Boston!
 

Hi all! I am going to a conference in Boston this Fall and I am very excited. I have never been there before. Any tips on what to go see and do? I am interested in Revolutionary War history. Any restaurant ideas? Places to run?

Boston!
 

Hi midwife,

I lived in Boston for four years (well, just outside Boston) and was just back recently to take my fiance and some relatives on a vacation which they all loved. There is SO much to do (and eat!) in Boston.

First let me ask, how long will you be in town? Also, are you staying in Boston itself or nearby? That will help me with my suggestions.

Go to the JFK museum. I absolutely love that museum its one of my favorites. If you can go see a Red Socks game, do that as well. Boston is a great city. It was one of my most favorite vacations.

Quincy Market!!! I'm from Massachusetts and this place is sooo popular. It's Exit 23 (I believe) off I93 and it's a huge block under a tent filled with goods from all over the world. There is food, clothing, jewelry, pottery ... anything you can think of!! There is also the New England Aquarium (same exit, I believe) that has a lot of whales and interesting sea creatures that you can't see anywhere else. I'm about 45-60 minutes from Boston so I don't know my way around there too well, but I know that those two places are awesome and you must see them if you get the chance.

Thanks for the tips! I will have about 3 days for sight-seeing and we are staying at the Hyatt in the Financial District...seems kind of central when I look at Mapquest!

I also have a travel question. Are the subways pretty simple? Would I be able to take the subway from Logan to the Financial District?

Thanks!!

I was there in March and had such a great time. The subway system is very simple. Well marked and it gets you all around the city. I was there on business and only had a limited amount of time to tour, but we took the trolley tour for a good overview of the city. It was very convenient and you can get off, walk around, get back on as much as you want. One good restaurant I remember was Legal Seafood, I think. Seems like there may be more than one, but I went to the one in the Prudential Center.

We were right across the road from Trinity Church, the New Old South Church and the Boston Public Library. If you get a chance all three of those were places I would recommend visiting. Lots of great looking restaurants in the Italian district that looked heavenly, but we had already eaten lunch when we were in that area.

Bawstin
 

You *can* use public transportation from Logan to the hotel. But I always took cabs. It's like 30 bucks (or so) and it saves the aggravation of dealing with it right when you get off a plane and just want to rest. You'd have to take a shuttle to the Blue Line airport stop from the airport. From there, you'd take the blue line to the State street exit, I think. I'm not entirely familiar with where your hotel is but you'd need to ask them what the closest T stop is. It may not be on the blue line, in which case you'd have to find a transfer point and transfer to another line to get to yours.

That may sound confusing, but I feel Boston's subway system is easily navigated once you get the hang of it. There's "outbound" trains that lead to all points away from the city, and "inbound" that lead toward it. Most people are actually quite friendly and will help you if you ask them directions, despite the stereotypes.

As for what to do... I, myself, didn't care at all for Quincy Market. I've got great Farmer's Market's in the town I live in here in California, and they don't smell like rotting fruit mixed with old fish. I had to cover my mouth and nose any time I went by it. Yuck.

There is of course, the famous Freedom Trail. You can rent an audio guide and follow it throughout Boston. My family was too lazy for that, hehe. We decided to do the Duck Tour instead. Most people I knew that live in Boston have never been on the Duck Tour, and think it's pretty lame. I went in not expecting much, but we all had the time of our lives. The drivers are a bit on the silly side, but you learn sooo much about the local past-and-present history... plus you get a neat little tour of the Charles River to boot!

Do NOT do the Beantown Trolley. This was an utter bore and rip-off, at least in our experience. We spent 45 minutes waiting for one to arrive and when it did it was packed to the brim and we were told to wait for the next one. When the next one arrived, we got on and sat down on the extremely uncomfortable wooden bench seats and were then stuck in traffic for a half hour. Granted, this could happen on the Duck Tour (make sure you don't tour at rush hour) but the guide was uninformed and boring, and stopped a couple times for smoke breaks! Ugh.

I agree that the New England Aquarium is a great place to go if you're into aquariums. I love the sea turtles. :) Ironically there's a "Legal Seafood" restaurant right next door. Makes you wonder.

If you're into museums, there are a ton of them everywhere you look. My travel companions really wanted to see the glass flower exhibit at the Harvard Museum of Natural History, but we ran out of time. Harvard is easily accessible via the Red Line of the T.

As for jogging - you can do no better than the Esplanade - a park area along the banks of the Charles River. Everyone who's anyone jogs along that stretch. Just head toward the river and you'll find it. (I believe the Charles/MGH stop on the Red Line would plant you right there.)

I didn't often eat in Boston proper so I can't recommend much in the way of food. Jtammy has a good idea about the North End, though. Supposedly excellent italian food.

*shew*

Anything else I can help with? :)

Thanks for the detailed ideas you guys! I am getting very excited and I will print this thread out and refer to it as we build our schedule...I can't wait!!

I LOVED Boston when I was there the first time. I'm a music person, so I visited the music schools and Symphony Hall. I could've walked that town for days! I think I did! I'm not used to big east coast cities, so just being there was really neat. For a girl from the west, I could *feel* the history, especially since I stayed in Salem. I'm sure a history buff would have no trouble finding points of interest.

It sounds like the Financial District Hyatt is a good bet. One of my favorite memories was leaving the bar in Quincy Market at closing time with my friends and walking all the way to chinatown (YUM!) through the financial district. Soooooo beautiful.

The transit system takes some getting used to, but people were really nice about it, despite the fact that I had "Not from these parts" written all over my forehead.

I know there are some locals who are much better with the tips, but as a first timer I loved it. Have fun!