ZiDenis

after a long time dreaming in know Boston... my chance finally arrived. I already did many research on the web (thank you yk for the money-saving tips topic) and now I have a ton of doubts because I will have only about 8 days to explore and maybe i'm not going to have other chance like this because I live too far away in Brazil. Well, this is also a especial ocasion for me because it will be my Honeymoon travel, so I realy would like to have some personalized tips.

That said, I should point out that I don't want to spend a forttune because I've spent too much with the wedding party, the flights and the accomodations.

I booked a room in Sheraton Back Bay Hotel with check-in in June 28 e check-out in July 6. I'm planning to arrive in Boston at June 28 4:00PM by Amtrak's train after others 8 days in New York City (my first time in NYC too). My departure will be at July 6 5:35PM.

I'm excited in see the july 4th celebrations and the Boston pops fireworks. After viewing John Adams HBO's series grew in me the desire to know more about USA history, so the Freedom trail is a must have tour.

Also, I desire to see a Red Sox game. Definitely I'm not a big fan of baseball... even know the rules, but I want to fell this culture expirience and the Bostonian way of life. Two Cheap seats at Fenway fulfill my expectations. I Need tips in how to buy and related things.

Because of the honeymoon, I'm also looking for some romantic activities. In this matter I'm very insecure of what and when to do. Thinking about a evening dinner in the Top of the Hub, but I'm afraid that it will be much expensive. Others not overpriced restaurants would be good, preference with relaxed enviroments. We like italian food (pizza, pasta), seafood (shrimp), mexican, chinese, american and others.

There are so many things that I want to do... places to visit... tours!!! Fenway Park, TD Garden, Museum of Science, Filenes basement, Museum of Fine Arts, Samuel Adams Brewery, Public Library, North End, Trinity Church, John Hancock building, USS Constitution, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston Public Garden, Boston Common, Holocaust Memorial, Beacon Hill, Faneuil Hall Marketplace, Aquarium, Old North Church, Bunker Hill Monument, Granary Burying Ground, Neybury Street, Boston Pops, The Paul Revere House, John Hancock Tower, The Big Dig Tunnels, Pizzeria Regina, Boston Ballet, Museum of Bad Art, Duck Tours, Harvard Campus, MIT and so on.

I don't want to go back with the feeling that it could be better. I beg for advices on how to enjoy the city at maximum.

Pardon for my poor english and thank you for reading til this end.

gail

You have obviously done a lot of research. First, your hotel is in a good location - it was a good choice. And the length of your trip is perfect. You will be able to get to everything on your list easily from the hotel - either by walking or a short distance on our train/trolley/subway system (called the MBTA - or "The T" for short). When you get to planning what you will do each day, on their website (www.mbta.com) they have an option where you can enter a starting point and an ending point and they will tell you how to get there and how long it will take.

Red Sox (I am a huge fan). Checking the schedule, the only days they have a home game while you are here are the 4th and 5th of July. The Red Sox website has only "standing room" tickets available. You can still get tickets with a seat from a ticket broker - www.acetickets.com is a website we have used often and they show tickets available at all price levels for 5 July (since you want to go to fireworks on 4 July, I looked at 5 July). You also might want to consider going on a Fenway Park tour while you are here - these are much more available during non-game days and are fun. This ticket broker has an office right near Fenway Park so that you could order tickets on line with a credit card and pick them up on game day. Good job trying to figure out baseball rules - we were trying to explain them to visitors from Spain and realized it was more difficult than I thought. Other fans around you will be happy to explain more to you - as long as you cheer for the Red Sox and not the other team.

www.bostonharborfest.com is a website that lists all sorts of free and inexpensive things do do during the entire week you are here. Boston likes to celebrate July 4th in a big way - partly because our summer is so short here - and you may find some interesting special events listed there.

www.bostonharborwalk.com is the website describing a relatively new pathway along the Boston Harbor with beautiful views, some museums and activities close by. Some of the things on your list are close to this open area of many miles.
This is exciting for Boston residents (and visitors) since for many years this area was ugly, and had buildings blocking the view of the waterfront. They did a lot of work on connecting these areas and making them look nice. You could also take a day trip to one of the Boston Harbor Islands - there are shuttle boats going there. It is inexpensive, a nice place for a picnic, and gives you a different view of Boston.

