BigDan

Hey,

Hockey-lovin', beer-drinkin' Canadian taking his lovely young American fiancee to Boston this Valentines weekend. Never been. What to do? Stayin' at the Park Plaza. Don't want to screw up, you know?

I'm thinking Freedom Trail, Museum of Fine Art & Gardner Museum, North End for Italian, USS Constitution, and Newbury St. Any other swell ideas?

We love being by the water and harbour. We love nice scenery and candlelit-type dinners and that sort of stuff. Willing to go into debt for her. She's a special lady. Any ideas for beautiful places to go and memorable restaurants? Help me.

Spike

Somebody help this guy out!

mm

For dining options check the following:

www.phantomgourmet.com

It has reviews and while I do not always agree with the reviews I think it's a great source of info.

It's been stated many times here but the East Coast Grill in Cambridge is tremendous. They used to be considered the best Bar-B-Que place in greater-Boston. Now they are widely considered to be the best seafood place.

Good luck. The MFA and Gardner museums are both fantastic.

There are also two (I blieve) restaurants with revolving rooms at the top of large buildings. The Top of the Hub is/used to be in the Prudential Tower and the Hyatt in Cambridge has the other.

mm

Me again.

Another option is the Odyssey. I probably spelled it incorrectly but it is a beautiful harbor cruise ship with fine dining and dancing.

Takes about 3/4 hours and offers a nice view of the waterfront, good food, and a nice atmosphere.

joebob

don't forget the NE aquarium. you seem to have everything else on your list though. what about the bruins? you can see the interior of the "generic dome" (fleet center)

Jocko_Jonesy

Dan, you say you love to drink beer and watch hockey? Well, that's okay. But you seem bound and determined to go against your true nature while you're in Boston with your gal. She'll think she's getting some kind of nancy boy and find out later that she's got ahold of a man. What then?

Dan, you may be from NewFoundland, so I'll spell it out for you real simple like. If you like it a little rough around the edges, now's the time to come clean.

Melissa

Hi BigDan:
For a nice romantic (but expensive)dinner with great scenery got to the Bay Tower Room. You will not be disappointed. Book early.

Agree with your itinerary. Also agree with Aquarium suggestion. Perhaps you can drop either the MFA or Isabella Stewart Gardner museum and go to the Aquarium instead-depends on you and your honey's interests.

Don't miss Fanueil Hall-a must for tourists, but not necessarily a tourist trap. If you want to see a show, Blue Man Group is always playing at the Charles Playhouse.

Happy travels!

JungleCat

The things you already have planned will make her glaze since it's a beautiful city and you're staying in a nice hotel. I second Melissa's Bay Tower room suggestion.

Ann41

I stayed at the Park Plaza for work a few years ago, and really did not like this hotel. First off, the room was tiny. Secondly, the walls were paper thin. I could hear every word the people in the room next to me said. Luckily, they weren't doing anything but talking. Thirdly, and I hope this doesn't happen to you, we have 5 false fire alarms while I was there, and 3 of them were between 2 a.m. and 3 a.m. Ah, the job of lying in bed while a speaker above your head shouts "There is a fire! Leave the building immediately!" We had already been told that the system was malfunctioning, but it's hard to ignore a bullhorn.

Also, it's a good thing I wasn't paying, as the hotel did not warrant the price.

For your sake, BigDan, I hope they've upgraded the rooms and done something about the noise.

BigDan

Well, I'm flying out tomorrow for our big weekend. Thank you all, internet friends, for your great advice. I'll let you know how it went when I return from my brief sojourn in your wonderful land of liberty.

By the way, I'm not from Newfoundland. I'm from Toronto, home of the Leafs and Raptors. Not that there is anything wrong with Newfoundland or Newfoundlanders with their crabs and colourful dialects. And who says that a man has to work a full 12 months of the year anyways?

Canada #1! IamDan

doc_

dan..Any chace your last name is Hanson?

kreinestja

If looking for a gift/souvenir, your date will enjoy long after the weekend. It's a wonderful beauty boutique filled with unique bath and body products. I live in Western Massachusetts, and make the trip just for their special products.

Fresh
121 Newbury Street

BigDan

I have returned. What a crazy trip it was!

Friday - drove from NJ to Boston. It took about four hours. Stopped by Yale for a few hours. Nice campus. It was so cold that we didn't spend much time looking around. Ate at a vegetarian restaurant for lunch. Not a fan. Give me beef, chicken, pork and a side of grease.

A friend found us a great parking garage at Symphony T. It is an Avis car rental depot, but lets the public park there for only $15 for the first day and $10 each subsequent day. Great deal compared to $32 at our hotel a day. It is about a 2 minute walk from Symphony, which was just a 10 minute ride to our hotel.

Checked in at Park Plaza, which is in the middle of everything. It's an old hotel. We requested an upgrade, which they accommodated - 12th floor. Small rooms. I'm more of a fan of modern and spacious, but it was only $52 a night using Priceline. There was some college model UN conference while we were there. Fortunately, they put us on a quiet floor.

