BOSTON TRIP IDEAS! thanks!
 

we recently got tickets to a celtic-laker game at the garden on jan31 and we will have 2 full days to do stuff in boston. we our from califonia(la area) and staying at the embassy suites at boston logan airport(price reasons) any knowledge about this hotel? during those two full days besides the celtic game, i know we want to tour fenway and see harvard what else should we do? we wont have a rental car so could i get some help with the whole subway system. any tips? the hotel is right next the T station.

ok so the temp. plan looks like this.... depart lax at 1130pm on friday and get to boston 630am(redeye flight) have the hotel hold our bags then take the T to fenway for a tour(help with directions) then check out quincy market(lunch) then head over to harvard to just look around and maybe sing by the north end for dinner then back to hotel. sunday- take the T to the garden to watch the big game then to the union oyster house for dinner(diretions?). monday do the whole freedom trail walk(T diretctions to get to the start?) then whats a good dinner after the walk? tuesday depart logan at 720am arrive 1130am at la.

reply please if i could do these things in a more logical order(location wise) but these are the main things we wanna do. and whats a good not too fancy italian spot in the north end? thanks!

I'm no Boston expert but we were there last September.

We stayed at the wharf and we got to (in your case both ways) the airport on the T in 10 minutes (there's a free shuttle to and from the T stop to each terminal). There was a stop right outside our hotel. That stop even had an elevator so carrying luggage was not an issue. The hotel was the Harborside Inn. Not a fancy hotel but very clean and convenient. Great loaction.

We were right across the street from Quincy Market and a 5 minute walk to the North End.

The Oyster House is only 3-4 short blocks (thru the Market) from the hotel as well.

Also, the Freedom walk passes no more than 2-3 blocks from the hotel.

When we went to Harvard Yard, we took the T from right outside the hotel. You can see the stop from inside the lobby.

I don't know what the budget is but we splurged one night for dinner at the Charter House on Long Wharf. This is also about 5 minutes from the hotel.

We walked over to the North End (again just a couple of minutes walk) for dinner. We had no idea which restaurant to choose. We walked thru a couple of blocks and selected a restaurant that was almost full. We wanted one where we didn't have to wait more than a couple of minutes but was also quite busy. The food was very good.

You might want to switch the Harvard visit to Monday (after the Freedom Trail walk), since Quincy market and the north end are right next to each other. Don't leave the area to go to Havahd, and then come back for dinner.

The Freedom Trail starts in the NPS Visitors Center on Boston Common, where you can pick up a map and brochure. Depending on how much of the trail do, when finished you can hop on the T to Harvard and then find some good place for dinner in Cambridge (Harvard Square area).

The idea of strolling through North End till you see a good-looking restaurant is a good one. Its hard to go wrong in the North End.

This gives
Day 1: Fenway, Quincy Market/Fanuel hall, dinner in North End.
Day 2: Game at the Garden, Union Oyster House.
Day 3: Freedom Trail in the AM, Harvard in the PM. Dinner in Cambridge.

While in Harvard Square you can dine at
Legal Sea Food, Henrietta's kitchen, Upstairs in the Square.

If you do decide to eat at Legal Seafood, at least the one in Charles Square, and if you like cranberry juice, they make an awesome cocktail called a Cranberry Bog Lemon Martini!

any other ideas trolley tour?

We also walked through North end and found a great Italian dinner. With all these unique restaurants to choose from, I definitely would not recommend you pick a chain instead, like Legal Seafood or Chart House. Just be aware how busy dinnertime is there.

We saw lots of whales on the aquarium's boat tour. Since you live near the ocean, you mightnot be so interested in that, though.

any other ideas for boston?

I think you've received lots of suggestions between this thread and the other one earlier, no?

What other ideas would you like?

In terms of trolley tour, I believe only the Old Town trolleys are running in the winter time: http://www.trolleytours.com/boston/

idk what i want to know yk.. haha i guess im just really excited for this trip

who thinks i need to get a charlie card for the MTBA or will i be fine?

I think you need to get one -- that's how you pay for trips nowadays.

You can either get a Charlie Card or charlie ticket.

Charlie ticket (paper ticket) is what you buy from the machines at T stations. You need one Charlie ticket per person. You pay $.30 more per trip vs the Charlie card.

Charlie card is a plastic card which is free - then you load money on it using the machines at T stations. Multiple persons can share one Charlie card, as long as they all travel together. The problem is, you can only obtain a Charlie card from an MBTA employee, and they may or may not be present at your T station.

Also, do note that if you put more $ than you needed on either the Charlie card or Charlie ticket, you cannot get your money refunded when you leave.

Pay attention to the weather forecast and be flexible - you probably won't want to be walking the Freedom Trail in the middle of a snowstorm or freezing rain!

does anyone know if they cancel fenway park tours for weather related? like a snowstorm

I don't know if they cancel it but they would shorten it at a minimum and not go on / towards the field or in the stands. I was a little surprised that they do them in the winter.

reply please if amyone knows that for sure. i might just call them and ask

Thats probably your best bet. Even then they may tell you to wait day of to see how much they get. They may just cancel if they declare a winter storm emergency. I wouldn't worry too much about it right now.

do you guys think that our hotel will hold our bags for us until we check in since we fly into boston so early? thanks