I might suggest that you take one of the trolley tours of Boston on your first full day. These are partially open-air trolley buses with about 20 different stops - after you buy a ticket you can get on and off as many times as you want and just catch the next one. The driver gives some history of Boston - sometimes it is wrong - and they try to be funny as well - and often it is not. But it is an excellent way to get a general idea of the city and pick out places that you would like to return to during the rest of your stay. Your hotel with have information on these tours and there may even be a stop close by.

That should get you started on some more ideas on what to do in my city. (I have lived here about 35 years and spent my childhood near New York City - I much prefer Boston). There are several other people who post here who know a lot about Boston who will give you some additional ideas - sometimes we disagree a bit, but we all agree that Boston is a wonderful destination. If you have any more questions, add them on here. We will be happy to help.

Congratulations on your wedding. And your English is wonderful - no worry about that.

nytraveler

Can't help with the Red Sox (I'm a Yankee fan) but Fenway is tiny and I believe getting seats is very difficult. In NYC you can get tickets from the "official" reseller - stubhub.com. Don;t know if they also handle Sox tickets - but it's worthwhile finding out.

Strongly suggest that you visit Lexington and Concord (in the suburbs of Boston) where the revolution really began - when a small number of Minutemen (local militia of farmers and shopkeepers) defeated a much larger force of British regulars. Check out a book for the entire story - which is interesting since this was really the first middle class revolution in history.

yk

Hi ZiDenis, gail has given you very good advice.

Sheraton Back Bay is at a very good location. I would NOT go to top of the hub for dinner... You can go there for a drink/cocktail, but save your money for somewhere else for a good meal. I've heard good things about Sorrelina, an Italian restaurant in Copley Place, steps from your hotel.

Most of the Chinese restaurants in Chinatown are very affordable, and you certainly can eat there multiple times as there are restaurants featuring different Chinese cuisine (Taiwanese, Shanghainese, Cantonese), plus Malaysian, Thai, Vietnamese. Many of the Cantonese restaurants offer twin lobsters for $18.99 or so. They are cooked Cantonese style: chopped into large pieces and quick wok-fry with scallions and ginger.

Make sure you check out the Boston Harbor Fest website that gail has given you. There's probably nothing listed yet, but by May or June it'll have the full schedule of events going on. The Harbor Fest lasts for about 1 full week around July 4th, and many of the events are free.

That's all I can think of for now.

ZiDenis

Thanks Gail and Nytraveler.

Get the Red Sox tickets at Fenway is a good option for me cause I do not have to pay USD$40,00 for shipping that last at least 30 days.
Looking at aceticket.com I found two tickets for USD$104.86 for the July 5th game. It's on Bleacher section 36, row 22. Do you think that it's okay for see the crowd, eat hotdogs and make nice photos?

Is it safe to walking back or taking the subway to the hotel after the game?

yk

Oh, one more idea:

Check out the Boston Harbor Islands. You can take a ferry to several islands out in the Harbor. It's fun and a nice way to escape the heat in the city. Although the islands are just a few miles out in the Harbor, it feels like miles and miles away from the city; and there's interesting history on the various islands. I've been to Georges Island and Spectacle Island. You can swim on Spectacle Island if you wish. http://www.islandalliance.org/

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding, and how wonderful it is you picked Boston for your honeymoon!

tchoiniere

Those are decent seats. More expensive than I would prefer but typical for Fenway so I would go for them. Perfectly safe after the game to walk / subway back. You will find long lines for the subway after the game so you could just walk around the area. Stop at 1 of the many bars for a drink or 2.

FYI, the time on the ticket is when the game starts, not when to get to the stadium. Gates open 2 hours prior.

Enjoy the game and Fenway Park.

gail

The bleachers are fun - and you might even catch a home run ball (not likely - but you get to keep it). Boston is a mostly safe city - but we close down far earlier than most South American or European cities. The MBTA stops running between midnight and 1 AM. Clubs close at 1 or sometimes 2 AM, even on weekends. (Recently visited my daughter who was studying in Buenos Aires and was shocked to find myself eating dinner at midnight - very few places, if any, in Boston where you can get a meal at that hour.

