Boston

[Autumnovember]

Hi guys!

Thankfully in April I will have a bit of a break from school and FI and I decided that we want to go to Boston!

We are huge baseball fans and we have been trying to see every stadium over the years. Fenway is on our list! We'll be staying at Ames Hotel.

Now...the best part of any vacation for me: food and places to go out at night

Suggestions, please!

 

[Scorpioanne]

You are so lucky! DH and I got to go to Boston 3 years ago and we had a great time. Make sure to go to Legal Seafood as it is great. We also did trolley tours which will take you around and you can get off and look around and get on as many times as you like. Quincy Market is great, there's a Cheers Bar. I wanted to check out Harvard and that was fun too tho it poured rain that day. We went to the aquarium which was fun (it was too rainy to go whalewatching). We ate in the North end at a tiny little hole-in-the-wall Italian place that was fabuolous and inexpensive. I went to the opening night of the Boston Ballet's version of Swan Lake and it was spectacular and held in a gorgeous old theatre.

The neat thing is that while DH was in his course and working all day I felt safe to explore all by myself (including taking the subway myself) we live in a medium sized prairie city.

 

[Autumnovember]

You are so lucky! DH and I got to go to Boston 3 years ago and we had a great time. Make sure to go to Legal Seafood as it is great. We also did trolley tours which will take you around and you can get off and look around and get on as many times as you like. Quincy Market is great, there's a Cheers Bar. I wanted to check out Harvard and that was fun too tho it poured rain that day. We went to the aquarium which was fun (it was too rainy to go whalewatching). We ate in the North end at a tiny little hole-in-the-wall Italian place that was fabuolous and inexpensive. I went to the opening night of the Boston Ballet's version of Swan Lake and it was spectacular and held in a gorgeous old theatre.

The neat thing is that while DH was in his course and working all day I felt safe to explore all by myself (including taking the subway myself) we live in a medium sized prairie city.

Aquarium, perfect! We manage to go to an aquarium in just about every state we go to.

We have a Legal Seafoods here

 

[Matata]

Mike's Bakery!!!! Best cannoli evah. If you go, don't be discouraged by the line to get in. It moves pretty fast. We ate at Legal Seafood. Didn't think it was too special. We also ate at a variety of mediterranean & Indian restaurants and they were superb. Loved our evening walk through Beacon Hill. There are great bars with good munchies all over the place.

 

[mrscushion]

If you're into sushi, Oishii has the best I've ever had, even beating out all my favorite sushi haunts in NYC. It has two locations in Boston as far as I know. It's pretty pricey, though...always used to be a splurge meal for me.

 

[zoebartlett]

I live about an hour north of Boston. You'll love it! Boston is a very walkable city, so make sure you have good shoes for that. It can be tricky driving around if you're unfamiliar with the area. The T is the subway system, and it's great for getting around. If you take it, the green line is one you'll use more often if you want to stay around downtown (near the places I wrote about below).

Have fun! I wish I could remember specific restaurants to recommned, other than the Oyster House. There are so many great ones, but my mind is blank right now (it's early!).

Some of my favorite things to do are:

-- stroll through Beacon Hill. The brownstones are gorgeous.

-- walk through the Public Garden and the Common. The Common begins near the state house and Park,Tremont, and Beacon Streets. Walk straight through the Common, cross Charles Street, and you'll get to the Public Garden (5 min.).

-- Keep walking down, and you'll get to the Ritz on Arlington (near Boylston). If you keep walking up Boylston (so the Ritz is your right), you'll get to Copley Square. There's a really pretty church there, as well as the public library (~10 min.)

-- If you keep walking up Boylston St., you'll get to the Pru (Prudential Center). There are many shops, restaurant, and a food court that you can check out if you'd like (~10-15 min. I think).

-- walk up and down Newbury Street. There are a ton of high end shops and restaurants.

-- visit the North End (the Little Italy of Boston). There are so many great places to eat. Everyone always recommends Mike's Pastries. There are other places too but their names escapes me right now.

-- Definitely check out Fanueil Hall/Quincy Market (near Government Center). There are a lot of really good restaurants and shops. If you like chocolate chip cookies (who doesn't?), go to the Chip Yard inside Quincy Market. So yummy! Go to the Union Oyster House and then you can say that you were at America's oldest restaurant. http://www.unionoysterhouse.com/

-- Visit the Museum of Science and/or the Museum of Art. There's a new wing of the MoA that I've wanted to check out. I've heard it's great.

-- Go on the Freedom Trail tour. It's funny, I can't remember doing this but I MUST have. I've heard it's well worth doing if you want to learn more about the history of Boston. http://www.thefreedomtrail.org/

Here's a map I found on the Ritz' website. It gives you a good layout of the Common, Public Garden, and the nearby streets.

http://maps.google.com/maps?rlz=1C1SNNT_enUS377US377&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=ritz+carlton,+boston&fb=1&gl=us&hq=ritz+carlton,&hnear=Boston,+MA&ei=FquRTbbcKOuP0QG10oHNBw&sa=X&oi=local_group&ct=image&resnum=2&ved=0CAQQtgMwAQ

 

[zoebartlett]

I forgot to mention, if you like chocolate, there's a chocolate buffet that's worth checking out at the Langham Hotel near (or in?) the Downtown Crossing area of the city. My husband and I did this once and it was fun. There are a few of them around apparently, judging from a quick Google search, but this is the one we went to: http://boston.langhamhotels.com/restaurants/chocolate_bar.htm

Also, if you like brunch and you want an upscale experience, the Four Seasons has a great buffet brunch. The Four Seasons overlooks the Public Garden/Common, and it's right on Boylston St.

