A few hours in Boston near Mass General
 

DH and I are going up to Boston for the day tomorrow. We're looking for a restaurant and a good way to while away the few hours we have between getting there at 11 or 12 and our late pm appt. I don't have a good deal of stamina, but is there a "don't miss" that we should see? Do? Eat?
Thanks

MGH isn't too far from Charles Street, which is a cute street with lots of little shops and boutiques, and restaurants as well. From Charles Street, you can either head towards the Public Gardens and relax on the benches (it'll be in the 60s). Or if you still have energy, go walk around Beacon Hill (Mt Vernon Street, Acorn Street, Louisburg Sq), and drop by the State House. http://www.beaconhillonline.com/tour.htm

Good advice.

Walk down Charles away from MGH to the Public Garden. Lots of places to eat as well as antique shops and boutiques. Also a good hardware store on one side of the street and a store that sells brass stuff for houses -- door furniture, knobs, etc.

Walk back along Cedar, which is very beautiful and a lot calmer. If you haven't got much stamina, save the hill for another time.

And good luck with your doctor visit.

the Liberty Hotel is very near the hospital and contains two nice restaurants...Clink and Scampo. Clink is more casual, Scampo is quite nice. Both serve lunch (though I have never had lunch there).

This is all good advice. Let me add something interesting to do within MGH, which is to see the famous Ether Dome, a beautiful 19th c. operating room space in the Bulfinch designed section of the hospital. It may not sound that interesting, but it is definitely worth seeing the old part of the hospital and this exquisite room with its important history (first public demonstration of the use of ether).

Thanks to everyone. We went to Clink for lunch. Great suggestion--lunch is delicious. We split a healthy arugula with crab and avacado salad. (Would have felt lots more virtuous if we hadn't also split the grilled 3 cheese sandwich with a huge helping of sweet potato fries.)

I'm on the waiting list for a clinical trial so will be spending lots more time there in the (hopefully) near future. I'll even have to spend a few nights with some days off to play tourist there or in Rhode Island. And I should have more stamina and strength after a little procedure this week. (But I couldn't aske for better weather than yesterday).

Thanks again for your help.
Ellen

You certainly had a perfect June day, right here in March!

If you are coming back, there are things worth doing not too far away.

You can visit the Old State House Museum, the Upstairs at Faneuil Hall, and Old North Church without walking the Freedom Trail in between them. As you feel better, the Paul Revere House and Old North at the same time. Ditto Faneuil Hall and the Old Staate House. The Granary Burying Ground makes a nice visit with the Boston Atheneum, which overlooks it. The Atheneum is a private library with public tours and events and the personal libraries and papers of all sorts of famous people are there. All these are a short taxi ride from MGH.

Out the back of Mass. Gen.,next to MTA station is a great place to stay.
John Jefferies House, formerly Eye clinic, nurses residence. I stayed there when having daily tests at MassGen. Small rooms, clean, great staff, walkable to small restaurants and little grocery store:microwave, refrig. little stove. beautiful bathroom. Room had window overlooking Charles River. There is even walking overpass so you can walk along River with frequent benches and took MTA to Harvard & MIT for easy diversion.
Yes, it is adjacent to major freeway ,some noise during rush hour-"close window"
I even went back there when my visits to MassGen were over.
Good luck for entry into clinical trials.