Tell people around you that this is your first trip to a baseball game and that you are from Brazil - it is very likely you will be told more about the game and players than you ever wanted to know by 1/2 way thru the game. The game of baseball can move a bit slowly - which is an advantage to the bleachers - you can watch drunk people act silly, watch the pitchers warm up, and it is the best place to watch Americans watching baseball - part of the national culture.

tchoiniere

Gail, I got 2 the time I sat in that section but 1 was thrown back...

Ackislander

The cruises to the Harbor Islands leave from Long Wharf. They are usually pleasantly cool on a hot day.

You may enjoy walking the narrow streets of Beacon Hill, the center of Boston at its cultural height. The South End, near your hotel, and the Back Bay streets, especially Newbury Street for shopping (from Cartier to small boutiques) and Commonwealth Avenue for strolling.

You might enjoy crossing the river on the REd Line subway to Cambridge to see the Harvard area.

There is a large Brazilian population in Allston and many Brazilian restaurants if you get homesick.

bachslunch

Will second checking the StubHub and Ace Tickets websites for Red Sox tickets -- if you can find them anywhere, it'll be one of these spots.

Glad to see you did some homework here. Some feedback on specifics:

-TD Garden. I'd say only if you want to see a show that's playing. It's not an especially compelling or even historic sight like Fenway Park is. The Celtics (basketball) and Bruins (hockey) play there, but if you're here in July, the season should be over by then.

-Filenes basement. The original was the only one worth a visit (kind of frayed around the edges fun and capable of providing some real bargains), and it closed down a couple years ago. Any you find open now will provide marginal discounts and are just generic clothing stores.

-John Hancock building. Am assuming you mean the smaller Hancock building with the Empire State Building style spire on top. There's not any good reason to go inside that I'm aware of. Attractive little skyscraper, though, worth a look and easily visible from several areas not far from Copley Square and elsewhere.

-Boston Pops. This may or may not be running when you get in town. It's fun. Check the Boston Symphony's website to see if they're giving concerts.

-John Hancock Tower. Last I knew, the observation deck here is still closed. It's an enjoyable building to see, but nowadays just a walk-by, easily visible from Copley Square and beyond. If you want an observation deck, the Prudential Center is your best bet -- note also that the Top of the Hub Restaurant has a nice view but weak and overpriced food.

-The Big Dig Tunnels. If you're taking a cab into the city from the airport, chances are very good you'll go through a representative stretch of these. Otherwise, not worth trying to see.

-Pizzeria Regina. The original on Thacher Street in the North End does arguably the best pizza in the general area. It's worth braving a line if there is one to get a pie.

-Boston Ballet. I've been once, and it's very good in my experience. Again, not sure if they're running something current when you're in town.

-Museum of Bad Art. This teeny little collection is in the basement of the Somerville Theatre and is kind of a hoot. The art I saw certainly was as bad as advertised. Certainly not the biggest draw in the Greater Boston area, but going here would at least put you in Somerville's Davis Square, which is a hip and happening area to be. There are apparently other branches out in Brookline and Dedham that are significantly more challenging to reach via public transportation -- haven't been to these.

-Harvard Campus, MIT. Both have plenty of interesting architecture, and Harvard also has fine natural history, archaeology/ethnology, and art museums.

Other things to consider:

-walking the Freedom Trail, where some of the attractions you listed are found, as are several more musts.

-the JFK Presidential Library and Museum.

-the Christian Science Center. The Mapparium is really interesting, you can tour at least one of the two hooked-together churches (maybe both), and the complex is an attractive place to walk in and see.

-historic houses such as (Boston) the Otis House, Gibson House, and Nichols House, (Cambridge) the Longfellow National Historic Site, and (Brookline) JFK's birthplace.

-Institute of Contemporary Art.

-Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge.

-the state capitol building.

-the Boston Athenaeum makes for a pleasantly brief pop-in.

You're also getting excellent advice above. Enjoy!

ZiDenis

gail, nytraveler, yk, tchoiniere, Ackislander, bachslunch - many many thanks for the advices.

I bought tickets for the Red Sox game at july 5 (Bleach 42) from aceticket.com .

After a lot of research, I finished my Boston itinerary (see http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-in-boston.cfm).

I'd love to hear ideas and criticism from you.