boston for a week what to do for a 30 something couple
Jul 30th, 2002, 04:34 PM
#1
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boston for a week what to do for a 30 something couple
Were going to watch *the stones on the 4th sept 2002* and hopefully the patriots at the cmgi . We are visiting from the UK and have never visited america before. We are on vacation for a week and would welcome any advice about hotels/ car hire and what to do whilst were there. We would be grateful of any advisable places to visit within driveable distances(we dont want to stay in boston all week) considering our short stay.At the moment the history trail/duck tour and whale daytrip sound applicable thanks in advance .
Jul 30th, 2002, 05:06 PM
#2
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nigel, not sure what your budget for hotels is, however, I suggest that you review the www.biddingfortravel.com site, and the www.priceline.uk.com site and consider bidding for hotel rooms. The reason I mention this is that 2 friends of mine from Birmingham, UK used Priceline to bid on hotel rooms in Boston. The Hyatt Harborside at Logan Airport has a rack rate of $300 USD per night, and my friends successfully bid for 3 nights in early October for $70 USD plus taxes. The price difference between the airport hotels and the downtown hotels was dramatic. Although they are slightly off the beaten track, and will need to take a shuttle bus to the subway stop, the price outweighs the slight inconvenience.
On that note, in order to get to CMGI, you will need to rent a car, as there is no public transportation in that area. You can take the commuter rail, but then you would need to take a cab to CMGI. You might also look into hotels in Mansfield and Foxborough for the night of the concert.
Regarding sightseeing, after you have exhausted Boston, you might consider driving to Newport, RI for a few days, Cape Cod, or go north to either New Hampshire or Maine, and stay along the coast (possibly in Ogunquit, ME).
Regarding renting a car, my friend from the UK said that it is better to rent the car from the UK for a US rental, as you have to deal with taxes and insurance, and he said that there is some issue regarding driving, because your driving would be opposite of ours (our steering wheel is on the left). I don't know the particulars, but if you email me, I will put you in touch with him.
Have fun in Boston, and besides the Duck Tour and whale watching, make sure you get out to see the USS Constitution.
On that note, in order to get to CMGI, you will need to rent a car, as there is no public transportation in that area. You can take the commuter rail, but then you would need to take a cab to CMGI. You might also look into hotels in Mansfield and Foxborough for the night of the concert.
Regarding sightseeing, after you have exhausted Boston, you might consider driving to Newport, RI for a few days, Cape Cod, or go north to either New Hampshire or Maine, and stay along the coast (possibly in Ogunquit, ME).
Regarding renting a car, my friend from the UK said that it is better to rent the car from the UK for a US rental, as you have to deal with taxes and insurance, and he said that there is some issue regarding driving, because your driving would be opposite of ours (our steering wheel is on the left). I don't know the particulars, but if you email me, I will put you in touch with him.
Have fun in Boston, and besides the Duck Tour and whale watching, make sure you get out to see the USS Constitution.
Jul 30th, 2002, 05:23 PM
#3
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I now live in Portland Maine, about 90 minute drive north of Boston. I would suggest a visit here. Our "Old Port" area is a great place for shopping and lunch. We have a great ferry system that takes travelers to the many islands. You could choose a full day ride, and possibly have lunch on one of the islands, or just a few hour tour via the "mail boat" run that moves people and makes deliveries. Ogunquit (make sure you take the road all the way to the ocean) and Kennebunk (where President Bush family home is) are great New England villages. The towns are pleasent, have great shopping and resturants. If you have plenty of time Bar Harbor is nice. The Acidia park is the perfect place for hiking. If you want less activity, try a horse carrige ride through the park. Have lunch at the park resturant, outside (I cannot remember the name, but it is in all the tour guides).
Jul 30th, 2002, 07:40 PM
#5
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Sept 1 is a holiday weekend for us, and since many people will travel or have party plans, the following weekend people will stay home. This makes it a great weekend for you to travel. If you like peace and quiet and ocean, be sure to head down to Cape Cod for a couple of days.
the best car hire rates are probably at www.nationalcar.com or www.goalamo.com. At alamo, punch in rate code YQ.
the best car hire rates are probably at www.nationalcar.com or www.goalamo.com. At alamo, punch in rate code YQ.
Aug 4th, 2002, 09:37 AM
#7
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Nigel and family:
Please consider coming to Lexington and
Concord, the birthplace of American Liberty. Lexington has a brand new tour on a 25 seat mini bus with a costumed guide narrating about April 19, 1775, the first day of the American Revolution. Knowing you're British, they'll go easy on you! The tour takes
an hour if you don't get off, but you can also visit Lexington Center and 3
historic houses, a free Museum and a free Multi media presentation at the Minuteman National Park. You can get
on and off as many times as you like.
