jpie

We will be in Boston in late April, early May probably 3-4 nights. We will be coming from Maine by car and plan to drop our car at Logan. We have a flight to Dublin leaving on a Saturday (May 3rd) at 9PM. So here is my question:

We would like to have a few days to visit Boston but don't want to drive into the city or stay in the city with a car. Would it be better to just schedule the car drop off at Logan a few days prior and then find a hotel in the city and arrange transport back out to Logan on that Saturday-I am hoping since it is a Saturday and our flight leaves late, traffic may not be too horrible. Or we could stay somewhere outside of Boston closer to the airport and then drop the car ourselves the evening of the flight, and commute in to sight see.

Everybody's input would be appreciated. I am kind of leaning towards just ditching the car a few days early and figuring out transport to the airport separately. If that were the case, would it be more fun to stay in someplace like Cambridge or the waterfront or some other neighborhood? I am not so much interested in seeing the historic Boston as just being in a cool neighborhood for a few days with good restaurants, coffee shops and people watching, but also in a neighborhood where it isn't impossible to get to Logan on that Saturday. If we don't have the cost of the car, we can splurge a bit on hotel or a suite or apartment with kitchen for example. So any suggestions of hotels or suites would also be welcome.

Anyway, since we are west coast people help from those folks who know Boston would be greatly appreciated. We are still far out, but I would feel better if we had a plan for that last stop before we catch our transatlantic flight

flpab

No car in Boston, it isn't needed and it is easy to get to the airport on the T. I know many from Boston will post more info. We love the vibe of the city. I would look at the hotels on Trip advisor and see what is in your price range. I love Beacon Hill but i also like Charlestown and the North end. If there isn't a home baseball game the hotels might be a bit cheaper.

travelgourmet

If you are really just doing the Boston and Cambridge then there is no reason to bother with a car. Definitely just drop off the car at Logan. The cab fare to and from Boston or Cambridge will be in the $35-$40 range. Staying outside the city would see you spending more than that to get into the city while you are visiting.

As for places to stay... There are several options, and I don't think any of the options would be terribly cheaper or more convenient. The most convenient to the airport would be the Seaport district, but prices there can be high depending upon conventions. It wouldn't be my first choice, but if you got a good deal, the hotels are new and modern and easy to get to and from the airport.

For Boston, if I had to choose an area, I would lean toward either the theater district (Revere, Four Seasons, W, Park Plaza - which has variable rooms) or Copley (Marrriot, Westin, Sheraton, Hilton, Doubletree, Marriott). Downtown is okay, but will be a bit deader on the weekends and evenings. The local restaurants will also be more expensive. It would be helpful to have an idea of what you consider your budget to be in dollars and even dates.

If you wanted to stay in Cambridge, I think Kendall Square is a good deal (Marriott, Residence Inn) if the price is right, but have not been terribly impressed with the pricing in Harvard Square and, while I like the area, I don't think it the best for a first-time visitor.

jpie

Thanks for the responses. In terms of dates, we are most likely to be there 3-4 nights so something checking in the 29th of April and then check out (and fly out of Logan) the 3rd of May 2014.

In terms of budget, it looks like we would need to budget between $250-$400 a night in the city from what I am seeing. We don't need or usually love something super extravagant-but we do like a hotel with a room with a King size bed in a nice part of town. But we would prefer to be in a neighborhood more geared towards nice walking and good food than strictly tourist sights. We kind of prefer mid-range hotels versus places with lots of bell captains etc. But we are pretty open there as well. We are not so much B&B or Inn fans-really what we like to have is free internet and a big comfy bed and we are happy.

We probably would just take a cab or shuttle to Logan-so I am not too concerned about being in a place with great train lines.

Does this help? I will theater district and Copley areas. I agree I would probably not like downtown if it is kind of dead at night-we would like to be out enjoying an urban neighborhood where people actually live and hang out.

gail

Stay in areas called downtown, Faneuil Hall, Copley, Back Bay. Some called Waterfront or Financial District work - some are deceptively listing themselves as such. Avoid like the plague places that have another city in the name or description - like Waltham/Boston. These are no where near Boston and this really bugs me. Do not stay at airport, Revere, Chelsea - these are as crow flies very close to center of Boston, but you are not a crow.

I might book a refundable hotel and then try Priceline - if you do, come back here and check out areas. Definitely no car - ditch it as you get to city.

Good time to come to Boston - a week or more before the many college commencements start, week after Easter/Patriots Day. Weather - it could be beautiful spring or wet and raw - but since you are going to Dublin you should have appropriate clothing.

Ackislander

I would do exactly what Gail says.

My first choice would be a hotel in the Back Bay, and I have had the Sheraton there on Priceline when I bid on a ****. It is soulless but well-located and comfortable. None of the **** hotels will be bad.

Transport by T is excellent from the Back Bay as long as you avoid rush hours before 9 and after 4. It's still good, but it is crowded.

Saturday will not be a problem getting to the airport unless there is some sort of public event like a charity run or rallly. Then the T is better than a taxi unless you have very large cases.

