I will be in the Hyatt located near M.I.T.(so I am told)west of downtown the first week in December. Any assistance on where I might go to dine in the evenings woud be greatly appreciated. I understand that I am 15 - 20 minutes from the Boston Commons area. Must I go to the North End to obtain quality Italian? Any recommendations near where I shall be staying? Thanks in advance for all insights.

Actually, if you are staying at the Hyatt Regency, you will be across the river in Cambridge. The Hyatt does offer shuttle service, so you may want to call ahead to find out the hours and destinations. It does go to nearby Harvard Square, which has lots of wonderful restaurants in every direction, along with terrific live music in a variety of venues. We love Sandrine's, Casa Blanca (Mediterranean, with a lively bar), and Fire & Ice (a really fun place where you select your own ingredients and everything is stir fried for you on an interesting grill in the center). But, there are many others. Or, you could hop on the subway from there and go to Boston. The North End of Boston is a wonderful place to visit and is, indeed, full of fabulous Italian restaurants. Another fun place to spend the evening is Faneuil Hall, which is considered "touristy", but is a great place to visit all the same. The famous Durgin Park restaurant is here, along with the Union Oyster House (around the corner), and many others, as well as an incredible indoor international food court. You could also start at the Boston Common and walk down Newbury Street, which is lined with dozens of good choices. We love Stephanie's at Newbury & Exeter. Note that there's a wonderful Italian restaurant on the top floor of the Hyatt (called the Spinnaker) which revolves and has spectacular views of the river and the Boston skyline (and is a wonderful place for a drink at sunset). Have you checked out the Boston restaurants here on the Fodor's website? Another good resource is www.boston.sidewalk.com, and www.phantomgourmet.com is a fun site (see the review there on Fire & Ice).

Actually, if you are staying at the Hyatt Regency, you will be across the river in Cambridge. The Hyatt does offer shuttle service, so you may want to call ahead to find out the hours and destinations. It does go to nearby Harvard Square, which has lots of wonderful restaurants in every direction, along with terrific live music in a variety of venues. We love Sandrine's, Casa Blanca (Mediterranean, with a lively bar), and Fire & Ice (a really fun place where you select your own ingredients and everything is stir fried for you on an interesting grill in the center). But, there are many others. Or, you could hop on the subway from there and go to Boston. The North End of Boston is a wonderful place to visit and is, indeed, full of fabulous Italian restaurants. Another fun place to spend the evening is Faneuil Hall, which is considered "touristy", but is a great place to visit all the same. The famous Durgin Park restaurant is here, along with the Union Oyster House (around the corner), and many others, as well as an incredible indoor international food court. You could also start at the Boston Common and walk down Newbury Street, which is lined with dozens of good choices. We love Stephanie's at Newbury & Exeter. Note that there's a wonderful Italian restaurant on the top floor of the Hyatt (called the Spinnaker) which revolves and has spectacular views of the river and the Boston skyline (and is a wonderful place for a drink at sunset). Have you checked out the Boston restaurants here on the Fodor's website? Another good resource is www.boston.sidewalk.com, and www.phantomgourmet.com is a fun site (see the review there on Fire & Ice).

The West End doesn't exist anymore, but you'll be very close by the T, so everything's very accessible. you should check out www.bostonphoenix.com they give good tips on where to eat, what there is to do, etc. I just want to point out that the North End is not too friendly to people of color, but I don't know if this applies to you. And Newbury St. can get kind of expensive and pretentious, so if you plan on dining there, get a bit dressed up, but not in eveningwear.

You might try the South End for wonderful restaurants too (The Metropolis, Aquitaine, Hamersley's). Donna's suggestions re Cambridge are right on. I must say I've never heard before the comment about the North End, and I can't imagine that it's true.

My husband and I were in the North End on Sunday and had dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. Maybe things have changed, or perhaps folks are a little distracted by winter getting started. We found that the people were as chilly as the weather. At the restaurant, where we remembered the service to be very friendly, one of the waiters announced very loudly, "Only eight more hours to go!". We went into a shop looking for Balsamic vinegar, and even though we were the only customers in the store, no one offered any assistance. When I noticed that a particular brand I've seen in the Williams Sonoma catalog for $10.50 had a price tag of $14.75, we left. Then, we decided to buy a couple of cappuccinos for the road. We went into one cafe, then another, then another, before anyone even looked up or offered to take an order. Maybe the Big Dig has everyone down. I thought it was a bit strange that there's a huge sign "The North End is Open for Business As Usual". One other thing. Parking is impossible in this area. We found a lot, where the attendant charged us the maximum for a full day ($10 on Sunday) and refused to rebate any of the fee even though we were there only two hours. There were cars double parked all over the place, blocking traffic (expensive ones with their flashers on - does this make it legal?) and not an officer in sight. What's going on here?