Ask me anything -Boston, Massachusetts (Gillette Stadium, Foxborough Massachusetts) travel/local area info

[OrkneyKillie]

1 hour ago, Andy of Lochcarron said:

I must say you have done fantastic getting accommodation at those prices

Aye, just kept looking. Almost evolved the plan to suit the digs. The Boston hotel appeared cheap, and is higher again now. Hadn't even considered staying near the ground until looking almost by accident. Also four of us in the group - a couple and two singles, all related - so the niche of booking a bigger 4-person 'family' room has helped price options.

[Andy of Lochcarron]

1 hour ago, OrkneyKillie said:

Aye, just kept looking. Almost evolved the plan to suit the digs. The Boston hotel appeared cheap, and is higher again now. Hadn't even considered staying near the ground until looking almost by accident. Also four of us in the group - a couple and two singles, all related - so the niche of booking a bigger 4-person 'family' room has helped price options.

Well done 👍

[Nigeyy]

Just fyi:

https://www.boston.com/sports/world-cup/2026/05/06/scotland-world-cup-fans-school-buses/

[Nigeyy]

And with apologies if I'm behind the times, here's some good news:

https://www.boston.com/sports/sports-news/2026/04/27/tailgating-will-be-allowed-for-foxborough-games-boston-world-cup-host-committee-says/

[Silversand]

Apologies if already covered, do we need to carry our passports around for proof of age for alcohol?

I'll be 60 when I'm there 😱 grandson will be 22.

[Nigeyy]

14 minutes ago, Silversand said:

Apologies if already covered, do we need to carry our passports around for proof of age for alcohol?

I'll be 60 when I'm there 😱 grandson will be 22.

Just before I answer that, let me cover passports:

On one hand, carrying your passport with you is a good idea as theoretically you have possession of it, and you're not leaving it unsecured at some potentially unsafe accommodation.... But then again, the act of carrying it can increase the chances of losing it (falling out of a pocket or bag, or your bag getting snatched, etc). I think much depends on where you are staying and how safe you think it is. Personally, I subscribe to the idea of I'd prefer not to carry it with me -as I feel if I have a reasonably safe place to stay, I'll  keep it there and I think I'm more likely to lose it when I carry it on me!

Anyway, do you need your passport for age checking verification? Probably yes if you  are buying alcohol at a store, even if you are obviously older than 21 years old.  Even though I'm very obviously older than 21, I still get asked for proof of age when I buy alcohol at a supermarket. I assume it's a liability thing.  When I'm out at a bar, I can't honestly remember the last time I was asked (probably 30 years ago!). But consider using your driver's license..... read on:

Anyway, to summarize: you will probably be asked when purchasing alcohol at a liquor store or supermarket, but likely not at a bar if you are obviously over 21 years old. If you don't feel comfortable carrying a passport, consider bringing a driver's license -that will probably do the trick (showing my age here, my UK driver's license was an old green one without any photo on it, but I think UK driver's licenses now have a photo ID on them? So long as it has a photo ID, it should be good. If I'm wrong, then just get your passport -and I'm assuming losing your driver's license will be much easier to deal with than losing a passport). Your grandson will be very, very likely to be asked for proof of age in a bar as well as in liquor stores and supermarkets, though obviously if you buy the drinks(!) they won't know!

[Silversand]

1 hour ago, Nigeyy said:

Just before I answer that, let me cover passports:

On one hand, carrying your passport with you is a good idea as theoretically you have possession of it, and you're not leaving it unsecured at some potentially unsafe accommodation.... But then again, the act of carrying it can increase the chances of losing it (falling out of a pocket or bag, or your bag getting snatched, etc). I think much depends on where you are staying and how safe you think it is. Personally, I subscribe to the idea of I'd prefer not to carry it with me -as I feel if I have a reasonably safe place to stay, I'll  keep it there and I think I'm more likely to lose it when I carry it on me!

Anyway, do you need your passport for age checking verification? Probably yes if you  are buying alcohol at a store, even if you are obviously older than 21 years old.  Even though I'm very obviously older than 21, I still get asked for proof of age when I buy alcohol at a supermarket. I assume it's a liability thing.  When I'm out at a bar, I can't honestly remember the last time I was asked (probably 30 years ago!). But consider using your driver's license..... read on:

Anyway, to summarize: you will probably be asked when purchasing alcohol at a liquor store or supermarket, but likely not at a bar if you are obviously over 21 years old. If you don't feel comfortable carrying a passport, consider bringing a driver's license -that will probably do the trick (showing my age here, my UK driver's license was an old green one without any photo on it, but I think UK driver's licenses now have a photo ID on them? So long as it has a photo ID, it should be good. If I'm wrong, then just get your passport -and I'm assuming losing your driver's license will be much easier to deal with than losing a passport). Your grandson will be very, very likely to be asked for proof of age in a bar as well as in liquor stores and supermarkets, though obviously if you buy the drinks(!) they won't know!

Thanks.

We're staying in downtown Boston, so not too concerned about having to nip back to the hotel to get a passport, if we're asked. I was more concerned about match day, and as you say, not keen on carrying passports around all day in the sporran. 

We both have full UK, photo id driving licences, we'll try these in local bars, initially. 

