I wouldn't want to be there any later than that. It sort of depends on where you are coming from. I worked right on the Marathon route in Newton Lower Falls, and traffic was heavy fairly early though the race didn't get there until late morning.

I would want a plan B if all the parking is taken.

If you are coming from the south, what about parking in Dedham or at Route 128 and taking the commuter rail to Back Bay?

Ill be coming from I84 on the Pike. Will just aim earlier than I stated

I'd stay on the Pike, and get off at Prudential exit and head to the old Cheri theatre parking lot across from the Sheraton on Dalton St and walk to the game. Even on Marathon day, I'd gamble the odds you can get a spot by 9am rather then try for a spot and spend all that time from Riverside.

Well, if not at that garage then the Pru garage is basically across the street so Lookin_Glass's idea has merit. The outbound T from Hynes to Kenmore shouldn't be a problem if you don't want to walk to Fenway Park.

so, if he does park in one of those garages, isn't getting OUT again the problem? I might be wrong, but I think the in is easy enough, its getting out again when all the runners are coming into Copley that is difficult. Unless tchoiniere is planning on staying in town overnight.

I've only gone in for the Patriots day game once, and I took the commuter rail from the west, which is a possibility for you. I took it from Southborough, but you could probably use Framingham which is not too far off the pike. It was not hugely crowded in the morning, it was full of Sox fans and marathon volunteers. The parking lot in Southborough did not seem as full as it would be on a normal commuting day, at least I had no trouble getting a parking spot.

My guess is you will be able to find parking at Riverside if you go fairly early too. The trains might be a little crowded, but the runners are headed OUT, and people heading in to see the finish will be coming in a bit later, than those headed to the Red Sox game. I can't say for sure, but I think you'll be okay.

On balance, china_cat.

You should be able to find parking at Riverside. That would be better than Woodland Station which is closer to the marathon route.
If you want to consider parking at the Prudential Center, check the announced road closures closer to the date to see if you can leave before the race is over.
You can also check the commuter rail schedule for the Framinghan/Worcester line that chinacat took. Some of those trains stop at Yawkey Way but the stations in Wellesley and Natick are close to the marathon route making leaving difficult.
Going in from Riverside will give you the most flexibility.

I've been to Fenway Park several times for Sox games, and have taken the subway there most of those times, usually via Green Line from Park Street through Hynes to Kenmore. My experience suggests that if you try to catch the subway from Hynes to Kenmore before a game, every train car arriving into Hynes will be packed like a sardine can. If you're at the Prudential area, it's a reasonable walk to Fenway Park from there, and I'd choose that option.

Parking is not the only concern: road closures are every bit as much an issue.

The marathon route passes very close to Riverside station, and you can access the station only if you know the exact route from the Mass Pike and Rt 128/95. Access to Woodland will be impossible: the marathon route passes in front of Woodland on Washington St, and I would expect the street to be closed from relatively early in the morning. (Probably an hour or two before the first wheelchair marathoners.)

I very much like Ackislander's suggestion of parking at 128 station and taking the commuter rail to Back Bay, from where it's a moderate walk (or busy Green Line ride) to Fenway.

I'll re-iterate, that coming from the west, if you want to take the commuter rail, get off the Pike at 495 north, then take route 9 east to route 85 south, and go park at the Southborough commuter rail station. It is less out of the way than route 128, its far enough off the Marathon route that you won't have any trouble with road closures or traffic, and the lot is pretty big for a small town station. Plus the Worcester-Framingham rail line occasionally stops at the Yawkey station which is incredibly convenient (closer to Fenway park than Kenmore square OR the Fenway green line stop). The only issue with taking this line is that the stops in Yawkey and Southborough are both a little infrequent, so you are really a slave to the train schedule.
If you can't schedule a train with a stop in yawkey, it does go into Back Bay station, and you can easily walk to the park from there. Walking back to Back Bay station after the game is a lot of fun, as you can watch the runners on Comm Ave.

Thanks for the help. Will give me plenty to think about. I will definitely look into the Commuter Rail.

Where is the Yawkey Commuter Rail Station? All the Maps on google show it on Yawkey Way right next to the Boston Beer Works but I can't picture where it is as there is a large parking lot there. Do you just walk thru the parking lot?

yes, its at the back of that parking lot, so you walk through the lot to the park. It doesn't have much in the way of a "station", just a couple of benches near the tracks. (Actually one of the things the Sox ownership has been pushing for is for the city to build a better station there and have more trains stop)

Thanks. I just wanted to make sure as we are going to take Commuter Rail from Worcester. None of us want to deal with road closures or heavy traffic. 6:35 train gets us into Yawkey at 8:40. Gives us time to walk around before heading into Fenway. Will buy a new Sox hat as I can't find mine after last year when I remember throwing it someplace...

sounds like a good plan. I really think commuter rail is the best option for Patriots day.

After the game, I really liked walking back along Comm. Ave to watch the runners, and then took the train back from Back Bay station. I hope you get good weather!

(Heck, I hope I get good weather...I'm headed in for the Opener on Monday ).

I'm still amazed we were able to get these tickets. 10 of us got these in 1 row a month after tickets went on sale and we are in the first row of the grandstands behind the Sox dugout. Yes, ticket sales are way down but 10 in a row at that point has been unheard of for a long time.

Monday's weather looks decent so far. Im hoping its a lot cooler than Patriots Day last year when it was over 100. Having just been at Spring Training with great weather, it will be hard to top that...

Have you verified that the 6.30 train operates on Apr 19, which is of course the Patriots Day holiday (commemorating the Patriots' 3 Super Bowl victories)? The 6.30 train operates on the weekday schedule, but not on the Saturday or Sunday schedule.

<<the Patriots Day holiday (commemorating the Patriots' 3 Super Bowl victories)>>

What commemorates their four Super Bowl losses?

Other than the apparel some of us have for Super Bowls XLII and XLVI . . .

Don, I did confirm that and they are running a weekday schedule that day.

those are excellent seats. I'm amazed you could get 10 in a row...did you have to make several orders? I didn't think you could get more than 4 tickets to a single game in a single order. I haven't managed a group that big since maybe 2003. Have a great time! And enjoy the slightly cheaper beer and 2/1 hot dogs.