Boston in early March
Sep 12th, 2012, 01:21 PM
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Boston in early March
I'm going to a conference in Boston March 6-10, 2013, staying at the Sheraton on Dalton St. downtown. I won't have but a few hours to sight see before & after the conference. Any suggestions as what might be nearby, preferably in walking distance?
Sep 12th, 2012, 05:18 PM
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With a few hours you can take the T to Boston Common, walk to the Library grab something to eat and make your way to the Prudential Center. Which is pretty close to the Sheraton. Another day you can just take a walk down the Esplanade, along the Charles River if it is not too cold out. If it is cold head to the MFA, or something of that sorts. Hope this helps.
Sep 12th, 2012, 07:08 PM
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Your hotel is in the Back Bay, which is in the middle of everything. You can walk down Newbury Street all the way down to the Boston Common and over to Beacon Hill, which is a great neighborhood to explore by foot.
You're also within walking distance to Kenmore Sq and Fenway Park if that interests you.
You're also within walking distance to Kenmore Sq and Fenway Park if that interests you.
Sep 13th, 2012, 02:27 AM
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And on the Common, you can pick up the Freedom Trail and walk to the North End.
Having attended MANY conferences, I would suggest that the meals will be infinitely skippable, and there will be time to explore early in the morning and in the afternoon before the meals you do have to go to.
You have been given good suggestions here. You can walk down Newbury Street and back out Commonwealth Avenue one time. You can walk down Boylston, across the Public Garden to Charles Street, then along the "flat" of Beacon Hill, and up the hill to Cedar Street and Mount Vernon Street. Then you can return to the Back Bay along the Charles River Esplanade.
However, Boston often has miserable weather at this time of year. It could also be 60 degrees. Be prepared to change your plans!
Having attended MANY conferences, I would suggest that the meals will be infinitely skippable, and there will be time to explore early in the morning and in the afternoon before the meals you do have to go to.
You have been given good suggestions here. You can walk down Newbury Street and back out Commonwealth Avenue one time. You can walk down Boylston, across the Public Garden to Charles Street, then along the "flat" of Beacon Hill, and up the hill to Cedar Street and Mount Vernon Street. Then you can return to the Back Bay along the Charles River Esplanade.
However, Boston often has miserable weather at this time of year. It could also be 60 degrees. Be prepared to change your plans!
Sep 13th, 2012, 02:41 AM
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Bring waterproof footwear. It is extremely unlikely it wil.lbe 60 degrees - more likely damp, cloudy, raw. With a few hours I would sneak out of a boring meeting mid-day, walk part of Freedom Trail to North End and have a decent Italian dinner. While safe, it could be a nasty walk back to hotel - or a relatively inexpensive cab ride.
Sep 13th, 2012, 03:39 AM
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The Mapparium
You're in a perfect place for a 90-minute excursion that (1)is amazing and (2)relatively few Bostonians know about: the Mapparium at the Christian Science Center.
The Mapparium is a globe of the Earth turned inside-out, with a political map of the world as it was in the 1930s. A raised sidewalk allows you to walk from one side of the "world" to the other. But the most amazing thing are the acoustics: if you're on the center of the walkway (middle of the earth), your voice is nearly inaudible unless you nearly scream. But if you're at the end of the walk (near the entry), someone on the other side of the room can hear even the faintest whisper.
This is very much one of the most curious places you'll ever visit, a genuine one-of-a-kind, and a great way to spend a couple of hours on a late winter day in Back Bay. It's no more than a 5-minute walk from the Sheraton.
Details: http://www.marybakereddylibrary.org/exhibits/mapparium
You're in a perfect place for a 90-minute excursion that (1)is amazing and (2)relatively few Bostonians know about: the Mapparium at the Christian Science Center.
The Mapparium is a globe of the Earth turned inside-out, with a political map of the world as it was in the 1930s. A raised sidewalk allows you to walk from one side of the "world" to the other. But the most amazing thing are the acoustics: if you're on the center of the walkway (middle of the earth), your voice is nearly inaudible unless you nearly scream. But if you're at the end of the walk (near the entry), someone on the other side of the room can hear even the faintest whisper.
This is very much one of the most curious places you'll ever visit, a genuine one-of-a-kind, and a great way to spend a couple of hours on a late winter day in Back Bay. It's no more than a 5-minute walk from the Sheraton.
Details: http://www.marybakereddylibrary.org/exhibits/mapparium
Sep 13th, 2012, 05:26 AM
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Do you like museums? I'd recommend the Museum of Fine Arts and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. Both had recently added new wings which are striking. The Gardner is a unique experience and you go for the art and the architecture.
www.mfa.org
www.gardnermuseum.org
Both would be good options after a visit to the Mapparium.
www.mfa.org
www.gardnermuseum.org
Both would be good options after a visit to the Mapparium.
Sep 13th, 2012, 05:57 AM
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Gail is right about the weather. Before we moved to Boston, we flew up in early March to see what life would be like in Harvard Square with children.
It was 60 degrees, and everyone was laying out along the Charles. We said, "Hey, this isn't that much cooler than Mississippi. We'll go for it." That was 1979, and it hasn't been that warm again in March until this year.
But I was being optimistic. It _can_ happen.
It was 60 degrees, and everyone was laying out along the Charles. We said, "Hey, this isn't that much cooler than Mississippi. We'll go for it." That was 1979, and it hasn't been that warm again in March until this year.
But I was being optimistic. It _can_ happen.
Sep 13th, 2012, 08:31 AM
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Ackislander, just an aside - when my son visited Williams College, it was early April and the weather was spectacular. All the students were in shorts and t-shirts enjoying the sunshine and 70 degree temps. Little did he know that the day before (literally) it had been in the 30s and snowing - he thought it was always like this!!
