Massachusetts- Quebec City

short+sassy

@dyerwise, I'm glad you all had such a good time on your honeymoon!

My H and I went to Boston on vacation a few weeks ago.  It was our first time going for both of us.  We went to Salem one day and Portsmouth on another. 

The weather was great, the food was amazing, and so much history!  We stayed a bit outside the city in Revere, but it was just a 20 minute T-line ride into the city.  I literally got off the T-line in Downtown Boston for the first time.  Went to throw away my water bottle.  And, boom! Placard next to the trash can...apparently this was the site of the Boston Massacre.  You know you're in a historic city when, lol. 

We had a great meal at the Black Rose, Irish pub in the downtown.  And also went to the North End (Little Italy) for dinner one night.  That was to die for.  We did the freedom trail with a costumed guide, took a boat tour of Boston Harbor, and went to the Natural History Museum at Harvard.

In Salem, we also went on the tour of the House of Seven Gables and went to the Salem History Museum.  In Portsmouth, we toured an old home, toured a de-commissioned submarine, and went to a "town" with dozens of houses from various eras in history.  Some of the homes had actors/actresses in them portraying real citizen's from the town's history who had lived in whichever "era" that house was from.  That last attraction had the name "Strawberry" in it, but I don't remember exactly what it was called.

CharmedPam

The Black Rose was the first place we went to when we got off the train too! Mainly because of the name.  A black Rose is my favorite flower.  I need to book for next year.  Did the place in Revere have convenient train access? 

dyerwise

I'm so bad at the internet... I hope this works...

CharmedPam

yes! OMG, how did you not take him home?  He loves you!

dyerwise

I wanted to, SO badly!! We have a few fat squirrels in our backyard and I don't know why it has never occurred to me to hand feed them so I can get closer...

short+sassy

CharmedPam said:

The Black Rose was the first place we went to when we got off the train too! Mainly because of the name.  A black Rose is my favorite flower.  I need to book for next year.  Did the place in Revere have convenient train access? 

Is the train different than the T-Line?  If so, I don't know.  We stayed at an AirBnB that was basically a basement turned into a one-bedroom.  The accommodations were pretty terrible, lol.  But the location was great!  We were one block from the T-Line and a few blocks from the beach.  We were half a block from this killer sandwich shop called Peter's Super Beef.

My H and I split a $9 large sub.  SO GOOD!  And one of our best values on the trip.  I discovered what New Englanders mean by "hot peppers".  Not what I was expecting, it was actually much better and I'm a big fan now.  I thought it would just be a bunch of hot peppers tossed on and make the sandwich too spicy.  Instead, its chopped up pickled goodness of a variety of veggies (some peppers) that had a nice heat, but not too much.

missfrodo

short+sassy said:

@dyerwise, I'm glad you all had such a good time on your honeymoon!

My H and I went to Boston on vacation a few weeks ago.  It was our first time going for both of us.  We went to Salem one day and Portsmouth on another. 

The weather was great, the food was amazing, and so much history!  We stayed a bit outside the city in Revere, but it was just a 20 minute T-line ride into the city.  I literally got off the T-line in Downtown Boston for the first time.  Went to throw away my water bottle.  And, boom! Placard next to the trash can...apparently this was the site of the Boston Massacre.  You know you're in a historic city when, lol. 

We had a great meal at the Black Rose, Irish pub in the downtown.  And also went to the North End (Little Italy) for dinner one night.  That was to die for.  We did the freedom trail with a costumed guide, took a boat tour of Boston Harbor, and went to the Natural History Museum at Harvard.

In Salem, we also went on the tour of the House of Seven Gables and went to the Salem History Museum.  In Portsmouth, we toured an old home, toured a de-commissioned submarine, and went to a "town" with dozens of houses from various eras in history.  Some of the homes had actors/actresses in them portraying real citizen's from the town's history who had lived in whichever "era" that house was from.  That last attraction had the name "Strawberry" in it, but I don't remember exactly what it was called.

Strawberry Banke!  I used to go there as a kid because they did American Girl-themed historical stuff and I LOVED American Girl.  I'll have to go back sometime as an adult.  

SP29

Glad you had a good trip- sounds awesome!

I went to Boston once in high school, on band trip, and enjoyed the city, but I feel I should go back and experience getting to do my own things.

