40sTraveler

Hello everyone...this is my first time posting on fodors. My husband and I go on an annual vacation and this year will be to Boston in August. We are in our 40's and have no children. We live in the midwest. We have been to places such as San Fransisco, Chicago, Colorado and Hawaii. Our plan for next year is possibly Italy/Rome. We are looking forward to learning the history in Boston.

My draft itinerary is below and I have some questions. All feedback is welcome!


Tuesday
Arrive at 12:10
Duck Tour (I need to get a ticket in advance but I don’t know what time to choose. We want to check in at the hotel first and then board at the Prudential which is close to our Back Bay hotel.)
Dinner - ?

Wednesday
Freedom Trail
Public Gardens (Swan Boats and Suspension Bridge)
Prudential Tower
Mary Baker Eddy Library – Mapparium
Dinner - ?

Thursday
Museum of Science
Stroll Charles Street
Lunch – The Liberty Hotel (Alibi Lounge)
Dinner cruise (on-line tickets in advance)

Friday
Lighthouse Tour from 10-1 (on-line tickets in advance)
Faneuil Hall
Dinner – Union Oyster House

Saturday
Plymouth Day Trip (renting a car)
Lunch – Blue-Eyed Crab Grille & Raw Bar
Dinner - ?
Hatch Shell – 7pm KC & The Sunshine Band

Sunday
Georges Island
Stroll and eat dinner in the North End
Fisherman’s Feast – 7:30 Flight of the Angel

Monday
Fenway Park
Cambridge – Harvard, Longfellow National Historic Site, Longfellow Bridge
Dinner – Legal Seafoods

Tuesday
Misc
1:47 flight


There are other things I want to see and will do them sometime during my stay. I have tried to leave blocks of time to see things like Samuel Adams Brewery, the Holocaust Memorial, etc.

I am also wondering how Restaurant Week will affect our choices. Except in a few instances we were just going to go to a restaurant (especially for lunch) but I understand people scramble for a lot of these places.

Thanks for any feedback!

bachslunch

Some thoughts:

-avoid Union Oyster House. The food and service are utterly lousy there. If you must go just to say you did, sit at the oyster bar for raw oysters and beer only and move on to a better place for dinner.

-Legal Seafoods is certainly good, but consider going to Neptune Oyster, which is my favorite such place in Boston.

-you'll find lots of good food options for Boston here by doing a board search. I've participated in many such discussions. Also look on the Chowhound website.

-a full exploration of the Freedom Trail is an all-day affair and will take you right through Quincy Market. The Mapparium is great, but I'd pick a different day for it, preferably one where you'll be near the Prudential Center, as it's right next door. You can also tour at least one of the conjoined churches at the Christian Science Center.

-depending on your interests, consider finding time for the JFK Presidential Library, Museum of Fine Arts, Gardner Museum, or Aquarium.

Ackislander

You don't say which days of the month you will be there. Be aware that students begin moving in the third week of the month and that it becomes a crescendo the week before Labor Day. Their parents are taking up many of the hotel rooms, and the streets of parts of the Back Bay and much of the Fenway and Allston are blocked by U Haul trucks.

I am glad you are going to George's Island. Too few do. In the North End that night, strongly consider eating street food -- sausage and pepper sandwiches, cheese steaks, gelato, etc rather than trying to find a restaurant table on a festival day.

I am sorry that you are taking the duck tour. Too many do. Friday is too light.

Lots of restaurants near the Pru (get used to abbreviations; everyone does it in Boston). For your dinner, consider Turner Fisheries, which many find better than Legal, or walk to Kenmore Square (ten minutes) to Petit Robert, a very authentic but moderately priced French restaurant.

I would substitute Durgin Park for Union Oyster House if you want somewhere really old. Enter through the bar and ask for a table on the top floor.

You don't mention Harvard Square in your Cambridge list, but you have to go through it to get to the Longfellow House. Stop and look around. Visit some of the Harvard Buildings (library, chapel)and consider having dinner at the East Coast Grill (cab from Harvard Square; the restaurant will get you a cab back) or go on to Davis Square in Somerville and find Redbones, a barbeque and music joint.

