Hello from Massachusetts, USA!


SerenityNigh said:
Boston Rob?

Boo the pizza, up the toffees!

Which match did you watch at Goodison? I forgot that one already.
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Not quite that Rob!
Ha! I was at the Ipswich draw. I still can't believe I was there. Hearing the siren and Z-Cars in person....
giphy.gif

Up the Toffees!
 

Caolam said:
Rob, my wife and I are heading to Boston in a few weeks, any recommendations or advice would be greatly appreciated.
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Hey! Glad you're visiting! Here are a few general things that I think are worthwhile:
  • To get the lay of the land, it can be good to use one of the tour companies to see all the main points of the city early on.
    • Boston Old Town Trolley Tours https://www.trolleytours.com/boston/tickets is a great way to get around the city and learn a few things. You may see some things along the way that pique your interest to visit separately. Most of these Old Own Trolley tours are hop on/hop off, so you get on and off and can elect to stay in an area for however long you want throughout a day (or two, depending on your ticket) and get a little background info from the tour guides when you're riding. They also have some specific tours (not hop on/hop off) like the Ghosts and Gravestones Trolley Tour if you're into stuff like that. https://www.trolleytours.com/boston/ghosts-gravestones-tour.
    • An alternative to these Old Town tours is Boston Duck Tours https://bostonducktours.com/. This is more of a straightforward tour experience, except you're in a duck boat and it goes on the Charles River for a bit.
    • Either way, a tour like these can show you a lot of the city in a short amount of time. If you're big on walking, there's also the Freedom Trail. https://www.thefreedomtrail.org. Even if you don't walk the whole thing, the site has good descriptions of the different parts of the city and following even parts of the trail can help you get through a neighborhood.
  • Take in a Red Sox baseball game or just visit Fenway Park for a tour. I know, their owners also own LFC, but it's a beautiful old stadium. Baseball isn't my cup of tea, but I've always enjoyed going.
  • Whale watch - Boston Harbor City Cruises Boston Harbor City Cruises - City Experiences. The whale watch is about a 4 hour time commitment, but if you have time and interest in this kind of thing, I know tons of people (myself included) who have seen some great moments with the whales on this tour. The website also has shorter tours that are just tours of the city skyline and/or dinner cruises (no whales), if you're into that. You can find a lot of these from other companies online, too. Boston is pretty from the water, especially later in the day/evening.
  • Eat at a restaurant in the North End (a neighborhood) if you like Italian food even a little. My suggestion would be Mamma Maria mammamaria.com. There are hundreds of restaurants in the North End, though, so definitely look around if Mamma Maria doesn't look good to you.
    • If you end up walking in the North End, keep an eye out for small cafes that have gelato (there are a few) if you want a quick treat before or after dinner.
    • Also, there are three main Italian bakeries that battle for local and tourist bragging rights. It's worth trying one when you're in the neighborhood. They are: Modern, Mike's, and Bova. Warning - they can have long lines at times, but they're fairly efficient at getting through them quickly.
  • Staying on the food front, you can get some great seafood here. For good places to stop while on a long day of touring, James Hook & Co. - https://jameshooklobster.com/ or Barking Crab - https://barkingcrab.com/ are good, casual places. They are right across a small channel from each other and are near the Boston Harbor Hotel (mentioned below). There are also a few locations of a regional chain called Legal Sea Foods that can be a good place.
  • If you're here on a weekend, Bostonia Public House has a great brunch on Sat/Sun. https://www.bostoniapublichouse.com/. They have good food in general throughout the week, but their weekend brunch is usually excellent.
  • Tatte Bakery and Flour Bakery have several locations throughout the city and are good for grabbing breakfast/snack food.
  • You will see about 1,000 Dunkin' (Dunkin' Donuts) here. You'll either love their coffee and/or donuts or hate 'em. If by chance you like them, they are absolutely everywhere. There's plenty of Starbucks, too.
  • If you like the outdoors, visit Boston Common and the Public Garden. They are right next to each other, creating a huge park space. If you only do one, do the Public Garden. It's beautiful, and there are swan boats you can ride on the pond there if you want.
    • If you're in this area and you're a Cheers television show fan, the building that served as the outside of the TV bar is across from the north side of the Public Garden. https://www.cheersboston.com/. If you're in the vicinity and are a fan, it's worth getting a pic out front.
  • I'm not sure exactly when you're here, but the Boston Harbor Hotel Music Summer Series will be winding down at the end of the month. If you're in the area at the time of day, it's a fun place to see music on the water. The hotel's arch is a beautiful backdrop. Their schedule is here https://www.bostonharborhotel.com/summer-in-the-city/.
    • Even if you don't go for the music, walking through that arch and along the harbor in this area is beautiful at any time of day. It's actually part of a larger harborwalk that wraps around the city.
  • Near many of the other points mentioned here runs the Rose Kennedy Greenway. A long green space in the city (underneath which is the infamous Big Dig). It's worth checking the Greenway's site to see if there's any art markets or other events happening on days you'll be in the areas (if you like that stuff), since you can choose to walk through there as you go from one place to another in the city. There's often food trucks along the Greenway, too.
  • If you're into museums/galleries, the MFA, Isabella Stewart Gardner (infamous for a theft in the 90's), and the JFK Library are all standouts.
  • Harpoon Brewery for a tour and some tastings in their beer hall. I think you have to schedule the tours the day you're going. There are a number of breweries in the region, but this one is right in the Seaport neighborhood, close to downtown. You can find info here: https://harpoonbrewery.com/boston-brewery/
  • These three locations are probably most interesting to those with a deeper interest in their particular history (they also are a bit more kid oriented), but these 3 spots are pretty good at what they do: USS Constitution & Museum, Boston Tea Party Museum, New England Aquarium.
  • One last place that's a little under the radar is a visit to the Marriott Custom House Tower. This is an operating hotel/vacation club, but you can call in advance (a couple days) and book the ability to go up in the clock tower. It has beautiful views of the city and is only available during one hour each day it's open. This site has more info about where to call and how to book: Marriott Custom House Clock Tower Tour If you can get it scheduled and make it fit into your itinerary, the view is worth it.
Many of these you'll see on any list of things to do here, but I've found all of the above deliver a pretty good experience, and all are in the main Boston area.