AFter you finish Lexington, you can go on to Concord, which unfortunately has
no tour and no bus connection to Lexington, even though they are neighboring towns! You can reach both
by public transit ..but separately.
Lexington is about 20-25 minutes drive
from Boston, and 15 minutes from Cambridge. hope this helps. Enjoy the
Stones ..I love 'em too.
Masha Traber ,and for the sake of full
disclosure, I am the coordinator of the
Liberty Ride, which costs $10 per adult.
It's funded by the Town of Lexington.
Please consider coming to Lexington and
Concord, the birthplace of American Liberty. Lexington has a brand new tour on a 25 seat mini bus with a costumed guide narrating about April 19, 1775, the first day of the American Revolution. Knowing you're British, they'll go easy on you! The tour takes
an hour if you don't get off, but you can also visit Lexington Center and 3
historic houses, a free Museum and a free Multi media presentation at the Minuteman National Park. You can get
on and off as many times as you like.
AFter you finish Lexington, you can go on to Concord, which unfortunately has
no tour and no bus connection to Lexington, even though they are neighboring towns! You can reach both
by public transit ..but separately.
Lexington is about 20-25 minutes drive
from Boston, and 15 minutes from Cambridge. hope this helps. Enjoy the
Stones ..I love 'em too.
Masha Traber ,and for the sake of full
disclosure, I am the coordinator of the
Liberty Ride, which costs $10 per adult.
It's funded by the Town of Lexington.
Aug 6th, 2002, 06:17 AM
#8
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First of all, let me say THANK YOU for choosing to visit Boston (and New England) for your very first trip to the States (and not our rival city to the south of us.) We greatly appreciate people coming to Boston. It's a great city.
First, please note that the Stones and Pats will NOT be playing at CMGI Field in Foxboro; instead, they will be at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. Don't worry...it's the very same place; it just changed names on 8/5. And, the T (MBTA) will be running special trains out of South Statiopn in Boston to Foxboro for the concerts and the Pats games. Traffic is horrendous getting to Foxboro Stadium (oops, wrong name - that was the old place- gone but never to be forgotten). Second, absolutely, positively, do NOT drive around Boston itself. The traffic is horrendous; most streets do not have signs and the traffic changes daily because of the BIG DIG construction. It's a small enough city for walking around and using public transportation, which is very inexpensive. You will need a rental car to visit those wonderful places called Portland and Ogunquit in Maine and Providence and Newport in Rhode Island; and they're 1 1 1/2 hrs away from Boston by car. And the white mountains of New Hampshire aren't far away either; there are some lovely places to visit in the fRanconia Notch area. Some web searches will help with taht! Absolutely you must take the duck tour and a harbor cruise; the best whale watch cruise is the one you get from the New England Aquarium (which is another must see); you can even take a longer cruise to Pronincetwon on the Cape. Definitely go visit Old Ironsides at the Charlestown Navy Yard (she's beautiful) and the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown. You can take the T to the Barnyard (oops I meant Harvard - they have wopnderful museums there besides the Yahd in which one can't Pahk a Cah. Please visit Lexington and Concord. And not too far from the Old North Bridge in Concord, you will find a wonderful reservation/ wildlife refuge for walking around. There are also three wonderful ice cream shops nearby: 2 Bedford Creameries (1 in Concord Center and the other on Rte 4/ 225 just outside the Center; the 3rd is called Kimball's, in Carlysle, just about 2 miles up Rte 225 from the 2nd Bedford Creamery. Make sure you try something called a "frappe"; frappes are only found in the Boston area. Do a lot of on line searches for hotel deals as many of the hotels in town have dropped their raters quite considerably. (I have to get back to work now, but will be very happy to answer any more questions about what to see or where to stay, etc. if you would [email protected] or [email protected]. I wish you a wonderful time in Boston. We can be a bit standoffish (reserved)at first, but we warm up!
