Hartmann

I am heading to Boston for a vacation and I have never actually been to the city. Any suggestions for what to do, see, eat, or drink? I will be there from March 12 thru the 15th (I know, not the best time, but it was the only room in my schedule).

My plan was to visit a few of the microbreweries and just kind of walk the city (if it isn't too cold). I am going to take the T from the airport to my hotel (near Fanueil Hall).

Any suggestions and tips for the area would be very much appreciated!

goalie

try this thread over in the "new england forum"-lots of good info.....

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=642581

747LWW

Have a Sam Adams and a great lunch at a Legal Seafoods restaurant and dinner at Dergin Park (sp?) upstairs at one of the oldest, most well established eating/drinking and reasonably priced establishments I know of but for which I cannot remember a name...locals help me out here.

Lurker1999

For some interesting cheap (and good) food try the Chinatown Eatery which is in "Chinatown" (really just a 5 block area or so). It's at 44-46 Beach Street and you'll have to go up the stairs. Also there's a good restaurant in the basement in the same location.

shawbridge

I'd skip Durgin Park -- bad food and unfriendly waiters/waitressess -- but second Legal. Had a very nice meal at Mistral last night (probably pretty expensive but I didn't pay so don't know for sure).

You might want to head over to Cambridge on one of the days and ask for a Crimson Key Tour of the Harvard campus (may need to reserve this in advance) and walk around Harvard Square and then maybe head over to MIT. The MIT Museum can be fun and if you like art, the MFA, the Gardner (quite quirky), and the Fogg are good. The Freedom Trail might be interesting.

It is pretty cold today but might be nicer when you are here.

Hartmann

Thank you all! Keep the suggestions coming!

I have a couple of travelers guides for Boston but it is great to hear people's input on places that are mentioned.

My girlfriend and I enjoy the quirky places and hole-in-the-wall restaurants so that's probably what we'll be looking for when we go. I'll try Legals but I am allergic to shellfish, so that limits the menu possibilities.

BNA_flyer

Boston is a very walkable city--make sure you spend some time people-watching on Newbury Street, although this is really better in the summer. Harvard Square is always worth a visit (or Porter Square or Davis Square or Kenmore Square or...)

There is more good food than you can possibly eat; do try Legal but also check out some of the non-chain places--our favorite Italian was a little place called Alloro in the North End (it may be more touristy now, though), and we had a favorite Thai grocery/restaurant over in Brookline, the name of which I can't recall (any Brookliners want to help me out? It was around the corner from a house where JFK was born).

I always thought Durgin Park was more worth the trip to say you'd been to Durgin Park, than to actually eat the food.

deubster

Too early for Duck Tours, or I'd recommend them (start at end of March). Definitely take a walking tour on the Freedom Trail. Guided by historically dressed characters is best. Several groups do this, I recommend The Freedom Trail Foundation, www.thefreedomtrail.org. 2 halfs, 90 minutes each, $12 each, I'd take the bottom half only, do the top half on your own. The bottom half goes from Boston Common to Faneuil Hall, includes Granary Burying Ground, Statehouse, Kings Chapel, Old South Meeting House, site of Boston Massacre, 1st public school in America, ends at Fanueil Hall. From there, go to Paul Revere's House, the Old North Church, Copp's Burying Ground, then across the bridge to the USS Constitution (Old Ironsides). Take the Constitution tour, it's great (last tour of the day is 3:30 IIRC). Then go up the hill to the Bunker Hill monument. Take the T back to Faneuil Hall, or walk back and enjoy dinner in a nice Italian restaurant in the North End (Giacamo's, La Summa, Antico Forno, can't go wrong with any of these).

Strongly second the idea of taking the T to Harvard Square, look around the campus, eat in some of the restaurants, watch street performers (though with cold and mid-week, there might not be much).

Since you're staying by Faneuil Hall, the New England Aquarium is quite nice. Also, if weather is not too bad, take a water taxi - close by.

Consider a tour of Fenway Park, quite cool, about $12. Go to the Observation Deck of the Prudential Tower, also about $10 - rather nice view 360 degrees. Go in the day, then come back at night - same ticket is good all day. Close by is the Mapparium, an interesting world globe you walk into.

At night, 2 things I recommend, 1) several pub crawls available (drink where lots of founding fathers drank on a historical pub tour, or take an Irish pub crawl), 2) go see Blue Man Group - a riot. Blue Man is great fun, tiny theater with no bad seats. Right at Faneuil Hall is a booth that sells same-day tickets for half price - one like it at Prudential Center also.

Lots to do in Boston, you'll have fun if you're not snowed in!!

obscure2k

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Obscure2k
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magiciansampras

If you are in to hole in the wall places then I'd walk around the North End and try to get in somewhere. It can be quite crowded on the weekends, but more reasonable during the week.

Hartmann

Great suggestions! The pub crawl sounds like a great time (especially the historical one).

What part of Lubbock? I am a former temporary resident of Lubbock (aka, Texas Tech alum).

Hartmann

Perfect. We are going to try and walk as much as possible and just pop in to little cafes and bars just to see what they are like. We do not have a lot of that here in Houston so it will be a welcome change.

magiciansampras

What might not be a welcome change is the weather. It is going to be cold in March. Boston's warm weather doesn't really start till May (and unfortunately, sometimes June). Bring cold-weather clothes.

deubster

SW Lubbock. Came in '81 for grad school at TTU, got rooted in with work & raising kids, just never left.

Here's the link for the historic taverns pub crawl: https://store.thefreedomtrail.org/in...WPROD&ProdID=2
Note that two of the places listed are right by Faneuil Hall, Green Dragon & Union Oyster House. Union Oyster is the oldest restaurant in USA (2nd is Durgin-Park, also by Faneuil), and has a great raw bar but very mediocre food at the tables. Durgin-Park, dissed by previous poster, has a long history of surley waitresses, that's actually part of it's charm. Food, as pointed out, is just so-so - with the exception of the monstrous bone-on prime ribs. For cheap eats in the area, the food court in Faneuil Hall has some great bargains for above average fare. Walk 10 minutes north, puts you in the middle of 85+ Italian restaurants, bakeries, pizzarias, etc., that range from spectacularly cheap (Galleria Umberto, lunch only - $1.10/slice for very good Sicilian pizza, great arancini for $2.25) to a wealth of upscale northern & southern Italian restaurants. Check out www.northendboston.com or see the Boston forum on www.chowhound.com.

Ganto

The Thai place near the JFK birthplace is Dok Bua. I'd 2nd the rec if you are out in Brookline. A park ranger told me the majority of forign visitors to the JFK house are from Japan.

On Microbrews (well, brew pubs): I'd suggest Cambridge Brewing Company http://www.cambrew.com/
If you like hole in the wall types, you may want to walk over to the Garment District for vintage. http://www.garment-district.com/

Good if you are near Fenway is the Boston Beer Works.

A walking tour of Boston should be strongly considered if the weather is agreable for you. I'd suggest:

-The freedom trail: start in the commons and either go to the end at the ship yards or perhaps stop in the North End -- it's a long cold walk over the bridge.

-From your hotel, go thorough Beacon Hill, past Science Park, and out along the esplanade. Stop at Mass ave and either return along newbury/back bay or cross over to Mit

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