As far as advice:
  • Try to make reservations for dinners in advance, wherever you go.
  • Boston is a jaywalking city. You will see people walk into the street at all angles from every direction. If you're walking, just be aware that you may not want to follow someone blindly into the street. Because the drivers on the road are usually on the more aggressive side of things. If you know what you're doing, it's fine, but since you'll probably be looking all over the place as you walk around town, stick to crossing at corners and crosswalks regardless of what the locals are doing.
  • Wear sneakers or comfortable shoes if you're walking. We have a decent amount of streets with cobblestones/brick that can be uneven in places.
  • Boston's layout is also not grid-like at all, so it can get a little tough to navigate, especially if you're driving while here. I would suggest sticking to walking or using Uber/Lyft, taxis, or some of the trolley tours mentioned above. There is also a subway and bus system that's part of our public transportation system we call "the T", if you're a little more adventurous.
  • If you are venturing outside the city proper (whether driving or being driven by Uber/Taxi), try to avoid the heavy commute times (7-9am, 4-6:30pm). Boston traffic is pretty gnarly at the beginning and end of the work day as people come from/go to the north, west, or south of the city proper. It's not a really big deal, but it will be a longer trip. It will look awful, but the commuter traffic will eventually move!
  • It sounds like you'll be here in late August/early September. It's likely to be beautiful but hot. Drink lots of water. The heat/humidity sneaks up on you.
This is a great, walkable, fairly compact city with lots to do. I'm sure you'll find some great things!
I hope this helps a little. Apologies for the length (and any typos!). Feel free to shoot me any questions and I can try to help. And I hope you both have a wonderful visit here!

Safe travels!
 
