Things I can't miss in Boston

[RockChalk]

Wife and I are going to hit up Boston for 4 days. First time visiting there for both of us.

What should we make sure to do while we're there?

[mlyonsd]

Game at Fenway.

Cheers bar vastly overated.

Walking freedom trail tour

[MVChiefFan]

Stand on a street corner and yell “marky mark is a slightly worse rapper than Vanilla Ice”!

[Ebolapox]

their art museum is top notch
take a harbor boat tour if you can
eat a lobster roll
eat a cannoli
check out a game at fenway
mylon's correct, cheers bar is very overrated and the walking tour pretty cool
just go walking/exploring, there's a TON of history there that you'll just randomly run into.

[penguinz]

http://fishbountyhunter.com/shark-cage-diving/

[eDave]

I'd probably want to try a Wahlburger.

[loochy]

I'd probably want to try a Wahlburger.

I had one in Atlanta. It was pretty good, as are almost all burgers. It didn't change my life or anything.
Posted via Mobile Device

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Piss on a Pats fan

[Frazod]

Game at Fenway.

Cheers bar vastly overated.

Walking freedom trail tour

Apparently now it at least LOOKS like the bar from the show. When I was there 30 years ago, it just looked like the dank, shitty basement of an old building, which is exactly what it was. I remember walking down the stairs, seeing the door, opening it, and thinking WHAT THE FUCK? To this day it's the single biggest disappointment of my life. Especially after the hour drive to Boston, the hour and a half I spent looking for it, and the hour it took to find a parking spot. I didn't even have a beer - I just bought two shot glasses and a t-shirt and immediately left. :grr:

If I ever go back, the main thing I'd like to see is the Constitution.

[Amnorix]

So I think a Duck Boat tour is pretty much mandatory.

http://www.bostonducktours.com/

The Freedom Trail is definitely a thing, and very cool. Lunch at Faneuil Hall is common (though it is stupid crowded and seating is a challenge). Visiting the oldest warship afloat, the USS Constitution, is definitely nice. Bunker Hill Monument is like a stone's throw from there, but I pretty much favor a "point at it and look" approach there. But hey, if you REALLY like stairs, go for it.

https://www.nps.gov/bost/learn/historyculture/ussconst.htm

https://www.nps.gov/bost/planyourvisit/bhm.htm

I've never been a big fan of the whole Harvard Yard thing. Doesn't excite me any, but some seem to like it.

The art museum is excellent, and if you're into it, you might also very much like the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum. The aquarium is also very good. We don't have a zoo that is anywhere near worth visiting, so forget that. Fenway Park is a common place for visitors to hit (see what I did there?) if you're into baseball.

https://www.gardnermuseum.org/

http://www.mfa.org/

The Museum of Science is as good as most you will find in big cities. JFK Library is pretty good.

If you're staying in teh city, dinner in the North End is usually something worth doing. That's the Italian enclave of Boston.

If you're in the area, Copley Square area can be a thing either day or night. Plenty of shopping (two malls connected by a skywalk, as well as shopping along the street), and a few "sights" of sorts to see.

Trinity Church
Boston Public Library
Christian Science plaza

https://www.massvacation.com/blog/2014/03/the-charms-of-copley-square/

https://www.christianscience.com/find-us/visit-the-mother-church

And in that same area is the Prudential building, which has an observatory from one of the tallest buildings in Boston.

https://www.boston-discovery-guide.com/prudential-skywalk.html

[dlphg9]

Boston Cream Pie

[bigjosh]

Pizzaria regina. You will thank me.

The boston aquarium is pretty cool.

About 20 miles south east you can see Plymouth Rock. (Its a not very impressive tourist trap) but the Mayflower II is docked there still i believe.

Fenway is a must if you have never been. Best seats and atmosphere are in right center field.

There are fishing charters out the ass if you want to do some deep sea fishing.

About 20 miles north is salem, and theres a park area dedicated to the witch trials if your into that type of shit and also the lizzie borden house is in fall river about 30 miles south.

[Lzen]

Sam Adams brewery

[raybec 4]

Boston has some of the most significant US History in the country. (Philly gives it a run) But, the people, for the most part are fucking obnoxious. They seem to believe that being from Boston makes them tough enough to talk to people like they wanted to get hit in the face. It's like every douche bro in that town saw Good Will Hunting and decided they were the troubled kid who fights too much. Oh, and they're all named "Tommy or "Patty" Or "Stevie'

[Frazod]

So I think a Duck Boat tour is pretty much mandatory.

http://www.bostonducktours.com/

The Freedom Trail is definitely a thing, and very cool. Lunch at Faneuil Hall is common (though it is stupid crowded and seating is a challenge). Visiting the oldest warship afloat, the USS Constitution, is definitely nice. Bunker Hill Monument is like a stone's throw from there, but I pretty much favor a "point at it and look" approach there. But hey, if you REALLY like stairs, go for it.

https://www.nps.gov/bost/learn/historyculture/ussconst.htm

https://www.nps.gov/bost/planyourvisit/bhm.htm

I've never been a big fan of the whole Harvard Yard thing. Doesn't excite me any, but some seem to like it.

