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

[Clootie Dumpling]

On 12/14/2025 at 2:03 AM, glenn9085 said:

Do you have tickets for any of the matches or are you  looking to go to the stadium, lots of bars there to watch from or do you have a general plan. I can ask around the Scottish community and pipe bands here. 

We shall have match tickets, asked for a bit of fun but you never know someone might want to accommodate us for a few days Lol.

 

[Mushet84]

On 12/9/2025 at 12:46 PM, Nigeyy said:

Alas, I'm not a golfer! But one of my best friends is.  I can ask him -are you bringing golf clubs with you?  And where are you planning on staying?

Hi,  I would be planning in hiring some clubs, and I'm staying in the Hyatt in Waltham. I'd be looking to play Monday 15th, Tuesday 16th or Wednesday 17th June.  If he fancy's a round and some beers it would be great if he could sin me on as a guest. 

[Nigeyy]

1 hour ago, Mushet84 said:

Hi,  I would be planning in hiring some clubs, and I'm staying in the Hyatt in Waltham. I'd be looking to play Monday 15th, Tuesday 16th or Wednesday 17th June.  If he fancy's a round and some beers it would be great if he could sin me on as a guest. 

I contacted him, he said a couple of things: 1. That yes you need to know a member (which he isn't and he lives a distance away), and 2. Not many clubs rent out clubs, and 3. Probably best to just blind call a golf club, or try the concierge at the hotel.

I'm not a golfer at all, but try Google maps and just search for golf courses close by the hotel. You could email them or even get a small Skype credit or similar so you can call them on the phone, use your best sweet Scottish accent and explain your situation. Sorry I'm not much help here!

 

[giblet]

Hi Nigel, staying at the doubletree hilton in Cambridge (looks on edge of area).  any advices on how safe for walking into town from there?  surrounding area?

[DundeeTA]

@Nigeyycan we drink in public if we use paper bags?

[Nigeyy]

1 hour ago, DundeeTA said:

@Nigeyycan we drink in public if we use paper bags?

I'd advise not to do so. The local town police and state troopers usually won't allow it in public. There's always the possibility that if enough people do it, they'd probably give up enforcing it, but do you want to be the person arrested -and quite possibly "asked to leave " -then you might miss out. It's not something I'd do, though drinking in Gillette stadium parking lots (private property) is fine, but not on public roads (even if you are a passenger in a car) or on a public pavement.

[Gordon63]

25 minutes ago, Nigeyy said:

I'd advise not to do so. The local town police and state troopers usually won't allow it in public. There's always the possibility that if enough people do it, they'd probably give up enforcing it, but do you want to be the person arrested -and quite possibly "asked to leave " -then you might miss out. It's not something I'd do, though drinking in Gillette stadium parking lots (private property) is fine, but not on public roads (even if you are a passenger in a car) or on a public pavement.

Surely for the 'best world cup in history' these laws will be relaxed for the duration of the tournament, at the very least in fan zones?

[Nigeyy]

8 hours ago, giblet said:

Hi Nigel, staying at the doubletree hilton in Cambridge (looks on edge of area).  any advices on how safe for walking into town from there?  surrounding area?

I'm assuming when you said town, you meant Boston (as Cambridge is a "city" as well).

I'm not familiar with that area, but have Google mapped it (assuming corner of Soldiers Field Road and Cambridge Street?) and if you can walk to Commonwealth Avenue ("Comm Ave"), then there is the Green line trolley service to get in. That hotel looks like a business hotel with not much easily walkable from/to it, I think they assume business travellers just use taxis. The area is probably safe just because there's not much except highways to the west of the hotel and nobody probably walks through there! To the east across the river is Cambridge, pretty safe on River St and it leads to Central Square with some restaurants and bars and a red line T station that goes to central Boston. I've had coffee a few times in Central Square.