GoodisonRob said:
Hey! Glad you're visiting! Here are a few general things that I think are worthwhile:
  • To get the lay of the land, it can be good to use one of the tour companies to see all the main points of the city early on.
    • Boston Old Town Trolley Tours https://www.trolleytours.com/boston/tickets is a great way to get around the city and learn a few things. You may see some things along the way that pique your interest to visit separately. Most of these Old Own Trolley tours are hop on/hop off, so you get on and off and can elect to stay in an area for however long you want throughout a day (or two, depending on your ticket) and get a little background info from the tour guides when you're riding. They also have some specific tours (not hop on/hop off) like the Ghosts and Gravestones Trolley Tour if you're into stuff like that. https://www.trolleytours.com/boston/ghosts-gravestones-tour.
    • An alternative to these Old Town tours is Boston Duck Tours https://bostonducktours.com/. This is more of a straightforward tour experience, except you're in a duck boat and it goes on the Charles River for a bit.
    • Either way, a tour like these can show you a lot of the city in a short amount of time. If you're big on walking, there's also the Freedom Trail. https://www.thefreedomtrail.org. Even if you don't walk the whole thing, the site has good descriptions of the different parts of the city and following even parts of the trail can help you get through a neighborhood.
  • Take in a Red Sox baseball game or just visit Fenway Park for a tour. I know, their owners also own LFC, but it's a beautiful old stadium. Baseball isn't my cup of tea, but I've always enjoyed going.
  • Whale watch - Boston Harbor City Cruises Boston Harbor City Cruises - City Experiences. The whale watch is about a 4 hour time commitment, but if you have time and interest in this kind of thing, I know tons of people (myself included) who have seen some great moments with the whales on this tour. The website also has shorter tours that are just tours of the city skyline and/or dinner cruises (no whales), if you're into that. You can find a lot of these from other companies online, too. Boston is pretty from the water, especially later in the day/evening.
  • Eat at a restaurant in the North End (a neighborhood) if you like Italian food even a little. My suggestion would be Mamma Maria mammamaria.com. There are hundreds of restaurants in the North End, though, so definitely look around if Mamma Maria doesn't look good to you.
    • If you end up walking in the North End, keep an eye out for small cafes that have gelato (there are a few) if you want a quick treat before or after dinner.
    • Also, there are three main Italian bakeries that battle for local and tourist bragging rights. It's worth trying one when you're in the neighborhood. They are: Modern, Mike's, and Bova. Warning - they can have long lines at times, but they're fairly efficient at getting through them quickly.
  • Staying on the food front, you can get some great seafood here. For good places to stop while on a long day of touring, James Hook & Co. - https://jameshooklobster.com/ or Barking Crab - https://barkingcrab.com/ are good, casual places. They are right across a small channel from each other and are near the Boston Harbor Hotel (mentioned below). There are also a few locations of a regional chain called Legal Sea Foods that can be a good place.
  • If you're here on a weekend, Bostonia Public House has a great brunch on Sat/Sun. https://www.bostoniapublichouse.com/. They have good food in general throughout the week, but their weekend brunch is usually excellent.
  • Tatte Bakery and Flour Bakery have several locations throughout the city and are good for grabbing breakfast/snack food.
  • You will see about 1,000 Dunkin' (Dunkin' Donuts) here. You'll either love their coffee and/or donuts or hate 'em. If by chance you like them, they are absolutely everywhere. There's plenty of Starbucks, too.
  • If you like the outdoors, visit Boston Common and the Public Garden. They are right next to each other, creating a huge park space. If you only do one, do the Public Garden. It's beautiful, and there are swan boats you can ride on the pond there if you want.
    • If you're in this area and you're a Cheers television show fan, the building that served as the outside of the TV bar is across from the north side of the Public Garden. https://www.cheersboston.com/. If you're in the vicinity and are a fan, it's worth getting a pic out front.
  • I'm not sure exactly when you're here, but the Boston Harbor Hotel Music Summer Series will be winding down at the end of the month. If you're in the area at the time of day, it's a fun place to see music on the water. The hotel's arch is a beautiful backdrop. Their schedule is here https://www.bostonharborhotel.com/summer-in-the-city/.
    • Even if you don't go for the music, walking through that arch and along the harbor in this area is beautiful at any time of day. It's actually part of a larger harborwalk that wraps around the city.
  • Near many of the other points mentioned here runs the Rose Kennedy Greenway. A long green space in the city (underneath which is the infamous Big Dig). It's worth checking the Greenway's site to see if there's any art markets or other events happening on days you'll be in the areas (if you like that stuff), since you can choose to walk through there as you go from one place to another in the city. There's often food trucks along the Greenway, too.
  • If you're into museums/galleries, the MFA, Isabella Stewart Gardner (infamous for a theft in the 90's), and the JFK Library are all standouts.
  • Harpoon Brewery for a tour and some tastings in their beer hall. I think you have to schedule the tours the day you're going. There are a number of breweries in the region, but this one is right in the Seaport neighborhood, close to downtown. You can find info here: https://harpoonbrewery.com/boston-brewery/
  • These three locations are probably most interesting to those with a deeper interest in their particular history (they also are a bit more kid oriented), but these 3 spots are pretty good at what they do: USS Constitution & Museum, Boston Tea Party Museum, New England Aquarium.
  • One last place that's a little under the radar is a visit to the Marriott Custom House Tower. This is an operating hotel/vacation club, but you can call in advance (a couple days) and book the ability to go up in the clock tower. It has beautiful views of the city and is only available during one hour each day it's open. This site has more info about where to call and how to book: Marriott Custom House Clock Tower Tour If you can get it scheduled and make it fit into your itinerary, the view is worth it.
Many of these you'll see on any list of things to do here, but I've found all of the above deliver a pretty good experience, and all are in the main Boston area.