First, please note that the Stones and Pats will NOT be playing at CMGI Field in Foxboro; instead, they will be at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro. Don't worry...it's the very same place; it just changed names on 8/5. And, the T (MBTA) will be running special trains out of South Statiopn in Boston to Foxboro for the concerts and the Pats games. Traffic is horrendous getting to Foxboro Stadium (oops, wrong name - that was the old place- gone but never to be forgotten). Second, absolutely, positively, do NOT drive around Boston itself. The traffic is horrendous; most streets do not have signs and the traffic changes daily because of the BIG DIG construction. It's a small enough city for walking around and using public transportation, which is very inexpensive. You will need a rental car to visit those wonderful places called Portland and Ogunquit in Maine and Providence and Newport in Rhode Island; and they're 1 1 1/2 hrs away from Boston by car. And the white mountains of New Hampshire aren't far away either; there are some lovely places to visit in the fRanconia Notch area. Some web searches will help with taht! Absolutely you must take the duck tour and a harbor cruise; the best whale watch cruise is the one you get from the New England Aquarium (which is another must see); you can even take a longer cruise to Pronincetwon on the Cape. Definitely go visit Old Ironsides at the Charlestown Navy Yard (she's beautiful) and the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown. You can take the T to the Barnyard (oops I meant Harvard - they have wopnderful museums there besides the Yahd in which one can't Pahk a Cah. Please visit Lexington and Concord. And not too far from the Old North Bridge in Concord, you will find a wonderful reservation/ wildlife refuge for walking around. There are also three wonderful ice cream shops nearby: 2 Bedford Creameries (1 in Concord Center and the other on Rte 4/ 225 just outside the Center; the 3rd is called Kimball's, in Carlysle, just about 2 miles up Rte 225 from the 2nd Bedford Creamery. Make sure you try something called a "frappe"; frappes are only found in the Boston area. Do a lot of on line searches for hotel deals as many of the hotels in town have dropped their raters quite considerably. (I have to get back to work now, but will be very happy to answer any more questions about what to see or where to stay, etc. if you would [email protected] or [email protected]. I wish you a wonderful time in Boston. We can be a bit standoffish (reserved)at first, but we warm up!
Aug 6th, 2002, 07:09 AM
#9
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So as not to offend any denizens of our lovely rival to the South of Boston (and I don't mean Providence, although Providence is also lovely and just an hour's away from Boston by train!!), one could actullay grab an early morning Amtrak train out of South Station in Boston and be in NYC before noon. You could spend several hours in NYC seeing the sights and then grab a later train back to Boston or stay overnight in the City, take a train in the morning back. NYC is a wonderful place to visit. To be honest, things may be a bit up in the air at the time (in NYC) you'll be in the States as you will be here for the anniversary of Sept 11th, so security could very well be extremely tight in the NYC before, during and after. And if you don't get a chance to visit this time around, plan on coming back some day soon to visit New York.
Aug 8th, 2002, 06:17 AM
#10
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I grew up in Boston; now live in New York. The two cities are totally different. Boston is more like Paris - originally designed on a model of Paris boulevards. It is a beautiful, clean, small scale city. A lovely way to spend a hour or so is to go on a tour of the Freedom Trail. A costumed guide meets you at the Visitor Center near the Park Street train station. Lots of fun and interesting- tells the history of the birth of the US! Takes you through downtown Boston -lets you see Boston's unique mix of the old and the new. As far as the whale trip - I just had two friends who did that on a trip from NY and the wife spent the whole time seasick and throwing up and they did not see any whales. Felt had wasted a day. Apparently, a lot of passengers seasick. So think about that as a choice. If you want to go out on a boat, another option is to take a ferry to Martha's Vineyard for a day- a famous and beautiful vacation spot-beaches... A fabulous thing to do is to rent a car and drive up to the White Mountains of NEw Hampshire for an overnight stay. The mountains are awesome and there are tons of places to stay and tons of things to do concentrated in a small, easily navigable area. You will not regret the time spent there. We were just there and there were some Brits hiking on a trail with us and they just loved it! By the way, we were in London last summer and it was amazingly fantastic. Welcome to America!
Aug 8th, 2002, 07:06 AM
#11
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Given that you have a week, I also would take the T to Harvard Square, see our version of Cambridge and the pretty campus, meet some of the "Cambridge characters" and--I cannot stress this enough--eat a hamburger at Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage. I've been all over this country, and I don't think you'll find a better piece of ground beef anywhere. I also second the recommendation to spend some time in the White Mountains or Maine--two wonderful places. You probably don't have time for both, given that neither is particularly close and to get the real New England experience, you should spend a night or two in a Maine or New Hampshire bed & breakfast. Enjoy!
Aug 8th, 2002, 07:56 AM
#13
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Nigel
I had my first trip to Boston last year, we stayed for 3 days then headed out to Cape Cod - Hyannis, then onto Newport Rhode Island (which we loved). There is a really good designer outlet about an hours drive from Boston, on the way to Cape Cod - called Wrentham Village, well worth a trip much cheaper than here. Cape Code reminded me of Devon and Cornwall, the Whale Watching was fabulous, we went from Banstaple. Although we enjoyed the few days in Boston, I enjoyed Cape Cod and Rhode Island more. Although we went to a smashing restaurant in Boston called Maggianno's near the theatre district. Harvard was nice, but I wouldn't bother on such a short stay.
