Will be in Boston for 3 days in mid August. This is our first time here and will be staying at the Boston Park Plaza Hotel on Arlington St.
Would greatly appreciate any info. on good places to eat in this area as well as suggestions for sight-seeing for the 3 days...thanks so much, Bob and Ruth

There are SO MANY posts about Boston on this site you might start there and read through, because suggestions will mainly be repeats, and then ask for additional info that we can fill in for you.

This reply was on another thread. Do it in reverse and it's a perfect start for you - enjoy your visit!

Author: HKP
Date: 07/18/2008, 06:07 pm
Free walking tour -- the flavor of Boston and my favorite route.

Get a map of downtown and Beacon Hill (easy on Googlemaps) and:

Take subway toward Boston, get out at Charles St. (turn right when you get out of the station, so Charles River is on your right) and walk along Charles St. to Mt. Vernon., turn left on Mt. Vernon to/through (another left) Louisberg Sq. to Pinckney St.

Right on Pinckney toward the State House, right on Joy Street down to Beacon St. Turn right ono Beacon and follow it past (or take a detour through) Boston Common down to the Public Garden.

Walk through the Garden and enjoy the bridge, Swan Boat pond, etc. End up on Arlington St. and decide if you still have enough time to amble down Commonwealth (pretty) or Newbury St. (chi-chi shops but interesting and some nice cafes). When you get tired, there are several T stops between Beacon and Copley Sq.

Note -- you can enjoy a lot just by veering off this route by a block or two and poking around little side streets.

I'm a big fan of the Duck Boat tours (Boston Duck Tours is the official term and will bring you to their website). It's a great way to let someone else drive you around and show you all the highlights of Boston with a live narration. You sit up high on the boat and have a much better vantage point than from walking on the street. Scenic, fun, and informative.

Buy the tickets and board at the Prudential Center.

I hate the duck boat tours.

The information is often inaccurate, the tourists are often encouraged to be offensive to locals by the drivers, and if you have any interest at all in preserving the environment, try to imagine how "ungreen" this is.

Now, you have two points of view. Have fun choosing!

My experience on the duck boat was not like that. The guide knew what he was talking about and there was nothing akin to being offensive to the locals.

I go to Boston often and usually don't do the "touristy" things, but the day I did this it was fun and enjoyable.

The "ungreen" of Boston is not the fault of the duck boats. Going nowhere in idling traffic on 93 and Storrow Drive every morning and evening along with thousands of other cars is "ungreen".

They are in process of replacing the original, rather cool, but totally un-green Duck boats with more environmentally sound replicas - don't know timetable.

We have been quite a few times (taking friends visiting) and have never encountered a rude or ill-informed driver - not saying they do nto exist, just we have not experienced them. In fact, on all trips driver/guide made it clear when and when not it was appropriate to sound the annoying duck whistles. For example, going by hotels, especially with outdoor cafes, we were gently advised to shut them up.

When we were with kids, even teens, driver always gave them opportunity to drive the vehicle while in the Charles River.

You'll be staying in a great location to do lots of exploring of Boston.

There are many history-related things to do; you might want to walk at least part of the Freedom Trail, making sure to check out at least the Old State House, where the Declaration of Indep. was read in Boston for the first time, and the Granary Burying Ground on Tremont Street. Paul Revere's House is on the trail, too, in the North End, near the Old North Church. You could walk at least that far on the trail and then plan to have lunch in the North End.

Do at least walk through the Public Garden, and consider taking a Swan Boat ride: it's one of the cheapest things to do in town, and if you ever read Make Way for Ducklings, you'll love it.

Other things to consider, depending on your interests:

Visit the Museum of Fine Arts, easily accessible via subway from where you'll be staying, or else the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

Visit the New England Aquarium or the Science Museum.

Walk around Faneuil Hall marketplace. It's touristy but bear in mind that it's been a marketplace for hundreds of years. Eat at Durgin-Park there or at the nearby Union Oyster House.

If you're a baseball fan and the Sox are in town, try to get tickets to a game at Fenway Park.

Go to the Christian Science Church, not a far walk from where you'll be, and walk through the Mapparium.

Walk down Newbury Street and people-watch.

You're not far from Chinatown, so you can take in a meal there--or eat modified Asian food at P. F. Chang's near the Park Plaza. Try one of the small Thai restaurants in the Copley/Newbury St. area: Bangkok Blue across from the Boston Public Library on Boylston (near Copley Sq.), or Thai Basil on Newbury St. between Clarendon and Dartmouth. There's also a good Indian restaurant on Newbury.

Go into the Boston Public Library and look at the John Singer Sargent murals: there's no charge. Step into Trinity Church in Copley Sq. and either pay for a tour or just sit quietly for a free meditation--and enjoy the great stained-glass windows and architecture.

Get on the red line to Cambridge and walk around Harvard Yard and Harvard Square.

If you're interested in genealogy, go to the genealogical society on Newbury Street and do a little bit of research. The day fee is only $15.

For a nearby restaurant try Via Matta, a very nice Italian restaurant. You can find out about the restaurant and make reservations on opentable.com.

I will second Bangkok Blue, nice outdoor dining. Go there for lunch and then go to the cafe inside the Public Library for iced coffee and sit in the courtyard. This is about
a 10 minute walk from your hotel.

The Parish Cafe is about a 2 minute walk from your hotel, on Boylston Street, they have outdoor dining from lunch time to late at night.

Will definitely second Parish Cafe, which has excellent and creative sandwiches, and Via Matta, which has good upscale Italian (cheaper for lunch).

Bangkok Blue is certainly OK, but given the choice on Thai in the area, I'd much sooner opt for Chilli Duck (also on Boylston St., across from the Prudential Center) and ask for their Thai menu.

For my taste, the best Indian restaurant in Boston is actually not far from this area -- India Quality in Kenmore Square. I much prefer it to Kashmir (on Newbury St.) or Bhindi Bazaar (on Mass. Ave. nearby).

I wouldn't send anyone with working taste buds to P.F. Chang's, especially since we have a good Chinatown.

Will second Durgin Park (does the best version of old fashioned Yankee cooking locally) but caution strongly against the Union Oyster House unless you get oysters and beer at the bar.

My two favorite lunch/dinner spots on Newbury st are La Boucheé(makes the BEST basil gimlet) and la Voile.

P.S. the Gardner Museum is a favorite of mine, sits nearby the Museum of Fine Arts.

Thanks to all of you for your great recommendations....we have made some extensive notes and will definitely benefit from your suggestions. Bob and Ruth

I would suggest some slight differences from those suggested. If you are eating Italian, definitely go to the North End. If you are there on the weekend you might catch an authentic Italian saint festival. It is crowded but a lot of fun even for a short while. Try to go when they march the saint around the streets. A short stroll from Fenway Park. If you like museums I would highly suggest the Gardner Museum. Highly unusual in that it was originally a private home with an interior garden. If you get a hot day it is a great respite from touring. The MFA is great, a minute from the Garnder, but warning that it is under great renovation and some of their galleries are empty and/or closed. The Boston Antheneum on Beacon Street near Beacon Hill is a great tour stop, very Boston. The Freedom Trail is a definite, but I would argue that the Aquarium is just ok, unless you love that type of site, but certainly not one of the best.
The Duck Tours are fine. A little irreverent but if you are not sensitive to that approach they can be fun.
A swan boat ride and finding the makeway for Ducklings sculpture near by is fun.

Enjoy