From the Back Bay to the airport on the Green Line requires a change to the Blue Line at Government Center station, down one set of stairs. A bus takes you to your terminal from the Airport station on the Blue Line.

travelgourmet

In terms of budget, it looks like we would need to budget between $250-$400 a night in the city from what I am seeing.

At that price, the Westin Copley Place is in a good location and has nice rooms. The Hyatt Regency is a little cheaper and in a decent location (not quite as good as the Westin, though) near Chinatown. The Hilton downtown is even cheaper - again, not quite the location of the Westin, but okay. The Eliot is also in that price range. All would suit your needs.

DonTopaz

Sounds to me like the OP is not the typical tourist looking for Boston shopping/sights, and maybe the usual answers don't apply as much.

The northern half of Cambridge -- roughly from Harvard Square to Porter to Alewife -- is a terrific area for wandering around and finding places to eat. If you're into cycling, there's a wonderful network of bike trails from the Davis Square area that connects to the Minuteman Bikepath that winds up in Bedford. Harvard Square has a bunch of hotels -- The Charles is the top end, Sheraton Commander a notch or two below that, and the Harvard Square Hotel a step below that. They'd all satisfy the OP's needs and would be good choices. They'd all offer several convenient options for getting to Logan, from taxi to shared van/airport limo to MBTA (Red Line -> Silver Line).

china_cat

take a look at the Kendall Hotel. Its right on the edge of the MIT campus, and half a block from the Kendall Square red line station. So its an interesting neighborhood, there are a few good restaurants, and its easy to get elsewhere by mass transit or a cab. When I stayed there a couple years ago, the prices were pretty reasonable. Its a small hotel, and there are no bell captains at all. I liked it quite a bit.

Another interesting option might be the Commonwealth Hotel in Kenmore square. Of course, this will be during baseball season, and that hotel is a few blocks from Fenway Park. But its an interesting neighborhood, again very convenient to the T, and has 2 outstanding restaurants right in the hotel (both of which I would recommend even if you don't stay there, in particular Island Creek Oyster Bar)

Another fun place to stay might be the Liberty Hotel near the North end. Not sure of the prices, but that would be a great neighborhood for walking around and shopping and eating. there would be a lot of tourists there, but it would be a fun and busy place to be.

I would not recommend the seaport area, given your post. There are nice hotels there, and it is convenient to the airport. But its all newly built, mostly full of chain restaurants to appeal to convention goers. its an area that feels to me like its "Any City, USA" rather than a part of what makes Boston special.

HappyTrvlr

We took the water taxi to Logan( airport bus picks you up at the dock next to the Hyatt), fun way to travel and best part is no traffic or tunnel.
We got on the water taxi in front of the Boston Harbor Hotel but there are other locations too.

Tabernash2

We have liked staying in Brookline, as it's more residential, and there are great little restaurants and shops there. Very good neighborhood for walking. DD lived there and walked to/from Harvard Med everyday.

The Courtyard in Brookline is where we have stayed a few times. They have a parking garage, but it's extra $$$ of course.

http://www.marriott.com/hotels/trave...ton-brookline/

clarkgriswold

Consider the Charlesmark Hotel @ $229. The Lenox and the Langham also have rates under $300 that week.

jpie

thank you all! I will look at all these options.And DonTopaz is right, we probably aren't so much typical tourists. We will each have 1 large suitcase, one carry on/computer case. When we fly on to Dublin we are actually moving back to France-just stopping a few days in Dublin. So we won't be buying anything since our bags will be quite full I am guessing. And china-cat is right, we are definitely not interested in the anywhere USA type restaurants-we want to enjoy the best US food we can get before we leave

So I will check out all the possibilities for staying-meanwhile, some great restaurant suggestions would be great too! We will coming from Maine so hopefully I will (almost) be tired of lobster by then-although that is hard to imagine! We love small ethnic restaurants of all types-I have to plead ignorance about cuisine not to miss while I am there-but generally we love it all.

Thanks again-this is a great start and I am definitely also going to check out the water taxi to Logan-that would be fun!

Ackislander

I own a condo near the Brookline Courtyard. In fact I can see the Courtyard if I walk into back garden, which I am not likely to do today as there is about a foot of snow out there.

This neighborhood, Coolidge Corner, is great for residents, and there are plenty of places to eat, but it would be less interesting to me as a visitor than some others because it lacks the museums, architecture, and musical venues that characterize much of the Boston area. But it is not without interest.

There is the Coolidge Corner Theatre, a cooperatively owned movie theatre that plays "interesting" movies, both independent and more commercial. Brookline has a large Jewish population, and there is a great deli, Mike's, within a block of the Courtyard, and a big restaurant, Zaftig's, nearby, full of artery clogging East European food only about three blocks away. Also lots of Russian, Jewish and not, and there is a big Russian supermarket only a block or so from the hotel.

