Fenway turns

BOSTON — In the nosebleed seats, everyone’s an expert. If you want an opinion on the departure of manager Terry Francona after last year’s September debacle, the loss of closer Jon Papelbon to Philadelphia or a definitive answer as to just how tall Dustin Pedroia isn’t, just ask the bleacher creature next to you. If Red Sox Nation were a living organism, its mouth would be here in the cheap seats at Boston’s Fenway Park.

My baseball-loving dad introduced me to the Fenway bleachers as a child. Later, field trips from my middle school in the suburbs always included at least one baseball game where we overdosed on cotton candy and peanuts while perched above the park. After college I lived in a third-floor walkup close to the bright lights of the field and the iconic CITGO sign. On an early date with the man who would become my husband, I begged off an expensive dinner in favor of a doubleheader and a Fenway Frank with the works. Years later he confessed that was the moment he decided to marry me.

For the past several months, the Red Sox have been gathering memories like these in anticipation of the park’s 100th anniversary. On April 20, the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees took to the field in vintage uniforms. A century ago on that very day, the Red Sox beat the New York Highlanders — who became the Yankees one year later — 7 to 6 in 11 innings, touching off what may be the most intense rivalry in professional sports.

Even those who root for other teams admit there’s something special about Fenway, perhaps the one baseball stadium that’s on the bucket list of every serious fan. Located in the heart of the city, its no-nonsense brick facade looks weathered and sturdy, much like Boston itself.

On game days, along a short stretch of road called Yawkey Way, street vendors with thick Boston accents sell sausages and pizza, Cuban sandwiches — a legacy of former player Luis Tiant who in the mid-’70s introduced what was then an exotic treat to Boston fans — roasted nuts and beer. Stilt walkers entertain the kids. Nearby restaurants with names like the Cask ’n Flagon and Boston Beer Works attract young adults who sip brews and discuss the day’s lineup. Later they’ll reconvene to deconstruct the game.

This whole pregame experience is “warm-up” time for fans. If you have game tickets, don’t miss this colorful, boisterous, but safe and family-friendly prelude, an important part of the Fenway Park experience.

Inside the park, the famous Green Monster — the 37-foot-2-inch left field wall — looms over Fenway and the legends of all who have played here, from Babe Ruth before he was traded to the Yankees after the 1919 season to Ted Williams, Carl Yastrzemski, and current fan favorite David Ortiz, “Big Papi.” Fans range from fathers toting sons on their shoulders to stats-spouting little old ladies (until she died at age 94, my mother was among them) and everybody — everybody — has an opinion about the manager, the pitcher, and the umpire who really needs to get his eyes checked.

PLAY BALL!

Any preconceived notions visitors have about reticent New Englanders disappear as soon as the first contested strike is called and the stands erupt with catcalls and boos.

The citizens of Red Sox Nation — which extends throughout New England and beyond — are an intriguing, eclectic bunch. Home to some 34 colleges and universities, Boston is a town where intellectuals and baseball fanatics peacefully coexist, sometimes in one body. It’s not unusual to see someone wearing a Harvard sweatshirt topped with the ubiquitous B for Boston baseball cap. In the Fenway bleacher seats, especially, everybody’s equal, and a logger from a remote corner of Maine comfortably holds his own in a spirited discussion of batting averages with a tenured professor of medicine from Tufts.

Boston is a sports town through and through. When baseball season ends, fans will turn their enthusiasm to “the Pats,” “the Broons,” and “the Celts” (Boston-speak for the New England Patriots football team, the Boston Bruins hockey team and the Boston Celtics basketball team respectively). But no matter what else is going on in the Boston sports world, news that the Sox have headed for spring training is met with unbridled enthusiasm and an annual migration of die-hard fans to Florida to scope out the team. Opening day at Fenway is always circled on most Bostonians’ calendars.

Of course there are other attractions to keep visitors busy when the Sox have an away game. Boston is officially nicknamed America’s Walking City (ostensibly because of its compact size, but perhaps also because of the terror the narrow, twisting streets strike in the hearts of non-native drivers). The Freedom Trail starts in the iconic Boston Common and can be walked on your own or as part of a tour. Marked by red bricks, the trail winds through 2.5 miles of American history, including Faneuil Hall, where patriots met during the American Revolution, the home of Paul Revere, and the Old North Church where he arranged for lanterns to be lighted to signal the approach of the enemy British: “One if by land, two if by sea.”

EMERALD NECKLACE

“The Common,” as Bostonians call it, is a unique walking destination in itself. Along with landscaped paths that meander past statues of historic figures, expect to see at least one soapbox speaker haranguing a lunchtime crowd, nannies pushing prams, joggers, panhandlers, lovers strolling beneath the trees, and artists and photographers capturing it all. You may also spot members of the Boston Park Rangers mounted patrol unit. Astride their handsome horses, they provide park security and information and are a beloved part of the downtown Boston scene.

Adjacent to The Common, and much more serene, is another in the series of parks that together make up a swath of green known as Boston’s “Emerald Necklace.” The formal Boston Public Garden, laid out in 1837 and filled with some 80 species of flowers and trees, is the oldest public botanical garden in the country. On a tranquil lagoon drift pedal-powered Swan Boats, owned and operated by the Paget family for more than 130 years. Along with opening day at Fenway, the arrival of the first Swan Boats on the lagoon signals the start of spring for most city-dwellers.

Boston is also known for its excellent museums, at least two of which — the Museum of Modern Art and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum — have undergone substantial renovations over the past several months. Both have fabulous art collections, and the indoor gardens at the Gardner Museum are a must for visiting gardeners.

In a city long touted by foodies for the variety and quality of its restaurants, choices range from heaping bowls of homemade pasta in the Italian North End, and seafood, to elegant dining at some of the country’s most acclaimed restaurants.

Just save room for a Fenway Frank.

For more information on Fenway Park’s centennial, visit fenwaypark100.com. Information on the Boston Red Sox can be found at boston.redsox.mlb.com. For tourist information on Boston, check out bostonusa.com.