[SteveMcD]

On 5/7/2026 at 2:47 PM, Nigeyy said:

Just before I answer that, let me cover passports:

On one hand, carrying your passport with you is a good idea as theoretically you have possession of it, and you're not leaving it unsecured at some potentially unsafe accommodation.... But then again, the act of carrying it can increase the chances of losing it (falling out of a pocket or bag, or your bag getting snatched, etc). I think much depends on where you are staying and how safe you think it is. Personally, I subscribe to the idea of I'd prefer not to carry it with me -as I feel if I have a reasonably safe place to stay, I'll  keep it there and I think I'm more likely to lose it when I carry it on me!

Anyway, do you need your passport for age checking verification? Probably yes if you  are buying alcohol at a store, even if you are obviously older than 21 years old.  Even though I'm very obviously older than 21, I still get asked for proof of age when I buy alcohol at a supermarket. I assume it's a liability thing.  When I'm out at a bar, I can't honestly remember the last time I was asked (probably 30 years ago!). But consider using your driver's license..... read on:

Anyway, to summarize: you will probably be asked when purchasing alcohol at a liquor store or supermarket, but likely not at a bar if you are obviously over 21 years old. If you don't feel comfortable carrying a passport, consider bringing a driver's license -that will probably do the trick (showing my age here, my UK driver's license was an old green one without any photo on it, but I think UK driver's licenses now have a photo ID on them? So long as it has a photo ID, it should be good. If I'm wrong, then just get your passport -and I'm assuming losing your driver's license will be much easier to deal with than losing a passport). Your grandson will be very, very likely to be asked for proof of age in a bar as well as in liquor stores and supermarkets, though obviously if you buy the drinks(!) they won't know!

What about ID cards? I have dual citizenship, UK & Germany, so have a German ID card which fits in the wallet. All the fields are detailed in German/English/French. 

[Nigeyy]

On 5/7/2026 at 10:27 AM, Silversand said:

Thanks.

We're staying in downtown Boston, so not too concerned about having to nip back to the hotel to get a passport, if we're asked. I was more concerned about match day, and as you say, not keen on carrying passports around all day in the sporran. 

We both have full UK, photo id driving licences, we'll try these in local bars, initially. 

I think that should be fine -there might be an issue if you look really young, but if you are staying in the area, you can always pop back to get your passport. Additionally, I'm assuming you will be with others who probably will be happy to buy alcohol for you.

Summary: unless you look young, I think you should be fine. But try it before you go to the stadium!

Edit: I assume the id will show your age

Edited yesterday at 12:48 PM by Nigeyy

[Silversand]

21 minutes ago, Nigeyy said:

I think that should be fine -there might be an issue if you look really young, but if you are staying in the area, you can always pop back to get your passport. Additionally, I'm assuming you will be with others who probably will be happy to buy alcohol for you.

Summary: unless you look young, I think you should be fine. But try it before you go to the stadium!

Edit: I assume the id will show your age

As I'm 59 now, I don't think I look THAT young, although occasionally complemented on my youthful looks 🤣

But, yes, as grandson is 22, we're expecting photo id required, hopefully UK driving licence covers, includes DoB.

[Nigeyy]

7 minutes ago, Silversand said:

As I'm 59 now, I don't think I look THAT young, although occasionally complemented on my youthful looks 🤣

But, yes, as grandson is 22, we're expecting photo id required, hopefully UK driving licence covers, includes DoB.

You should be fine, but your grandson is obviously going to be more scrutinized. Also I am assuming they are photo IDs (I'm sure they are, but wanted to make sure!).

And really as I said, even if there's an issue, you can always go back to get your passport or ask someone else. I think I posted before, I'm of similar age and can't remember the last time I was "carded" at a bar (buying alcohol from a supermarket, yes though).

[Silversand]

2 minutes ago, Nigeyy said:

You should be fine, but your grandson is obviously going to be more scrutinized. Also I am assuming they are photo IDs (I'm sure they are, but wanted to make sure!).

And really as I said, even if there's an issue, you can always go back to get your passport or ask someone else. I think I posted before, I'm of similar age and can't remember the last time I was "carded" at a bar (buying alcohol from a supermarket, yes though).

Yes, UK driving licences are photo ID.

[BookhouseBoys]

I’ve had experiences in Boston where they don’t accept a UK drivers licence and only wanted a passport. Probably depends on how old you look and how slammed they are. Another possibility is if you have an old passport kicking about, take that as well and you can use that when out and about without worrying about losing the current one.

[Broath Boy]

13 minutes ago, BookhouseBoys said:

I’ve had experiences in Boston where they don’t accept a UK drivers licence and only wanted a passport. Probably depends on how old you look and how slammed they are. Another possibility is if you have an old passport kicking about, take that as well and you can use that when out and about without worrying about losing the current one.

I have an old passport, do you think that will work?

[Nigeyy]

18 hours ago, Broath Boy said:

I have an old passport, do you think that will work?

Possibly, certainly worth a try. For full disclosure, ultimately I've been responding to  the proof of age questions with my own personal experiences and opinions, so to some extent it really depends how old you look, on who is at the bar or working at the liquor store at the time (I  would also guess the busier they are, the more likely they will accept different photo IDs) as to what they choose to accept.

I'm hoping that it you do encounter a problem, a fellow fan would order for you if you give them the money anyway. Also keep in mind that if the old passport works at a bar in Boston, it is absolutely no guarantee it would work purchasing alcohol in Foxboro and vice versa. But again, I'm hoping in either case a fellow fan would help you.

[fringo]

After a few days on the piss with the TA most people look considerably older