"Real men do not ride duck boats unless their wife tells them too."

OR, if they win a World Series.

Very true in my house!

Hey Cal guy, the schools row sculls up and down the Charles River not yachts! Anyway, the schools will be on summer break when these Cubby guys show up.

Advice for ANY baseball bar visit - be in the door by 4 if you can be. That will give you time to get your food and brew, digest it, and get to the park in plenty of time.

The baseball bars in Boston near Fenway are -

- Cask'n'Flagon, probably the oldest continuously running bar in Fenway's immediate district. It began life as a bar as the Pennant Grill, then became Oliver's in the early 70s, then "the Cask".

- Boston Beer Works - a brew pub, serves pub food -- oversize hamburgers, salads, wraps, fish and chips, Cuban sandwiches, pizza, nothing all that fantastic, but not bad. They usually have around 15-17 different brews - that were freshly brewed, on premises. If you're coming in from out of town, do take note that this place does not serve "Bud Light", as far as I know. And most of the brews here, beers, ales, porters, are stronger in alcohol content than what you'd find in an American supermarket.

- The Baseball Tavern, Boylston Street. A block from Fenway. This probably is the most "authentic" baseball bar in the area. Pictures, some memorabilia, decent pub food -- and the best fried seafood platters in town, last I checked. If you want clams, or scallops, and a 'Gansett, this is the place. Modest prices, and reportedly (I heard) the original McGreevy's bar is on one of the upper floors here.

- Jerry Remy's - Boylston Street. Never been there, I'll let others comment.

A bit away -

- McGreevy's, Boylston Street, near the Prudential Center. While it purports to be "Boston's oldest sports bar", this attempts to be a 21st century replica of the famous "Third Base" bar in the South End. "Third Base" was run by a man named McGreevy, and it was located near the Huntington Avenue Grounds and the South End Grounds -- which were the original parks for the Red Sox and Braves, respectively. "Third Base" lost a lot of its support when the Red Sox abandoned Huntington Avenue in 1912 for Fenway, and the Braves moved out of the area in mid-1914. And Prohibition did it in, in 1919. Now, it's a nice place, with a lot of Red Sox memorabilia and baseball trappings, but it's not near the park, and IMHO it lacks the earthiness and game-day atmosphere of the above four places. Food is comparable to the above places (can't comment on Remy's, however), and I've been there a few times and liked it, but not as much as the BBW or BT.

-The Dugout, Commonwealth Avenue (south of Kenmore square by a few blocks). A downstairs bar that you walk into -- nothing fancy. Very earthy. It was frequented by Pinky Higgins, and some other Red Sox personnel in the 30s, 40s, and 50s. Certainly Braves fans popped in there as well.
Beer, pizza, and I don't know what else.

Too far away - and catering to tourists

- Cheers. A mile or two away from Fenway. As McGreevy would say, 'nuf ced.

I second either Boston Beer Works or McGreevy's. The Beer and food at BBW is very good; I have only drank at McGreevy's, though.

Why can't I fantasize those canoes as yachts? With our poor economy, we can do what these San Francisco Giants fans do out in the waters of McCovey Cove (adjacent to ATT ballpark).....
have a tire floating in the water, then put a BBQ grill on it and grill steaks.

Well anyway I think these Nerds from MIT can do that while the Harvard crew comes something aerodynamically innovative moving things with shift speed along the current flows of the famous Charles River in Boston, Massachusetts.

Summer break? Oh give me a break? Can't we have some entertainment along the Charles River for 'THEM' Cubbie fans?

I don't think, watching dirty water is what Cubbie guys want to do before the game. They can always buy the CD and play it. And this is not SF, so they should not bring a fishing net. The Charles is not even that close, however, one can see the ballpark lights at night from the Cambridge side of the river. I think these guys can find sum pregame stuff to do on their own.

I think the greenbelt (trees, greenery) along the Charles River offer some relaxing moments in Boston away from the cars. I think it (river) makes up Boston itself.

John F Kennedy Musuem was the greatest Prezident in history by video music galleries just in South Boston.

I can still attest -- last Friday -- Baseball Tavern still serves the BEST fried clam plate in the area.

The BT, BBW, Cask -- a true sports bar experience.

If you only have six hours free -- unless you have a Duck Tour / Old Town Trolley tour ticket, have a great dinner and walk back up to the park.

One of the things that I get irked at is people come to Boston, thinking only about Fenway. There is SO MUCH MORE here than Fenway Park. And in the summer, so much to do.

I always recommend - spend the extra money on a hotel room IN TOWN. If you can spend three or four days -- do so. That gives you plenty of time to attend one or two games at Fenway, also to take the park tour, and see other things.

MFA? Aquarium? Museum of Science (great for kids)? A night at the Symphony or Pops? Walking the Freedom Trail? Dining in the North End? The waterfront? The USS Constitution - also great for kids - and FREE. The Christian Science Church area -- marvelous park to visit. Trinity Church. Copley Square. "Top of the Hub" at the Pru. The Old State House. Occasional free shows at the Hatch Shell.

There's so much here to see. As a "native" there are still things on my "bucket list" to see that I haven't seen yet.