I agree with sam and big red. I live in Lexington and it is a great "base" to see all of Boston and environs without the driving nightmare of the inner city. (The key to driving in and around Boston is avoiding rush hour, if you can do this it isn't that bad). Stay in a hotel in Lexington, Concord, Waltham and drive to the "T" at Alewife ($4 per day). Take the T in and do: Harvard Square, Fanuell Hall area, including Freedom Trail, lots of nights spots over by Fenway Park, Museums (Fine Arts, Gardner, etc), walk down Newbury Street. Do a "Duck Tour". Walk around the Puble Garden. Eat in the North End.
Boston is a very "walkable" city and you do not want/need a car there. It is also frightfully expensive to park. The T is safe and easy to use ($1 per trip, you can get weekly passes too).
By staying in the suburbs you have easy access to the feeder highways areound the city to Salem, Gloucester, Rockport or to Plymouth,the Cape in the other direction.
Lexington and Concord are worth exploring--Historical stuff, literary stuff (Alcott, Hawthorne houses). And Salem is worth a visit.
There are good restaurants everywhere. Look on this site and search and go to www.phantomgourmet.com for other reviews.
The Thursday Boston Globe has a magazine section which will list shows etc. if you want to see what is showing when you are here. Check out the Red Sox at Fenway Park (www.redsox.com) if they are in town.
Have a good time and I hope you enjoy our city.

If you are interested in going to a Red Sox game, the only tix left are single seats. You can do a few things to get into a game. 1. Buy single seats and stand in "standing room". 2. Scalpers are everywhere if you want to pay their prices (figure at least $50-100/ea.). 3. go to e-bay and buy them.

If you will only be in the area 4 days, base yourself in Boston, and plan on seeing only Boston. There will not be enough time to do much else.

Do not rent a car: Driving in Boston is hell, worse than New York City. (I have lived in both places, and speak from experience.) Boston has a terrific subway and commuter rail system that will get you where you want to go.

The only highlight of Salem is the Peabody-Essex Museum. However, the Peabody-Essex is now undergoing a major reconstruction project. Although it is still open to visitors, many of the exhibits are closed. When the reconstruction project is finished, it will be worth taking the day-trip to Salem to see this museum. In the meantime, stick to Boston.

Just found out the Peabody-Essex reconstruction project is scheduled for completion next month. The re-opening ceremony is scheduled for June 21.

This is the Web link:
http://www.pem.org/

I still think that with only 4 nights in the Boston area, you may not have enough time for a day trip into Salem.