Bostonist has been a "bleacher creature" for years at Fenway Park...walking to the end of the park, up rows and rows to some seat with a view of Damon's backside. Well, recently Bostonist got its first taste of the finer side of Fenway when we watched a game from the .406 Club, the supposed V.I.P. section of the park. Named after Ted Williams' 1941 batting average of .406, these club seats were courtesy of a family friend, so we jumped at the idea to go; but after 9 innings in the .406, Bostonist was yearning for those bleachers and a Fenway Frank.
The first strike (pun intended) against the .406 was the dress code. Now, Bostonist is sure that you've seen the typical Fenway attire...anything goes. (They even let people in with those lilac Sox caps, a true travesty.) But in the .406, no jeans allowed. Seriously, if you wear them, they will loan you a pair of khakis to wear over your denim. So, everyone is wearing light colored pants but still wearing caps, t-shirts, and sneakers. (We figured that at least someone would have sported a tie with their Dockers.)
So, Bostonist put on its khaki-best and walked into the separate .406 entrance off Yawkey Way. On the way up the 5 escaltors, there are some pretty cool old photos of Ted Williams, the park, Boston, etc. that are definitely worth glancing at. Once we made it to the top, we walked in and the view was pretty nice...the field looked immaculate and with the height and viewpoint, it made Clement's pitches much easier to call. The stadium seating was quite comfy and the cupholders were key. There were no lines at all for the bathrooms, which female fans know is exceptional since waiting in line may take longer than an inning. Bostonist even had a Sox celebrity sighting: former Sox pitcher Dennis "Oil Can" Boyd was also watching the game from the .406 that night.
Okay, Bostonist will admit, those are some nice perks, but there are some other "perks" we could have done without. Glass bottled beers, which aren't an option out there in the park, were $8 a piece. Want a hotdog? You have to wait until the top of the third to order food from the bar. Oh, and while you are ordering that food, they are going to add gratuity as well as a 50 cent "administration fee" for who-knows-what. Any food that you might want that's not on the menu isn't an option and you can't bring it in from outside. We're not talking about filet mignon here. We're talking about the classic ballpark favorite, peanuts; according to the bartender, they used to carry them, but stopped for some reason this season.
So the prices were a bit more and didn't have the food options that the regular park has, but the major problem with the .406 is its lack of Sox spirit. Since the club is behind glass, they pipe in the commentators over loud speakers. If you're hoping to hear fans swearing and mocking Manny when he strikes out, you won't find it up there. Bostonist was one of the few who was actually vocal during some of the plays. Who knew Boston fans were so reserved?
The Sox ended up winning the game easily, but Bostonist was not won over by the .406 Club. Give us those bleachers and a Bud Light draft any day...and yes, we're wearing our jeans.
(Bostonist must not be the only one disappointed with the .406 Club; management has a big renovation planned during the off-season for the .406, including taking down the glass and letting concession guys hock those much-desired peanuts, too.)
Photo courtesy of Boston.com
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