I also think you are light on culture. The new wing of the Museum of Fine Arts is awesome at an awesome price. Take the Green line and see a different part of town.

yk

Hi 40sTraveler,

welcome to Fodors. You have given your itinerary a lot of thought and I think it looks good in general.

Here are some thoughts:

DUCK TOUR - I would suggest you take the tour on the morning of DAY 2 instead of your arrival day. In the unlikely event that your plane is delayed, you don't want to end up wasting your duck tour ticket because you can't make it. On DAY 1 after checking into your hotel, you can go walk around the area around your hotel - visit the Mapparium, Copley Square (Trinity Church), Boston Public LIbrary etc.

Then on DAY 2 (Wed) - DUCK TOUR first thing in the AM, then explore Freedom Trail for the rest of the day.

I'm not sure why you want to eat lunch at Alibi Lounge? If you are curious about the hotel & the prison cells, you are certainly welcome to go into the hotel and wander around. I just think there are better lunch options.

For SUNDAY, I doubt you'll spend an entire day on Georges Island. So you can add in one other activity. Sam Adams brewery is kind of a pain to get to; if you're interested in visiting a brewery, you can consider going to the Harpoon Brewery on the Waterfront instead.

The Holocaust Memorial is very small, and it's right along the Freedom Trail (next to Union Oyster House, in fact). So it's easy to squeeze it in while you're in the area. I do highly recommend stopping by - I get teary everytime I visit.

I don't think the Restaurant Week will greatly affect your visit, many restaurants (esp on the tourist track) do not participate in it.

The Longfellow House in Cambridge is NOT OPEN on Mondays. http://www.nps.gov/long/planyourvisit/hours.htm

If you really want to visit it (I highly recommend going), you need to re-shuffle your days.

cw

If there is a specific restaurant you want to go to, you may as well make reservations in advance. If the place is on opentable you can do it easily on-line. I've run into some problems during restaurant week getting reservations. The nicer the restaurant, the more people will reserve there. I don't think you'll have any problem at lunch time, unless you're aiming for a high-end dining experience. But you'll be out and about during the day so this shouldn't be an issue.

Island Creek Oyster Bar and Grill is another excellent seafood restaurant. it's in Kenmore Square not far from Fenway.

I would second or third the Museum of Fine Arts recommendation. It's new wing is very impressive.

You might want to move your Plymouth trip from a Saturday to a weekday. You'll have more traffic on Saturday as folks head to Cape Cod. During the week you'll be heading in the opposite direction from most of the traffic.

Sounds like you've planned a great trip.

Ozarksbill

Hi...from an elder Missourian recently moved to the Boston area.

You've obviously been researching and have already gotten advice from a few on Fodors Forum who do know the Boston scene. Let me tag on a few ideas...yes Freedom Trail is going to be an all day and tiring walk. And that will include Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market. In fact, reading your touring my legs are aching by day three! Yes, do take in Museum of Fine Arts with the Chihuly glass exhibit now showing. Yes, Longfellow House interesting history and maybe Harvard Square worthwhile. Yes, I would add JFK Museum if possible.

Although we have a car we get around alot on MBTA using our senior Charlie card to which one can add more money. About a trip to Plymouth...that is an all day excursion and might be OK but maybe a stretch.

P.S. I don't like duck tours, but that's just me.

Good [email protected]

40sTraveler

Thanks so much for the feedback. I am working on DRAFT II.

The biggest things I got from your responses was...

1) avoid Union Oyster House (I had heard that before but more of the same opinion helps)
2) the Freedom Trail is a full day
3) Switch days for Cambridge since part of it is closed on Mondays and add Harvard Square
4) Restaurant Week shouldn't affect our trip too much
5) Switch days for Plymouth to a weekday
6) Move the duck tour to the first full day

Also...my dates are 8/16 - 8/23. It is a coincidence that we will be there for Fishermans Feast but I am excited about it. I saw last years Flight of the Angel on youtube and can't wait to see it.

