Boston, - Revised Itinerary
Jul 9th, 2009, 10:04 AM
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Boston, - Revised Itinerary
Okay, you have spoken and I have heard! Thank you so much for being so helpful and posting your comments! Your city just has so much to offer and we are trying to squeeze in as much as we can. But we dont want to lose the "flavor" of the city and now have slowed down our visit. We are a family of 3 adults and 2 boys, ages 11 and 15 and are leaving for our trip to Boston and the Cape tomorrow morning!
Friday - arrive from Providence around 2:30 or so. Have decided to park at the Pru taking the advice that we might get away from some traffic that way. Is there anything outdoorsy to do there until around 5:00pm?? Is that a good time to start walking to the stadium?? Would love to go to the Common, but that is further away and I dont want to add to our walking, ha. After game, drive to Hyannis where we will stay for two nights. Long drive, but will avoid much of the Cape traffic, I hope.
Saturday - Wake up in Hyannis at Seacoast Inn and drive to Providencetown, stopping to explore along the way. Especially looking forward to the Nat'l Seashore. Wish it were going to be warmer...No definite plans..just take it easy.
Sunday - after checkout, take Hyannisport Harbour cruise and then depart Cape, stopping by Sandwich maybe. Is the glass museum worthwhile for a stop?? How about the Cape Cod Canal cruise? Anybody done that one?? Then drive to Plimoth Plantation and get there by 3:00. This most likely will preclude earlier activities as I know it will take a while to get there in traffic.
Monday - Duck Tour - I will get tickets online today. Thinking about the 10:00 time slot.
Then the Freedom Trail Foundation walking tour. Says it only lasts about 90 min. We plan on continuing on the the North End to finish after a rest break at Quincy Market. Dinner and exploring North End.
Tuesday - Spend time Boston Common & Public Garden, view/ride Swan boats...ISG museum and/or Museum of Fine Arts as long as my boys are interested. Take the Boston Harbor Cruise to the Constitution and explore Navy Yard.
Wednesday - Go on Whale Watch tour and then New England Aquarium. Kids are looking forward to that!
Thursday - We have decided to cancel out Salem due to your advice. We will take the Liberty Fleet Tall Ship Adventure and maybe visit the Museum of Science. But will be open to figuring out other things we want to do this day.
Friday - Explore Back Bay (what should we do??) in the morning and then Samuel Adams Brewery tour (for spouse and older daughter, maybe 15 yr son) and zoo for my younger son and myself while they are sampling
.
Saturday - catch up on things we missed or wanted to spend more time...i.e., Boston Public Library, Harvard Yard visit, shopping...any other suggestions??
I have heard that there are some fun thrift stores in Boston. Can anyone help me out there??
Thanks again for your comments and YK, you have been especially helpful with transportation questions. I have taken out some things as suggested by you experts. I will let ya'll know how it goes when we get back.
Friday - arrive from Providence around 2:30 or so. Have decided to park at the Pru taking the advice that we might get away from some traffic that way. Is there anything outdoorsy to do there until around 5:00pm?? Is that a good time to start walking to the stadium?? Would love to go to the Common, but that is further away and I dont want to add to our walking, ha. After game, drive to Hyannis where we will stay for two nights. Long drive, but will avoid much of the Cape traffic, I hope.
Saturday - Wake up in Hyannis at Seacoast Inn and drive to Providencetown, stopping to explore along the way. Especially looking forward to the Nat'l Seashore. Wish it were going to be warmer...No definite plans..just take it easy.
Sunday - after checkout, take Hyannisport Harbour cruise and then depart Cape, stopping by Sandwich maybe. Is the glass museum worthwhile for a stop?? How about the Cape Cod Canal cruise? Anybody done that one?? Then drive to Plimoth Plantation and get there by 3:00. This most likely will preclude earlier activities as I know it will take a while to get there in traffic.
Monday - Duck Tour - I will get tickets online today. Thinking about the 10:00 time slot.
Then the Freedom Trail Foundation walking tour. Says it only lasts about 90 min. We plan on continuing on the the North End to finish after a rest break at Quincy Market. Dinner and exploring North End.
Tuesday - Spend time Boston Common & Public Garden, view/ride Swan boats...ISG museum and/or Museum of Fine Arts as long as my boys are interested. Take the Boston Harbor Cruise to the Constitution and explore Navy Yard.
Wednesday - Go on Whale Watch tour and then New England Aquarium. Kids are looking forward to that!
Thursday - We have decided to cancel out Salem due to your advice. We will take the Liberty Fleet Tall Ship Adventure and maybe visit the Museum of Science. But will be open to figuring out other things we want to do this day.
