On New Year’s Day, I’ll join hundreds of fellow transplanted Buffalo Bills fans and thousands of New England Patriots fans and take in the last regular season game of the year at Foxboro’s Gillette Stadium. It will be my second game at Gillette this year, and my fourth ever game at the massive complex.
Like any stadium, you learn a few tricks and tips after a few visits that make your trip all the more enjoyable. After I attended November’s Monday Night Football Chiefs-Patriots game, I jotted down this list of the tips I’ve learned to share with other non-Gillette regulars.
You will not eat in Patriots Place pre-game without reservations.
There may be 15 restaurant options available at Patriots Place, the outdoor shopping mall adjacent to Gillette Stadium, but no matter how early you get there before game time, you won’t be able to eat at them. Many establishments go “reservations only” before Patriots games. The ones that don’t (like the much talked about “Tony Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill”) have waits up to an hour or more, which is difficult to navigate before game time. (Which is too bad – I wanted to drink beer out of a jam jar.)
No reservations, but you want to eat outside the stadium? Five Guys, Qdoba and Dunkin’ Donuts are your best options, though you probably will be standing while you eat your meal.
Forgot gloves? Need an extra layer? Want a Patriots shirt? Go to Old Navy.
My husband underestimated how cold it was going to be that Monday night, and feared getting price gauged for gloves at the Patriots Pro Shop. As we walked towards Patriots Place from the car, I noticed an Old Navy. “Maybe they’ll have cheap gloves,” I said.
Sure enough, the Old Navy in Patriots Place not only had cheap gloves (we ended up getting a $7 pair that were a bit more tricked out than normal gloves), but cheap fleece pullovers ($12 on sale!) and Old Navy’s newish line of NFL gear. Why go to the Pro Shop and pay $35 for a t-shirt when Old Navy’s are cheaper?
Gillette may be the only acceptable place in America for a Snuggie.
Gillette Stadium security (as with many NFL stadiums these days) is fierce. Not only is there a pat-down, but an intense bag search where even your cell phones is given the once over. The patrons who brought a blanket to the stadium went through an even harder time, having to go through a separate line and spending even longer in an already disorganized security station.
My suggestion if you must bring a blanket to the game? Wear a Snuggie. I know they’re totally embarrassing and a safety hazard for us short folks (because of the tripping possibilities), but it may be the only way to avoid the extra security and still have that extra layer. You won’t find me with one, but hey – if you have one, flaunt one.
Security lesson for the non-blanket toters? Ladies, bring the tiniest bag you have or don’t bring one at all. Men, keep the pocket contents to a minimum, and get ready for a pat down that, if administered anywhere else, would get a place shut down for being that illegal sort of massage.
On AT&T? Don’t expect to Tweet during the game.
Gillette Stadium has the same issue Fenway Park had for most of this past season. No, Tom Brady’s not eating chicken on the sidelines (I imagine Giselle has him on a macrobiotic diet anyway.) Gillette’s AT&T service is non-existent once the stadium becomes full. I last tweeted and texted a half hour before game time, and then couldn’t again until I left Route 1.
Verizon’s service in the area is fine (not surprising, seeing that they are a major sponsor of the Patriots.) But if you have AT&T, you’ll be service-less for most of the game.
Specify that you want a regular beer.
Tom Brady slyly suggested earlier this season that fans should get liquored up before and during games. (I mean, he asked them to “stay hydrated.” Sorry.) There are plenty of places to follow Mr. Brady’s orders within Gillette Stadium, including a great of selection of actual quality beers (Harpoon, Wachusett) for the same prices as the cheaper stuff.
But don’t make the same mistake I did, and order a “beer.” The default seems to be the large size, which will run you $11. Specify a “regular sized beer” and you’ll get the $8 version. You’ll get less beer, of course, but when you just wanted to get numb to the cold a little and not tipsy, it is the better option.
There are about 5 sections of the entire stadium that stand during the game.
And I was in one of them during the Chiefs-Patriots game. which was great. I also like to stand during football games, but at Gillette I typically find myself in an area that treats a football game like a symphony concert. I have seen dance recital crowds with more excitement. The upper section of the stadium sits through the game and you can’t hear a peep from them.
But on my fourth trip to Gillette earlier this season, I finally found a section that was lively and on its feet. My section also included an amusing drunk man who had a total bromance going on with Nate Solder…in his mind. Every time Solder was announced as reporting as eligible, the man would yell some increasingly slurred cheer for him, including, “You’re a Buffalo Solder, Nate!,” “Keep on Solder,” and the much intoxicated, “Sssssssolderrrrrrrr isssss the f— MAN!”
Don’t expect to leave anytime soon after the game.
Despite parking in lot P10, which has been recommended to me by several Patriots regulars as the lot easiest to get out of, it still took roughly two hours to get out of the parking lot and onto Route 1. Post-game tailgaters have the right idea. We would have been best served by taking an hour long nap in our car and then attempting to get out of the parking lot. Bring a book, turn on sports radio and prepare for the longest line you’ve ever been in. They should really make Dunkin’ Donuts huts in the parking lot for you to run to when you’re idling for a few hours. (You can have that idea for free, Kraft Family, if you just give me a few free coffees.)
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