# Goin' to Boston! What shall I see and eat? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 6, 2004, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goin-to-boston-what-shall-i-see-and-eat/238476 "2004-04-06T01:53:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Little\_Cloud](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bcef8e/32.png) [@Little\_Cloud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Cloud)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goin-to-boston-what-shall-i-see-and-eat/238476/21 "2004-04-07T05:45:28Z")
Lobster Rolls - Mmmmmm!! Lok for them everywhere you go. They are served in a hot dog roll whose sides are toasted in butter. Yummy. ---
**Author:** ![Casey1505](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/dc4da7/32.png) [@Casey1505](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Casey1505)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goin-to-boston-what-shall-i-see-and-eat/238476/22 "2004-04-07T13:20:01Z")
> [@Mithril](#): > > Also, the Museum of Science in Cambridge is fun. They have [laser shows](http://www.mos.org/whats_happening/shows/index.php) set to rock music. They also have a scale model of the solar system that spreads over Boston, but starts at the museum. I loved that place! My wife and I went there for our honeymoon a few years ago. Well, Boston in general, not the planetarium specifically. I still get a chuckle over the guy who read the ground rules: “No eating, drinking, or smoking…OF ANYTHING…is allowed in the planetarium. I smelled some of you guys when you came in here…” ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goin-to-boston-what-shall-i-see-and-eat/238476/23 "2004-04-07T16:48:57Z")
The stuff to see has been covered pretty well, I think. As far as eating goes, **DON’T EAT ANYTHING!**. There are a lot of neat restaurants to go to, especially little holes-in-the-wall in and around Beacon Hill, and the Union Oyster House (if it’s still there; haven’t lived in Boston in 15 years), but pack in your own food. ---
**Author:** ![Papermache\_Prince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@Papermache\_Prince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Papermache_Prince)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goin-to-boston-what-shall-i-see-and-eat/238476/24 "2004-04-07T16:59:27Z")
Sad news for fans of the [Avenue Victor Hugo Bookstore](http://www.avenuevictorhugobooks.com/home.php3). They’re closing. > [@](#): > > Avenue Victor Hugo Bookshop will shut its doors for good in May. The year long attempt to save the store in a new location will come to an end. A loss of former customers who thought the store had closed at the end of 2002, compounded with an overall loss of business to chain stores, and to the changing shopping patterns on Newbury Street, made continuing the struggle impossible. ---
**Author:** ![RitzyRae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aca169/32.png) [@RitzyRae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitzyRae)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goin-to-boston-what-shall-i-see-and-eat/238476/25 "2004-04-07T17:05:17Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > Boston is more like most European cities than American ones in that way. In another way that’s true, you’ll stumble across something historical or quaint almost anywhere you wander. Yes! Yes! I love walking! I love subways! I loved that about London - just zip around, then actually see stuff as you walk by it. Texas really sucks, in this regard. ---
**Author:** ![RitzyRae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aca169/32.png) [@RitzyRae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitzyRae)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goin-to-boston-what-shall-i-see-and-eat/238476/26 "2004-04-07T17:14:47Z")
> [@AmericanMaid](#): > > Psst… New York and Delaware aren’t part of New England. They are on the Eastern seaboard yes but, New England is more North. If you’re looking at a political map, we’re the all blue upper right hand corner of the nation. 😃 Dagnabit! Well, y’alls just Yankees to us down here anyways… Just kidding. Please, please know that I am NOT a native Texan. > [@AmericanMaid](#): > > I would also suggest trying to take in some music. Check out the BSO or any of the Broadway shows in Boston. If you like opera, Boston Lyric Opera is always fabu. Or if plays are more your speed, check out the A.R.T. in Cambridge or the Huntington Theater (which is down the street from the BSO and the MFA). Good idea. I adore musicals and opera! This will so make up for the trip to Fenway! \ ---
**Author:** ![RitzyRae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/aca169/32.png) [@RitzyRae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitzyRae)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goin-to-boston-what-shall-i-see-and-eat/238476/27 "2004-04-07T17:22:14Z")
> [@rose](#): > > If you go down to newbury street then stop in at this really cool used bookstore called the Avenue Victor Hugo bookshop. It’s my favorite place, just because it has soooo many books and it’s very authentic. Another cool book place is called (i think) the Brattle bookstore, its address is 9 West St and it’s in between the Common and the Downtown crossing. They have this outdoor section where you can get old books for a buck. > > Yeah, enough about books… Now this is great. I am a book person. Thank you. ---
