Boston anyone?

[ganandem]

Thinking of taking my little sister on a trip to Boston as her high school grad. present. Does anyone have any advice on hotels or things to do? We would be driving so we will have a vehicle to use. Thanks in advance!

 

[DisneyAndRedSox]

FYI... Parking can be very expensive at hotels, over $30 a day. Make sure you find out how much it is.
Look to see who the Sox are playing, if a team like the Yankees are in town the hotels will fill-up and rates may be high.

Take the Duck Boat Tour
Check out the Italian restaurants and pastry in the North End.

 

[tommya60]

DD and I tagged along with DH on a business trip several years ago. I really recommend the Bean Town Trolley. It goes all over the area, you can get off and on at each stop, the drivers have good information. Since DD was really little, and DH was in a meeting, it made it easy for us to get around. We did all the historical "stuff", had lunch in Little Italy, she tossed a bale of tea into the harbor, etc.

 

[TheZenMaster]

Born and bred in Boston. Still living in the Mass.

Definitely echo the comments on parking. If you stay downtown, you're going to pay an arm and a leg for parking and you don't need the car with the T and the fact that it's a walking town.

- Make sure you take a walk on the Freedom Trail. Do it slowly, enjoy it, lots of history here. Start off over in the Common and head through to Faneuil Hall. Maybe get a light lunch there or just get some small things at all of the small food stands inside, enjoy some shopping, etc. From there, stick to the Freedom Trail all the way into the North End for dinner. Italian food there is great, can't go wrong with any of the restaurants there. Head over to Mike's Pastry for dessert (it's a madhouse and a tourist trap but the place is legit). If you're into seafood instead, there are good places in Faneuil Hall and also nearby at the waterfront near the aquarium.

- Shopping is at its best in Back Bay. Copley/Prudential has a nice inside mall. Newbury Street is the Rodeo Drive of Boston. If you like shopping, that's your street along with the Pru mall.

- Fenway Park. Obviously. They have tours. If you go on a day when they play, do try to get tix.

- Harvard is a beautiful campus. If you have extra time, not a bad place to go. When the weather is good, it's a lively place with stuff going on outside. Some shopping and some restaurants over there as well - Border Cafe is a decent selection there. BC is also a great campus and accessible by the T (a bit of a long ride). If it's football season when you're out here, not a bad place to see a good team for fairly cheap (the hockey team there is also one great).

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me I can always help.

 

[3LOVEBUGS]

If and When you visit Boston you should check out the Codzilla here is the web site Best time ever
http://www.bostonharborcruises.com/codzilla/

 

[PinballFamily]

Do you REALLY need to drive? You can get around very easily and cheaply on the MBTA public transportation. Are you convenient to the MegaBus? www.megabus.com Prices from NY to Boston can be as little as $1! And the buses are immaculate and the drivers are great.

(Plus, the drivers here are a little crazy - you wouldn't have to deal with them!!!) Echoing the PPs - lots of fun stuff to do and see here!

 

[MEM]

I've lived in Boston for the past 25 years. If you do have your car with you, you might want to take a day to visit Salem, MA or Plymouth.

 

[Evi]

lets see I don't go into the city as much anymore. Though technically I still live in the city lol (but I mean downtown more then anything else).

There is parking in the city but you have to know where to find it. Though honestly you can go to any city commuter parking lot and park for the day it will cost you between 5-6 bucks and you don't have to go on commuter line to find them. You can find them along the orange line and other lines check out mbta.com . You can also park with validation and alot of places in town and on market days there is a lot in haymarket that if you buy something from the market you can get validation that gets you 3 hours of parking for $1. In the north end there is a small lot that offers free parking. Point is there is parking but it will take work to find it. I personally do park in town and drive from about 10 mins outside the city to do so. Granted I could take the T but it would actually cost me more to take the T and pay for parking then just to drive in.

Also if your staying overnight. You two are young check out www.bostonhostel.org located very close to Newbury street in the back bay much cheaper then a hotel. Also most collages actually rent out empty dorms for the night for travelers and some will include meals in cafeteria. You'll save a lot of money and introduce her to new people and potentially get a free college tour out of it. With all the universities and colleges you should be able to find accommodations easily.

Also if you have student id's bring them most museums, movie theaters, etc have student discounts. Also check out Groupon.com and buywithme.com lots of great deals on restaurants and spa stuff that you can do.

Places to go in the city: Boston public garden not to be confused with the Boston common lol ok their both pretty but only one has tons of flowers and the swan boats. Definitely take a ride on swan boats there fairly inexpensive and very historical, also fun to watch another teen peddle you around =).

If you love to walk try the freedom trail. Buy the guide book or get a free pull of sheet that lists all the stops at the visitor information center in the Boston common. Don't feel obligated to walk the whole thing unless you really want to or to pay to enter all the sites there are lots of sites that are free.
Search online beforehand for discounts on tix for trolley tours and the like. Bostonusa.com has tons of things to do. Check the city of Bostons web site for a summer in the city guide as well as arts Boston guide. Both should be out if your vising after graduation. Lots of free fun stuff to do like, concerts, festivals and annual events. As well check out museums for exhibits and venues for concerts you may want to attend.

If you have time and your coming for multiple days plan a short trip outside the city. I think someone else mentioned Salem and Plymouth. Honestly I'm all for visiting certain places during specific times of the year so if its late summer early fall go to Plymouth or Salem if its summer hit the cape or Rockport. All are day trip within about an hour or less of the city other then cape cod plan a few hours of driving for the cape or you can take a harbor cruise to the cape from the Boston Harbor. You could also take in a whale watch or tour the harbor islands.

If you love seafood eat at the Union Oyster house. Its the oldest continuously run restaurant in the country and I'd probably spend a few hours in Harvard square a few hours if you plan to visit Harvard University's Natural History Museums. Maybe take in a baseball game at Fenway Park.

feel free to pm me with any questions I was born and raised in the city.

Boston's a little city with alot to do. I hope you have a great trip.

 

[burberryplaid]

I recommend checking out travelzoo.com for good deals on Boston hotels. They often have great deals.

I would also recommend a duck tour which is a lot of fun.

You got some great advice above, but if you want more, send me a PM.