Boston

[HogSophist]

Will be first time there. Me and the wife, no kids.  Red Sox tickets already purchased. We will be there 4 nights.  Suggestions, must-do's or hidden gems?

[jbcarol]

TOUR BUS 

Commercial sightseeing tour buses.  They stop at, or near, most of the hotels.  For a reasonable fee, you can ride around the city, getting a feel for the layout and those areas you would like to explore.  Simply hop off at one of the stops and put those walking shoes to work.  Reboard at any stop and continue.  You control where you spend your time and the amount of walking you want to do, while still benefiting from a driver's humorous overview of the city.

[McKdaddy]

TOUR BUS 

Commercial sightseeing tour buses.  They stop at, or near, most of the hotels.  For a reasonable fee, you can ride around the city, getting a feel for the layout and those areas you would like to explore.  Simply hop off at one of the stops and put those walking shoes to work.  Reboard at any stop and continue.  You control where you spend your time and the amount of walking you want to do, while still benefiting from a driver's humorous overview of the city.

Very beneficial. Helped me to see what I wanted to focus on more for the remainder of my trip. I ended up hopping on-and-off a lot more than I had planned.

[pigture perfect]

I'm gong in August. Thanks for the idea about the Tour Bus.

[jbcarol]

I copy and pasted notes from a Trip Advisor piece to ensure I was current.

The first time we went, the tour bus did a circuit around the historical sites of interest and paired with their map and your own likes and research, you could choose where you wanted to get off and how much time you wanted to spend without having to tag along or feel like being held hostage by a tour group.

[sowmonella]

Walk the freedom trial. Easy walk and lots of history. Old North Church etc.  Might also want to drive up to Lexington. A very short dive. You could also drive north east into southern Maine and cross through southern NH and Vermont. Beautiful scenery. Newport, RI is also less than an hour from downtown Boston I think. New england is full of history. have a great trip. :razorback:
Sow

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[Dillar Dog]

Red Sox games are only fun if you watch them from Bob Kraft's suite.  You should try to hook that up.

[jbcarol]

Just don't ask to see his Super Bowl ring.

[HogSophist]

Ill take the ring and already booked seats on 1st base side just behind dugout. 

["Pickled" Pig's Pete]

Warren Tavern.

If you have time, drive up to Maine and go see some lighthouses and end up at LL Bean in Freeport.  Open 24/7, 365. 

[McKdaddy]

I'd recommend this underground cigar bar on Hanover.

http://www.stanzadeisigari.com/

[OakTreeHawg]

Hidden Gem - Adams National Park, Quincy.  Two hour tour of John Adams homes.
Don't - Drive.  Use the subway.
Tips - Hotels are expensive.  7-day subway pass is $18 per person (Unlimited subway and bus).  Lexington and Concord can be done via subway and bus to Lexington then pay for Liberty Tour.

[Inhogswetrust]

Will be first time there. Me and the wife, no kids.  Red Sox tickets already purchased. We will be there 4 nights.  Suggestions, must-do's or hidden gems?

Walk the Red Line (the Freedom Trail) or at least as much of it as you can work in to your time. Go to the North End for great Italian food! Don't forget to bring me some pastries from Mikes Pastry. Go see the USS Constitution ship.

[Inhogswetrust]

Hidden Gem - Adams National Park, Quincy.  Two hour tour of John Adams homes.
Don't - Drive.  Use the subway.
Tips - Hotels are expensive.  7-day subway pass is $18 per person (Unlimited subway and bus).  Lexington and Concord can be done via subway and bus to Lexington then pay for Liberty Tour.

AMEN on the don't drive and taking the T (subway).

[McKdaddy]

Walk the Red Line (the Freedom Trail) or at least as much of it as you can work in to your time. Go to the North End for great Italian food! Don't forget to bring me some pastries from Mikes Pastry. Go see the USS Constitution ship.

I'm not a pastry person, but those shelves and shelves of assorted colored cannolis were worth my taking a picture.

[HogSophist]

Great stuff. Keep em coming.  Staying on the freedom trail and have sox tickets. She wants to hit aquarium as well. 

[Inhogswetrust]

Great stuff. Keep em coming.  Staying on the freedom trail and have sox tickets. She wants to hit aquarium as well. 

I say again try to tour the USS Constitution. To see what those sailors had to go through in that time is incredible.

P.S. Those Fenway park seats are REALLY tight!

[Inhogswetrust]

I'm not a pastry person, but those shelves and shelves of assorted colored cannolis were worth my taking a picture.

No kidding! Unfortunately I am a pastry eater! The restaurants around that area are really good as well!

[Inhogswetrust]

Try WWW.BOSTONUSA.COM

[HogSophist]

I say again try to tour the USS Constitution. To see what those sailers had to go through in that time is incredible.

P.S. Those Fenway park seats are REALLY tight!

We will. None of the interwebz suggest it but that sounds fantastic to me

[RazorWild]

Not sure if they still do the duck tours (like the old hot springs tours), but they are great.  Agree with freedom trail.  Any small Italian place in Italian district is a must for food.  Barking Crab is a pretty cool place if ur a crab fan. 

