If you ever DO find yourselves going in the wrong direction, you can always just get off, go 'round to the other side, get the train going in the right direction, and go back. Lord knows my husband (who is not directionally challenged at all; he’s much better than I am at this sort of thing) and I have done that often enough. If you give yourself an extra cushion of time for the first couple of trips on the T, then there won’t even be any cause to panic. 
At the Museum of Science, make sure to go to the electricity show. It’s a show with specific times, unlike the rest of the museum.
I also like the esplanade, on the Boston side of the river. If you’re in the vicinity of MIT, you could walk across the Harvard Bridge (which is nowhere near Harvard), then walk toward downtown.
The hotel staff should be able to help you with public transit directions to the places you’ve mentioned. A map with T stops is a must. Also, if you get lost, people are quite friendly and helpful.
I loved living in Boston for a few years.
If you want to blow off any museums, etc., I REALLY suggest taking a long walk down Commonwealth Boluevard. It has a lovely park in the middle of the street you can walk or bike down, and you’ll see awesome New England architecture and IIRC, a block south is Newbury St., great shops and pubs. Of course, there’s always Duck Boats!
I hope you enjoy the trip!
A few tips on the T:
The cluster of stations where everything intersects are literally just a few blocks apart. Some are just a single very short block. In your case, it means that if you’re on the blue line and want to get onto the red line, just walk from Gov. Center to Park street or something. It’ll be a 5-10 minute walk, and a lot faster than taking the orange/green lines for just a single stop. Similarly, the orange and green lines are parallel and separated by only a block or two most of the time. Get thee a geographical map!
A compass isn’t a bad idea to help you orient once you get off the T and above ground.
As a non-native, my observation is that while people around here don’t seem very friendly at first, most will actually be very helpful when asked.
I don’t know if you were planning on seeing the USS Constitution, but know that it’s being renovated right now. Most of the ship has been converted into a workshop, and the masts are all down, so it’s not particularly exciting to visit at the moment.
Rats! The electricity show looks great but there are no shows while I’m there (23, 24, 25).
Thanks everyone for the suggestions and advice. This is starting to pull together!
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In my experience the Theater of Electricity has several shows a day, every day. You might want to check when you get there.
By the way – the centerpiece of the show is Van de Graaf’s own Van de Graaf hgenerator, as I noted above.
My favorite thing was the Harvard University bookstore. My husband almost had to remove me bodily, and there was at least one more floor left to browse. If you enjoy books, it’s worth a visit.
Sounds great, but if I enter another bookstore, I shall not leave empty handed and my credit card may disintegrate
I sincerely appreciate all the assistance I’ve received. I wish there was more time available so I could meet some of you. Hopefully we will be able to take another trip to Boston in the future.
Fingers crossed that health and energy levels improve - I’m currently sick, exhausted, unpacked and surrounded by filth. Hopefully I have a surge of energy to get everything accomplished before boarding the plane tomorrow.
It has been ten years since I’ve flown into the states and I remember nothing of customs. I believe I will pass through customs in the Montreal airport before I board for the final leg. The ticket agent only left 65 minutes between flights and I know nothing of the Mtrl airport - I’m hoping it’s not too crazy.
Off to look up restrictions on carry-on goods…
Oh, I hope you feel better. Maybe you can leave most of the filth be? It’s not going anywhere without you…
Looks like it’ll be rainy Thursday but lovely Friday and Saturday, BTW.
I only plan to deal with the filth enough to find what I need to pack I guess I’ll be doing the Duck Tour in the rain!
ETA: I just looked up the forecast - TWENTY-FOUR degrees on Saturday. That is full-on Summer to me. Must re-think my choice of clothing…
Just thought of something and wanted to post it quickly, in case you’re on your way out the door and check the Dope one more time…
To pick up tickets at the theatre, you may need the credit card you bought them with, so bring that along.
Thanks Motorgirl! I don’t actually leave until tomorrow so I imagine I’ll have the site up until about noon
You couldn’t have had a better day for it.
I was out for a bike ride along the Charles. The trees were blossoming. There were some dafodils if you went far enough west. A hawk was gliding about ten feet in front of me, toward some ducks who turned and scared him away with a well-timed quack.
It’s not always like this.
So, how was the trip?
Yes, please tell!