Went to Pho Pasteur in the theatre district, which was a 5 minute walk from the hotel. Great Vietnamese! The pho was one of the best I've ever had. Very low or no MSG. My fiancee, Angela, had vermicelli with chicken, which was great too. Had an awesome Chinese beer called Tsing-Tao. Because it was the theatre district and Valentines, the waits at restaurants were hours so we just ate at the bar, which was fine. We missed our original reservation at an Italian restaurant.

Watched Mamma Mia, which was just okay. Angela liked it. I guess I'm spoiled on Broadway musicals. The lead actor was good.

Afterwards, went to Seven-Eleven on the corner and bought drinks. Retired for the night.

BigDan

Saturday - had breakfast at Au Bon Pain, which is on the ground floor of the Park Plaza. Not a bad breakfast, but I would have preferred having breakfast somewhere cool like the Four Seasons or something.

Took the T to the Museum of Fine Arts. There was a special exhibit on Impressionist art. I wasn't very "impressed". There was one piece that I found mesmerizingly beautiful. It is called "Moonlight in the yard". I can't remember the painter as I am an uninitiate to the world of art appreciation, though I thoroughly enjoy the Far Side and the X-Men. The darkness of the yard just feels alive and alluring and mysterious all at the same time. I didn't know you could paint something like that.

Went to Fanueil Hall and ate the most incredible lobster bisque in a bread bowl! Angela had clam chowder, which also was a winner. I was so awestruck that I stopped talking for a while. We later had some bubble tea, which was adequate.

Walked around a bit. It's a fun place with a lot of little shops. We walked to the North End, or little Italy, which is just a 15 minute walk from Fanueil Hall. Ate cannoli at Mike's pastry. I'm not a big fan of pastry, but that was some good stuff! The line was about 6 people deep.

I bought a white cardboard box of calamari from this little hole in the wall seafood restaurant. It was awesome! You could smell the garlic even outside in the cold. Angela wasn't too happy about that. She made me brush my teeth. Married life is going to be an adjustment.

BigDan

Sunday - got up early and took a cab to Marche at the Prudential Center, or Centre as we like to spell it up here. It was okay, but I think I prefer the Marche here in Toronto.

We went to a church called "City Life" that meets in the Hilton or Sheraton downtown. They had really professional looking brochures, which impressed me - at least more than Monet did at the MFA.

Went to Harvard Square. Harvard wasn't as great as I thought it would be. It's a nice little town, though. We had Malaysia food at a restaurant called Penang, which was adequate. The roti appetizer was great. The vermicelli seafood stir fry was, as we say here in Canada, "crap". The beef was also suitable for compost. I was surprised that this place had received awards for best Malaysian in town. Competition must be scarce.

Went to visit Paul Revere's House, which was closed. Went to the Old Church, big deal. Drove to Newberry street, everything was closed because it was Sunday night. It is a nice looking street, though. It's really something. I think that if you came in the summer time and you liked shopping, you'd have a great time.

Had tea in Newberry at a great tea shop called Tealuxe. They have hundreds of different teas from around the world.

Then the highlight of our trip: Finale. It is a dessert place in the theatre district, there's also one in Harvard Square. I ordered the Flight of Port, which is three glasses of port. I thought I was going to die! Every drop was like a complex world of flavours singing in my mouth one after another. I had the Coffee Connection, which a pyramid of chocolate with coffee, a nest of chocolate with ice cream inside, and a slice of dark chocolate cake. It was incredible! We had a great time there and the atmosphere is dim, velvet and lively.

BigDan

Monday - checked out. Had Au Bon Pain for breakfast again. I wished that we had breakfast at some great hotel again.

The drive back to NJ was horrible! We got caught in the worst snowstorm in history or something. We ended up stopping and staying at a Super 8 motel, which turned out to be a lot of fun. We stocked up on food at a local grocery since all the local restaurants were closed. They even had sushi, which was about one grade above canned tuna. The rice was dry and the fish had no flavour. Disappointing. Watched Joe Millionaire. Rushed back to NJ the next day and barely caught my flight back home.

Boston is a beautiful city and I hope to visit again someday, but in the summer. It's freakin' cold, even for a Canuck.

djkbooks

BigDan: Thanks ever so much for the report. So many request tips and recommendations, never to be heard from again.

Did you visit just the special exhibition at the MFA? They have a permanent collection of Monets that is magnificent (and one of the largest outside Paris).

bogger

Is this guy for real??? He must have had a personal driver or a clone. Most of this sounds fake. The only question would be what is the name of this restaurant he had his final dessert in?

sojourn

The name of the dessert restaurant is called "Finale" and one of them is located in the same building at the Park Plaza Hotel. The desserts are elegant but very expensive. It was started by two Harvard business school graduates.

There are a few different Penang's. The best one is in Chinatown. The one at the Quincy Market is okay.

Alice

Ummm - I'm thinking Finale is the name of that restaurant. Why do you find this report so hard to believe> Sounds like many weekends I've been on, where you plan out some of the bigger things and just wing the rest! Lots to see that way.