New England - Shopping near BOS

My fiancée and I are flying up to BOS and driving to ME for our wedding. The matron of honor is arriving about 2 hours behind us and riding up with us. In between our arrivals, we would like to go shopping for some last minute things before returning to BOS to pick her up and drive on. Are there any decent malls or shopping centers easily accessible that we can get to and back without too much hassle? We have a GPS and 2 smartphones but I'm a trifle concerned about Boston roads/ navigation.

Thank you for any help you can be.

This will be tricky. It sounds like you're looking for a suburban mall where you'd have no trouble figuring out which stores to visit, rather than a city shopping district where it's usually more difficult to know exactly what's available.

If that's true, then the next question is the day (and possible time) that you will arrive in BOS. The easiest-to-reach mall from Logan is probably the So. Shore Mall in Braintree. That's about 20 minutes away when traffic is light, but it could easily take an hour each way during peak travel times.

If you wanted to stop along the way, the most convenient mall is the No. Shore Mall in Peabody/Danvers, which is a very short way from I-95, at the intersection of Rts 128 and 114. Or if you are looking for a bunch of outlet stores, the Kittery Outlets in Kittery ME are on your way.

Flying today ;)
We arrive at 2pm, friend at 4:15.
I know that somewhere she can get hose is on the priority list, and she seemed to have trouble finding some to meet her criteria in his local shopping try. This may have been affected by stress, perhaps.

Here's another option: Upon leaving the airport, follow signs to Route 1A North toward Revere. Route 1A will eventually lead to Route 60 West, and on Route 60 in Revere is the Northgate Shopping Center, just before you get to Route 1.

Flying today ;)
We arrive at 2pm, friend at 4:15.
I know that somewhere she can get hose is on the priority list, and she seemed to have trouble finding some to meet her criteria in his local shopping try. This may have been affected by stress, perhaps.

There is also a Target store near the airport if that helps. Take Route 1A North out of the airport area, and cue the GPS to Furlong Drive (it will be on the right). There's also a grocery store, Stop 'n Shop, right next door. Not far at all, should take less than 10 minutes to drive there.

Thank you so much for your suggestions. The wedding isn't till Saturday so there is time. We just didn't expect to have this 2 hour delay and wanted to make the best of it.

Frankly, I don't think it's worth it. The area is confusing and traffic patterns have potential landmines that could put you in a tunnel and heading away from the airport before you know what happened. Plus, it will take you a while to get the rental car since they are all offsite.

I would just take it easy.

Not exactly a pick-me-up, but there is a new 9/11 memorial there near the Hilton. You could walk over there and kill some time. Or take the Hyatt Shuttle over the harborside Hyatt and have a snack/drink with a good view of downtown.

Yeah, two hours really isn't enough. Anything local (considering downtown Boston "local" to the airport) would eat at least half of your time in traffic and parking. Not worth the hassle, IMO.

The Target mentioned above would be your best (and really only) bet. Not far from the airport at all, no tunnels to pass through, easy parking.

Congratulations on your wedding!

If you have lounge access in your arrival terminal, I'd just hang out there until the MOH's flight arrives. Otherwise, head for her arrival terminal (if it's not the same) and hang out at a restaurant/bar, or pick up your car and hang out at the airport Hyatt (not far from most of the car rental places) until she calls. (It's even possible that their shop will have the right hose.) Then, as wideman suggested, stop at the North Shore Mall on your way north. Much less hassle than trying to do anything else in the time you'll have, and it may be your only two hours of downtime for a while!

No lounge access, alas.
It worked out. We didn't find what we need at Target or Northgate, but it was nice to rule them out and we didn't lose any time. Again, thanks for all the suggestions.