A short ride on the 66 bus will take you to Allston, an area of international bars and restaurants and music venues appealing to the many students in the area. In the other direction, the 66 will take you to Brigham Circle, where you can change to a 39 or to the trolley (tram) to the Museum of Fine Arts or the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

Why is the neighborhood great for residents? Within two blocks of our condo are a Trader Joe's and Stop and Shop supermarkets, Thai, Vietnamese, and Chinese restaurants, a high end New American restaurant, a bistro, and great sushi at Gari, and an independent bookstore. We don't spend a lot of time there, but it is fun when we do. But we still take the T (one block) into the central city pretty often, and you would, too, if you came here, often enough to be worth getting a T pass for the time of your visit.

Ackislander

I own a condo near the Brookline Courtyard. In fact I can see the Courtyard if I walk into back garden, which I am not likely to do today as there is about a foot of snow out there.

This neighborhood, Coolidge Corner, is great for residents, and there are plenty of places to eat, but it would be less interesting to me as a visitor than some others because it lacks the museums, architecture, and musical venues that characterize much of the Boston area. But it is not without interest.

There is the Coolidge Corner Theatre, a cooperatively owned movie theatre that plays "interesting" movies, both independent and more commercial. Brookline has a large Jewish population, and there is a great deli, Mike's, within a block of the Courtyard, and a big restaurant, Zaftig's, nearby, full of artery clogging East European food only about three blocks away. Also lots of Russian, Jewish and not, and there is a big Russian supermarket only a block or so from the hotel.

A short ride on the 66 bus will take you to Allston, an area of international bars and restaurants and music venues appealing to the many students in the area. In the other direction, the 66 will take you to Brigham Circle, where you can change to a 39 or to the trolley (tram) to the Museum of Fine Arts or the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

Why is the neighborhood great for residents? Within two blocks of our condo are a Trader Joe's and Stop and Shop supermarkets, Thai, Vietnamese, and Chinese restaurants, a high end New American restaurant, a bistro, and great sushi at Gari, and an independent bookstore. We don't spend a lot of time there, but it is fun when we do. But we still take the T (one block) into the central city pretty often, and you would, too, if you came here, often enough to be worth getting a T pass for the time of your visit.

china_cat

We do French food pretty well, but you are headed to France so maybe that's not the best idea.

Even coming from Maine, you might enjoy some more seafood..either Island Creek or Neptune oyster bar would be good choices.

We've got a number of good farm-to-table, local food type places. They tend to be a little on the pricey side, but I think this is what passes for modern New England cuisine these days. It tends to be a French style of cooking with local ingredients. I would consider Puritan&Co ( a James Beard award nominee this year), Bondir, maybe Westbridge ( I think this one is more French influenced than the others), Bergamot. Interestingly, ALL of these restaurants are in Cambridge. Hammersley's Bistro is in Back Bay and is also in this category. They call themselves an American Bistro.

There is lots of Italian to be had, and would be a nice thing to try. I don't have much in the way of specific recommendations for that, but someplace in the North End. Daily Catch is the only one I've been to, and even that is rather a long time ago.

If you really want the complete American dining experience, you should go to a steakhouse. Grill 23 is a non-chain steakhouse, so more local than the others. In my opinion, it is also better than the chains. But Capitol Grill, Abe&Louis, the Palm,Smith and Wollensky, Ruth Chris all have outlets around here and all have their backers.

I'm going to let others with more experience discuss various Asian ethnic places. We have good Chinese and Thai, but I can't make specific recommendations.

Tabernash2

I will dig out my restaurant notes from the last time we were there, and post them for you. Brookline has great little ethnic restaurants.

Ackislander

Other good eating places in Brookline:

Taverna de Harold, tapas at the St Mary's T stop.

The Family Restaurant (Turkish), Matt Murphy's (Irish Pub), Orinoco (Venezuelan ) all in Brookline Village, a ten minute walk from Coolidge Corner. All inexpensive.

cmcfong

I went to school in Boston and love to return for visits. On my last stay I got the Hyatt Regency in Priceline's downtown/theatre district for $150 a night. They gave me a nice upgrade because I have the Hyatt VISA. I also got the Sheraton Back Bay on hotwire fir $140.00 ( I split up my stay to visit the Cape). The Sheraton upgraded me to club level suite with a fabulous view of the Charles and downtown. I walked everywhere . When I lived in Boston never had or needed a car. It is a great city to explore, but no need to pay crippling hotel prices. I only opt for four stars or higher, no more than $150 a night and have had success with hotwire or priceline on each visit for the past six years. Have a great stay.

Tabernash2

We have enjoyed these Brookline neighborhood restaurants:

Lineage, 'contemporary American' http://www.lineagerestaurant.com/
Great seared scallops

Rani, Indian. http://www.ranibistro.com/
Wonderful Chicken Tikka

Taberna de Haro, Spanish tapas http://tabernaboston.prohost.mobi/
Good tapas, but a bit overpriced (pitcher of sangria, while good enough, was $34)

Pho Lemongrass, Vietnamese http://pholemongrass.net/
Very good

Khao Sarn, Thai http://www.khaosarnboston.com/
Very good

In Cambridge:
Crema Cafe, breakfast sandwiches http://cremacambridge.com/
Excellent coffee shop with great bagel breakfast sandwiches

In the North End: Nico, at 417 Hanover Street, excellent Italian food