the season ticket waiting list over the phone. Ticket prices for the 1993-94 season ranged from $19 to $45. Tickets are available at the Box Office and through Ticket Master (see above). The Boston Celtics share the Fleet Center with the Bruins and their season runs from November through April when the playoffs begin. Celtics tickets are as in demand as are Bruins tickets. lf someone offers you a set don t pass them up! For Celtics information call 523-6050. Individual tickets are available at the Box Office and through Ticket Master. Ticket prices for the 1993-94 tickets ranged from $18 to $45 with $12 obstructed view tickets. (See above for Box Office and TicketMaster numbers.) As with the Bruins, Celtic season tickets are available by getting on a waiting list. Send a written request which includes your name, address, day and evening phone numbers, and number of tickets requested (no more than four) to: If you d like confirmation that your name has been placed on the list include a request for confirmation in your letter. TOP The Boston Red Sox play at Fenway Park (built in 1912). Fenway Park, located right in Kenmore Square (24 Yawkey Way), is small (capacity 34,000), old, yet very much loved. Its diminutive size actually makes it a great park for spectators. Baseball season runs from April to October and there are many games. So even though most games sell out, the odds are greater that you will have a chance to see the Red Sox play than the Celtics or the Bruins. Call 267-8661 for schedule and ticket information. Ticket prices for the 1994 season were are $16 for boxes, $12 for the grandstand and $8 for bleachers. Season tickets are available on a limited basis. You should call 267-8661 before the season starts if you re interested. You can get to Fenway by taking any Green Line except the E Line/ Heath to Kenmore Square. Head west one block and you re at the park. TOP The New England Patriots play at Foxboro Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, a large stadium (capacity 61,000) approximately 45 minutes south of Boston. Call 800-543-1 776 for Patriots ticket information. Their season runs from September to January with some pre-season games in August. The NFL releases the schedule in early May. Ticket prices for the 1993 season were $20 for side lines and $18 for end zone. Season tickets are usually available if you call off-season. Public transportation from South Station to the games is available but the stadium is set up for parking in a way that neither Fenway Park or the Garden could possibly be (due to their locations). If you're interested in taking public transportation, call 508-543-0350 for event specific information. TOP The New England Revolution is New England's new professional soccer team, which play at Foxboro Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts. For tickets, call 1-800-946-7287. TOP If professional sports are just too expensive or perhaps too impersonal for your tastes, attending a game at one of the area's colleges or univer- sities may be more your style. Harvard University alone has 40 varsity teams. However, tickets for some of the annual college events can be as hard to get as tickets to professional games. As a matter of fact, tickets for the final match of the Bean Pot (a series of hockey matches between Boston's universities played every February) are usually impossible to get. The annual Harvard University football game with Yale is another sell-out. Here are some places for you to start:
You could also check out sporting events at Northeastern University, 373-4700, and Tufts University, 628-5000. TOP
The world-famous Boston Marathon is run from Hopkinton to Copley Square on Patriot's Day every year. Patriot's Day is a holiday only for the commonwealth of Massachusetts which commemorates the "shot heard round the world" on Lexington Green on April 19, 1775. To the rest of the world, Patriot's Day is simply the third Monday in April. The Boston Athletic Association, 236-1652, has run the Marathon since its beginning in 1897. To join in the fun all you have to do is bring a blanket and a portable radio and locate a suitable spot along the route. The Marathon is cause for a number of other events staged around the big day: the Sports and Fitness Expo, the Carbo-Loading Party the night before, and the Awards Ceremony which is usually over before the majority of participants even finish the race. In June of each year you can watch the annual John F. Kennedy Regatta in Boston Harbor. For information call 847-1800. Don't miss the Head of the Charles Regatta, usually held during the third weekend in October. College crews from all over the nation converge on Cambridge Boston to compete in this event which runs from the Boston University Boathouse to the Christian Herter Center in Allston. Find a spot along the Charles and enjoy the show. Call 864-8415 for information. TOP
If you're interested in crewing a boat, start with Community Rowing at Daly Rink on the Charles in Brighton, 782-9091. Their info line is: 455- 1992 The facility is open from April through October. There are a number of intramural hockey leagues and teams around but it can be hard to break in as a newcomer. If you're interested in playing hockey with a team there are a number of ways to go about it. Area bars sponsor teams so you could hang out at local bars in your neighborhood and ask around. Get to know families who have lived in the area for more than one generation. Visit the ice rinks to find out who has rented space and when, then talk to the organizers when they show up for their ice time. Check the sports pages for ads. Sometimes organizations will advertise for players in the Globe. To join a team in a softball league, call the recreation department of your town. Some towns are getting strict about requiring proof of residence to play on a league in that town. Once again, ask around in the neighborhood bars to find out who is sponsoring teams.TOP Individual Sports The Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) is the organization that serves the greater Boston area when it comes to recreation and individual sports. The MDC has several district offices. If you need additional information on any event or facility in your neighborhood, call the MDC office that handles your area:
There are a number of bicycle paths in and around Boston as well a bicycling organizations that organize bike trips around New England. The Charles River has an 18-mile multi-use paved path between Science Park and Watertown Square known officially as the Dr. Paul Dudley White Charles River Bike Path but is usually referred to as the Charles River Bike Path. This path is probably the most highly used recreation space in the city. It's usually filled with runners, bicyclists, in- line skaters and people just out for a stroll. The path is separate from the city but connects at several points by ramped pedestrian bridges so there's plenty of access. A mini-trail runs from Jamaica Pond through Olmstead Park and along the Riverway. The Stony Brook Reservation Bike Path runs along Turtle Pond Parkway, starting at Hyde Park's River Street and ending at Washington Street in West Roxbury. The trail is almost four miles long. The Minute Man Bicycle Trail is a 12- mile path from Alewife Train Station to Bedford, MA. There are lots of places along the way to catch the trail. Many in-line skaters also use this trail. The Mystic River Reservation Bike Path runs for approximately three and a half miles from the Wellington Bridge in Everett to the Wellington ridge in Somerville. Wompatuck State Park has 12 miles of bike trails. The park is in Hingham off Route 228. There is a bicycle trail system in Lincoln and Concord. Another option is just to head west and bike along the tree-lined back roads. If you're interested in bicycling with a group you could start with:
With the Harbor, the Mystic River and the Charles River at their disposal,metro Boston inhabitants spend a lot of time on or near the water. The Charles River is over 80 miles long and many of the communities and neighborhoods mentioned in this guide are located along it. The Charles is Boston's backyard waterway, accessible to the majority of its inhabitants. If you run, walk, bike, skate or go to concerts you will be hard pressed not to spend some time along the Charles. And if you sail or row you absolutely won't be able to avoid it. Boats of any type (except inflatables), canoes, kayaks and rowboats are allowed both on the Charles and in the inner harbor. The MDC and the City of Boston run boating and sailing programs and lessons for both children and adults. The Communlty Boating School has handled sailing for the MDC since 1950. The Boathouse itself was built in 1940 with money from Helen Osborn Storrow. It's located at 21 Embankment Road on the Charles River Esplanade between the Longfellow Bridge and the Hatch Shell. The boating school teaches sailing and organizes boating programs. Call 523-7406 for details. The MDC also runs a number of small boat launches in Boston, Medford and Nahunt. Call the Harbor Master, 727-0537 for details and locations. You should also try some of the following boathouses and centers:
The MDC maintains hiking trails at six area reservations. This means you can commune with the trees without traveling for hours: most of these reservations offer some wilderness within 15 miles (or less!) of Boston.
You should also check into the trails through Walden Woods in Concord and through the Lincoln Woods Reservation which connects with Walden Woods. Expect Lincoln and Walden Woods to be well-populated at all times of the year. The reservations will offer you more of a wilderness experience but they are well used, too. If you're interested in rock climbing you should try the Quincy Quarries near the Blue Hills Reservation and Menotomy Rocks Park in Arlington. You can keep your rock climbing skills honed year-round by joining the Boston Rock Gym, an indoor facility with climbing walls, located at 78 Olympia in Woburn. Call 935-7325 for information. If you are interested in the outdoors and learning new outdoor skills you should know about two organizations: the Appalachian Mountain Club, Mountain Lynx Outdoor Adventure School and the Chiltern Mountain Club. Located at 5 Joy Street in Boston, 523-0636, the Appalachian Mountain Club conducts hiking and skiing tours and trips and maintains a cabin system in the White Mountains which members can use. Joining this club would be a good way to tap into the hiking scene. Mountain Lynx Outdoor Adventure School, 508-840-6464, is located in Leominster, not Boston, but the instructors conduct classes on climbing, hiking, caving, canoeing, camping, team building and ropes right in the Boston area. Mountain Lynx also offers classes in winter camping and ice climbing in the White Mountains as well as custom designed programs and courses for schools and other groups. Chiltern Mountain Club is a New England based outdoor recreation organization for gays and lesbians and have regular outings throughout the region throughout the year. TOP The Boston area features a number of public 18-hole golf courses with a 36-hole course at the Blue Hills Reservation. Most courses are open from dawn to dusk and require reservations on weekends and holidays. It's always best to call ahead.