P.S. Ketchup chips are one of the the BEST flavours!

vikinganna87

short+sassy said:

CharmedPam said:

The Black Rose was the first place we went to when we got off the train too! Mainly because of the name.  A black Rose is my favorite flower.  I need to book for next year.  Did the place in Revere have convenient train access? 

Is the train different than the T-Line?  If so, I don't know.  We stayed at an AirBnB that was basically a basement turned into a one-bedroom.  The accommodations were pretty terrible, lol.  But the location was great!  We were one block from the T-Line and a few blocks from the beach.  We were half a block from this killer sandwich shop called Peter's Super Beef.

My H and I split a $9 large sub.  SO GOOD!  And one of our best values on the trip.  I discovered what New Englanders mean by "hot peppers".  Not what I was expecting, it was actually much better and I'm a big fan now.  I thought it would just be a bunch of hot peppers tossed on and make the sandwich too spicy.  Instead, its chopped up pickled goodness of a variety of veggies (some peppers) that had a nice heat, but not too much.

The T is short for MBTA - Mass. Bay Transit Authority.  Most people refer to the subway - the orange, red, blue and green line (street cars) as the T, though it technically encompasses all public transportation including buses and ferries, and I believe the commuter rail as well.  The silver line is actually a bus. The commuter rail is more of a train, is the "purple line" and travels to the Northern, Western and Southern suburbs.  Some nearer suburbs are accessible by both the commuter rail purple line and the subway lines.  

CharmedPam

oh yeah, train to me encompasses all of that. LOL.  I'd love to get a cheaper hotel outside of the Boston area but has access to the MBTA to get into the city.

vikinganna87

What's your price range, @CharmedPam?  Hotel Indigo on the green line in Newton would probably meet your needs: http://www.newtonindigo.com/  There are certainly more affordable options in other towns as well.....

CharmedPam

That looks awesome!  Thanks for the suggestion.  $175/ish is what I wanted to spend.  I can't book this far out, but the queen rooms are $216 which isn't that much of a difference.  I'll definitely keep this in mind!

short+sassy

vikinganna87 said:

short+sassy said:

CharmedPam said:

The Black Rose was the first place we went to when we got off the train too! Mainly because of the name.  A black Rose is my favorite flower.  I need to book for next year.  Did the place in Revere have convenient train access? 

Is the train different than the T-Line?  If so, I don't know.  We stayed at an AirBnB that was basically a basement turned into a one-bedroom.  The accommodations were pretty terrible, lol.  But the location was great!  We were one block from the T-Line and a few blocks from the beach.  We were half a block from this killer sandwich shop called Peter's Super Beef.

My H and I split a $9 large sub.  SO GOOD!  And one of our best values on the trip.  I discovered what New Englanders mean by "hot peppers".  Not what I was expecting, it was actually much better and I'm a big fan now.  I thought it would just be a bunch of hot peppers tossed on and make the sandwich too spicy.  Instead, its chopped up pickled goodness of a variety of veggies (some peppers) that had a nice heat, but not too much.

The T is short for MBTA - Mass. Bay Transit Authority.  Most people refer to the subway - the orange, red, blue and green line (street cars) as the T, though it technically encompasses all public transportation including buses and ferries, and I believe the commuter rail as well.  The silver line is actually a bus. The commuter rail is more of a train, is the "purple line" and travels to the Northern, Western and Southern suburbs.  Some nearer suburbs are accessible by both the commuter rail purple line and the subway lines.  

Thanks!  I just wanted to make sure.

Yes!  Revere Beach was super convenient to downtown Boston.  Though I suppose you'd want to make sure you are a short walk to the Revere Beach T-line stop.  I think it is the Blue line, but don't quote me on that.  It's a straight shot to downtown, takes about 20 minutes, and there are no transfers needed.  It's also a straight shot to Logan airport.  Also no transfers needed.

We booked an AirBnB that was around $100/night.  But even the nicer places were less than $150/night.  I'd totally book in Revere Beach again if I were going back to Boston, just not that particular place.  I think it was titled "Seaside Studio".  Avoid.  Oddly enough, it had lots of great reviews.

It was a basement apartment done on the cheap and illegal DIY side.  No sound barrier at all, which means no fire barrier either.  We could hear every footfall of the people above us and they weren't loud.  When they turned their water on, the main hot water pipe ran through our bedroom.  It sounded like a waterfall.

