Yes, it's still August, but there are already professional football games going on. Tonight, the Eagles will play the Patriots at nearby Gillette Stadium. My sister's boyfriend has season tickets for the Pats and he has generously offered a few seats so we can go see this game. Apparently among true football fans the preseason games aren't so interesting so the tickets are usually given away or sold at a steep discount. The face value for our tickets is $117 or some such nonsense but we'll be dropping a mere $50 per. Seems crazy to me but the NFL is big business even when it's not the real season.
But that's not what is annoying.
How does one travel to Gillette Stadium? One drives, of course! Unless, that is, you have reservations about the whole scenario, be it the $40 parking fee, the traffic, the hassle, whatever. The other option is to take the train. The MBTA, in partnership with the Patriots, operates a special train on game days. Sports fans can travel from Providence or South Station in Boston right to the stadium. And by "right to the stadium" I mean "somewhere nearby, surely within a day's walk." Perhaps I'm complaining prematurely, we'll see. I've never been there.
That's not the annoying thing either.
The annoying thing is the list of restrictions on what one can travel with on this train, and subsequently carry into the stadium. My original plan was to ride my bike to the train station, lock up, jump on the train and be good to go. This would involve me carrying a messenger bag to stash my helmet and a jacket. Maybe a couple beers... but for consumption as road sodas, not to smuggle into the stadium (I'll surely drink a few $9 Bud Lights once there, don't want to withhold my money from Mr. Kraft). Problem is, carrying a bag like that into the stadium is prohibited! Blast! Thank you Department of Homeland Security! I feel safer already. Anyway, if I have nowhere other than on my head to carry my helmet, etc., it makes riding to the station more of a drag. Waaaaah. So, instead, I'll take the bus. While I still can. RIPTA is broke and going broker. It'll add some time to my trip and increase my walking mileage, but I'll manage. Somehow.
So it will be a public transportation adventure, involving uncertain scheduling, disorientation, alcohol, and rowdy sports fans. What could possibly go wrong?
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