Planning a trip to Boston...Bostonians, what to do, see, or avoid?

In My Humble Opinion
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Some Dopers may have read a few posts of mine in which I mention an upcoming trip to NYC. Well, during the same trip, we’ll be spending a few days in Boston. My wife needs to see a doctor at Beth Israel medical center, but aside from that, as tentatively planned, we’ll have over two full additional days before taking an evening flight down to NY. We were thinking of staying downtown at the Omni Parker House. However, I should probably mention that due to circumstances beyond our control, we’re compelled to take a redeye flight so will probably not have access to our hotel room for some hours at first, on the morning of arrival.

Is there anything specific anyone can recommend that we do or see while we’re there? Is two days too much time to spend, or not enough to even make it worthwhile? I was actually prompted to post this because in the concurrent “Cities You Hate” thread, several people mentioned Boston, which surprised me. How bad can such a historical place be, replete with Federal-style houses and brick sidewalks, not to mention more history than just about anyplace else in the country?

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FTR, here’s a link to the thread I mentioned in the OP:

Link.

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This is a thread from a while back that asked some of the same question

Two days is plenty of time to see a bunch of Boston. As far as what you should look at, that all depends on your taste. The Museum of Science in Cambridge is a good time, and if you haven’t ever seen a laser show, it’s a good place to do it. Fanueil Hall, Newbury Street, and Harvard Square are good places to shop and people watch. The Museum of Fine Arts is very nice, from what I’ve heard (and near Beth Israel!). I never went, despite the fact that I lived across the street from it for a year.

There’s tons of historical things to do and see. The Freedom Trail is right around Fanueil Hall/Quincy Market. Beacon Hill has really great architecture.

I don’t understand the hate for Boston in the other thread. I went to college there, and loved it. The accent isn’t really a Boston thing. There aren’t too many native Bostonians, I think. Just stay out of the working class suburbs if you don’t want to hear it. Traffic does suck, but the public transportation is great. People have an attitude politically, but not really in a way that you would notice as a tourist.

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I want to hear the accent. It gets so dull living where everybody talks right! :slight_smile:

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Then I suggest you get yourself to Needham, Everett, or Revere. You’ll burn out on it mighty quick. :stuck_out_tongue:

People talk right where my lost socks are? Gosh, you have everything going for you! (if you find a brown comfy sock, would you please send it to me? I miss it.)

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If you’re going to do museums, you should definitely check out the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum- it’s just around the corner from the MFA and very nice. I find the Museum of Science is not as interesting as it used to be, especially if you’re not bringing kids, and the Aquarium is an expensive rip-off. Faneuil Hall area is nice, as is Harvard Square.

Assuming you don’t attempt to drive, Boston doesn’t really suck as a tourist place, but rather as a place to live. It’s things that get to you over a long period of time, mostly.

I have a student in my Latin class who has the thickest Boston accent I’ve heard. It’s funny to listen to him read Latin aloud, he even pronounces that with a Boston accent.

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As one of the people who indulged in a little Boston-bashing in that other thread I have to agree. Boston is a fine place to visit for a few days or a week, you will have a great time. Some aspects of living here wear you down after a while though, that’s all.

In addition to everything above I would recommend the North End for Italian food, and any of the several locations of Legal Seafood for, well, seafood. I am also partial to Bertucci’s, another chain with good pizza and Italian food. If you like fresh beer I recommend either the John Harvard Brewpub in Harvard Square or the Cambridge Brewing Company in Kendall Square, Cambridge (there is no other reason to go to Kendall Sq. though).

In answer to your question I would say two days is just about the minimum time for a worthwhile trip. If it were me and I couldn’t get into my hotel for a few hours in the morning I would probably wander down to the North End and find a place where I could get cannolis and cappuccino for a pick me up. You could also walk down Newbury St. and window shop and look for a cafe or something down there. If the weather is decent Commonwealth Avenue from the Public Garden to Massachussets Avenue or so also makes a great walk. All this is near your hotel.

BTW legend has it that both Malcom X and Ho Chi Minh worked at the Omni Parker House as busboys before they were famous (presumably at different times).

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Good call on the North End, Laughing Lagomorph. A note to would-be vistors on that: Avoid Mike’s Pastries. It’s a tourist trap that everybody talks about. Right down the street there is a hole in the wall place called Modern Bakery. The cannoli there are the best in Boston (which isn’t saying much, granted). It’s fun to go to that area when the farmer’s market is open, but I don’t know if it’s a year round operation. The vendors try to cheat you, and half the fun is to make them replace the rotten fruit they gave you with fresh stuff. Try some of the honey roasted nuts that are sold from carts. They’re yummy!

Kendall Square, mentioned above, is the home of MIT, if visiting there would float your boat.

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Fanueil Hall for lunch is a must. The MFA is really cool (and free on Wednesday nights). The Museum of Science is okay, the first five times. I think the North End is the biggest rip off ever, but that’s just me. A walk through the common is a lot of fun, but unless you really luike walking and dealing with fifth grade class trips, the rest of the Freedom Trail can be left alone, IMHO. Oh, another really fun thing to do is to go to the Boston Harbor Islands. The boat leaves from somewhere near Fanueil Hall, if I remember correctly.

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I that that the tourism bureau should should take this exact line and use it as the opening statement on tourism literature.

I agree completely.

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I’ve probably been to the Boston Aquarium six times; I love that place. Check it out, if it’s your kind of thing.

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Well, there’s my office, and the new Stata Center, designed by Frank Gehry.