Friday - Explore Back Bay (what should we do??) in the morning and then Samuel Adams Brewery tour (for spouse and older daughter, maybe 15 yr son) and zoo for my younger son and myself while they are sampling
. Saturday - catch up on things we missed or wanted to spend more time...i.e., Boston Public Library, Harvard Yard visit, shopping...any other suggestions??
I have heard that there are some fun thrift stores in Boston. Can anyone help me out there??
Thanks again for your comments and YK, you have been especially helpful with transportation questions. I have taken out some things as suggested by you experts. I will let ya'll know how it goes when we get back.
Jul 9th, 2009, 10:14 AM
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Personally, I would be at Fenway by 5:00. I usually eat at Boston Beer Works or Cask n Flagon before the game. The gates open around 5 to let you onto Yawkey Way and into the park to watch Batting Practice. I wouldn't miss this.
Jul 9th, 2009, 10:23 AM
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I'd save the common for another time than for before the game, as you say it is in the other direction and you will have plenty of time to go there. Hanging out on Yawkey way before the game is fun and they have music and folks on stilts entertaining.
Here is an idea if you are hanging around Back Bay (not for before the game). In the Mary Baker Eddy (Christian Scientist) Library there is a place called Mapparium, it is a giant 30 foot globe of the world that you go inside of. The newspaper built it early in the 20th century so it would feel like a big worldly publication. It is very cool and doesn't take much time (but have scheduled times for entry so check the schedule). The map itself is frozen in time, and the acoustics within the globe are really cool.
http://www.marybakereddylibrary.org/exhibits/mapparium
And, if you aren't feeling like you had enough time on the water you could check out the Boston Harbor Islands. One has a beach, another has Warren Fort. Your boys may like this, they have a free guided ranger tour where they tell you about the history of fort and the legend of the local ghost.
http://www.bostonislands.org/
Here is an idea if you are hanging around Back Bay (not for before the game). In the Mary Baker Eddy (Christian Scientist) Library there is a place called Mapparium, it is a giant 30 foot globe of the world that you go inside of. The newspaper built it early in the 20th century so it would feel like a big worldly publication. It is very cool and doesn't take much time (but have scheduled times for entry so check the schedule). The map itself is frozen in time, and the acoustics within the globe are really cool.
http://www.marybakereddylibrary.org/exhibits/mapparium
And, if you aren't feeling like you had enough time on the water you could check out the Boston Harbor Islands. One has a beach, another has Warren Fort. Your boys may like this, they have a free guided ranger tour where they tell you about the history of fort and the legend of the local ghost.
http://www.bostonislands.org/
Jul 9th, 2009, 12:26 PM
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rr, more water?? They are on the water 4 times in Boston already, even if you don't count the Swan Boats!
In the Back Bay, visit the Boston Public Library and if the weather's nice, a trip to the observatory at the top of the Prudential Center to get a perspective on everything.
For the first Sunday, I'd vote to skip Sandwich Glass and spend more time at Plimoth Plantation. There are other excellent venues in Plymouth, including the Mayflower II and the Pilgrim Hall Museum, which is recently renovated and has lots of actual Pilgrims' stuff.
http://www.pilgrimhall.org/
If you're into the funkiest of thrift shops, you want Dollar A Pound, the markdown department at the resale shop known as the Garment District.
http://www.garment-district.com/doll...ar_a_pound.htm
In the Back Bay, visit the Boston Public Library and if the weather's nice, a trip to the observatory at the top of the Prudential Center to get a perspective on everything.
For the first Sunday, I'd vote to skip Sandwich Glass and spend more time at Plimoth Plantation. There are other excellent venues in Plymouth, including the Mayflower II and the Pilgrim Hall Museum, which is recently renovated and has lots of actual Pilgrims' stuff.
http://www.pilgrimhall.org/
If you're into the funkiest of thrift shops, you want Dollar A Pound, the markdown department at the resale shop known as the Garment District.
http://www.garment-district.com/doll...ar_a_pound.htm
Jul 9th, 2009, 05:59 PM
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for your morning in Back Bay, your kids may enjoy visiting the Gibson House. It is a Victorian mansion/museum, basically a time capsule dating back to the late 1800s. I'm 99.9% sure it's covered by your Go Boston card as well.
http://www.thegibsonhouse.org/
http://www.thegibsonhouse.org/
Jul 9th, 2009, 06:55 PM
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I wasn't on your earlier thread so don't know what your original plan was, but just wanted to make a couple of suggestions.
You might be able to fit more in if you are a little bit more efficient with planning... for instance, on Tuesday where you suggest ISG/MFA along with Constitution - those are on opposite sides of the city and will eat up your time travelling between.
