John Galt

Mrs. Galt and I will be staying on the waterfront 11/4-11/9 (I'm on business...have F-Su for touristing...). She's a financial planner, so thinking about looking at the Fidelity office tower in the financial district...

I've looked at the other two threads, both of which involve kids. We don't have the kids with us.

--Thinking the Cheers bar and the Independence walking tour. What else?

--Probably having a meal in Little Italy and (Island Creek Oyster Bar or B&G Oyster Bar or East Coast Grill).

--Is there a breakfast place for Johnnycakes?

--Is Filene's Basement still an awesome place to go?

--Is Blue Man Group pretty cool and worth an evening?

--How far is Hahvahd and is it worth walking around? I guess none of the pre-game excitement as they are at Columbia that weekend (how big a deal is Harvard football anyway....She and I both went to big State schools in the South, so you can guess what we're used to). What is the name of the bar from "Good Will Hunting"?

magiciansampras

It's almost as if you're trying to hit all of the overrated tourist crap. You only left Legal's off your list.

Cheers is a joke and not worth your time.

The Freedom Trail, not Independence Walk, is enjoyable if it is a nice day.

It's not Little Italy it's the North End and most of the places there are garbage. Go to B&G or East Coast, etc. instead.

Mike's City Diner makes a good breakfast. Some people like Paramount in Beacon Hill. I don't.

Filene's Basement never was an awesome place to go.

Ditto Blue Man Group.

Harvard is worth walking around, as is a lot of Cambridge. It's across the River. Football is not a big deal.

JennyElf

Filene's Basement in Downtown is a big hole in the ground at the moment. The rest are no different than a TJ Maxx.

The bar in Good Will Hunting (how you like them apples?) was the The Bow & Arrow Pub, but it's now closed and has been replaced by the Grafton Street Restaurant and Bar. The location is 1 Bow St, Cambridge.

John Galt

Where should I go, then?

Analise

I like the North End because it's a real neighborhood especially compared with Little Italy in Manhattan. Now that the Big Dig is done, it gets more tourists unfortunately. It was almost better while the Big Dig was in full force. Walk down Hanover St and look at menus. You really can't go wrong.

If you were to go to Cheers, you'd see a different interior at a bar geared toward tourists. Not worth your time.

Grab lunch at Faneuil Hall. There are so many stalls from which to choose.

I wish Boston had more neighborhood coffee shops (what you may call "diners") so you could enjoy an inexpensive breakfast with the locals. Maybe they have them in the peripheries.

Boston is a walking town. Walk the Freedom Trail. It's really following a red brick line. It goes right into the North End too. Walk around the Public Garden and Boston Common.

Filene's, as said already, is gone.

The following two museums are a must for your trip...The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

tkey75

Umm...wasn't that the L St. Tavern, which is still there...on L St. (and 8th) in Southie, where Will lived?

tkey75

Not really. Boston's not a big diner town, I guess.

There's one on Boylston, but not the same as it used to be. Not cheap and more like a slightly more upscale TJMaxx or Marshalls (which is right across the st.) as noted above.

magiciansampras

There aren't many anymore, but the ones that have survived are pretty good.

Yahtzee

USS Constitution - take the $2.00 water shuttle by the Marriott and back. While over there, check out the Bunker Hill monument.

Walk along Charles Street and up to louisburg Square on Beacon Hill and then the Public Garden to the 4 Seasons and have a drink or burger at the Bristol Lounge. could walk down Newbury St after to do some shopping/people watching.

Take the T to Harvard Square and go to Charlie's Kitchen for a dive bar beer and greasy burger.

Go to the ICA in the seaport district.

Go to east coast grill for dinner and then chrisina's ice cream next door.

whackyjacky

Rent a car on Sat and tool up to Cape Ann. Quite picturesque, nautical, & salty (not to mention the seafood). 50 -60 mins to Gloucester (pronounced glah-stah). Keep going all the way up to Portsmouth if you feel like it (you're still only 90 mins out) wj

JennyElf

IIRC, that scene took place in Harvard Sq, that's how he met the female lead.

coachrowsey

Legal Seafood.........................clam chowder & any seafood you like.

tkey75

Yeah, the scenes take place all over the place, but the majority of the bar scenes are in the L St. Tavern. It's the bar they sit in when Will introduces the gal to his friends for the first time.

tkey75

Advice given by the man with CLT in his profile.

Locals do NOT eat there. I had a bowl of chowder there only once in almost 20 years. It was pretty good, but there's better.

halfcape

You should go to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. If you want to leave Boston and head towards Cape Cod, I can give more suggestions.