I had my first trip to Boston last year, we stayed for 3 days then headed out to Cape Cod - Hyannis, then onto Newport Rhode Island (which we loved). There is a really good designer outlet about an hours drive from Boston, on the way to Cape Cod - called Wrentham Village, well worth a trip much cheaper than here. Cape Code reminded me of Devon and Cornwall, the Whale Watching was fabulous, we went from Banstaple. Although we enjoyed the few days in Boston, I enjoyed Cape Cod and Rhode Island more. Although we went to a smashing restaurant in Boston called Maggianno's near the theatre district. Harvard was nice, but I wouldn't bother on such a short stay.
Aug 11th, 2002, 12:36 PM
#14
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- Take a stroll along the Charles River (great views, people watching and sailboats)
- Walk down Charles Street (quaint shops) and Newbury Street (pricey shops)
- Walk through the Boston Common (see the frog pond) and public garden and take a ride on the Swan Boats (get there early in the morning so you don't have to wait in line)
During your walk through the public gardens (Charles Street entrance), don’t forget to stop by the “duckling” monument put up to honor the classic story of a family of Mallard ducks in downtown Boston from the book “Make Way for Duckings” by Robert McCloskey, Viking, 1941, A Caldecott Medal winner.
A copy of the book makes a great gift for kids. It can be found at most Boston gift shops. I give it to all new mothers as part of the shower or christening gift.
- Spend an afternoon in Harvard Square (lots of shops, really great people watching and lots of history)
- Take a Duck Boat Tour
- Eat dinner in the North End (Italian section) and then have desserts at Mike's Pastry (or look for a quaint coffee shop)
- Depending on what you like, stop by Charleston to see the Constitution, Bunker Hill Monument and then stop by the Warren Tavern for lunch or dinner (small, quaint and great food - gets a little too crowded for me on Wednesday nights)
- Head up to Glouster, Newburyport, Portsmouth NH, Salem MA, North Conway NH, Rockport or down to Cape Cod, Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard or Newport RI for a day to see the ocean or check out some of the witch museums (Salem)
- I'd skip Fanuel Hall and the Cheers Bar and stay away from all the dives on Route 1 and Revere Beach.
- Take a ferry ride out to George's Island ($10) and maybe visit Peddock's or Lovell's Island while you are there. The ride gives you great views of the skyline and airport. It is refreshing on these hot days.
- See a Red Sox game (the bleachers are the most fun)
- Take a walk through the Fens where you'll see some beautiful gardens (residents rent a small section to develop as they please), visit the Isabella Gardner Museum, the MFA and the IMAX at the Museum of Science.
- For food choices, see www.phantomgourmet.com, they have never steered us wrong!!
-Linda
- Walk down Charles Street (quaint shops) and Newbury Street (pricey shops)
- Walk through the Boston Common (see the frog pond) and public garden and take a ride on the Swan Boats (get there early in the morning so you don't have to wait in line)
During your walk through the public gardens (Charles Street entrance), don’t forget to stop by the “duckling” monument put up to honor the classic story of a family of Mallard ducks in downtown Boston from the book “Make Way for Duckings” by Robert McCloskey, Viking, 1941, A Caldecott Medal winner.
A copy of the book makes a great gift for kids. It can be found at most Boston gift shops. I give it to all new mothers as part of the shower or christening gift.
- Spend an afternoon in Harvard Square (lots of shops, really great people watching and lots of history)
- Take a Duck Boat Tour
- Eat dinner in the North End (Italian section) and then have desserts at Mike's Pastry (or look for a quaint coffee shop)
- Depending on what you like, stop by Charleston to see the Constitution, Bunker Hill Monument and then stop by the Warren Tavern for lunch or dinner (small, quaint and great food - gets a little too crowded for me on Wednesday nights)
- Head up to Glouster, Newburyport, Portsmouth NH, Salem MA, North Conway NH, Rockport or down to Cape Cod, Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard or Newport RI for a day to see the ocean or check out some of the witch museums (Salem)
- I'd skip Fanuel Hall and the Cheers Bar and stay away from all the dives on Route 1 and Revere Beach.
- Take a ferry ride out to George's Island ($10) and maybe visit Peddock's or Lovell's Island while you are there. The ride gives you great views of the skyline and airport. It is refreshing on these hot days.
- See a Red Sox game (the bleachers are the most fun)
- Take a walk through the Fens where you'll see some beautiful gardens (residents rent a small section to develop as they please), visit the Isabella Gardner Museum, the MFA and the IMAX at the Museum of Science.
- For food choices, see www.phantomgourmet.com, they have never steered us wrong!!
-Linda