My suggestion would be to try to accomplish things that are near to each other and in walking distance to each other for efficiency sake.
The waterfront area consists of (generally speaking):
tall ships
Constitution
North End
Aquarium
Institute of Contemporary Art
Fanueul Hall
Fort Point Channel
Children's Museum
Rowe's Wharf Hotel (which has live musical performances sometimes)
Back Bay consists of:
Public Gardens and Common
Newbury Street Shopping (there are several ladies consignment stores on Newbury Street in the Dartmouth/Exeter st. vicinity)
Trips further out:
- in one direction easy T ride to MFA
- in another direction easy walk to Beacon Hill
- very quick to Fenway Park from Back Bay
You might enjoy the beautiful architecture of Back Bay via a walk. Marlborough st. is particularly beautiful.
Also, go out on the Esplinade via walking bridge at Beacon St. and Arlington or Beacon St. and Mass. Ave. - views of Cambridge, Back Bay, etc. ... if you can find a place to rent bikes, riding on the Esplinade would be great for you. You can ride all the way to Brighton and back, get some exercise and see a lot.
Fens Area:
This is where the MFA and ISG are as well as Fenway Park... it is West of Back Bay and the Waterfront and a ride on the T so perhaps grouping things by geographic destination will allow you to see more.
A PERSONAL NOTE:
I live north of the city... used to live in Back Bay and for a while the South End (where the best restaurants are). The Peabody Essex Museum in Salem is a world class museum and if you are on the fence about cancelling Salem, I would say it is worth the trip (but this is coming from me: with art background and a love of visiting museums wherever I am). I live in Manchester, MA - lovely little sea side town with beautiful Singing Beach. Gloucester is also great. Wonderful clams in Essex = where I live has A LOT to offer so if you are finding holes in your itinerary definitely consider driving 45 minutes north.
You might be able to fit more in if you are a little bit more efficient with planning... for instance, on Tuesday where you suggest ISG/MFA along with Constitution - those are on opposite sides of the city and will eat up your time travelling between.
My suggestion would be to try to accomplish things that are near to each other and in walking distance to each other for efficiency sake.
The waterfront area consists of (generally speaking):
tall ships
Constitution
North End
Aquarium
Institute of Contemporary Art
Fanueul Hall
Fort Point Channel
Children's Museum
Rowe's Wharf Hotel (which has live musical performances sometimes)
Back Bay consists of:
Public Gardens and Common
Newbury Street Shopping (there are several ladies consignment stores on Newbury Street in the Dartmouth/Exeter st. vicinity)
Trips further out:
- in one direction easy T ride to MFA
- in another direction easy walk to Beacon Hill
- very quick to Fenway Park from Back Bay
You might enjoy the beautiful architecture of Back Bay via a walk. Marlborough st. is particularly beautiful.
Also, go out on the Esplinade via walking bridge at Beacon St. and Arlington or Beacon St. and Mass. Ave. - views of Cambridge, Back Bay, etc. ... if you can find a place to rent bikes, riding on the Esplinade would be great for you. You can ride all the way to Brighton and back, get some exercise and see a lot.
Fens Area:
This is where the MFA and ISG are as well as Fenway Park... it is West of Back Bay and the Waterfront and a ride on the T so perhaps grouping things by geographic destination will allow you to see more.
A PERSONAL NOTE:
I live north of the city... used to live in Back Bay and for a while the South End (where the best restaurants are). The Peabody Essex Museum in Salem is a world class museum and if you are on the fence about cancelling Salem, I would say it is worth the trip (but this is coming from me: with art background and a love of visiting museums wherever I am). I live in Manchester, MA - lovely little sea side town with beautiful Singing Beach. Gloucester is also great. Wonderful clams in Essex = where I live has A LOT to offer so if you are finding holes in your itinerary definitely consider driving 45 minutes north.
Jul 9th, 2009, 08:14 PM
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Jul 13th, 2009, 08:36 AM
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If you decide to drop anything from your itinerary, I'd make it the zoo. It's not one of the better kept up ones, sorry to say, and it's in a lousy part of town. Not sure if the film set makes this better or not, as I haven't been.
Your itinerary is manageable, but might be more efficiently set up in Boston by looking at a map and seeing what you can group together most closely. And definitely will second rr2035's idea of seeing the Christian Science Center and especially its Mapparium. Not that far a walk from Fenway Park, either.
Your itinerary is manageable, but might be more efficiently set up in Boston by looking at a map and seeing what you can group together most closely. And definitely will second rr2035's idea of seeing the Christian Science Center and especially its Mapparium. Not that far a walk from Fenway Park, either.
