Sounds like you have already made a decision. But just in case, I have used a
Bed and Breakfast agency call Host homes of Boston. They were great in regards to accomdations and price. We stayed in a private residence in Beacon Hill. It was close to everything. Give them a ring for the heck of it. 1-800-600-1308

Hi, I lived on Newbury street for many years til I moved to Cambridge. The Newbury guest house I have heard is very good and you would be in an ideal location. I could walk to Filenes basementor almost anywhere in town in not too long a walk. Today the weather is warm. I was in Harvard Square wearing a winter coat and almost everyone was wearing sweaters so you really can't tell. so I suggest to dress in layers. There's a new hotel(2 years) called the Charlesmark, right by the Copely station They have a web site.
I love the Troquet restaurant on Boylston Street across from the Boston Common.

Hey hey hey!! I'm back to thank everyone for their comments and conversation on this and many other topics! Let's continue the fun in 2004!!

Oh, by the way, plans have changed. We're now going in May-- possibly Memorial Day weekend. Weather becomes much less of a consideration, doesn't it? And we will definitely rent a car one day to get to Wareham to see the "grandparents-in-law". I may use it to get to Wellesley and hit Blue Ginger (love Asian fusion cuisine!!) before returning it. When I get closer to the actual dates, I'll be back for suggestions. Again, thanks to everyone for the great ideas!!! :)

May and early June are super busy times for Boston hotels because of all the college graduations. Book your room yesterday.

Anon, I was about to post the same thing, thanks.

Anonymous & cigalechanta: Your warning was heeded, and I got a room at Newbury Guest House for Memorial Day Weekend. Yahoo! I'm going to wait patiently for JetBlue to offer some deals for that weekend, then book air travel. I'm really looking forward to this trip-- thanks again to everyone's recommendations and advice!

OK, we're getting to the less-than-two-months mark, so some questions are occurring to me:

-- RE: The dreaded drive to Wareham: The Big Dig has been done for a while now, right? So I will just have to contend with the usual street detours and other foolishness...?

-- Has anyone eaten at Blue Ginger up in Wellesley? Is it worth the schlepp (probably NOT on the same day as the Wareham journey)? It's right on the MBTA Framingham/Worcester line, and I'm always for a commuting adventure, so....

-- There used to be a rather spooky shop on Newbury that specialized in religious and/or Gothic relics (and no, it's not Newbury Comics!). It was dark and they played moody music and burned incense. Does anybody know its name and if it's still in business?

This is going to be such a fun trip-- almost as fun as the South Beach one I'm planning for my 40th (but that's another thread maybe!...)! Again, thanks to EVERYONE for your suggestions and tips, you're wonderful! :)

LOL, no, the Big Dig is NOT done, just last week they rerouted one lane of I-93 right through Chinatown. Your best bet is to consult directly with the Guest House staff, who can probably give you a good strategy for a southbound route.

Blue Ginger gets excellent reviews, but so do plenty of restaurants that are easier for you to get to.

Newbury Street has gone very upscale in the past few years, I think that Gothic store is gone.

But that's NOT what I wanted to hear, Anonymous...!!! ;) Oh well, you're right, I'll just get someone to point me in the right direction (and yes, I'LL be driving) and hope there's no "Street Closed" signs to add 20 minutes to the drive out of town.

I hear you on the Blue Ginger question-- but if we have the time, it might be fun to try a joint with a celeb chef owner while we're in town. Still, I don't think we'll starve if we don't get to Wellesley Square.

No Gothic place, huh? Darn. But you know which one I'm talking about, right? It was kinda cool. There also was a quirky little hardware store, which I think was named Industry or something (the owner's Golden Retriever was named the same). You never know-- we're going to be remodeling our kitchen, and you can never look at enough drawer pulls, can you...?

Thanks again for the expertise!

Try Charles Street Supply at 54 Charles Street (at the foot of Beacon Hill, not far from the Public Garden) for interesting hardware.

You bet I'll be printing this out for the trip...! Thanks yet again!

Why has nobody told you to book hotel/bed and breakfast reservations NOW!!..it is college graduation time and hotel and restaurants are pretty well taken.. You should go to www.chowhond.com and link into Boston.. you don't have to go to Wellesley... Newbury Street sadly is all over priced stores for the "euro-trash", i.e. expensive chains, but you will find funky stores and restaurants in the South End.

Parrotmom, I *did* that already (look up a few posts). I've got a nice room at the Newbury Guesthouse and am set for a nice long weekend.

I know Newbury St. is a little "yuppie"-- but I've done the corporate hotels and I wanted this to be different. We'll head to the South End and check it out. Thanks for the tip!

IMO the best deal and location is the Charlesmark across from Copley station.
www.thecharlesmark.com
The Boston Globe had an article on sunday you might be able to read on line.

Rhat shp[ is gne, It was cALLED, 'GARGOYLES"

sorry my PC locked! It was called 'GARGOYLES"

Cigalechanta-- Yeah, that's it! I guess that was too obvious for me to remember... :)

The Charlesmark looks very cool. Maybe the next trip...!

Blue Ginger in Wellesley is indeed quite good. However, given where you are staying and the abundance of terrific restaurants downtown, I wouldn't make the trip. 2 suggestions in the South End. Mistral : best restaurant in the city. Amazing service, food is perfect. Pricey but worth every penny. Try the tenderloin, mash potatoe, truffle oil pizza appetizer! The other place is called Union Bar and Grille. Opened recently and is THE place right now. Smaller than Mistral and bit less formal. Both places will give you equal or better dining experiences than Blue Ginger.

I find Union very noisy and prefer Troquet and Aquitaine. Next week we'll try Excelsior, anyone been there?

I ate at Blue Ginger in Oct 03. It was definitely good, but unless you really want to see Ming Tsai, it probably is not worth taking the trip out there. There are so many great restaurants in Boston that are much closer. If you do decide to go to Blue Ginger, keep in mind the Ming Tsai is NOT there on Mondays or Tuesdays.