Boston/New England
 

We are going to Boston in a couple of months. We am very interested in not only seeing Boston, but traveling a little bit up the coast, perhaps all the way to Maine. Great clam chowder is on the list, as well as Lobster. How can this be done? Is renting a car the best bet? Or is there public transportation that will take us that way? We are staying in Boston, so we don't want to go further than we can go in a day and get back to Boston.
What are some tips for food and things to see, and along with that, how to get there?
Thanks!

To head up to Maine, rent a car for the day. Ultimately I would suggest spending a night up there. It's doable in a day (around 2.5 hours to Kennebunkport or Ogunquit from Boston). I would consider going to one of those two places. It's an easy drive from Boston -- Take either Route 1 or Route 93 until it hits 95, then just keep driving north.

You can find some of the best chowder in Boston at Legal Seafoods (there's a few of them around).

You would definitely need to rent a car. Just take the Tobin Bridge out of Boston, and go North on Rt. 1 until you can pick up Rt. 95 North. It will take you a little more than an hour to reach the New Hampshire/Maine line, as long as you don't leave Boston during rush hour.
There are many places you can stop along the way: Newburyport, MA; Portsmouth, NH; Ogunquit, ME. All three of these stops would have many seafood and shellfish restaurants available, as well as some "tourist" attractions, scenic vistas and tons of shopping.
In Newburyport, you can eat outside by the draw bridge and boats at Michael's Harborside. In Portsmouth you can visit historic Stawberry Banke. And in Ogunquit, walk the Marginal Way out to Perkins Cove. (Or better yet, park at Perkins, and walk "backwards.") You can have an upscale dinner at Hurricane, or more casual fare at the Oar Weed.
Have a great trip!

Thanks so much for the help. I will more into it the options. And if anyone else has advice, please pass it along.
Thanks.

You don't need to rent a car; you can take public transportation to lots of interesting locations that are day trips from Boston. You can even take the new Amtrak train to Portland, Maine!

http://portlandme.about.com/library/.../aa012702a.htm

Other day-trip destinations in the Boston area are rechable on public transit, including the commuter rail trains. See www.mbta.com for maps and details.

That is great, because I really don't want to have to drive, I pefer to ride. So Portland is a good place to visit for a day?

From Boston you could go up to Kittery and have a great lunch at the Weathervane complete with lobster and chowder..or a great lobster roll at Bob' across the road. Heading up to Kennebunkport and Ogonquit from Boston is much longer and tourist season starts shortly and the roads will be mobbed.. Oh yes..great shopping in Kittery.

This should help...http://travel.boston.com/places/newengland/

Portland is a great place to spend the day. Lots of shops, restaurants, you can take a boat tour of the harbor, even take a lobstering trip where you pull up traps, learn some biology etc. We did this last summer and enjoyed it so much we are doing it again with some friends.

What about Concord Railways? Has anyone use these to travel from Boston to Portland, ME? How long does it take to get travel that route? I did find the web site for the railways. http://www.concordtrailways.com/

If you were to go to Maine, you should definately rent a car.

Boston is such a beautiful city that I recommend that you reserve an extra day just to go sight seeing & the trolly tours are great as well. Alot of history. Faneuil Hall is a nice little "town" to go sight seeing & shopping. If you like Abercrombie & Fitch, they've got a huge store there! About a 3 minutes from Faneuil Hall is Union Oyster House, which is the oldest running restaurant in the country & have Clam Chowder to die for!

If you're in Boston on a Sunday, I highly recommend Sunday Brunch at the Four Seasons Hotel in their Aujourd'hui Restaurant. It's worth the money.

Have a great time!!

Concord Trailways is buses, not trains. Train travel is definitely more comfortable and pleasant overall than buses. If you do decide to take private bus lines, there are several that serve Boston.

Now I have found the downeaster. It looks like it is a good start for getting from Boston to Maine. Any thoughts?

I would also suggest a stroll around downtown Portsmouth NH, maybe an hour at the Strawberry Banke historic preservation area. IMO Portsmouth is one of the nicest medium-sized towns in New England - no, make that the US.

Ditto the Lobster Roll at Bob's, or go to Warren's Lobster House on pilings over the river (in Kittery facing Portsmouth) for the baked lobster thingy they make with crushed Ritz crackers. Ohmygawd, but say farewell ro a coronary artery or two. Come hungry but be prepared to wait.

Please avoid Warrens... if you bypas Weathervane and Bob/s.. look for Captain Simeons...I've been told it's fantastic.. We just ate atWeathervane Monday and coconut shrimp, onion NUGGETS and steamers...life is good!!

When you are in Boston do not miss the chance to head north to New Hampshire and see the Old Man of the Mountains in Franconia Notch State Park. It is a wonderful natural rock formation... what's that? Huh?

Nevermind!

MM