The least I expect is to sleep on a mattress.  A mattress.  Nope.  Their "mattress" was 2" of foam on a box spring.  Not even a mattress topper.  Literally foam.

CharmedPam

Thank you so much for your suggestions!  I'm also thinking of ubering it to the city if it's a good distance.   But the MBTA is kinda half the fun, right? Then again, I did that already.....

arrippa

You should also check out Quincy for hotels. It's right outside Boston but much cheaper. I live there and it's right on the red line so it's a straight shot into Downtown Crossing.

There is also a lot of historical places in Quincy and has one of my favorite seafood restaurants on Wollaston Beach.

vikinganna87

CharmedPam said:

Thank you so much for your suggestions!  I'm also thinking of ubering it to the city if it's a good distance.   But the MBTA is kinda half the fun, right? Then again, I did that already.....

You're dead on.  Riding the MBTA is a cultural experience.  And if you stay near Riverside in Newton, it's at the end of the line so you'll get a good seat and experience the train getting fuller and fuller.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7Jw_v3F_Q0

The Kingston Trio had a relatively famous song back in the day called Charlie on the MTA (now MBTA).  When the T got rid of its tokens and finally adopted swipe cards that you could re-fill --- the card was named the Charlie card.   The song was in protest to a fare hike, Charlie didn't have the extra $ for the fare so he just rode the T all day.... I think you paid when you got off.

short+sassy

vikinganna87 said:

CharmedPam said:

Thank you so much for your suggestions!  I'm also thinking of ubering it to the city if it's a good distance.   But the MBTA is kinda half the fun, right? Then again, I did that already.....

You're dead on.  Riding the MBTA is a cultural experience.  And if you stay near Riverside in Newton, it's at the end of the line so you'll get a good seat and experience the train getting fuller and fuller.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7Jw_v3F_Q0

The Kingston Trio had a relatively famous song back in the day called Charlie on the MTA (now MBTA).  When the T got rid of its tokens and finally adopted swipe cards that you could re-fill --- the card was named the Charlie card.   The song was in protest to a fare hike, Charlie didn't have the extra $ for the fare so he just rode the T all day.... I think you paid when you got off.

Well, thank you!  My H and I were wondering why it was called the Charlie card.  I will pass this info along to him tonight.  He will love this story.

MrsMack10612

I'm in Salem and happy to help anybody traveling to the area with planning & suggestions.

CharmedPam

@MrsMack10612, what is your take on uber or lyft within Salem proper? Easy to grab one?  not so easy.....?

MrsMack10612

@CharmedPam
Sorry for the delayed response, been a little crazy and not checking in.  Uber is super easy in Salem.  I have friends that use them all the time to go to surrounding towns.  Though you won't need one if you plan to stay in Salem, everything is walking distance.  

CharmedPam

thank you!  I'm so glad to hear that.  We're staying halfway from Salem and Boston, and relying on uber to get us around both places.  I'd love to stay IN Salem again, but I don't want to pay their pricey Halloween packages.  I think we got lucky last year because we stayed out of their "3 night min stay" window that most hotels have.

So excited for our anniversary trip 2017!

MrsMack10612

@CharmedPam
What city/town are you staying in?

CharmedPam

Saugus.  I guess Lynn would have been the better option, since it's along 107 (right?) but hotels com had nothing there for Lynn. 

MrsMack10612

@CharmedPam
Saugus is right on Rt 1 so it's a good, central location.  No, there really isn't much in Lynn.  Next time look at Peabody & Danvers as well.  There are several Marriott chains along Rt 1 in Peabody.

CharmedPam

yeah, we stayed in Peabody 2 years ago and it was pretty good!  They had an $8 roundtrip shuttle into Salem, but I was looking for a town 1/2 wayish to make it to both Boston and Salem and not have to move hotels.  Hopefully my plan works. 

MrsMack10612

@CharmedPam
Saugus is a good middle point between.  Traffic into Boston can be tricky down Rt 1, but not too bad on a weekend, and mostly during commuting time.  I think you'll be just fine.  Enjoy the trip!

CharmedPam

Thank you!  One of my friends (who's thinking of going with us) says I'm crazy for booking so early, but anything near Salem sells out during Halloween a year in advance.  My other friend and I found out the hard way and had to wait a year!
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