Visiting Boston for the second time. What to do ?

Hello,

We are a couple from Sweden in our late twenties. We visited Boston last May and absolutely loved your wonderful city. I麓m a huge Red Sox fan so we are coming back next year. Probably July och August to se a few more games at Fenway. This time we are staying perhaps a week or even ten days.

Here is some things we did last time in Boston. Too bad the weather was awful even though it was late May.

Prudential Tower

Boston Common

Fenway Park (to see the Sox and go for a tour at the park)

Lots of walking and shopping on Newbury Street and those areas

Duck Tour (awful beacuse of the cold weather and rain. We even had to sit outside)

Had dinner in north end (this was after the sox game though so we were really drunk) . Lots of fun though...

We stayed at Midtown Hotel (that is the name) and it just by the Prudential Tower. A really good location. I prefer to stay in the same area so we are close to Fenway park.

I would some reccomendations on what to in Boston that we didn麓t have time to do last time. We never did Freedom trail, Harvard etc...

We like to see things, have a good time. Have a few beers and eat at some nice reastuarants.

Thanks alot!

Visiting Boston for the second time. What to do ?

Did you get to ride the swan boats in the Public Garden? If not, I recommend you do it at least once simply because they%26#39;re unique to Boston. Did you see the USS Constitution (aka ';Old Ironsides';)? You could get a ferry from Long Wharf to get there. Do make it a point to go to Harvard Square this time --- lots of bookstores and restaurants. I particularly like Iruna for Spanish and Basque food (great garlic soup!) and Mr. Bartley%26#39;s Burger Cottage--they have the best burgers, IMO. You could combine a nice Italian meal in the North End with viewing the Old North Church and Paul Revere%26#39;s house since they are all in the same neighborhood. Speaking of the North End, have you tried Regina%26#39;s for some really great pizza?

Visiting Boston for the second time. What to do ?

Summer is a great time in the city. Check out boston. com for free concerts on the Charles (Hatch Shell), City Hall Plaza, Copley Square, to name a few. Hang out at Quincy Market and enjoy the free street performers (music, jugglers, comedy). Take one of the many Boston Harbor cruises. Definitely check out Harvard Square and Cambridge. Freedom Trail or parts of it are a must. Museums, on rainy days, are a good choice. My favorite is the Museum of Science; other choices include Museum of Fine Arts, Isabella Gardner, JFK Museum, Institute of Contemporary Art, Aquarium. (MOS and Aquarium have IMAX theaters too). Smaller theaters still run shows such as Blue Man Group and Shear Madness. Loads of fun in Boston!

Keep in mind that during July and the first two weeks in August the Boston weather is hot and humid. It may be tolerable for us residents but for people from your latitudes it may be unbearable. Instead, I recommend you travel to Boston in June.

Letsgo: Glad to hear everything went well! Did you find a baseball glove?

Edgers is right about the weather, but one way around that would be to spend some time on the North Shore (between Salem and Salisbury.) The temperatures stay cooler along the coast; Newburyport is a nice historic town with some sightseeing to go along with beautiful Plum Island; Rockport and Ipswich are also scenic old beach towns; in addition to nice shoreline, Gloucester has the Hammond Castle and the Fishermen%26#39;s Monument to visit. All four towns are served by commuter rail if the weather causes a beach day to be ruled out. Salem boasts all its witch-related attractions as well as the Peabody-Essex Museum with its outstanding collection of East Asian art. You%26#39;d still want to be based in Boston for a portion of the trip, but someplace on the North Shore could work for part of the time too.

Harvard Square still has its unique qualities, such as the musicians and misfit kids at ';The Pit'; by the subway entrance, and some one-of-a-kind places like Iruna and Bartley%26#39;s, but much of it has become an outdoor mall of sorts. Commercial rents have gotten so high that a good many of the stores and restaurants are now franchise outlets, sad but true. You could have it pretty well explored in the course of an afternoon.

Next time, you might want to try the Sam Adams Brewery tour. The nearest subway station is just a few stops out from Back Bay on the Orange Line.

If the Midtown was OK for you this past time, you can%26#39;t do much better location-wise for the price.

Thanks so much for all your advice. Really appreciate it.

Cool you remember me asking about the glove. In fact I bought four (!) :) and three expensive Sox jerseys! Very cool to walk around here in Sweden with a Sox jersey since no one knows what the Sox is.... :)

I really doesnt matter when we go to Boston. It all depends on if we can get tickets to three och four games. The warm weather does not bother us. It cam get pretty hot here in Sweden during the summer aswell and we have both been to Asia many times. Better warm than the awful weather we had last May.

Thanks again!

Sam Adams tour is a must next time. Love Sam Adams. We thought about it last but didnt have the time.

Is it a good tour ?

Sounds like you did a lot of great things while you were in Boston. Sorry it was rainy and cold. It can be really fickle, the weather here. However, I have some great suggestions for your next trip.

If you didn%26#39;t spend some time looking at the area museums now may be the time to go. I love the MFA, tons of interesting exhibits including an Egyptian exhibit and my favorite, a private collection of kimono and swords. I also recommend trying to see Blue Man Group, fun theater and there is always a show. I don%26#39;t know anyone who saw it and didn%26#39;t like it. If I were you i%26#39;d spend some time in Harvard, maybe check out the old graveyard and perhaps (if it%26#39;s may) take a sail boat out on the Charles river? There are also gondola rides which I hear can be romantic.

I would check out Coolidge Corner since you%26#39;ve seen the other major areas. Small place with some really wonderful restuarants and cute shops. Jewish neighboorhood. Also, the Coolidge Corner theater is the absolute best.

I also might go on a whale watch, and as for the Freedom Trail walking tour--I like the ones where you tour guide dresses up. I believe it%26#39;s offered through the Boston Historical Society. For all the stuff you want to do in Boston--the more obscure things--I would recommend the Go Boston Card because it includes the major attractions and the smaller ones, too.

Since you%26#39;re coming back to the city--it may be a good idea to take some excursions to Cape Cod and Martha%26#39;s Vineyard too. Plus, it will be summer so it will be fun to see the place at ';peak'; time.

Shaxxon,

Thanks! We will definately visit a museum this around.

Are there any good comedy clubs in Boston by the way? We visited The Gotham Comedy Club i NY and we had a really good time.

Comedy Connection (Faneuil Hall), Nick%26#39;s Comedy Stop (theater district), and ImprovBoston (Somerville) are three of the best IMHO.