If you're interested in joining a private club, check the Yellow Pages under Golf Courses-Private. TOP A number of area stables offer both lessons and rentals. Horseback riding is allowed on Blue Hills Reservation trails. Call the Reservation for information, 698-1802.
The MDC maintains a number of ice rinks in the area. A partial listing is offered:
Larz Andersen Park in Brookline also offers an outdoor rink during winter months. Another truly Boston experience is to skate on the duck pond in the Boston Public Garden. In addition to the MDC rinks listed above, the Town of Watertown runs a private rink: Watertown Skating Arena, 1 Paramount Place, Watertown, 972-6468 (rentals available). TOP In-line skating is extremely popular in Boston. If you're not daring enough to skate in the streets there are still many places to use your blades. For fun with gravity (i.e. hills) try the Amold Arboretum. For distance try the Charles River Bicycle Trail and the Minute Man Bicycle Trail Some community and adult-education schools offer lessons and classes. Beacon Hill Skate In-Line Skate School, 135 Charles Street South, 482-7400 and Boston In-Line Skate School, 51 Philips, Boston, 248-3838 both offer lessons. For rentals try:
Racquet Sports - Tennis and Squash A number of area health clubs offer racquetball, squash, handball and tennis courts. However, the MDC does maintain public tennis courts where you can play for free. Call the MDC office that covers your neighborhood for information (see the beginning of Individual Sports above). The unlit courts are open until dusk. The lighted courts are open until11 :00 pm. Hyde Park
North End
Somerville
Back Bay/ Beacon Hill
Boston Common and the Esplanade also have tennis courts. Check the Yellow Pages for a list of private tennis courts. Squash is also popular in Boston. Many clubs have squash courts and so do the colleges. Probably the most famous place for squash is the Harvard Club, 374 Commonwealth Ave., Boston 536-1260, a private club. The Allston-Brighton Squash & Fitness Club, 15 Gorham, Allston, 731-4177, is a public squash court. Check the Yellow Pages for a list of private squash courts. TOP Whether you're running for the workout or because you'd like to race, Boston is the place for you. There are many beautiful areas to run through and bodies of water to run around and alongside. And if you'd like to try running competitively, keep in mind some of the area's annual races. Most of the races listed below are open to amateurs and you'll find notice of them on flyers around town. The list includes the general time period in which they are run. If you don't see or hear anything about a race that you might be interested in you could contact the Boston Athletic Association, 236-1652, or go to Bill Rogers Running Center at Faneuil Hall Marketplace, 723-5612 to get more information.
If winter brings enough snow you can actually ski in the city, especially along the Emerald Necklace. Arnold Arboretum offers both flat stretches and hills. Cross country skiing is permitted in all MDC reservations. Check the list in Hiking, above. In addition, try Great Brook Farm State Park in Carlisle, 508-369-6312, the Lincoln Reservation, Lincoln Guide Service, 259-1111, and the Weston Ski Touring Center. The Weston Ski Touring Center, located at MetroParks Martin Golf Course, makes snow, rents skis and gives lessons. Call 891-6575. In your search for cross country ski territory please be respectful. Those cemeteries are certainly tempting but skiing in them is not allowed.TOP If you want to practice locally and you don't care about the size of the hill, head out to Blue Hills Reservation to the Blue Hills Ski Area. It sports three lit slopes, snow making, a ski school and a double chair lift. If you're looking for mountains, they're not very far away. Ski areas in Western Mass, New Hampshire, Vermont or Maine are available within two to four hours drive of Boston. TOP The MDC maintains 16 miles of ocean beaches and most of it is accessible by public transportation. Beaches are open from the end of June to Labor Day. Call 727-5114, x550 for details.
Other MDC beaches within 10 miles of Boston are:
As a general rule, don't swim in the Charles River! TOP The MDC also maintains a number of swimming pools open from the end of June to Labor Day. A partial list of MDC Pools follows. Call the MDC office that covers your neighborhood (see above) for rates and hours of operation.
The City of Boston operates a number of pools year round and two pools seasonally. City of Boston Pools are maintained through the Community Center Program. For general information call 635-4920. Call for rates and hours of operation. A partial list follows:
For pools in neighboring communities call your town or city hall or check with your town or city recreation department.TOP There are hundreds of health clubs in the metro Boston area. No doubt you will choose one based on convenience and services. Here's a place to start:
If you want to stretch your dollars try one of the best fitness deals in town, the YMCA Central Branch at 316 Huntington Ave., 536-7800 TOP |
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