ETA: At the top of the Pru, there's a restaurant called Top of the Hub. It gives you panoramic views of the city, and it's fun to check out. http://www.topofthehub.net/

Also, if you have time, it's fun to go to Cambridge and walk around Harvard Square. There's a great bookstore called the Coop, and there are good restaurants in the area too.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Any restaurant in the North End will treat you well, you can finish the evening with cannoli at Mike's or Modern Pastry is another good spot. The Aquarium and Quincy Market are walking distance from the North End so that would basically take up an entire day/night. Newbury St. is another great stop, as are the Public Garden and Boston Common, which are right at the end of Newbury.

Do you have your Sox tickets yet? There are a few good pubs/restaurants in the Fenway/Landsdown St. area where you'll be for the game. Most of them are sports bars. There are also clubs in that area.

Harvard/MIT are right across the river, you can hop on the green line and then pick up the red to get to Harvard Sq. It's a pretty cool place.

Good luck and enjoy! Like Zoe, I'm a relative local, about 40 minutes south of the city. You're going to have a fabulous time!

ETA: duck tours are also a super fun way to see the city. Drop me a line on FB if you have questions.

 

[NewEnglandLady]

I second a lot of what HH mentioned. I love the duck tours. I also love the aquarium. A Sox game is always fun. The freedom trail is popular as well, though I probably wouldn't walk the entire thing. I'd probably do the duck tour first, then take the freedom trail to see the places that piqued your interest on the duck tour.

The North End is a must. I'm a Mike's Pastry girl, but Modern Pastry is on the same street, so when guests come in I usually get cannoli from both and do a little taste test. If there isn't a long wait, Giacomo's is my hands-down favorite place to eat in the North End. For seafood, I actually prefer Union Oyster House over Legal. Plus Union Oyster House is close ot the North End, so you can still get cannoli for dessert

 

[Autumnovember]

Wow, wow, wow, thank you guys so much!

-We didn't buy our tickets yet so I definitely would like to go to some cool places in the area before/after the game

-We have duck tours in Philly. They have suspended them ever since there was an accident on the river and two people died

-Our hotel is located in the Beacon Hill area (what the website says).

-FI LOVES sweets, so the bakery's are a must for us

-I LOVE sushi so Oishii is on the list!

-We have a Legal here so Oyster house it is!

-Buffet brunch? I'm there.

-Views of the city while eating = going there too!

I'll be 600 lbs when I return.


Why are Boston hotels so expensive?!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

Because we're awesome???? It's probably a city/seasonal thing. We're a big destination in the spring for RS fans and other tourists.

 

[Autumnovember]

So I hear!

Should I wear my phillies clothes while at the game?

Just kidding!

 

[zoebartlett]

I'm not familiar with the hotel you'll be staying at, but it looks really nice, judging from the website. It's in a good location too, as far as being close to things that have been suggested.

You'll have so much fun. There's so much to see and do!

 

[NewEnglandLady]

Oh, you're in luck--the Ames Hotel is close to the North End I forgot to mention that if you want a fancy schmacy dinner in the North End, Mama Maria's is yummy. If your hubby is into sweets, I think the Omni Parker House is where the Boston Creme Pie originated and is fairly close to your hotel. I've never actually had it myself despite working a block away for years now!

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

There's also Finale, which is a restaurant designed specifically around the dessert experience.

 

[waterlilly]

You could also see what's happening at the Charles Playhouse while you are in town...maybe catch a fun show.

This is my absolute favorite sushi spot:

http://www.sushiexpress-ma.com/

Very small, no atmosphere, prices are incredible, sushi is amazing, when I worked at the medical school I would walk home and eat there at least 3-4x a week - I miss it so much and go there any time I go in to Boston! Just up the street a few blocks (closer to Coolidge Corner) is Fugakyu, another great sushi place - but more $$, great atmosphere.

This area, the St. Mary's stop on the green line is a short walk from Fenway.

 

[elrohwen]

I did the Duck Tour during my last Boston trip (I go there a few times per year) and it was actually a lot of fun! The friends I went with had never done it either (though two live in Boston) and we all enjoyed it. A little cheesy, yes, but I learned a lot in a short amount of time that I never knew. I also got to see a lot of places in the city I hadn't seen before. We boarded near the Science Center and I wanted to go in, but we didn't have time. I've always wanted to visit the aquarium too, so you'll have to let me know how it is.

We also visited the USS Constitution which was fun. I think it was free? Or at least cheap.

When I'm there I spend the majority of my time in Cambridge, so I'm not good with other parts of the city. I love Harvard Square and the Cambridge area in general - great places to go out at night and to eat. We go to Sunset Grill (in Allston I think) almost every time - if you like beer they have a ridiculously large selection and pretty good food (burgers, nachos, tex-mex standards, etc). It's just a fun place and pretty cheap.