Starting Off Honeymoon in Boston- some advice appreciated

Hi all

Have just booked our honeymoon for April 2006, where we%26#39;ll be spending 1st 3 nights in Boston before heading up to Cape Cod, then NYC before home.

Have got accommodation sorted (Charles Street Inn) and flights are booked from here in the UK but could do with some tips. I have been to Boston myself a few years back but my partner hasn%26#39;t so will probably do the main things like the freedom trail etc. but could do with a few other hints namely:

1) Was thinking of splashing out on a limo from the airport- can anyone recommend any good reasonably priced limo companies

2) Restaurants; we are both vegetarian so if anyone can recommend some good vegetarian restaurants or ones with a good vegetraian range then that would be great- particularly looking for a suitably romantic one for our 1st night

3) Whale watching- we both want to do this but are we best waiting till we get to Cape Cod to do the trip?

4) Sports- quite fancy going to a sports event while we are out there- either basketball or baseball- whats the chances of getting tickets?

5) Any other suitable honeymoon recommendations

Cheers

D

Starting Off Honeymoon in Boston- some advice appreciated

Can answer #4--Red Sox nation will come alive in April. If you want to see a game tickets usually go on sale in February. Check out www.redsox.com. Tickets go fast. If you are not a proponent of prepurchasing tickets you can risk going to the box office the day of a game (hours before game time) and try to score tickets that way. Also, in Boston we have the Boston Marathon which is a wonderful event to see. Monday April 17, 2006 is when it will be run. A not-to-be missed event. I recommend www.boston.com/travel as a helpful website. Congrats to you!

Starting Off Honeymoon in Boston- some advice appreciated

mahj

Cheers for the reply- Its actually the 17th of April that we arrive (about noon)- so not sure if we%26#39;ll be able to catch any of the marathon- but I would imagine there%26#39;l be some street closures so diversions to get to our hotel no doubt

You shouldn%26#39;t have an issue with street closures getting to your hotel. Charles Street is far enough away from the finish line to be less crowded. However, Patriots%26#39; Day (the day of the Marathon) is a holiday, which means schools and many offices are closed. Charles Street is a busy spot on days like that, due to the shops and restaurants. It%26#39;ll calm down by dinner time.

Question #1: A limo service would probably be a little over the top in order to get into town, since it is a short ride from Logan to Beacon Hill. Many companies have a minimum rental time (3 hours, I think) which might be good if you wanted to use the time as a sightseeing jaunt around town.

Check out Boston Coach, the most well known of transport companies here. They are online at bostoncoach.com.

Boston Town Car is another good one. bostontowncar.com

Town and Country Coach: townandcountrycoach.com

As for #3: you can take a whale watch out of Boston or you can wait til you get to the Cape. Hyannis and Provincetown both have them. At that time of year the weather can be very changeable and somewhat unsettled. A heavy coat, mittens and a hat would be highly recommended.

Hello Dondo,

What a beautiful time of year to be in Boston; weather wise. It%26#39;ll be great for you next spring!

I have a really good suggestion for a wonderful romantic vegetarian restaurant if you want to check it out. It%26#39;s Rialto%26#39;s! One of my favorites! You can go in to the website to read about it at www.rialto-restaurant.com It%26#39;s in the Charles Hotel at 1 Bennett St., Cambridge, MA 617 661-5050. It%26#39;s got a beautiful atmosphere overlooking the Charles River and the food is just wonderful, you absolutely won%26#39;t go wrong here! You can see the Charles Hotel along the Charles River and you%26#39;ll have the most beautiful view from your table; make sure you tell them you want window seating in your reservation!

There are several ways to purchase tickets for sporting, concert or theater events. The main way, as you know in the UK is Ticketmaster; www.ticketmaster.com, telecharge agencies. But I have friends in Boston that use this independently, privately owned company that%26#39;s not affiliated with any of these other agencies whatsoever. It%26#39;s funny, my friends swear by this company whenever they want really good seats and they always say the beauty of it is they always answer there phones if you want to talk to them for specific questions, you never ever get constant busy signals; which is a huge problem with half of these other agencies! I live in New Hampshire and didn%26#39;t even hear about this agency until they told me about it one night at dinner! Ever since then we%26#39;ve been going this route ourselves for tickets and have always been so happy with our seats wherever we got them! You can check them out online at www.seacoastticket.com or call them at 1 800 382-5242.

The previous post covered Limo and Coach service for you very well, that%26#39;s about it from me and as far as the whale watching is concerned? I%26#39;d definitely wait until you get to Cape Cod for it, and absolutely dress warm, April is freezing cold out on the water then still! Have Fun and Best Wishes!

beansandcod and NoMo01- cheers for the advice- much appreciated

getting excited about it already and its 7 months away!!!

Hi Dondo,

I agree that a limo/coach probably won%26#39;t be worth the money for you on such a short trip.

If you are arriving on Patriot%26#39;s day, you might want to consider taking the T from the airport, only because with street closures that day, and the Red Sox play in town then as well, traffic is usually quite difficult until 3-4pm that afternoon, when it all calms down.

Since you are from the UK, you might like to have some curry while you are here? My favorite Indian restaurant is in Kenmore Square, the India Quality House on Commonwealth Ave. They have all the usual veggie options, and the food is quite tasty.