If you choose to walk (20-30 mins to Comm Ave?), just stick to Comm Ave all the way into Boston, it's usually very busy and safe, though that's a good distance to walk. There is a "Dr Paul Dudley White Bike Path" that looks promising (and you might be able to use a bike share bike too). I've cycled through Boston, but have never been on that -and since I have my own bicycle I've never used a bike share bike so I'm not sure that's a realistic option? Of course you could use an Uber to get to Comm Ave from the hotel and catch the green line in. Also, assuming you can get back to the hotel via a pavement -which looks very likely and easy (again, I've never done it though so check Google maps), the north side of the Charles River with that bike path (it runs on both sides of the river) looks like it would be more populated and busy to me. Again, never been on that bike path, but have driven Memorial Drive and Storrow Drive.

Please see my thread on Handy Resources -keep an eye on when you are crossing the road, even if it is a pedestrian crossing, use common sense for safety late at night.

Summary: hotel isn't terribly close to much, but you have walking options to Comm Ave and hence access to the Green line trolleys if you don't want to walk all the way. Comm Ave is usually busy and safe and goes into the center of Boston. Use common sense and stick with crowds and an Uber ride back if walk to/from hotel on bike path to Comm Ave is too quiet at night.

Hope this helps, safe travels and good luck!

 

Edit: you could also get an Uber to central square to catch the red line  T into Boston, that might be even easier than an Uber to Comm Ave

Edited December 16, 2025 by Nigeyy

[Nigeyy]

42 minutes ago, Gordon63 said:

Surely for the 'best world cup in history' these laws will be relaxed for the duration of the tournament, at the very least in fan zones?

Don't bet on it! Really if everyone else is doing it and you see police ignoring it, take your choice. But remember you are still doing something "illegal"

[Nigeyy]

1 hour ago, Nigeyy said:

Don't bet on it! Really if everyone else is doing it and you see police ignoring it, take your choice. But remember you are still doing something "illegal

And when I say that I don't mean, "ooh it's illegal, that's terrible " but more from a perspective that if the police want an excuse that's an easy one 

 

If the fan zones are on private property, they should be fine, if they are on public property (probably have to be bounded) there might just be a special disposition for them, I don't know.... 

[Ally Bongo]

 

[mariokempes]

Decent deal in Watertown. Too good to be true ?

[Nigeyy]

9 hours ago, mariokempes said:

Decent deal in Watertown. Too good to be true ?

Watertown is fine and safe -the only problem you'll find is accessibility to public transport.  If you read my handy resources post, I'd recommend against hiring a car.  You might find you will be using ubers depending on where you are in Watertown.

[stocky]

On 12/14/2025 at 4:11 PM, Nigeyy said:

Please see my "handy resources" post with an update on the commuter rail possibility of a train from Providence to the stadium!

hiya Nige 

 

I keep seeing this handy recourses comment but cant find the link..

please re post .

And i am thinking of driving in from the west Springfield or Leominster with a hired car and not going into Boston at all. In a hired Car.

Thoughts/Ideas recommendations re this .

 

If you carry on this outstanding work we will need t think of a chant to sing for you at the game ..

 

 

Edited December 24, 2025 by stocky

[Nigeyy]

1 hour ago, stocky said:

hiya Nige 

 

I keep seeing this handy recourses comment but cant find the link..

please re post .

And i am thinking of driving in from the west Springfield or Leominster with a hired car and not going into Boston at all. In a hired Car.

Thoughts/Ideas recommendations re this .

 

If you carry on this outstanding work we will need t think of a chant to sing for you at the game ..

 

 

Thanks for the very kind words, I appreciate that!  Honestly given what goes on in the world, it's important we all try to help each other.  As I've lived in the Boston area for over 30 years, I feel like I can potentially help some people, or at least help avoid some issues.