I wouldn’t put those right at the top of a tourist’s list, but it’s not a complete waste of space.

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Ditto. I like it for several reasons:

  1. It’s small. Spending all day at the MFA is overwhelming. ISG takes about 2 hours.

  2. They have a very high-quality collection, although it was sadly diminished by the robbery in the early 1990s.

  3. The building, IIRC, was ISG’s home, and it’s beautiful.
    I also highly recommend the Freedom Trail. Some people will diss it, but you get to see all the Revolutionary War-era historical sights, you get to be outside and walking around, and it will take you through the North End, which is a fun neighborhood. I did it at least 3 times with different family members and friends when I lived there, and everyone had a great time.

If you like to window shop, a fun day is to start at one end of Newberry Street and walk the whole length. There are a lot of different, eclectic stores and art galleries.

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I’d recommend the Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum. It’s right near the Museum of Fine Arts, but much less expensive (I think only $3-$5? with some days free). It’s a beautiful museum, and won’t take much of your time, either.

Also, as far as restaurants go, it really depends on your taste. Want some abuse? Dick’s Last Resort, at the Prudential. The waiters are basically paid to be asses, and the food’s pretty good. It’s kind of pricey for what it is, but it’s fun if that’s your thing.

If you want to spend a lot of money on dinner, I’d recommend Morton’s Steak House . I dont know your financial situation, though, so be warned that dinner for two, including a bottle of wine and tip, ends up at about $200. I went there w/ my fiance, as we got a gift certificate from my parents for $100 as an engagement present. Best. Steak. Ever. if you have the means, which I probably won’t for a long, long time.

I’ll second Boston Beer Works, the beer is good and so is the food. If the weather is crappy, avoid Fanuiel Hall, as you’ll be outside a lot of the time. Newbury Street is good for shopping, they have both high end and lower end stores, so whatever your tastes you’ll probably find something you like. Right in that area is also the Prudential and Copley, both of which have a lot of stores, though Copley tends to the more high-end stuff.

If you DO decide to go to the Science Museum (I had a ball the last time I went), be forewarned that the train doesn’t run all the way there due to construction. There is a shuttle bus (that you don’t have to pay extra for) that goes from Gov’t Center to Lechemere, but it takes a little longer. I’ve seen a lot of tourists get really confused when the T driver announces the last stop, when the T map says it goes all the way to Lechemere.

Since you’ll be by the medical centers, there are a few places around there to go, also. The Linwood Bar and Grill is great. They have a good variety of food, and were featured on the Phantom Gourmet. Prices aren’t bad.
Also there is Thornton’s (not to be confused w/ the Thornton’s on Mass. Ave, totally different places). It’s more of a diner, and I used to live right around the block from there and ate there all the time. Good food, cheap, and they serve breakfast until 2 or 3pm on weekends.

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Okay, my interests are nautical, and historical, so when I think of a visit to Boston, I think of spending time at the USS Constitution. A beautiful old tub.

When you go to Fanueil Hall Marketplace, I’d suggest trying Durgin Park, instead of one of the more ritzy places. There’s a certain charm to a restaurant where the servers are sassy, opinionated, and not entirely respectful. The food is awesome, with generous portions - and served quickly. But the servers are the real reason I love the place. User Surly doesn’t begin to cover it. :smiley:

I don’t mean to disparage any of the suggestions that others have made - there’s a LOT to do in Boston. Just my own two cents.

Oh, and a big big second for the fact that Boston is not driver friendly. I have driven in many major metropolitan areas in the US: LA, NYC, Washington DC, and Hartford. The only place I am scared of driving is Boston. Partly, it’s the drivers. Partly it’s the roads. And partly it’s just the lack of informative signage to let you know where the f**k you are. “You can’t get there from here,” is a way of life for these people. Not to mention that I am convinced that they switch the one-way streets around - on a rotating basis. So you can never use the same route twice. Walk and use the T in Boston - it’s easier on the heart.

My father’s suggestion was that the lack of signs were a deliberate ploy on the part of the Powers-That-Be: This time, when the Brits come, they won’t even be able to find Concord, let alone any powder stores.

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I second the suggestions for Harvard Square, the Gardner Museum, and the North End. (Also, personally, I’m not too wild about the Museum of Science.) Have a great time, I really like Boston!!!

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p.s. – re: Harvard Square – In the good weather, spring summer and fall, you’ll get street performers, artists, etc. in the evenings and weekends. In winter I’ve been there mostly on weekday evenings and haven’t seen them. So if you have a choice, don’t go on a weekday evening. Maybe someone else can say whether they’re around on weekends in the winter.

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Harvard Square is really cool. Eat at Fire and Ice, on I think Chruch street. And if you like bizarre theater performances, the ART is, well, interesting.

And as I said before on another thread, driving in Boston isn’t that bad, you just have to be able to cut across four lanes of traffic in 50 ft and then merge seven lanes into two very narrow ones. Actaully, I think if I did live here and need to drive into Boston, it would scare me, but as one who cut her i-teeth on 93 at rush hour, I don’t have much choice.

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[hijack]This has nothing to do with the OP. I think “Bostonian” is the single greatest name for residents of an American city. Parisian and Muskovite just barely edge it out if you include the whole world.[/hijack]

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The Gardner is $10 for adults now. No free days. There’s a discount if you go to both the ISGM and the MFA within a 2-day period.

However, if your name is “Isabella” (must have valid proof of ID), your admission is free forever. Does not extend to other members of your party; valid for regular museum admission only - not special events. www.isgm.org