As far as advice:
  • Try to make reservations for dinners in advance, wherever you go.
  • Boston is a jaywalking city. You will see people walk into the street at all angles from every direction. If you're walking, just be aware that you may not want to follow someone blindly into the street. Because the drivers on the road are usually on the more aggressive side of things. If you know what you're doing, it's fine, but since you'll probably be looking all over the place as you walk around town, stick to crossing at corners and crosswalks regardless of what the locals are doing.
  • Wear sneakers or comfortable shoes if you're walking. We have a decent amount of streets with cobblestones/brick that can be uneven in places.
  • Boston's layout is also not grid-like at all, so it can get a little tough to navigate, especially if you're driving while here. I would suggest sticking to walking or using Uber/Lyft, taxis, or some of the trolley tours mentioned above. There is also a subway and bus system that's part of our public transportation system we call "the T", if you're a little more adventurous.
  • If you are venturing outside the city proper (whether driving or being driven by Uber/Taxi), try to avoid the heavy commute times (7-9am, 4-6:30pm). Boston traffic is pretty gnarly at the beginning and end of the work day as people come from/go to the north, west, or south of the city proper. It's not a really big deal, but it will be a longer trip. It will look awful, but the commuter traffic will eventually move!
  • It sounds like you'll be here in late August/early September. It's likely to be beautiful but hot. Drink lots of water. The heat/humidity sneaks up on you.
This is a great, walkable, fairly compact city with lots to do. I'm sure you'll find some great things!
I hope this helps a little. Apologies for the length (and any typos!). Feel free to shoot me any questions and I can try to help. And I hope you both have a wonderful visit here!

Safe travels!
Click to expand...
Thanks for taking the time to go through that. My wife and I will be there in early November, we have been in America and Canada before so we have some idea of what to do. Is the public transport system easy to use, I like to find my own way around, my wife is a bit more cautious. Is Providence worth a visit? We are Irish btw so we should be OK in Boston.
 