So yes, West Springfield is a pretty good haul of 90 miles from Foxboro, and you are out wayyyyy west in Massachusetts.  Leominister is closer, but still 50 miles away from the stadium.   Unless you have good reason to be at those locations, I'd recommend you try to find a place closer.  The good news is if you have a car, it definitely opens up the possibilities to many other places closer to Boston that don't have ready public transport links.  Obviously if you are not driving into Boston (good call in my opinion) then just choose a commuter rail station -check the schedules for frequency of running -and park there.  Most of the commuter rail stations have some sort of parking lot and a small fee is charged to park.   I recommend Dedham Corporate on the Franklin Forge line due to the fact that a. it's just off Route 128 the major ring road motorway around Boston, and b. it has a pretty big parking lot, c. it's only a ~30 minute train ride into the centre of Boston, and d. it's a very safe area.   However, if you intend to drive to the stadium, you can go as there are certainly big, big parking lots, just accept it may take you hours to leave.  There are people in private residences who will charge less to park a car (literally on their own personal driveway) but I've never used them.

The handy resources post I'm referring to is this: 

I'll keep putting stuff in as I think of it.

[Dave78]

Nigeyy, what's this i'm hearing about Boston bars not having doors on their toilet cubicles?

Do you really have to take a shite in public?

[Nigeyy]

19 hours ago, Dave78 said:

Nigeyy, what's this i'm hearing about Boston bars not having doors on their toilet cubicles?

Do you really have to take a shite in public?

Well mate, I think someone is giving you shite*... 🤪 I've never been in a bar in Boston and not had a door on a stall.   But having said that I'm a bit of an old codger and I'm not a huge frequenter of Boston bars.  However, one peculiarity of some "bathroom" aka toilet stalls is that it's not uncommon to have larger than necessary gaps where the hinges are and the opposite side of the door -not terrible or where someone could easily see you, but nothing like I recall from my UK days, but wide enough where someone could get an eyeful if they put there eye close up to the gap. Fortunately I have never had an occasion where someone has decided to put an eye right up the door to me.

Summary: relax! Take the weight of your feet with confidence.

*Well I did Google it and apparently there are some bars like this, so what do I know? Having said that it was an AI response.  Again never been in a bar in Boston like this, but again, can't say I've been to huge numbers of bars in Boston either!

[fringo]

20 hours ago, Dave78 said:

Nigeyy, what's this i'm hearing about Boston bars not having doors on their toilet cubicles?

Do you really have to take a shite in public?

Has to be one of the most unusual questions on here 

🤣

[Dave78]

1 hour ago, fringo said:

Has to be one of the most unusual questions on here 

🤣

Hah, true.

Was told this yesterday by an Irish pal. He had to take an emergency shite during a weekend on the beer in Boston... in a bar with no doors on the cubicles, apparently!

[fringo]

28 minutes ago, Dave78 said:

Hah, true.

Was told this yesterday by an Irish pal. He had to take an emergency shite during a weekend on the beer in Boston... in a bar with no doors on the cubicles, apparently!

That's a very weird bar. Wtf are they doing ?

[Nigeyy]

1 hour ago, fringo said:

That's a very weird bar. Wtf are they doing ?

It's very tempting to start a new thread: "bars in Boston with no toilet stalls doors".   Hmmm, I'll let someone else do that.  Mind you, just for curiosity @Dave78, I'd love to know the bars that are like this?

[NSIGN]

12 hours ago, Dave78 said:

Hah, true.

Was told this yesterday by an Irish pal. He had to take an emergency shite during a weekend on the beer in Boston... in a bar with no doors on the cubicles, apparently!

My cousin was a barman in Cincinnati while at college and he said his bar didn’t have doors on the stalls and I’ve been to a bar in Boston with no doors on the stalls. My cousin said the reason for a lack of doors was simply because the doors kept getting damaged every night by rowdy students so they removed the doors. 

[AlfieMoon]

11 hours ago, Nigeyy said:

It's very tempting to start a new thread: "bars in Boston with no toilet stalls doors".   Hmmm, I'll let someone else do that.  Mind you, just for curiosity @Dave78, I'd love to know the bars that are like this?

Think it might have been The Blue Oyster. 

[Ally Bongo]

I'm surprised nobody has yet asked "How do i wipe my own arse in Boston" 

[fringo]

54 minutes ago, Ally Bongo said:

I'm surprised nobody has yet asked "How do i wipe my own arse in Boston" 

Hopefully in private and not a public bar.