Dec in Boston
 

I am taking my 16 yr old daughter to Boston for the first time the last week of Dec/New Years. I am wondering if we should rent a car? Where is a good place to stay for sight seeing for around 130-150 a nite? She wants to see Harvard, the Boston Tea Party and Salem. Also, Where is a good place to go on New Years eve?

Thanks!!
Cheryl

Don't rent a car. Stay right in Boston - Downtown, Faneuil Hall, Copley, Back Bay - will be words used in hotel description. Do not stay at a hotel called "Boston/Waltham" or something like that - it will not be in Boston and commute in and out will be horrible.

Do a search here on Boston lodging. Be prepared for sticker shock, even in Dec. Some hotels will have minimum number of night stay since it is New Years Eve.

Boston was the start of the "First Night" city New Years parties. However, due to financial and sponsorship problems, in Boston it is shrinking. Local news stories have indicated that there was not a great response from companies as the City tries to privatize it for this year. All reports indicate it will be downsized - so there will be something, but no one knows what.

Check out TD Bank/Boston Garden website - sometimes there is a concert a 16 year old might like and you might hate on New Years Eve. Many restaurants will have New Years packages and may not even allow a 16 year old in on that, but you can always have an earlier dinner and skip the package. Many smaller music venues will not allow her in. See if Blue Man Group is performing that night - that might be fun.

And I am assuming you know it can be really cold and miserable here in Dec, right?

Not just cold but raw.

New Year's Eve is easy. There is a program called First Night with various events, fun parades and fireworks. It has downsized over the years, but you can google before you get here to see what interests you.*

If she is interested in Harvard, you should google for performances of the operetta "Die Fledermaus" which is/was a traditional New Year performance in Memorial
Hall, which is one of Harvard's iconic buildings.*

Don't rent a car. Boston is a terrible place for out of towners to drive. Streets are badly marked, parking will cost $40 a day, and it may be snowy. The T (subway, trolley, bus) system will take you anywhere you want to go. You can buy unlimited passes for various periods, and they are a good deal.

You can get to Salem on the commuter train from North Station. The train stops about a mile from the Peabody Essex Museum at the center of town. This can easily be a whole day since they have four houses (one Chinese) you can tour.

Lodging is going to be tough at your price. Look at the John Jeffries House, and there is a small hotel people like across from the Boston Public Library. Others will leap in, I hope.

*Possibly out of date. I haven't spent New Year's in Boston in several years. In fact it has been several years since I stayed up until midnight except on redeye flights.

you can rent a Zip Car to go to Salem for the day.

Thanks y'all !! I am also considering staying in Peabody as I read it is close to Salem and the airport. We have never seen a lot of snow so it will be fun for us if it does snow!! I am not familiar with the subway system there yet but hopefully it will go to Peabody too.

No, no, no, not Peabody.

Getting from Peabody into the city is not easy, and you aren't going to want to spend enough time in Salem to make it worthwhile for that. Somewhere between a lot and all of the ridiculous witch stuff will be shut down, and even the real historic places may be on short hours.

Gail's point above about hotels advertising themselves as Boston/Waltham is an almost exact parallel to Boston/Peabody. The money you save on renting a car and parking will help make up some of the additional cost of a city hotel.

Days are very short at that time of year -- not light until 7, dark by 4:30 -- and it would be awful to have to drive in and out in commuter traffic in the dark in an unfamiliar place.

Do you know how to do Priceline?

I haven't looked at Priceline yet. Dark at 4:30???!!! Wow! I just looked at some hotels by the airport. The hilton is connected to it but it didn't say if the T subway was near by??

Don't rent a car and definitely don't stay in Peabody.

I did a quick check of booking.com and the Back Bay Hilton is available for $834 from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1. I put in dates around your visit. It's $709 pre-paid non refundable. I would make a reservation at a price that you can live with that you can cancel if you find something better.

