1st time in Boston --need advice
 

We once spent two nights in downtown Philadelphia and took in the historical sites. That was a lot of fun and we'd like to do the same in Boston, except we could stay three or four nights. We liked being in the city and being able to walk to many of the things we wanted to see. Where we stayed seemed safe and we could walk to restaurants at night. Our Boston visit will focus around history, but if there are other things we need to see, we'd love to know about them. An historical hotel would be great, but we'd probably choose a Holiday Inn if there's a significant price difference. We enjoy local eateries and good food. I've been focused on another part of our trip and haven't done any Boston research yet, so any help you can give with what to see or where to stay or eat will be much appreciated. Thanks.

Who's "we" - two adults? two adults and a couple of toddlers? Teenagers?

My husband and I visited Boston for the first time last fall. We stayed at the Millennium Hotel, and had a wonderful time.It's right in the center of everything - across the street from Faneuil Hall. We took the breakfast-included option at the hotel, which was in a nice restaurant with a great menu selection.

We didn't take any formal tours, but followed the Freedom Trail markers with a guidebook for two days. Lots of walking, and we felt as if we covered quite a lot. We did take a free docent led tour of Bunker Hill and its history, walking all the way there and back. We found the people of Boston to be incredibly friendly and eager to share info about their city - any time we strayed off our path and looked confused, there was always someone to help us with directions. We were out and about in the evenings after dark, and never felt unsafe, but we didn't go far from the city center.

We loved dinners in the North End - Italian - within walking distance of the hotel. Our favorite was Il Villaggio, but there are so many wonderful Italian restaurants to choose from. We also stopped in a couple neighborhood pubs on our walks and had some great beer and conversation with locals. If you're there in the fall, try the Shipwreck Pumpkin brew - delicious, but only available seasonally.

We are two adults, 70. We walk, but not as quickly as we once did. :-) I doubt we'll be interested in night life, as we tire after a day of sight seeing.

Well, Boston is a walking city! Follow the Freedom Trail and you'll see all the historical sites, visit the USS Constitutiom, Bunker Hill Monument, North Church, North End (Italian section - don't miss the cannolis - compare those at Mike's, Maria's and Modern Bakeries), have pizza at Regina's, Faneuil Hall. I'd recommend renting a a car and going to Concord and Lexington for the day. In addition to the Revolutionary War sites , Louisa May Alcott, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Thoreau (as in Walden Pond). all lived in Concord, which is a really nice current town also.

Sallyky,

If you are looking for a historical hotel, I recommend the Omni Parker House. This is located right in the center of the city directly on the Freedom Trail. Here is a link to the history of the hotel:

http://www.omnihotels.com/FindAHotel...ges%20pdf.ashx

And the link to the homepage of the Hotel:
http://www.omnihotels.com/FindAHotel...rkerHouse.aspx

Though you can't beat the North End for all foods Italiano...it's a seafood town...lobster, crab, clams, scallops, scrod (There's a funny old joke that goes with that one!)...Legal Seafoods is a chain, but a very good one...all over town. the one in Copley Square is a great one. Union Oyster House..sort of a pub with wide variety of seafood chowders and lunches and dinner (suppah!)
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One of the best Chinatowns in America...Hudson and Tyler Streets....many restaurants just go by the number on the building..9 Tyler, 20 Hudson, etc. If you head south, take in my hometown Quincy, just 20 minutes from downtown Boston....The Adams Mansion National Historical Site on Adams Street...also the saltbox Cape Codder houses, birthhomes of John and John Quincy Adams. The only city in USA being home to two presidents...and me. "Boston Strong"!
stu

Past pluperfect, Stu? (I think I'm showing my age).

If you do go to Legal Seafoods, they make a terrific cranberry cocktail - called a Cranberry Bog Martini.

Boston is a good place to learn to use Priceline. Lodging always expensive but Priceline does return bargains.

We also enjoyed the day trip to Lexington and Concord, and the guided tour of the Alcott house.

Would also suggest you just enjoy some free time around Cambridge. Such a fun, vibrant place with Harvard and MIT students and great bookstores.

Boston is my home, and it's dear to me. It is a wonderful place to visit.

Boston is a walking city. The Freedom Trail is the most famous walk, a well-marked tour through downtown streets of important sites during Revolutionary and pre-Revolutionary times. At most times of the year, the Trail is crowded both with sightseeing tourists and with locals going about their city business.

My favorite city walk is through Beacon Hill, where Bostonians have been living for nearly four hundred years. Many of the streets homes are architecturally noteworthy and a joy to see -- favorite streets are Mt Vernon, Acorn, Chestnut, and especially Louisburg Square. Caution: this is one of the very few areas of Boston that is hilly, and some of the the sidewalks are paved with uneven bricks, so be sure to wear comfortable footwear.

Diagonally across from the southwest corner of Beacon Hill is the Boston Public Garden, which is surely one of the most beautiful center-city gardens to be found anywhere. It's an ideal place to sit and recharge your energy while at the same time engaging in some serious people-watching. Recommended for those between the ages of 0 to 105.

If the weather is uncooperative, that would be a shame, but not a disaster. The Museum of Fine Arts is a great place to spend a rainy day, but it's hardly the only such place. The fascinating Isabella Stuart Gardner museum is another jewel, a recreation of a Venetian palace that Mrs Gardner left to the city. One other amazing curiosity is the nearby Maparium in the Christian Science Center, an inverted globe that shows the world in the 1930s.

Where to stay depends on budget. For me, the very best location would be the Four Seasons, a terrific hotel directly opposite the Public Garden. Less expensive options would be hotels in the Copley Square area. Some newer hotels have opened in the past 5-10 years along the waterfront in South Boston. It's pleasant to be near the water, but some of those hotels are not very convenient to places where you'll want to explore during the day. Unless you are on the very strictest of budgets, I would advise against suburban hotels where you'd need to take transportation into the city.

Great post don. You should copy and paste it for a repeat performance.

I'm saving this-thanks to DonTopaz.

We did a Free Tour by Foot walking tour, it only covered about a mile of the Freedom Trail, but we were taught a lot of history in the hour and a half tour. We had a young guide called Brian who was so passionate about the subject, it was great. I defintely recommend this tour. If you google Free Tours by Foot you will find their web-page where you can book. We also did one in New Orleans.

Consider taking a half-day food walking tour of North End (or Chinatown - but I liked North End better) thru bostonfoodtours.com. It stops at a variety of little shops and you get both local Italian and North End history, some really tasty snacks, and some good food info.

It's too bad we don't have sticky posts on this forum, because DonTopaz's, like defrost's about NH are both perfect answers to many posters' initial questions. We could save a lot of time for everyone if we could point them to those classics.

Although others will disagree, I'm sure, I'd recommend against the Gardner on a rainy day. I found it to be very gloomy inside when it is overcast or dreary outside.

My wife and I will be in Boston for about 35 hours this weekend, so I'm eavesdropping here. Been there many times, but looking forward to a fascinating time, based on all of the input so far. Will definitely look into the North End Food Tour, for one.

Thanks!

Thanks everyone. I've been off working on another project, but now that the trip is getting closer, I'm doing some serious work on hotels, etc. So thanks again for your comments.

<i>Past pluperfect, Stu? (I think I'm showing my age)</i>.

But you're right on s 307f..the joke is always about two old sisters from Maine who were so excited about their visit to Boston, and ordered scrod.....(finish the sentence)!