Cameron_james t1_j1gd407 wrote on December 24, 2022 at 3:12 AM

Reply to comment by michael_scarn_21 in Foxborough ≠ Boston by vvsbari

I know Wembley is in London. I lived in London. And, London is also massive. It's 7 times the square footage of Boston (650+ to under 90). Wembley's not in Downtown London from a tourist perspective.

Fenway is "in Boston." You can walk to Fenway from basically any tourist neighborhood of Boston. You aren't walking to Wembley from Picadilly, South Bank, Hyde Park, Kensington, Chelsea, etc...

My place was near Southwark. It was about an hour to get to Wembley on a game/concert night. It's a longer line getting out of there and onto a train (Wembley Park is about a half mile) than Foxboro.

Back Bay to Foxboro is around 50 minutes on the train. Covent Garden to Wembely is not much faster.

All this said...rather see game/concert in London than in Foxboro...and I'd trust a London train over the T. And London trains compared to driving to Foxboro. It's not even close - London trains X 50 over a four lane road.

michael_scarn_21 t1_j1gewrb wrote on December 24, 2022 at 3:28 AM

Yes Wembley isn't in central London but it's about 20-25 minutes from major central London rail termini (for example Paddington) and downtown London so not really comparable to The Foxboro time. The Foxboro train might only take 50 minutes but you're not adding in the wait for a train with MBTA headways, even if they do increase service.

Cameron_james t1_j1gjwlo wrote on December 24, 2022 at 4:14 AM

I just checked on Citymapper - the ultimate transportation app - for a Tuesday 5 PM, say for a 7 pm game, right. It's over 30 minutes from Paddington to Wembley for every option whether rail, tube, bus or some combo.

The best benefit of London's options over Bostons option (there's really only one) is that there's a rail/tube/bus option from all directions and times. And, they run regularly, while the MBTA will probably do 1 or 2 trips down and 1-2 trips back. So, while you're not waiting for the Foxboro train to arrive (because it'll be a special ticket time, not a commuter rail schedule), you have no options for winging it to get there extra early or stay extra late, as you would in London.

My overall point is that most football stadiums aren't in the "city." You're probably taking a train to the stadium from your hotel. MetLife near NYC isn't closer to NYC than Foxboro is to Boston. That's an hour+ trip by train out to a marshland if you stay in Midtown. (And if you stay outside, then you're taking the 30 minute train into NYC.) I think SoFi Stadium in LA is closer to the city, but public transport I don't know well.

However, if I was recommending a city to see WC 2026 and your team didn't matter - I'd choose Toronto. You can legit stay in Toronto and walk to the games and just about anyplace else a tourist wants in the city.