Kealalani

ACK - need a house sitter? I started a thread about spending that weekend in your neck of the woods that same weekend. I am also a big fan of those carrots at Brasserie

DebitNM

You are going to be in Boston on Halloween and no one suggested going to Salem?? Is that passé?

bachslunch

Debit NM asked: "You are going to be in Boston on Halloween and no one suggested going to Salem?? Is that passé?"

More like ridiculously crowded, am thinking. I normally like Salem as a day trip option from Boston, but it's bonkers there in October.

Ackislander

As bachslunch says, the fun is gone on Halloween in Salem.

china_cat

I'm not sure how upscale you want to go, but #9 Park is quite close to your hotel, and is wonderful but very pricey. Another option which is a few blocks is Trouquet. That would be a particularly good choice if your group includes wine drinkers, as they specialize in doing wine pairings and will offer wines by the glass specifically to match the dishes you choose.

yk

Regarding bars & clubs, check boston phoenix website for listings. Or if you don't mind waiting until you arrive here, grab a free copy of "Improper Bostonian" (available in those plastic mag stands on street corners) - it has tons of clubs and music listings.

REgarding restaurants near your hotel, if you want something casual, Silvertone get decent reviews (and it's just 1-2 blocks from your hotel).

For more upscale, I agree BiNA would be a good choice and not too far from your hotel (~ 5-min walk).

sobster

Atlantic Fish Co. -761 Boylston St.

yellowrose477

We were in Boston and Salem last year in October and I loved Salem! It was crowded, but it was so amazing to see everybody dressed up in costumes! Maybe I would go on the 30th and not on Halloween though. Got a great witch hat there!!

KathyK

Thanks for all of your advice! Atlantic Fish Co. looks good and gets great reviews. I couldn't get a reservation on Friday night but did get one for Sunday. The concierge at our hotel recommended Scollay Square which is within walking distance of the hotel. The reviews on tripadvisor are good. Any thoughts? Another question, are the shops on Newbury Street open on Sundays?

bachslunch

Atlantic Fish is okay, if not exactly a destination place -- for me, more an "it's close by, could do worse" option (but it's not all that close by the Nine Zero). The best seafood place in Boston is Neptune Oyster (in the North End), and Kingfish Hall (in Faneuil Hall) is even closer by and quite good (avoid McCormick and Schmick's, also in this area). I wouldn't go out of my way to head to Atlantic Fish from where you're staying, especially since the North End and Faneuil Hall are close by. Chinatown is also not far away, and has several good options -- a board search should yield results.

Scollay Square is a decent mid-range spot in Beacon Hill, not especially distinguished but not terrible, either. Grotto is not far from there, and if you opt not to go to the North End, this is a worthwhile place nearby for Italian.

rhkkmk

almost next to your hotel is the ancient parker house....home of parker house rolls and other goodies...boston cream pie...

hamersley's is our favorite in the south end...res necessary--can only make starting monday the week of...fantastic food...try the special garlic chicken....yum

dim sum on sunday mornings in china town....

no 7 park st for a special dinner...easy walk from your hotel...

also the durgin park in fanueil hall area

locke obers is a venerable old place not far from your hotel...women formally not welcome...

bachslunch

Will second all of rhkkmk's suggestions except the Parker House. They did famously invent Parker House rolls and Boston cream pie, but aside from that, I find their food to be lousy and service sloppy and unfriendly.

Some folks don't care for Durgin Park, but I think they're by far the best place for old fashioned Yankee cooking (think pot roast, potted beef with onions, prime rib, Indian pudding with ice cream, and coffee jello). Not many places serve up this kind of food anymore, and they do it best by far.

No. 9 Park is indeed excellent, but special occasion pricey. Dress nicely and bring a healthy credit card. My favorite restaurant of this type in Boston is L'Espalier, but No. 9 Park and Clio should not disappoint.

Good dim sum cart-style places in Chinatown include China Pearl, Emperor's (aka Empire) Garden, Hei La Moon, and Chau Chow City.

Chads

http://www.no9park.com/#news has aaa five diamond or something ?

KathyK

Just got back from a fun weekend in Boston! The Nine Zero was a great hotel for us, very centrally located. We never took a cab or the T and walked everywhere. The rooms are modern and nicely appointed with large bathrooms.

Our dinner plans changed a few times and we ended up at the following restaurants:

1. Scollay Square was just okay.

2.Mamma Maria in the North End had nice atmosphere, excellent food and unfriendly, stiff service.

3.Chart House on the water was good, but I had wanted to eat at Atlantic Fish and our plans changed.

4. Regina Pizza was excellent! The wait at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday was well worth it.

5. Brunch at 75 Chestnut (Beacon Hill) was very good.

6. Mike's Pastry had the best cannoli I have ever had.

We had wanted to do a Duck Tour but I had 5 free passes for the Old Town Trolley Tour which we enjoyed. We got off at several stops and spent quite a bit of time in the North End just walking around before we got back on. We also spent time wandering around Beacon Hill (fun Halloween decorations), Newbury St., the waterfront, and did a ghost tour on Halloween night.

Thanks for all of your help planning this trip. There were a few suggestions I would have loved to do, but with a short time and 4 others with thoughts we couldn't get to everything. Maybe next time!

KathyK

I forgot to mention that we also walked through the Public Garden. I had expected that most of the leaves would be down but there were still some beautiful leaves on the trees. We stopped at "Cheers" for a drink, just in time for me to see my team, the Buffalo Bills, lose in O.T.