Viet’s Cafe. Not as good pho as Pho Pastuer, but not bad. I looooove Sweet Chili. Yum.
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Tell me about Pho. I’ve never ordered it, but had tastes of it when my husband ordered it once. It seemed bland and uninteresting, but that had to have been a fluke because so many people love Pho! They wouldn’t if it was generally bland & uninteresting, right?
What pho should I order at Pho Pasteur? I seem to remember there being a few to choose from. Please help this Pho newbie.
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“Can tabs…”
Shag, I heard we’d recently eclipsed San Francisco in this dubious distinction.
I don’t know-I’m from Massachusetts and know Mass prices reasonably well and L.A. and San Fran just shock me. I live in the slums, seriously, the slumiest area of Pasadena (SoCal), the north-of-the-freeway-you-shouldn’t-be-living-there part and the houses on my block still list prices in the 700-800K range. For 700-800K you can still buy a house in Lexington, and be living in Lexington which has a zero-slum zone than living in the crappiest part of Pasadena. Living in a Lexington/Wellesley/Lincoln/Newton/Brookline calibre town on the West Coast runs into the millions, as far as I can see.
Let me know when you go! I live about two blocks from Sweet Chili, and I love it.
You guys totally have to try Jamjuli in the Newton area, too. I think it might even be T friendly.
I may be going up to Boston for the first time ever on Monday, keeping my mom company while my stepdad is there on business. All of this info has been very helpful! Just a couple of other questions:
Would you recommend I find a map of downtown before I go? We’re just walking around or taking the subway, but I have limited time so I want to make sure I don’t spend a lot of it lost or wandering around the boring bits.
Has anyone used the Chinatown buses to NYC? That’s probably how I will be getting back. Are there any particular companies that are better (or worse) than others in your experience?
If anyone feels like playing tour guide for a 36 year old (me) and a 55 year old (mom), let me know! 
My sister uses them quite frequently, actually took one this morning. She prefers Fung Wah, though Travel Pak is suppose to be quite reliable as well.
Absolutely yes. It’s not a very big city (you can walk from Faniel Hall to Fenway in probably an hour or so) but it has a confusing layout (one might say wicked confusing).
vaderspal, take your mum on a Duck Boat tour. Seroiusly, they’re great. You learn a great deal about the city, get to see it by land and from the Charles River, and the driver/tourguides are hilarious. I’ve lived in the area for most of my 36 years, and took the tour last year with my family, and had a blast. Yes it’s cheesy and touristy, but it’s damn fun.
I have used both Chinatown buses, Lucky Star and Fung Wah and both are equally good. They’re each fifteen dollars and reservations aren’t required because they leave every hour. Though, from nyc to boston, they are quite competitive, so if you are taking it from that way, just make sure you stay in line the entire time. In Boston, you’ll be able to wander around and still catch your bus (most of the time). Don’t take Greyhound / Peter Pan, they’re overpriced.