MASSACHUSETTS.

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Author: Baker, Matthew Reed

Boston: Not long ago, watching baseball at Fenway Park was a mellow experience: You'd get off the subway at the dingy Kenmore Square T depot, buy game-day grandstand seats for $15, then watch the third-place Red Sox lose. These days, despite last fall's disappointing finish, the Sox are still glowing from their 2004 World Series win, and tickets sell out immediately, despite being the most expensive in baseball. The Kenmore station has been demolished, and there is now a tidy entryway beneath the plush HOTEL COMMONWEALTH, my new Fenway home base.

While Boston's other premier hotels cluster downtown, the two-year-old Commonwealth is at the hub of Kenmore Square, a collegiate neighborhood rapidly becoming the city's hottest real estate. Along with its 150 rooms, the hotel houses two fine restaurants, the sleek Foundation Lounge, a photography gallery and ten boutiques. Most importantly it's a five-minute walk from Fenway. Many rooms have a view of the ballpark, but since those tend to be smaller, we opted for a "Commonwealth Room," which included a comfortable parlor overlooking the square. The concierge arranged a two-night package for us that included a Saturday tour of Fenway Park, plus seats for the Sunday afternoon game against the eventual world champion Chicago White Sox.

The Fenway tour was crowded but well-managed by the lively young tour guides, who detailed the Olde Towne Team's quirky history at each stop. After exploring the press boxes and the seats atop the Green Monster leftfield wall, we were able to walk on the field and touch the hand-operated scoreboard. Upon returning to the Commonwealth that evening, we dined on octopus ceviche and spice-crusted blue marlin at its nouveau seafood restaurant, Great Bay. Our luxury baseball weekend was progressing quite nicely.

Our only disappointment came the next day, at the game itself. We'd already suffered one 45-minute rain delay by the fourth inning, and the Red Sox were down 5-2. "I gotta sit here in the rain AND watch them lose?" bellowed a mustachioed man behind us. The weather gods soon answered with tar-black skies and thick bands of lightning that struck close to the stands.

We cut our losses and retreated to the hotel. So we didn't have the ideal Fenway experience, but we did have Pemaquid oysters and beer downstairs at the Eastern Standard pub. A splendid afternoon was spent doing crossword puzzles in the bar, where we learned that the game had been rained out. Ali's well that ends well: Our tickets would be valid for the makeup date, giving us a perfect reason to come back.

EYES ONLY Rooms range from $269-$389; presidential suite, $3,500. (617)933-5000, www.hotelcommonwealth.com

PHOTO (COLOR): Hotel Commonwealth: Wake me for the first pitch

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By Matthew Reed Baker