Boston

kaos16 · June 2014

I know I could find a local board to post this on. . . . but I love my Chit Chat Knotties best.

I'm headed to Boston with DH for a few days. He has a work training, but we'll get to spend a full day together and both evenings that we are there. Anyone want to reccomend their favorite Boston things. Obviously I will have some Boston Creme Pie and likely chowder too. I am interested in restaurant recommendations and fun things to do when i'm alone during the day please.

I'm just really excited to get away for a few days! Also, his last training was in the middle of nowhere upstate NY, so this is a nice switch, lol!

MrsMack10612 · June 2014

@kaos16 - I live just North of Boston and work downtown. What kind of things do you like to do and what foods do you like?

I can offer lots of recs if you give me a direction to head in.

beethery · June 2014

Upscale dinner at Strega Waterfront. Life-changing food. Peruse Quincy Market area.

If you have a vehicle, Peabody-Essex Museum. Steak tip sandwich (followed by pastries) from La Cascia's in Medford.

MrsMack10612 · June 2014

@beethery - if they are staying in Boston, they can easily get to Salem for the PEM via commuter rail at North Station. The Salem stop is downtown and less than 10 min walk from the station. No vehicle necessary. I can give you 3 days worth of stuff to do in Salem.

I agree with Quincy Market, other great restaurants Silvertone - great comfort food and atmosphere, Finale for dessert. If you are a history buff, the Freedom Trail is a great DIY tour of the city and you get to see a lot. Another great place or food/drink is the Barracuda Bar. Great beer selection and really good food.

blabla89 · June 2014

There was a thread about this over in NEY recently - as I recall the ladies had some good suggestions.

kaos16 · June 2014

We are staying at the Loews hotel. I really enjoy history and shopping. We are huge foodies and really into wine, DH is into Scotches, Ryes and Cigars too. I love regional favorites in terms of eating out while traveling.

Thanks!!

MrsMack10612 · June 2014

Oh, if you like scotch YOU MUST GO to the whisky room at the Omni Parker House.

The Loews on Berkeley Street? If yes, then if you want to shop you must check out Newbury Street. It's sort of the Rodeo Drive of Boston. Even if it's just window shopping.

I try to think of things that are less of the typical tourist stuff, but there are always Duck Tours and the Science Museum, the Constitution and the Mayflower.

Will do a bit more thinking for some of the off the beaten path stuff my H & I like to do.

jenna8984 · June 2014

When friends from out of state visit this is usually what I show them- quincy market, harbor near the aquarium, freedom trail, Newbury st, Fenway park (even if you don't get tickets the outside is fun and there's a bar you can access under the outfield), Prudential tower observation deck, Sam Adams free brewery tours. I don't know any fancy restaurants as I normally just grab a lobster roll at Quincy market.

wandajune6 · June 2014

I lived there for 2 years almost a decade ago. Eek!

Check out Mike's Pastries in the North End. I'm also a fan of the Freedom Trail. It's touristy but I love it- plus, you cover a lot of the city.

There also used to be this amazing Italian restaurant in the North End, Giacomo's. I loved that place....

arrippa · June 2014

There are some good restaurants along the waterfront in the Fort Point Channel area. A few have decks and I love to go there and eat and drink on the water.

I had some friends in town, and one of the tours I took them on was a ghost tour. It was actually a lot of fun. You learn a lot about the area that you might not learn in a typical tour.

MrsMack10612 · June 2014

Oh if you decide to head up to the North Shore - you have to go to Kelly's Roast Beef for a taste of the local scene.

I have lived in MA for 30+ years and on the North Shore for the last 14, I still have not figured out the whole roast beef sandwich thing. I think my city has 3 different places that are specifically roast beef and a dozen others that also do it.

kaos16 · June 2014

Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

jenna8984 · June 2014

@mrsmack10612 Apparently I need to get my ass to the North Shore. I'm out in Worcester and nobody here cares about roast beef but I'm all for it! Has anyone been to Yankee Lobster or Wahlburgers? They are on my list to go this summer!

arrippa · June 2014

jenna8984 said:

@mrsmack10612 Apparently I need to get my ass to the North Shore. I'm out in Worcester and nobody here cares about roast beef but I'm all for it! Has anyone been to Yankee Lobster or Wahlburgers? They are on my list to go this summer!