The art museum is excellent, and if you're into it, you might also very much like the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum. The aquarium is also very good. We don't have a zoo that is anywhere near worth visiting, so forget that. Fenway Park is a common place for visitors to hit (see what I did there?) if you're into baseball.

https://www.gardnermuseum.org/

http://www.mfa.org/

The Museum of Science is as good as most you will find in big cities. JFK Library is pretty good.

If you're staying in teh city, dinner in the North End is usually something worth doing. That's the Italian enclave of Boston.

If you're in the area, Copley Square area can be a thing either day or night. Plenty of shopping (two malls connected by a skywalk, as well as shopping along the street), and a few "sights" of sorts to see.

Trinity Church
Boston Public Library
Christian Science plaza

https://www.massvacation.com/blog/2014/03/the-charms-of-copley-square/

https://www.christianscience.com/find-us/visit-the-mother-church

And in that same area is the Prudential building, which has an observatory from one of the tallest buildings in Boston.

https://www.boston-discovery-guide.com/prudential-skywalk.html

I've played Fallout 4, so I've already seen all this stuff. :D

[Amnorix]

Pizzaria regina. You will thank me.

The boston aquarium is pretty cool.

About 20 miles south east you can see Plymouth Rock. (Its a not very impressive tourist trap) but the Mayflower II is docked there still i believe.

Fenway is a must if you have never been. Best seats and atmosphere are in right center field.

There are fishing charters out the ass if you want to do some deep sea fishing.

About 20 miles north is salem, and theres a park area dedicated to the witch trials if your into that type of shit and also the lizzie borden house is in fall river about 30 miles south.

Salem is a whole 'nother deal. You can visit quite a few things up in that area. There is a castle in Gloucester, a bunch of witch things in Salem, plus the House of the Seven Gables and the serious under-rated Peabody Essex Museum. Plus Rockport is nearby, and there's some nice things to do there.

I admit I wouldn't day trip out to Plymouth myself. Better options IMHO, but to each their own. A better day trip to me is visiting a couple mansions in Newport, Rhode Island, and having a nice lunch and walking around in the downtown. Further drive, of course. 1.5 hours. But those mansions are hella impressive.

http://www.newportmansions.org/explore/the-breakers

http://www.newportmansions.org/explore/rosecliff

http://www.newportmansions.org/explore/the-elms

and plenty of others



Two hours out of Boston is the Basketball Hall of Fame, in Springfield, MA. Hell of a hike, of course, but figured I'd mention it anyway.

[Amnorix]

Oh, and hey, my best tip -- DO NOT DRIVE. Between the fact that the roads are relatively narrow, and there is no discernible pattern (neither grid nor wheel/spoke), and all one-way, and the drivers are very aggressive, it's not a place out of towners normally enjoy.

Feel free to use mass transit. The train system is typically pretty good. Cabs and uber of course are fine also.

Ultimately, the whole city is also very walkable for the most part.

[ChiefRocka]

Cup of chowdah at Boston Sail Loft (North End)

[BucEyedPea]

Here's a thread posted by Wazu with recommendations on Boston from a former lifelong Bostonian.

Lots of tips.

http://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showthread.php?t=310557

[Coochie liquor]

Go to the bah, and have a beeyuh....but don’t forget to lock yuh cah!

[Baby Lee]

Apparently now it at least LOOKS like the bar from the show. When I was there 30 years ago, it just looked like the dank, shitty basement of an old building, which is exactly what it was. I remember walking down the stairs, seeing the door, opening it, and thinking WHAT THE FUCK? To this day it's the single biggest disappointment of my life. Especially after the hour drive to Boston, the hour and a half I spent looking for it, and the hour it took to find a parking spot. I didn't even have a beer - I just bought two shot glasses and a t-shirt and immediately left. :grr:

If I ever go back, the main thing I'd like to see is the Constitution.

See, when I went I PARKED at the Constitution, and WALKED to Cheers. Took in most of the Freedom Trail, and mostly went into the bar to buy souvenirs, so I wasn't disappointed.

Ironically, the only part of the Freedom Trail I skipped was Bunker Hill right behind the Constitution. Just got out of my car and walked onto the boat, then it was across the bridge on into downtown.