Caolam said:
Thanks for taking the time to go through that. My wife and I will be there in early November, we have been in America and Canada before so we have some idea of what to do. Is the public transport system easy to use, I like to find my own way around, my wife is a bit more cautious. Is Providence worth a visit? We are Irish btw so we should be OK in Boston.
Click to expand...
Public transport, (officially called the MBTA, but everyone just calls it "the T"), is pretty easy to use. It is not as robust as you will find in Europe, though, so may not be the right option for some things you're doing. But it's pretty easy to figure out and the map/station naming system is very straightforward. In Boston, you may find good use of the subway. And you may use the wider train network (called the Commuter Rail) to go out to places like Providence (since you mentioned it). All that public transport info can be found here.

For in the city getting around, though, I still lean toward walking, Uber/Taxi, or a trolley/duck tour. If you like to find your own way around, there are tons of locations in Boston where you can rent bikes or scooters to zip around. That might be more daring than it sounds like your wife is looking for, though!

Providence is very nice. I haven't been since before the COVID years so I don't know the latest and greatest but it's a nice visit. It may have a little more going on in warmer months. I just looked and if you're by chance there on November 1st they have a WaterFire event that can be cool to see. There may be other scheduled times for this event (they do them all throughout the year). The schedule is here.

If you end going to the Providence area, Newport is just a little further down. Depending on what you end up doing, you might be able to visit both briefly in one day. Also, in the Newport area there are tours of all the old mansions (old for the U.S.!), like "The Breakers". There are trolley tours of multiple mansions at https://www.tourservicesnewport.com/newport-mansion-tours. These places are big though, and visiting or the tours can take up a few hours.

Also, at that time of year in the Providence/Newport area you may catch the very last bit of the leaf-peeping season here, when the fall foliage changes colors for the winter. It goes fairly late into October through most of New England, but down there you might still see some vibrant colors as late as November. It all depends on this year's weather, though. This site has some great info about all that.

Sorry I don't have more specific Providence info. It's a nice town to visit, though! And all of this region is great to visit at that time of year.

You will definitely be just fine here! And if you're in need of a pub while here, where you may find some other Irish folks eating/drinking and/or working/serving, Mr. Dooley's or The Black Rose are great options.
 
GoodisonRob said:
Public transport, (officially called the MBTA, but everyone just calls it "the T"), is pretty easy to use. It is not as robust as you will find in Europe, though, so may not be the right option for some things you're doing. But it's pretty easy to figure out and the map/station naming system is very straightforward. In Boston, you may find good use of the subway. And you may use the wider train network (called the Commuter Rail) to go out to places like Providence (since you mentioned it). All that public transport info can be found here.

For in the city getting around, though, I still lean toward walking, Uber/Taxi, or a trolley/duck tour. If you like to find your own way around, there are tons of locations in Boston where you can rent bikes or scooters to zip around. That might be more daring than it sounds like your wife is looking for, though!

Providence is very nice. I haven't been since before the COVID years so I don't know the latest and greatest but it's a nice visit. It may have a little more going on in warmer months. I just looked and if you're by chance there on November 1st they have a WaterFire event that can be cool to see. There may be other scheduled times for this event (they do them all throughout the year). The schedule is here.

If you end going to the Providence area, Newport is just a little further down. Depending on what you end up doing, you might be able to visit both briefly in one day. Also, in the Newport area there are tours of all the old mansions (old for the U.S.!), like "The Breakers". There are trolley tours of multiple mansions at https://www.tourservicesnewport.com/newport-mansion-tours. These places are big though, and visiting or the tours can take up a few hours.

Also, at that time of year in the Providence/Newport area you may catch the very last bit of the leaf-peeping season here, when the fall foliage changes colors for the winter. It goes fairly late into October through most of New England, but down there you might still see some vibrant colors as late as November. It all depends on this year's weather, though. This site has some great info about all that.

Sorry I don't have more specific Providence info. It's a nice town to visit, though! And all of this region is great to visit at that time of year.

You will definitely be just fine here! And if you're in need of a pub while here, where you may find some other Irish folks eating/drinking and/or working/serving, Mr. Dooley's or The Black Rose are great options.
Click to expand...
Rob, once again thank you for taking the time to respond, we will definitely give those two pubs a visit.
 

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