Another great veggie option, is the Sultan%26#39;s Kitchen, a Turkish restaurant at 116 State St. in the Financial District, close to Quincy Market. It%26#39;s not much for atmosphere, so you might want to try it for lunch while you are walking the Freedom Trail (they are open until 8pm for dinner, though). They have fantastic vegan Turkish dishes with stuffed Eggplant, artichoke fritters, bean salads, etc. Very, very good.

As for sporting events, you%26#39;d have a difficult time getting Red Sox Tickets, unless you buy them on Ebay or from a scalper the day of the game. Celtics Tickets are much easier to get, but they can be expensive...$80-100 each. Information on the Celtics website says they are about to open ticket sales for this season, and they are having a presale signup. Go to their website for information:

http://eform.celtics.com/asbs/servlet/S?F=322

I absolutely adore the Charles Street Inn. My mother stayed there in one of the rooms and it was absolutely lovely. I hope you have a jacuzzi tub because she got a kick out of that.

1.) If I were you, I would not get a limo. My father rented one for my graduation weekend and the limo driver was tacky, the limo was in bad shape and Boston streets are really not pleasant with limo service. It%26#39;s also hard for them to turn on such narrow streets. I suggest getting a driver. Maybe a nice car, but not a limo. Trust me on this.

2.) There are some fabulous vegetarian resturants in the city. One that many of my vegan and vegetarian friends love is Buddha%26#39;s Delight on Harvard street in Coolidge Corner, Also, Grasshopper in Allston is a favorite. If you go to PFchangs near the theater district (it%26#39;s a chain but the best chinese food!) they have several vegetarian options. I also believe that many places in Boston have vegetarian friendly options. It%26#39;s a little harder for vegans (As my roomate has so woefully explained) but Vegetarian options are about if you know where to look. Here is a list I googled that might also give you some more ideas. vegetarian-restaurants.net/usa/MassBoston.htm

3.) Whale watching is a pickle because many of the whale watches end in September. I would google or call and see when they close. However, I do suggest doing your whale watch on Cape Cod because I have heard that many people had a better experience. Especially in Provincetown.

4.) Red sox tickets are damn near impossible to get at this juncture and playoffs should begin soon, so that makes it even more impossible. There is a possibility you could get Patriots tickets depending on when you%26#39;re going but Celtics tickets are by far the easiest to get. If you don%26#39;t mind paying a pretty penny OR if you known a company who can get you tickets in the US...are really the only ways you%26#39;ll get to see a team play.

5.) For your sightseeing I recommend getting a Go Boston Card just to save money on stuff like the Freedom trail sights, museums, tours, whale watch etc. And if you%26#39;re going to the cape the card includes the cost of the ferry (which is about 45 dollars) to get to Martha%26#39;s Vineyard and Nantucket. It may be a good idea if you%26#39;re staying in Boston or looking at the area (Salem/ Newport RI) because it includes the cost of those attractions too.

Also, for your Honeymoon, I recommend a Gondola ride on the Charles River if you want to be super romantic. Just google for Boston Gondolas on the Charles River and it should come up.

Here is a wonderful romantic idea..For a beautiful way to start your day walk through the garden and have breakfast in the Aujordui restaurant at the Four Seasons hotel..it is so beautiful and while it is expensive it is a splurge and much cheaper than lunch or dinner there...DKEL

Another excellent, but decidedly unromantic, vegetarian restaurant is Veggie Planet at Club Passim. It%26#39;s a totally dress-down environment; its capacity is something like 12 LOL and the tables are very close to each other. Despite their doing a brisk business, much of it is take-out customers or people going to a concert at the adjoining folk-music venue so there%26#39;s never a long wait to be seated. All of their menu selections are served over either brown rice or organic pizza dough, all ingredients are fresh, and everything I%26#39;ve tried there has been delicious and filling. They%26#39;re located on Palmer St in Harvard Square, just south of Church St which in turn is a short block west of Mass. Ave and a Red Line subway entrance.

The Boston area abounds with restaurants offering Indian, Thai, and other Asian cuisines. They all have vegetarian selections, and many are happy to make further accommodations for dietary requirements. One place I enjoy that isn%26#39;t particularly well-known is Ruth%26#39;s Kitchen, on Harvard St in Brookline between Coolidge Corner and Allston. The owners honor the strictest level of kosher cooking rules and make everything from scratch daily, but the food isn%26#39;t ';deli,'; it%26#39;s Chinese. Servings are generous and inexpensive and so-o-o-o-o good. But bear in mind that since the management is as ';observant'; as they are, Ruth%26#39;s is closed after 2 PM on Fridays and doesn%26#39;t reopen until Monday afternoon. Although their selections run the gamut and are largely non-veg, they%26#39;re very flexible with special requests and I%26#39;ve talked with vegetarian customers there who swear by them.

Hey, Dondo -

Congrats on the impending wedding! You%26#39;re going to have a tremendous time on your honeymoon, from the sounds of it.

Weighing in, specifically, on the vegetarian thing. I, too, am a veggie and echo others%26#39; recommendations of India Quality and Grasshopper (though if you want to have wine with your dinner at Grasshopper, be advised: they don%26#39;t serve it there, but if you bring it and discreetly hand over the bottle to your server, they will %26#39;put it in a teapot%26#39; - literally - and serve it to you that way)

The Publik House on Beacon Street (Washington Square area) has what I would say (just my opinion) the BEST veggie burgers in town. Well worth it and they have great other options and a ton of beers on tap.

Have a fantastic time!!

Becca