Hockey at Fenway?

[redice]

Well said, Jim.  Your note really sums up my love for the old Boston Garden.   As I walked up that incline, I always felt that the season had been a success, with or without an ECAC title that weekend.  I couldn't help but feeling a certain sadness when we left the Fleet Center after the 1998(?) Frozen Four, knowing that they would begin destruction of the Garden two days later.   I'm glad I had a chance to visit that old friend just before its demise.

[Facetimer]

[quote Jim Hyla]For those oldtimers like me, nothing will ever replace the 5 hour drive to Boston, getting there just in time on a Friday to grab something at McDs, and then feeling our heart rate go up as we walked up the incline to the stadium seats. I'll never be able to replace that feeling regardless of ever winning another NCAA title. There was just too much history of going to the garden every year.

I only hope that you youngers;-) get to have that same feeling about what you are going through. Those memories can carry you through many a boring day.:-P[/quote]

I'm not nearly as old as Jim, but I agree 100%, and anyone who has done the incline before an exciting game will know what he is talking about.  There was something to rushing down Causeway Street (hearing the obnoxious screech of the elevated Green line), cramming 20 wide into 10 turnstyles, rounding the corner onto the incline, getting to the top of the incline where the guy with the loud voice would sell his program, etc.  Sure the place was a shithole, there seats were too small, and the ventilation was awful, but there was never a bad seat in the house (unless the balcony obstructed your view) and you were always on top of the action.

Now the Green line is underground, the incline has been replaced with escalators, the seats are more comfortable and they have cupholders.  All the new amenities, but you don't get the same sense of excitement Jim had described. :`(

[Jim Hyla]

[quote Facetimer]I'm not nearly as old as Jim, [/quote]Gee, thanks. ::laugh::

[Josh '99]

[quote kaelistus]-I've been drinking in town since I was 18 and I've only been thrown out once (I deserved it). *** I am 30 years old this Saturday, and I still get carded about 1/2 the times I go out.

--- Who cares? Do you lose a rib every time you get carded?[/quote]The original issue (assuming it hasn't fundamentally changed in the meantime) wasn't about getting carded, it was about a bar not accepting the ID I gave them when I was in Boston for the Harvard game last spring.

[Josh '99]

[quote RichS]As nostalgic as I can be at times, the reality is that the renovation after the '73 season was necessary to improve many situations, notably the pillars that created many partial view seats, inadequate concession stands by modern standards, bathrooms, etc.

I would have preferred that they kept the spacious dimensions the same and the monuments in the field of play, but that wasn't the directions stadiums were taking then.

Admittedly, both Fenway and Wrigley still have the old quirks that Yankee Stadium has largely done away with.  But if you evaluate just the inside of the structure and the field of play, no ballpark compares with it for the setting and its beauty.

I can't understand anyone referring to Yankee Stadium as a "disgusting hole."  You lose all credibilty when you do that, in my opinion.[/quote]Oh no, I've lost credibility in the eyes of someone with no credibility.  I'm crushed.

[Josh '99]

[quote Jim Hyla]For those oldtimers like me, nothing will ever replace the 5 hour drive to Boston, getting there just in time on a Friday to grab something at McDs, and then feeling our heart rate go up as we walked up the incline to the stadium seats. I'll never be able to replace that feeling regardless of ever winning another NCAA title. There was just too much history of going to the garden every year. [/quote]I (and probably others) felt that way about Lake Placid, unfortunately.  :-/

[jtwcornell91]

[quote jmh30][quote kaelistus]-I've been drinking in town since I was 18 and I've only been thrown out once (I deserved it). *** I am 30 years old this Saturday, and I still get carded about 1/2 the times I go out.

--- Who cares? Do you lose a rib every time you get carded?[/quote]The original issue (assuming it hasn't fundamentally changed in the meantime) wasn't about getting carded, it was about a bar not accepting the ID I gave them when I was in Boston for the Harvard game last spring.[/quote]

Actually, I forgot that one.  I was thinking of the "turn on the lights and clear the building at 1am" practice as opposed to a civilized last call followed by 20+ minutes' drinking up time.  You know, in case some bozo decides to order two pitchers of Blue at last call.

[Josh '99]

[quote jtwcornell91][quote jmh30][quote kaelistus]-I've been drinking in town since I was 18 and I've only been thrown out once (I deserved it). *** I am 30 years old this Saturday, and I still get carded about 1/2 the times I go out.

--- Who cares? Do you lose a rib every time you get carded?[/quote]The original issue (assuming it hasn't fundamentally changed in the meantime) wasn't about getting carded, it was about a bar not accepting the ID I gave them when I was in Boston for the Harvard game last spring.[/quote]

Actually, I forgot that one.  I was thinking of the "turn on the lights and clear the building at 1am" practice as opposed to a civilized last call followed by 20+ minutes' drinking up time.  You know, in case some bozo decides to order two pitchers of Blue at last call.[/quote]Yeah, but if we're someplace where we're ordering two pitchers of Blue at last call, we know very well we'll be given ample time to finish it.

And I'll thank you to stop calling Vijay a bozo.  :-P

[Trotsky]

[quote jmh30]I (and probably others) felt that way about Lake Placid, unfortunately.  :-/[/quote]
Lake Placid was another irreplaceable feeling -- a wintry relaxed comraderie, while going to the Gahden was a frenetic, rushed springtime.  Lake Placid was hot chocolate; the Gahden was whiskey.  Lake Placid was fulfilling, like a Mahler symphony; The Gahden was thrilling, like a Ramones concert.

[jtwcornell91]

[quote Trotsky][quote jmh30]I (and probably others) felt that way about Lake Placid, unfortunately.  :-/[/quote]
Lake Placid was another irreplaceable feeling -- a wintry relaxed comraderie, while going to the Gahden was a frenetic, rushed springtime.  Lake Placid was hot chocolate; the Gahden was whiskey.  Lake Placid was fulfilling, like a Mahler symphony; The Gahden was thrilling, like a Ramones concert.[/quote]

So what's Albany?  A six-pack of Bud Light?  A Britney Spears Top 40 single?

[Trotsky]

I was being diplomatic.

And, seriously, I hated the idea of Albany, but after a few years (and some very memorable games) it is starting to grow on me.  A little.  As the history accumulates, it will acquire its own identity.

And for today's wacky kids who have known nothing else, I'll bet it will be every bit as sepia-toned nostalgic as the Gahden is to the oldtimers.

[schoaff]

Albany was the site of Cornell 3 - Harvard 2. It doesn't need any more pedigree than that.

[kaelistus]

Trotsky... You and I clearly have a different vision. Of all the major cities I've been to in the United States, there's no question that to me - Boston stands as the solid #1. (San Fran IMHO is second).

As for Lake Placid vs Albany. Yes Lake Placid had a certain magic to it, but I can't say I'm not happy about being 2-3 hours away instead of 6.

[Trotsky]

[quote kaelistus]Trotsky... You and I clearly have a different vision. Of all the major cities I've been to in the United States, there's no question that to me - Boston stands as the solid #1. (San Fran IMHO is second).[/quote]
Hey, I love the history, architecture, geography, and culture of Boston -- I lived there for almost a decade.  I just want to deport the population and replace them with human beings.

[Rich S]

Anyone calling one of the truly historic and great stadiums in the world "a disgusting hole" should be crushed.

I don't care a bit if I have "no credibility" in your warped eyes.