My husband has a conference in Boston May 2nd to 6th so I'm going with him. I've never been to Boston before. We're staying at the Westin Copley Place on Huntington Avenue and the conference is at the Marriott Copley. I would appreciate some thoughts on the neighbourhood around the hotel, suggestions for spending time on my own during the days and recommendations for restaurants in the evenings. I plan on walking the Freedom Trail and checking out some museums and art galleries. I'm not a big shopper but would of course like to wander through interesting stores and boutiques, nice but not super expensive. In the evenings we usually try to find restaurants with live music, preferably jazz, so any suggestions would be welcome.

Thanks for your help.

You'll be staying in Copley Square, which is in the heart of Back Bay.

Your hotel is connected to both the Copley Place and Prudential shopping malls. Newbury Street is 1 block away, it's one of the nicest streets in Boston and a shopping mecca.

Charles Street in Beacon Hill is also a great place to wander down and pop in and out of shops. You'll be right by a T stop but Boston is also very walkable, you could make it to Beacon Hill in about 20-30 minutes.

For a restaurant with live jazz, try the Beehive in the South End. Another great neighborhood that is within about 20 minutes walking distance of your hotel.

I'd suggest dinner in the North End one night, Boston's Italian section with a very old world feel. I like Lucca and Tresca on the higher end or Maurizio's and Giacomo's for more moderate dining. There's about 100 restaurants in the North End, so you'll get lots of opinions. If you like seafood, I really like Atlantic Fish on Boylston St, about a block from your hotel.

You're pretty much staying in the heart of Boston. Wyatt has given you excellent advice. Plenty of restaurants in Back Bay/Copley, but also check out the South End where there are plenty of unique restaurants.

I can't think of too many restos that have live jazz music. If you have other preference (such as cuisine, price range), let us know and we can give you more suggestions.

Take a stroll through Boston Common and the Public Gardens.

Take a stroll down Newbury Street for the shops, cafes, galleries, "scene".

Have a nice lunch at Stephanie's, for example, at a sidewalk table.

Stroll Boylston Street.

Visit the Museum of Fine Arts and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

If you run out of things to do, take the "T" to Harvard Square and go exploring.

Check the literature racks at the hotel for appealing to you things to do.

It the weather is nice, ride around on the sight-seeing trolley.

I've stopped trying to watch jazz or blues in New England. All those descendants-of-puritans sit quietly while the musicians spill their souls on the floor, and then politely applaud and wait quietly for the next song. Nobody in the audience will even nod his head in time. It is painful to see.

Singer/songwriters, though ...

I don't know that many restaurants that have both good food and good jazz, but you can usually find the two in close quarters. For example, if you make your way to the Charles Hotel in Harvard square you can eat at Rialto, or the less expensive and still good Henrietta's table, then listen to jazz at the Regattabar.

I haven't been a in a while, but you can usually hear jazz at the Oak Bar, which is in the Copley Fairmont hotel, a short walk from your hotel. You could go there for an after dinner drink, after dinner at the venerable Oak Room...a steak house in the same hotel.

if the Gardner and MFA aren't enough museums for you, consider the Fogg art museum at Harvard, or see the glass flowers (and now glass creatures as well!) at the Harvard Museum of Natural history.

Wow, thanks for all these responses, this is exactly the kind of information I was hoping for.

Capxxx, that image of uptight New Englanders listening to jazz is too funny, I'm Canadian but I think I get what you mean. Do you have a place with good singer/songwriters to suggest?

I appreciate the point of view of those who think that you don't generally find great jazz and great food in the same place. I have to say that my DH and I will tolerate mediocre food to hear great jazz, rather than vice versa. My husband loves good seafood though, so thanks for the suggestion of Atlantic Fish, wyatt 92.

I really appreciate all the suggestions of things to do. I'm going to print this out and take it with me. I'm starting to feel much more enthusiastic about this trip after reading all this information. Thanks again to all.

My faves for North End upscale dining are Mamma Maria and Prezza, both North Italian, though Lucca and Tresca are good upscale possibilities, as is Marco. Will definitely second the moderate price North End suggestions of Maurizio's and Giacomo's and also recommend Pagliuca's, Daily Catch, Antico Forno, or Saraceno's; all are Southern Italian, with Daily Catch and Giacomo's specializing in seafood and Antico Forno doing well with pizza and baked pasta. Pizzeria Regina (the original on Thacher Street) does arguably the best pizza in the city.

The Back Bay (where you're staying) is not overloaded with stellar food options, but has two great break-the-bank tasting-menu type spots in L'Espalier (arguably the best restaurant in Boston) and Clio, as well as a fine sandwich place in Parish Cafe. You're also very close to the South End, which has plenty of worthy spots.

I've found that the Chowhound site is an especially good place to ask food questions. Their Boston board is at:

http://www.chowhound.com/boards/12

Boston is also compact and walkable, and has an excellent subway system, so getting to other areas for food and sights is easy.

You've also gotten excellent suggestions for museums and such. A couple things you might also consider that are very close by where you'll be staying, none of which will be all that time-consuming:

1. Trinity Church is an architectural must-see and has good artwork and stained glass inside. In Copley Square.

2. The Boston Public Library's main branch is also of architectural interest and has murals by John Singer Sargent as well as a pleasant courtyard. Also in Copley Square.

3. The Christian Science Center Complex is an attractive, mostly modernist architecture space with a huge reflecting pool at the center. There's also a nice Mapparium (a hollow walk-in globe of the world and its countries just pre-WWII), and the church is interesting inside as well. This immediately adjoins Copley Place to the southwest on the way to the MFA and Gardner.

Will second the suggestions to walk down Newbury Street (for fancy and boutique shopping) and Charles Street in Beacon Hill (for antique shopping). Commonwealth Avenue parallel to Newbury Street has a lovely statue studded pedestrian mall down its center and intriguing townhouse architecture along its sides and is another good walk option.

Boston Common and the Public Garden are right next to each other and well worth seeing. The Esplanade, which runs along the Charles River, is another park possibility.

Have drinks at the Four Seasons .. ! It is just fun to start or finish an evening there .. Dinner is absolutely fabulous but pricey .. if it is in the budget you won't be sorry .. ! !

A couple of years ago we greatly enjoyed a culinary tour of Boston's North End with Michelle Topor. You get to taste some foods and hear the history of the area. There's not enough time to shop so you'll have to go back later if you just have to have a bottle of imported balsamic vinegar or selection of pastries to enjoy in your hotel room. On Fridays and Saturdays the pushcart vendors set up in Haymarket Square. Fridays is much less mobbed. Good place if you'd like to get some fresh fruit. The North End is just across the street and Haymarket is adjacent to Quincy market. You might see some street performers. Quincy Market has shops and a nice pedestrian area.
If you have any interest in oriental cooking you should also visit China Town for some critical ingredients. I don't have a favorite market to recommend but maybe someone on Chowhound would.

dfnh, the culinary tour sounds interesting, I'll check it out.

I also looked at the chowhound website recommended by Bachslunch and found great info there.

Thanks again to everyone for all the input - I'm sure now I won't run out of things to do.