First of all, thanks to everyone for their tips and good wishes! The Boston trip was a lot of fun.

JetBlue ended up being a fantastic travel option. Non-stop LGB-BOS on their shiny-new Airbus 320s. Leather seats, a bit more leg room, DirecTV at every seat, and those blue potato chips! Despite the usual under-controlled rugrats behind our seats, yelling, kicking the seatbacks, etc., we enjoyed ourselves. And, despite the horrible weather in the Midwest, we got a minimum of chop both outbound and returning. Boston's weather was ideal Saturday and Sunday, although it cooled down a lot Monday. Still, it was nice to experience actual weather (we just don't really have that in Long Beach).

The Newbury Guest House enjoys an ideal location (Newbury St. between Fairfield and Gloucester) and immense charm. Our room was spotlessly clean and was decorated in typical B&B "shabby chic" furnishings. Queen-sized bed, shower only, but just fine for our needs. Complimentary breakfast (including scrambled eggs and bacon!) was a nice touch. The staff could not have been more helpful and pleasant. I don't think I need to stay anywhere else in Boston, frankly. The price is right too.

Our first night, we went to Tapeo (they unnecessarily add an accent to the "e", i.e., Tapéo-- wrong in modern Spanish). Across the street from the Guest House, so within crawling distance if you load up on the great wines. Tasty, authentic cold (tortilla, patatas ali oli) and hot (crêpe de espárragos, pechuguita de pollo con relleno) tapas, and a superior paella valenciana-- food like when I studied in Madrid. Incredible. Several glasses of wine later and we couldn't make the steps to any nightlife. Back to the Guest House to crash.

The next day we went to see the grandparents-in-law in Wareham-- semi-sleepy town south of Boston, heading to the Cape. We got a special tour of the colonial tavern (Fearing House)-- managing to set off the burglar alarm in the process (the police knew Grandpa, and he sent them off with a cheery "You know your way back to the station now, right?"). Then we had lunch at Vel's. Massive portions of New England food-- fish and chips, fried clams, Cap'n's Platter, etc. Delicious, but so filling you can't believe. We waddled back to the hotel and crashed AGAIN. Well, after several pints at Charley's (on Newbury). A nice watering hole with very friendly bartenders and an upscale group of scary barflies.

Sunday: The Gaugain exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts was excellent-- well-curated, intelligently organized, and well worth the cost. Heavy crowds. We headed to the North End for dinner and found ourselves at Antico Forno. Again, an excellent choice. We had saltimbocca di pollo and sartù di riso-- and enjoyed every savory bite. Wonderful. We managed a trip over to Modern Pastry for a cream puff and coffee; yeah, it was fine, although (townies may flame me for this) I've had better baked goods than Modern and Mike's in Boston. Oh well, sometimes you need something sweet.

Memorial Day and brunch at Stephanie's on Newbury. Very good food, slow but friendly service (understaffed more than anything else), and surrounded by the Ladies Who Lunch in the Back Bay, families and, in one situation, an awkward post-hookup meal featuring an actual hissy fit. Very entertaining. Then it's off to Faneuil Hall for touristy junk and street performers (one hyper dude from Australia sticks out), and a quick spin on the Freedom Trail. Nice exercise after all the food. Later that evening, we headed to Skipjack's for seafood dinner. Awesome. Fresh monkfish and a perfectly tender and tasty boiled lobster, and of course their award-winning clam chowder. Just incredible.

Tuesday was travel day, but we had plenty of time to walk around the Fenway (to kill time), and then we headed to Cappy's for a steak bomb. Good greasy grub!

All in all, a nice restful trip to Boston, with some great places to dine along the way. Can't wait to go back!

RJW, I am glad to read your report as I'm thinking of going to Boston later this year. This will help me and other planners. Thank you!

rjw- glad you had a good trip to Boston and that the side trip to Wareham worked out.

Sounds like you sampled some of Boston's regional cuisine. Glad you liked it. And for the really best pastry in Boston you have to go to Loberto's in Revere. The lobster tails there put Mike's to shame.

as a "Townie" I love this report and also agree about modern and mike's over-rated. You described the watering holes right on. I lived next door to the Armani cafe until derentcontrol.

chicgal: You know, we wanted to hit the Gardner, but after the MFA we were "museumed out". It's definitely on the list for the next trip (which we may combine with a NYC weekend, I haven't decided yet). The Guest House was just fine for our needs, and it somehow felt more like we were coming and going from our Boston home than with the usual Big Town Hotel.

cigalechanta: We passed by there several times, but we were resisting doing any serious clothes shopping (besides, who wants to lug back new clothes in the baggage?). But that's a really nice part of Newbury St.-- lucky you!

bennie: Sounds like something to investigate...! It goes on the list.

FainaAgain: You'll love Boston, I guarantee. And since we are planning regular trips (the in-laws may move back there soon), we didn't try to see everything, so you'll find a lot of cool stuff we missed. If this sketch was helpful, I'm very glad.

Another note: We rented a car for the day to drive to Wareham. Unless you're making a side trip out of Boston, out of range of the usual MBTA service routes, a car is not needed OR RECOMMENDED in Boston. However, the drive down to the Cape was beautiful and easy (once out of Boston, which is always a bit of a pain). The Enterprise Rent-a-Car in Pru Center was pretty convenient, although they were re-paving on Mass Ave, which complicated the drive out (I'm glad I was driving-- and I'll leave it at that! ). We hit Hamilton Beach and Parkwood Beach while we were in Wareham, and they were just as I imagined Cape beaches to be. Beautiful area, if a bit quiet for my tastes.

I can't wait to return!

To rjw lgb ca - they are always digging up, repaving some section of downtown Boston - usually right where you want to go - so when you return, you can be assured that they will be repaving another street on a route you want to take.

(Seriously - reason is that unstreet infrastructure is so old that something is always breaking, necessitating digging a hole and repaving)