Took a nice rest in Boston Common across the street, then trudged back the car.

Very nice day, in all.

[BucEyedPea]

See, when I went I PARKED at the Constitution, and WALKED to Cheers. Took in most of the Freedom Trail, and mostly went into the bar to buy souvenirs, so I wasn't disappointed.

Ironically, the only part of the Freedom Trail I skipped was Bunker Hill right behind the Constitution. Just got out of my car and walked onto the boat, then it was across the bridge on into downtown.

Took a nice rest in Boston Common across the street, then trudged back the car.

Very nice day, in all.

You walked all the way from the Constitution to Cheers?

That is a heck of a looooooong walk!

[Baby Lee]

You walked all the way from the Constitution to Cheers?

That is a heck of a looooooong walk!

Somewhere in my bookcases, I have a whole mess of photos I took along the way. It was about the last time I took pictures on film, so I don't have anything digital.

For a couple years right out of law school, I had a pretty sweet gig where a coalition I was meeting with had their monthly meetings on Thursday and Friday, and then I just had to be back at work on Monday. They met all over the nation, so I had the secretary just schedule my return flight on Sunday afternoon.

I'd prepare whatever I needed to ahead of time [discovery, presentations, powerpoints, etc]. Then I'd dictate notes from the meetings each evening. Then I had a free weekend out of town.

So I had sightseeing days from Seattle to Boston, Miami to Dallas to Vegas.

The Boston Trip, the meetings were actually at a podunk law school in NH, and I drove down to Boston, staying as close to the coast as I could, right into downtown and there was plenty of parking at the Constitution parking lot.

[BucEyedPea]

Best place to start the Freedom Trail imo.

http://www.chiefsplanet.com/BB/showpost.php?p=13124656&postcount=4

[ptlyon]

Boston has some of the most significant US History in the country. (Philly gives it a run) But, the people, for the most part are ****ing obnoxious. They seem to believe that being from Boston makes them tough enough to talk to people like they wanted to get hit in the face. It's like every douche bro in that town saw Good Will Hunting and decided they were the troubled kid who fights too much. Oh, and they're all named "Tommy or "Patty" Or "Stevie'

I didn't have this experience, at all. Our first stop was a little bar to ask the locals for the best seafood. One guy worked for the city sanitation. He was the boss, having a beer, and getting radioed by his crew. ROFL He went out to his truck and got us a couple of shirts. All in all we only found nice people.

[ChiefsOne]

The Bell In Hand Tavern, oldest Tavern in America. Pretty cool place.

[Frazod]

See, when I went I PARKED at the Constitution, and WALKED to Cheers. Took in most of the Freedom Trail, and mostly went into the bar to buy souvenirs, so I wasn't disappointed.

Ironically, the only part of the Freedom Trail I skipped was Bunker Hill right behind the Constitution. Just got out of my car and walked onto the boat, then it was across the bridge on into downtown.

Took a nice rest in Boston Common across the street, then trudged back the car.

Very nice day, in all.

That sounds nice. If I ever go back to Boston, I sure as hell won't be driving. God, what a nightmare that was. And I was there on a weeknight.

[BucEyedPea]

Boston has some of the most significant US History in the country. (Philly gives it a run) But, the people, for the most part are ****ing obnoxious. They seem to believe that being from Boston makes them tough enough to talk to people like they wanted to get hit in the face. It's like every douche bro in that town saw Good Will Hunting and decided they were the troubled kid who fights too much. Oh, and they're all named "Tommy or "Patty" Or "Stevie'

Oh those are the Lace Curtain Fightin' Irish.

I find New Yorkers are worse—very brash and aggressive. Other than that, people I knew that moved to Boston from other states, found Bostonians stand-offish and not welcoming to their group of friends. Hard to break in. Politically liberal, but behave conservative in that sense. At least that's what I was told by a southern gal I befriended from Alabama, a few New Yorkers, one from Connecticut, one from Tennessee a couple from the Chicago suburbs.

Boston has become much more cosmopolitan than just Irish, Italians and Blue Bloods.

[Amnorix]

That sounds nice. If I ever go back to Boston, I sure as hell won't be driving. God, what a nightmare that was. And I was there on a weeknight.


Yes, don't drive here. You don't need to, and you WILL NOT enjoy it. It's just awful all around really.

[Pennywise]

1325 Commonwealth Avenue.

[Holladay]

Naw, nothing to see there. You should go visit Salina instead.

[Ebolapox]

I mean, yeah... the salina thread is more than double the size of this thread

[BlackHelicopters]

Record for us what Fenway smells like.