I just wanted to thank everyone for your suggestions. They were very helpful. We just returned from a three night stay and I wanted to pass along some experiences to those who may be visiting for the first time. I used to be a frequent visitor here but hadn%26#39;t been back in over ten years. It won%26#39;t be that long until I return. I live in New Jersey and visit New York often, but for many reasons, Boston has always been my favorite city. I even love Fenway, even though I%26#39;m a Yankee fan. But then, how can any baseball fan not love Yankee Stadium, Fenway or Wrigley. But to the trip.......This is a great and easy walking city. Clean and safe, even at midnight. If you can, don%26#39;t bother with the tours, just get a good pair of walking shoes and get lost walking around. You won%26#39;t be disappointed.
We stayed at the Millenium which is across the street from Quincy Market and found it to be a terrific location. The market is steps away, the North End less than a five minute walk, downtown shopping a 10-15 minute walk and the theatre district 20-25 minutes. The T is a few minute walk and there is no shortage of good restaurants and bars within a ten minute walk in any direction. There is even a comedy club across the street at The Market. The hotel itself, considering the price, was good....not great. The selling point is location. We had a fireside room and it was typically big city small. Service was good and room was clean though the carpeting has seen better days.
As far as food...had a good lobster roll at Legal Seafood, and very good dinners at Limoncello%26#39;s and Rafia%26#39;s in the North End. Mike%26#39;s pastry shop is a must after dinner but be prepared to wait in line outside, even in mid-November the North End streets were jammed at night. A great atmosphere. One disappointment....I made reservations for 7:00 at Momma Maria by phone/voice mail on Thursday at around 1:30. Apparently no one was at the restaurant. The message said they would call back to confirm. They never did. I called back at 5:15 to check and was told they were sold out that night. I asked why no one ever called me back but he couldn%26#39;t give me an answer. If I never checked I would have shown up, told I had no reservation and been forced to wait somewhere. So as a word of caution, don%26#39;t trust their reservation system.
We also had pizza at Regina%26#39;s one afternoon, which was good, not great. Don%26#39;t understand the big fuss but I%26#39;m used to pretty good pizza so maybe that%26#39;s why. Still, it%26#39;s worth trying. Interesting place. But then, so is the whole North End. Bartley%26#39;s in Harvard Square is a unique experience. I read about it here and was a little skeptical. But the burgers are very good and greasy, the place cramped, noisy and old but it was a lot of fun. We waited outside for about 20 minutes where they pass out menu%26#39;s and take your order. You%26#39;re so tight inside it%26#39;s hard to not get friendly with the people around you. It%26#39;s a fun place and worth the visit.
We saw Blue Man Group and Shear Madness and both shows were really very good. If you%26#39;re used to New York theatre, this isn%26#39;t that. The theatre%26#39;s and staging are not the same but don%26#39;t be fooled, both shows were very entertaining, funny and well worth the money. Also, both shows were available at Bostix at half price but that might be a reflection of the time of year.
I know I%26#39;ve gone on too long but this was a fun trip. Never got to JFK or Fenway tour (construction) but it%26#39;s an excuse to go back, right? Thanks again for all your posts......they were very helpful. See you soon.
Trip Report
Glad to hear you had a great time. I always took good pizza for granted when I lived in Boston. However, since moving here, I really appreciate Regina%26#39;s. So I understand where you%26#39;re coming from on this. And yes, the road companies of Broadway shows aren%26#39;t as good as the real thing!
Trip Report
Hi Taletimes,
Thank you for your great review of your visit to Boston. I%26#39;m glad you enjoyed it, it certainly sounds it to me! So glad you went to Limoncello%26#39;s, that ones a ';good one'; in that North End! Did you read the article from the newspaper about the owner as you walk in to the restaurant, by any chance? He worked in the North End in one of the restaurants for years and one day he played the lottery and didn%26#39;t he WIN it! That%26#39;s how he opened that restaurant you were in! I love the murals all around it, the whole ambiance of it is just so cool. He%26#39;s the nicest guy too when you talk to him! He brought us all over a glass of Limoncello liquor the last time we were all in there! Ever since then, I%26#39;ve been going to that North End Liquor Store across the street on the corner to get a bottle of it to bring home for guests, I love that liquor! That%26#39;s one of our favorite spots to hit over there. Although with us living here we try to go some where different every time we go to the North End; there%26#39;s just way too many now to call our favorite.
I%26#39;ve never been to Rafia%26#39;s or Momma Maria%26#39;s, heard about them though and all very good reviews! I saw Blue Man Group several times and wouldn%26#39;t hesitate to see it again, that%26#39;s always got something a little different in it every single time you see it! It%26#39;s an amazing fun show to see and never gets old or boring! I had to see Shear Madness several times too because my younger sister is a Hair Stylist and we got the biggest kick out of seeing it, it%26#39;s another one that changes a few scenes in it every time you go!
I%26#39;ve never been to Bartley%26#39;s, just heard alot of good things about it.
YES you%26#39;ll have to come back to check out the JFK Library and do that Fenway tour! The next time try to remember this Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in the Fenway, it%26#39;s wonderful! When I took classes at Emmanuel College, I used to love going to this Museum, it%26#39;s so amazing. What an extraordinary life this woman had. Remember to check it out the next time you%26#39;re in town!
I took my mother to the Regina%26#39;s Pizzeria a few years ago, we took the train down to North Station from Newburyport and just walked up to town and we went over to the North End for the Regina! From what I remember of it from growing up in the City and from getting it all the time when I worked in the Financial District? It used to be WAY BETTER years ago! I don%26#39;t know WHAT happened to it, this time around! The key to it always used to be there old fashioned ovens; that%26#39;s why they were always the best pizza around! I don%26#39;t know, this time around? We both thought it just wasn%26#39;t cooked enough or something underneath! Although the sauce and cheese was still incredible from the way it always used to be! Well, you know? We%26#39;ll JUST have to go back there and try it again; that%26#39;s ALL there is to it!
Glad you had a great time and give Boston another chance back to visit; because there%26#39;s still WAY more to discover! For events and attractions in Boston and the New England states, a really good site to check out is:
www.explorenewengland.com
It%26#39;s updated with the different events and shows, restaurants and places to stay all around New England all the time and it%26#39;s extremely good because it%26#39;s affiliated with the Boston Globe, so it%26#39;s a really useful site to go to. I like it because they update it all the time with things going on around the City!
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