**Author:** ![Papermache\_Prince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@Papermache\_Prince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Papermache_Prince)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goin-to-boston-what-shall-i-see-and-eat/238476/28 "2004-04-07T18:05:11Z")
You might be interested in a visitor’s pass on the [MBTA](http://www.mbta.com), the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority, usually referred to as the T. > [@](#): > > A visitor’s pass allows unlimited travel on all subway lines, the Silver lines, local and Crosstown (CT) buses, and inner harbor ferries. It also allows travel within commuter rail zones 1A and 1B (about five miles from downtown Boston). One day = $7.50 Three days = $18 Seven days = $35. If you go to the [Museum of Science](http://www.mos.org), order your tickets before you go. It will save time in the lines and some shows sell out early. [Bostix](http://http://www.artsboston.org/bostix.cfm) is a half-price, day of show, “cash only,” box office at Copley Square and Faneuil Hall. While the Avenue Victor Hugo Bookstore is closing, the [Brattle Book Shop](http://www.brattlebookshop.com/), established in 1825, is still in business. ---
**Author:** ![Melandry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Melandry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Melandry)\ **Post date:** [April 7, 2004, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goin-to-boston-what-shall-i-see-and-eat/238476/29 "2004-04-07T21:51:41Z")
> [@kelly5078](#): > > As far as eating goes, **DON’T EAT ANYTHING!**. … pack in your own food. ??? I hope that is a wooshing sound I hear… ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goin-to-boston-what-shall-i-see-and-eat/238476/30 "2004-04-08T07:23:06Z")
> [@RitzyRae](#): > > Now this is great. I am a book person. Thank you. I’m not sure it still exists, but there was another place, called the Brattle Book Store, with zillions of good old books cheap. It has moved a lot and the proprietor used to sit on a truck giving away books on the way to the new location. I bought a nice 1900 edition of a Mr. Dooley book there for a few buck - however that was 30 years ago. And I second the recommendation of Ave. Victor Hugo as a good bookstore. ---
**Author:** ![maikai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/53a042/32.png) [@maikai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/maikai)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goin-to-boston-what-shall-i-see-and-eat/238476/31 "2004-04-08T07:32:17Z")
Yeah, it’s sad about Ave. Victor Hugo closing. > [@](#): > > Is there anything towards Forest Hills or Oak Grove worth visiting? I don’t know about forest Hills, but there’s nothing of interest at Oak Grove. Well, other than the fact that I live near there. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![AmericanMaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@AmericanMaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AmericanMaid)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 12:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goin-to-boston-what-shall-i-see-and-eat/238476/32 "2004-04-08T12:50:15Z")
Isn’t the Arboretum near Forest Hills? If you’re not bothered by allergies, try to check that out! ---
**Author:** ![Papermache\_Prince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@Papermache\_Prince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Papermache_Prince)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goin-to-boston-what-shall-i-see-and-eat/238476/33 "2004-04-08T13:08:53Z")
The [Arnold Arboretum](http://arboretum.harvard.edu/index.html) of Harvard University is about a ten minute walk from the end of the Orange Line at Forest Hills. Or you could walk through the [Mount Auburn Cemetery](http://http://www.mountauburn.org/), the first garden cemetery in America. Tours are regularly offered, highlighting the horicultural and historic aspects of the grounds. The cemetery is a short bus ride from Harvard Square. ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goin-to-boston-what-shall-i-see-and-eat/238476/34 "2004-04-08T13:40:37Z")
Your husband will want to see the **Golden Banana**. ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goin-to-boston-what-shall-i-see-and-eat/238476/35 "2004-04-08T13:51:39Z")
A good trip is to _walk_ from Harvard Square along Brattle Street, which has some of the finest colonial architecture around, to Mount Auburn Cemetery, take its tour, and then take the trolley-bus back. I love Harvard Square–it’s very authentically New England. ---