It's across the street from the Prudential Center mall which has lots of shops and restaurants. Very convenient to walk indoors if the weather isn't great. It's near the Convention Center stop on the Green Line or you can walk indoors through the Prudential and Copley Place to Back Bay Station on the Orange Line.

It's a great price but doesn't include tax, which is 14.5%.

First Night this year will have the parade, the ice sculptures, and fireworks. I don't think it will include the indoor performances of past years, at least according to the latest reports.

You can get to Salem in 30 minutes on the commuter rail train from North Station.

The Christmas Revels are usually still performing at that time and it's a nice seasonal show. Weather is impossible to predict. Sometimes it's quite cold and other years it warms up to the 40s.

>>>I haven't looked at Priceline yet. Dark at 4:30???!!! Wow! I just looked at some hotels by the airport. The hilton is connected to it but it didn't say if the T subway was near by??<<<

You do not want to stay at the airport (or Peabody). Stay in the locations in central Boston that Gail posted. Focus on Back Bay (lots of things that will interest your 16 yr old). You will have T and bus access (both will take you to Harvard).

Hilton Boston Back Bay looks awesome!!! Thanks!! Room reserved!! Now I need to find out where the First Night is?? I am already thinking I will need to plan a second trip just for me as she does not want to go to any museums. She just wants snow!!!

She may or may not get it, so I hope she doesn't mind.

Yes, almost the entire northern part of the country has dark at 4:30 pm in winter (shortest day is naturally Dec 21) - depending on how far east or west int he time zone. Boston is in the east of the time zone.

And staying outside the city will be a major PIA - do you really want to spend 2 hours a day just transiting back and forth - esp in heavy traffic, possibly in ice or snow - and then pay $40 a day for parking.

As for snow - some is quite possible but there is no guarantee of snow in any few days in December.

The past 2 years we have taken trips to find snow and so far no luck in either NYC or the Smokies!! Living in Louisiana!!

The parade usually starts in Back Bay near Copley Square. So not too far away from you. In past years there have been early family fireworks about 7 or 8 p.m. over the Boston Common. Check back for more information closer to the date.

Hi nytraveler, Is Back Bay outside the city? We will be flying to Boston and will be there the week of New Years. Does the T run if it is snowing and does it run after dark?

Thanks cw, I will definitely be on this site closer to the trip. I mainly wanted to get a room reserved as we already have tickets to fly there.

The T runs during normal snow--it had trouble last winter with our 100+ inches of accumulated snow but that won't be an issue in December and from the hotel you'll be riding underground anyway. The T runs until about 12:30 a.m. and it is safe.

The Back Bay Area is in Boston. It is that area that was formerly tidal flats that were filled in the mid-1800s. Boston is really a compact city and easy to navigate.

It may be worth it to buy a weekly T pass, which is a good buy for the week or even a few days. The train to Salem is not covered. You can take the Logan Express bus to Back Bay for $5 from the airport. It stops at every terminal and stops in front of the Hynes Convention Center which is around the corner from the Hilton. The bus is free if you have the weekly pass, which you can buy at the airport.

Check www.mbta.com for maps and information.

The Back Bay is in a lot of ways the heart of Boston. It is a great place to stay!

The T Green Line has a transportation hub in the Copley station where all the Green trolley lines connect, so you can go anywhere.

There is major shopping on Newbury Street -- from Cartier to art galleries to mall stores and Copley Square Mall, very near your hotel, has Neiman Marcus, Tiffany, etc. I think Saks is at the Prudential Center along with mall shops.

Trade your daughter one hour of shopping for each one hour in a museum!

It is a little early for the Charles River to freeze, but it happens and is a very impressive sight from the T Red Line to Harvard.

You will have a great time!

CW, Now I am confused...if a person doesn't have a car, how do they get to Salem, taxi?? and good to know about the weekly pass!! Will def get that

Ackislander, Good idea about trading museum for shopping!!!!

What museums do y'all recommend??

I gotta go to work now!!!

Have a great day!!