My coworker tried to go but there was a two hour wait. The only way I would wait that long for a table there is if NKOTB were there.

kaos16 · June 2014

MrsMack10612 said:

Oh, if you like scotch YOU MUST GO to the whisky room at the Omni Parker House.
The Loews on Berkeley Street? If yes, then if you want to shop you must check out Newbury Street. It's sort of the Rodeo Drive of Boston. Even if it's just window shopping.
I try to think of things that are less of the typical tourist stuff, but there are always Duck Tours and the Science Museum, the Constitution and the Mayflower.
Will do a bit more thinking for some of the off the beaten path stuff my H & I like to do.

Just checked out the Omni Parker, and sent the link to DH. . . He is going to love that place!

MrsMack10612 · June 2014

@jenna8984 My sister has been to Wahlburgers, I have not but would like to try it. I think she said it was pretty good. Where is Yankee Lobster? If we want lobster we usually go to Stromberg's Black Lobster in Salem or Woodman's in Essex. My husband loves the roast beef 3 way - mayo, cheese and some special not really kinda sorta bbq sauce. Each place has their own version.

phira · June 2014

That's awesome! I live and work in the city, and I love it here. There's a Boston thread in NEY from last week or so that has more ideas.

Things to do:

Sports:

The Sox are in town; you can tickets at the park. They can be pricey (it's one of the most expensive ball parks in the country, if not THE most), and concessions aren't cheap either. But the games are always a blast unless the Sox get crushed. Kenmore Station stop on the Green Line (B, C, or D lines); there's a Fenway stop on the D line, but it's farther from Fenway Park than Kenmore is. There are also lots of bars around the park where people hang out before, during, and after the games.

Museums:

There's the Museum of Science (Science Park stop on the Green Line), which is a LOT of fun. There's an IMAX theater in the museum, so you can always check out the schedule. There are two main wings of the museum, and lots of different permanent and temporary exhibits. The Blue Wing is usually a blast; I've been there several times and I still love the math exhibit and the optical illusion exhibit. Last time I went, they had an exhibit on medical imaging that was really fascinating. There's also the Theater of Electricity, which is really intense if you're not a fan of lightning, but it's very cool.

The Museum of Fine Arts is at the Museum of Fine Arts stop on the Green Line on the E line. It's an excellent art museum; I went there a couple years ago, but am probably going again this week or next week. I tend to get bored in art museums, but I really enjoy their historical exhibit halls, all of the amazing impressionist art, and some of the temporary exhibits. I have to admit, I snark CONSTANTLY when I'm in the contemporary art wing, and I probably upset a lot of art lovers.

The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is another art museum near the Museum of Fine Arts. It's a different kind of art museum; Isabella Stewart Gardner amassed the collection and left a lot of requirements for how the collection was to be displayed and preserved after her death. There are paintings, sculptures, letters and drawings, and historic furniture and decor. The whole museum feels like it's part of the artwork. The museum is famous for the art heist that occurred 24 years ago that's still unsolved. The museum keeps the empty frames up as a reminder (and for the artwork when it's eventually--if ever--recovered).

I've never been to the Mary Baker Eddy Library, but it has an exhibit called the Mapparium that's really popular. It's a 3-story stained glass globe and is super cool. The Library is located near several T stops: Hynes Convention Center on the Green B, C, and D lines, or on the Green E line (either Symphony or Prudential).

Not a museum, but there's also the New England Aquarium! Aquarium stop on the Blue line, although it's close to the State stop on the Blue and Orange lines as well (it's very close to Quincy Market).

Historical:

Walk the Freedom Trail! Honestly, it'll take you past so many historical sites, it's free, it's easy to follow, and it's a great way to walk around the city. It starts at the Visitor's Center at the Boston Common (near the Park Street stop on the Red Line or the Green Line) and goes through downtown and the North End neighborhoods before going up to Charlestown. Most of the time, when I walk it, I stop at Quincy Market or in the North End and have lunch or dinner; I've never walked it all the way up to Charlestown. Some of the historical sites on the route are the Granary Burial Ground (so many famous historical figures are buried there, including Sam Adams!), the site of the first public school, the old state house, and the site of the Boston Massacre. The trail is marked by red bricks or paint.

Faneuil Hall (pronounced "fan-YOU-uhl") is actually a historic meeting house, but it's in the middle of an extensive marketplace (Quincy Market), so that's what most people mean when they want to know where Faneuil Hall is. The Freedom Trail will take you past it, so you won't miss it. The hall is located near the Government Center stop, but the stop is closed for construction, so you can get there by taking the Orange or Blue lines to State, the Orange or Green lines to Haymarket, or just walk from Park Street (Red or Green lines) or Downtown Crossing (Red and Orange), or Chinatown (Orange).