**Author:** ![rackensack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@rackensack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rackensack)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goin-to-boston-what-shall-i-see-and-eat/238476/36 "2004-04-08T14:33:04Z")
> [@RitzyRae](#): > > Now this is great. I am a book person. Thank you. Well in _that_ case, you absolutely have to plan to spend a day wandering around the [bookstores of Harvard Square](http://www.theinsider.com/Boston/attractions/2books.htm) in Cambridge. There used to be 25 or so within a mile of each other, and while a few have closed or moved (McIntyre and Moore, in particular, which is now farther out on the Red Line in Davis Square in Somerville), it’s still book heaven. Related links: [http://cambridge.zami.com/Bookstore/Harvard\_Square](http://cambridge.zami.com/Bookstore/Harvard_Square) [http://masstraveljournal.com/features/0204harvbooks.html](http://masstraveljournal.com/features/0204harvbooks.html) [http://boston.travelape.com/attractions/harvard-square/](http://boston.travelape.com/attractions/harvard-square/) [Booking the Red Line](http://www.joslinhall.com/redline.htm) [Booking in Boston](http://www.joslinhall.com/Bostbooks.htm) [Harvard Book Shop](http://www.harvard.com/about.html) [WordsWorth Books](http://info.wordsworth.com/www/subst/info/help/who/ww835737266510) As mentioned in the Booking the Red Line link above, just get on the Red Line and head to Harvard Square station. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goin-to-boston-what-shall-i-see-and-eat/238476/37 "2004-04-08T15:37:19Z")
**Melandry** : I don’t understand your joke in response to my joke. Anyway, I’m just saying that restaurants in Boston are a great disappointment, in my experience. My wife, who lived there for 10 years, agrees. Except, of course, for the lobster and chowder thing. But it sure is a neat city. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2004, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goin-to-boston-what-shall-i-see-and-eat/238476/38 "2004-04-08T19:39:04Z")
> [@Trunk](#): > > Your husband will want to see the **Golden Banana**. He’ll have to settle for the outside view. It’s been closed due to building code violations ever since the nightclub fire in Rhode Island. It would have been done a long time ago except that the owner and the leaseholder are bickering over who should pay for it. Let him go to Providence and check out the Foxy Lady instead. He’s likely to run into more than a few local pro athletes there. Mount Auburn Cemetery is a world-famous \*birdwatching \* site as well as an arboretum, too, btw. **kelly5078** , if you have never found a decent restaurant in Boston, I have no idea where you’ve looked. ---
**Author:** ![Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Laughing\_Lagomorph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Laughing_Lagomorph)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2004, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goin-to-boston-what-shall-i-see-and-eat/238476/39 "2004-04-10T04:21:17Z")
> [@kelly5078](#): > > … > > Anyway, I’m just saying that restaurants in Boston are a great disappointment, in my experience. My wife, who lived there for 10 years, agrees. Except, of course, for the lobster and chowder thing. > … This is patent nonsense. Try Helmand in Cambridge, an Afghanistan restaurant owned by the family of the interim President of that country, Hamid Karzai. Try one of the two Elephant Walk locations, serving an interesting mix of French and Cambodian cuisine. Try one of renowned Chef Todd English’s two restaurants, Figs or Olives. Try Legal Seafoods whose clam chowder has been served at several presidential inaugarations. If you like Chinese I am partial to Changsho in Cambridge near Harvard Square. The Boston Beerworks near Fenway Park is an outstanding brewpub by any rational measure. Try any one of several Indian places in Central Square Cambridge. I have never been disappointed in any of these places. I can’t speak to the quality of the Union Oyster House, never been there. Oh and stay away from Anthony’s Pier 4. I found it…disappointing. Oh, and I like lobster but I never get it in Boston because of squeamishness on my part about the cleanliness of the local waters, especially the harbor. I satisfy my lobster cravings on trips to Maine. ---
**Author:** ![flickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7bcc69/32.png) [@flickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flickster)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2004, 12:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goin-to-boston-what-shall-i-see-and-eat/238476/40 "2004-04-10T12:55:34Z")
Been to the Union Oyster House multiple times (not recently, but don’t think the quality or selection varies much) and it was fine. Can vouch for the chowder and mussels as being good plus it’s worth the stop for the history & ambiance. As for the lobster in Boston coming from the local waters (meaning Boston Harbor), I’d be surprised if that were true. If this is one of your first trips to Boston, I’d stick with Union Oyster House for lunch, Jimmy’s Harborside or Legal for lobster dinner, or go to the north end for Italian. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goin-to-boston-what-shall-i-see-and-eat/238476.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/goin-to-boston-what-shall-i-see-and-eat/238476.md?page=3)