[navyhog24]

There's Cheers, Dick's Last Resort, beer tasting and walkthrough at the Sam Adams plant, Paul Revere's house, Town Hall, the aquarium, Harvard And MIT campuses if make your way to Cambridge

[HogSophist]

There's Cheers, Dick's Last Resort, beer tasting and walkthrough at the Sam Adams plant, Paul Revere's house, Town Hall, the aquarium, Harvard And MIT campuses if make your way to Cambridge

I think we will make the harvard campus and even though i'm sure it is nothing but a tourist destination go hit up cheers just to say i have been.

[Inhogswetrust]

There's Cheers, Dick's Last Resort, beer tasting and walkthrough at the Sam Adams plant, Paul Revere's house, Town Hall, the aquarium, Harvard And MIT campuses if make your way to Cambridge

I forgot about Sam Adams! Paul Revere's House is on the Freedom Trail. Neither campus is really anything special to see from an aesthetics view (please don't tell my son I said that!) Just a lot of nerds walking around. Faneuil Hall and it's Marketplace are also on the trail and must see's. Boston Commons is a really nice park.

[OakTreeHawg]

Tip:  You will see the Duck and Ducklings Statue on a lot of the brochures in the hotel and other places.  The sculpture is located in the Public Garden near the Beacon Hill gate at the corner of Beacon Street and Charles Street.  We never found them because we never got that far north.  Information was closed at 5:02pm when we got there to ask.

[HogSophist]

great trip. Stayed at the Omni Parker house which is fantastically located. Rooms are a bit small, but not there much. She managed to do a ton of shopping, hit most of the historical things we wanted to see, Fenway Park this past friday and tons of good food and drink. Very nice city to visit. Weather was spectacular without something called 'humidity'.

thanks for all the input.

[McKdaddy]

great trip.

Good, +1

[pigture perfect]

I'm here, have done the Italian pizza eatery thing. Wow! Doing the touring bus thing tomorrow as suggested. Just had some of the best pastry I've had since I was stationed in Germany. Too bad I only have 2 days to spend here before we have to be in Connecticut for a week.

[Dillar Dog]

Go play the country club.

[ImHogginIt]

We're going to Maine in early October. We'll fly in and out of Boston. We have a late flight on the day we come back and want to do a couple things in Boston. Mainly see the USS Constitution. Are there any decent places to park the rental car near there ?

[jbcarol]

For those with GPS Navigation: The Nautica Parking Garage is located at 88 Constitution Road, in Charlestown, MA.

http://www.ussconstitutionmuseum.org/visit/directions-parking

[ImHogginIt]

For those with GPS Navigation: The Nautica Parking Garage is located at 88 Constitution Road, in Charlestown, MA.

http://www.ussconstitutionmuseum.org/visit/directions-parking

Thanks

[ImHogginIt]

Thanks

How far is that from where the Tea Party stuff is located ?

[jbcarol]

Discounted Parking available at:

Farnsworth Street Garage (17 Farnsworth Street Garage 617-737-8161) OR
Stillings Street Garage (11 Stillings Street Garage 617-451-0929)

http://www.bostonteapartyship.com/parking

Not close enough to walk.  Subway is estimated 30 minutes.


www.trolleytours.com/boston

Trolley Tours go to both and other attractions. Get on and off at stops at your own pace.

[ImHogginIt]

Discounted Parking available at:

Farnsworth Street Garage (17 Farnsworth Street Garage 617-737-8161) OR
Stillings Street Garage (11 Stillings Street Garage 617-451-0929)

http://www.bostonteapartyship.com/parking

Not close enough to walk.  Subway is estimated 30 minutes.


www.trolleytours.com/boston

Trolley Tours go to both and other attractions. Get on and off at stops at your own pace.

We'll only have about 4-5 hrs to spare

[pigture perfect]

I actually think the Tea Party was a little better than the Costitution tour. Both are extremely worthwhile. You can't believe how many foreigners we met who were just amazed. Met people from Japan, Germany and Turkey who were trying to become citizens. I really wish more Americans would appreciate what we have.

[DLUXHOG]

There is a very, very old cemetery adjacent to Boston Commons downtown.    Several of the founding fathers are buried there (Sam Adams, Paul Revere, etc..).   You can also see Paul Revere's home on the NE side of the city.   All of this is within walking distance..........   IF you want weird... drive 25 miles North of Boston to Salem (home of the witch trials/executions)... Cool town but they celebrate Halloween 24x7 it seems.

[ImHogginIt]

There is a very, very old cemetery adjacent to Boston Commons downtown.    Several of the founding fathers are buried there (Sam Adams, Paul Revere, etc..).   You can also see Paul Revere's home on the NE side of the city.   All of this is within walking distance..........   IF you want weird... drive 25 miles North of Boston to Salem (home of the witch trials/executions)... Cool town but they celebrate Halloween 24x7 it seems.

We're gonna spend some time in Salem.