I will post DRAFT II in a separate thread once it is complete. Be on the lookout!

paulhelmick

i think the boston public library is a must see.

MareW

Like Ozarksbill, I think the Duck Tour is highly overrated.

I think it would be a shame to miss the Gardner Museum.

paulhelmick

i agree about the gardner museum

lady_di

I loved the Duck Tour -- not necessarily for the history but for the fun and the views from the river.

Kwoo

I live an hour from Boston & haven't been on the Duck Tour yet, but I would like to do that some day. It sounds like fun & I agree with lady_di that it would be nice to see the views from the river.

I also second the Museum of Fine Arts & Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, which is next to the MFA & not your typical museum.

We've eaten at the Grafton Street BAr & Grill in Harvard Square & enjoyed our meals there. If you like ethnic food, there's a great Indian restaurant in Davis Sq/Somerville, just can't think of the name right now.

Agree that you definitely need to switch Plymouth to a weekday; otherwise, it will take you all morning just to get there on a Saturday because of Cape traffic.

Also recommend walking through Beacon Hill for some lovely architecture. And you can stroll down Charles St. at the same time.

You have a great trip planned & have obviously done a lot of research.

charli

Chichuly Glass exhibit leaves the Museum of Art on Aug. 7.

Neptune Oyster in the North End is wonderful but it is so tiny that it is very difficult to get in and there are better ways to spend your time than waiting for a seat.

Unless you don't mind eating before 6PM or after 9PM, you should make dinner reservations where you can.

Agree Sam Adams brewery is difficult to get to/from, time better spend elsewhere. You will love Boston and have a great time.

PS I am another crazy person who likes the Duck Tour on occasion.

Cranachin

I'm not so sure the Boston Public Library is a must-see. I had heard so much about it that I finally visited a couple of months ago and was quite underwhelmed. Maybe it was that I did not take one of the guided tours, maybe it was that it was a very rainy day, maybe it was just disappointment after all the hype I had heard about it. Whatever the reason, it did not live up to my expectations.

Neither did the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Again, however, I visited it on a rainy/cloudy day. As a result, it was a VERY dreary experience, so I do NOT recommend visiting it on that kind of day.

The Museum of Fine Arts is another story - fantastic and fascinating. And I agree that the new Art of the Americas wing is great. If you visit the MFA, you won't be able to visit all of it in a day. Note that it is open late on several evenings and that Wednesday nights are pay what you wish.

Vttraveler

I would build in some time to explore Beacon Hill, an interesting part of the city. The Black heritage Trail is a good addition to the Freedom Trail
http://www.afroammuseum.org/trail.htm

I also think it is worth rearranging the timing for your visit to Cambridge so that you can see the Longfellow House.

IMO both the MFA and the Gardner museum are good choices especially if the weather is not good for the walking trails or Georges Island days.

isabel

The Boston Waterfront is beautiful and in August I would suggest getting out into the harbor for cool breezes and nice views and you can do it for the cost of a metro ticket. There is a ferry that goes from Long Wharf (right next to the Aquarium) over to Charlestown where the USS Constitution is docked. You can either take another ferry back or walk (about a half hour to the North End). Do it in the morning for best light. I have quite a few photos of the waterfront in my Boston Gallery (http://www.pbase.com/annforcier/boston).

The Boston Library is very nice but it's enough to just walk around for a few minutes in the main areas, it's just something you can do when walking by the area. Here's a photo of the main staircase area (http://www.pbase.com/annforcier/image/120733189). I also really love the Gardner Museum - but of course that's an actual museum (with admission charge) so that will take longer (as opposed to the library which you can 'see' in ten minutes, for free). Here's a photo of their main courtyard (http://www.pbase.com/annforcier/image/120733237).

I know it's already on your list but make sure you don't miss the Christian Science Center (http://www.pbase.com/annforcier/image/120733220).