Leah McCann Smith | Writer & Editor

Day one of Boston: places to go, people to see, sights to… sight, and a ballgame to catch!

Day one of Boston called for an outing to the legendary Fenway Park. Brian’s dad got us the tickets, unaware at the time as to the grand evening that called: the official retiring of Mr. David Ortiz’s jersey. (No, we did not get the tickets at face value.) The ballpark was a true spectacle, unlike any I’d been to—Yankee Stadium, Citi Field, Guaranteed Rate Field (U.S. Cellular Field at the time when I was there), or even the charming Durham Bulls Park, which houses my favorite minor-league team, the Durham Bulls. (While we’re on the topic of the Durham Bulls, here’s a story: One of Brian’s favorite T-shirts is one he found in a New York City thrift shop, ironically, a coach’s jersey for a Durham Bulls little league baseball team. It’s blue, and on the front is a prominent, orange letter D in front of a steaming bull. On the third day of our trip, Brian wore it while we walked the Freedom Trail (I’ll get to that later), and we ran into not one but FOUR Bostonites also sporting Durham Bulls memorabilia. It was a strange but pleasant occurrence.)

Back to the Red Sox. Fenway Park was one-half baseball stadium, one-half museum, one hundred percent living experience of all that was Fenway. It was grand yet narrow as can be. Escaping the masses wasn’t really an option, but the positive energy of the evening’s crowd made up for the frequent claustrophobia I typically feel in these situations. Mementos of Red Sox past lined the stadium’s many nooks and crannies—everything from the original ticket stand to colorful painted murals to small windows filled with articles and artifacts dedicated to each of the eight World Series wins. I’ve checked this place off my bucket list, but I would be crushed if I didn’t get to step foot in the legendary space again in this lifetime.

Like what you see? Read about day two and day three of my Boston excursion.