Shopping:

There are two areas I do "fun" shopping around Boston. One is Quincy Market and Downtown Crossing, which are close to each other, and the other is the Prudential Center and Newbury Street which are separate, but also nearby). The Prudential Center is a big, pretty traditional mall. Downtown Crossing just has a lot of shops, mostly inexpensive (e.g. Marshalls, DSW). Quincy Market has a lot of touristy stuff, but also stuff like the Gap. Newbury Street is very upscale; there are plenty of inexpensive little places, but in general, it's got upscale boutiques and restaurants.

FOOD:

Spend a lot?: L'Espalier (most expensive restaurant in the city), Capital Grille, Grill 23, Top of the Hub, Le Petit Robert, Eastern Standard (ish), Stephanie's on Newbury, Brasserie Jo.

Not cheap but not bad: Legal Seafoods, Maggiano's, Summer Shack, The Publick House (Brookline), Finale (for dessert).

Pretty inexpensive: Saus (warning: it's tiny!), Zaftig's (Brookline), Pho Pasteur, Pho and I, Paris Creperie (Brookline), Boston Beer Works, Mike's Pastry or Modern Pastry (for dessert).

All of the Brookline places are on the C line of the Green Line, so they're plenty accessible. The North End (near Haymarket) is one of the most popular places to eat because it's just entirely filled with Italian restaurants, including Mike's and Modern. I prefer Modern to Mike's, but there are usually long lines out both.

There's also the Sam Adams Brewery in Jamaica Plain (Stony Brook stop on the Orange line), if you enjoy yourself some beeeeer. Saus and the Publick House have great beers, and Boston Beer Works is all right.

Honestly, "Boston foods" like chowder and Boston creme pie are kind of ... well, let's just say I don't eat either one almost ever. Chowder is usually a safe bet if you're at a seafood place, so it's not something to avoid, but you won't really find Boston creme pie anything featured in most places.

MrsMack10612 · June 2014

@Phira - H & I did our own little walking tour of stuff in Boston a few years ago and one of them was the Mapparium. It was really cool. One of the interesting things about it is seeing how the world looked when they created it. It is very outdated to today's globe.

I also agree with your point about Boston Crème Pie. It's not really a 'thing'. If you really want chowdah, you should go to the Union Oyster House which claims to be the originator.

jenna8984 · June 2014

I missed the thread about it last week that a few have referred to but I think we should have a knottie meet up

Fran1985 · June 2014

Boooo this thread is making me really homesick

MrsMack10612 · June 2014

I did a gtg with a group of older (older as in no longer on TK, far as I know, they left during the 2 exoduses) a couple years ago. It was lots of fun. We all met at Faneuil Hall and had lunch.

phira · June 2014

@Fran1985 viiiiisiiiiiiit

@jenna8984 It's on a different board (Not Engaged Yet). But we should have a G2G at some point.

Fran1985 · June 2014

@phira I am in the MA area pretty frequently but I really want to do a pure Boston vaca/weekend with FI. Both of our families are in MA. We prob get there at least 6 times a year between weddings, our wedding prep and holiday visits but its hard to be like oh yeah we are in town but we want to do awesome stuff and not see everyone. I think a secret 3 day weekend may be in order. Also correct me if I am wrong are you doing Sapphire estates? Was at a great wedding there recently the food was great.

phira · June 2014

@Fran1985 Yes, we are! I'm glad to hear that the food was good when you were there! Although I'm curious about how everything else was ... J is getting suspicious that the waitstaff aren't going to be very good and he's worried.

Fran1985 · June 2014

@phira dinner was super late (like 10pm) but I don't really think that was the waitstaff's fault. DJ was great and there was very little food at cocktail hour- again though I dont really know if that was the waitstaff I think it was the couple.

phira · June 2014

@Fran1985 Hm, that actually might have been the venue, not the couple. Apps during cocktail hour are per person as part of the package, so if you have 120 guests, you can't request apps for 100 people. We haven't had our big menu meeting yet, but that's something we're concerned about. But that's definitely not a waitstaff problem at least.

MrsMack10612 · June 2014

@phira - what a beautiful location.

kaos16 · June 2014

What about the bar "Drink"?

phira · June 2014

Never been to Drink (although honestly, I rarely go out to that part of the city anyway).

MrsMack10612 · June 2014

I've never been there, but we don't do bars in Boston much anymore unless we have specific place in mind. We tend to stick closer to home.

The vibe sounds kind of neat. You would probably like Lucky's which is across the channel. You have to know where to find it though as it has no signage. It was a former speak easy so they keep the no signage as an homage.

arrippa · June 2014

kaos16 said:

What about the bar "Drink"?

Boston

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