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!!

You can take the commuter rail train to Salem from North Station. You would take the Green Line T to North Station and buy your train ticket. It's about a 30 minute ride. Maps and schedules are on the mbta link above.

I'd recommend the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, the personal collection of Mrs. Gardner housed in a Venetian style palace. Nearby is the spectacular Museum of Fine Arts. For a different experience, visit Gibson House and tour a Victorian Era townhouse. Harvard also has some great museums.

Back Bay Hilton is perfect - good job.

In the fall there will be a First Night website listing activities. But shows, concerts, etc should be scheduled already.

For Salem I might rent a car for the day - you can take commuter rail, but then you need a cab to get from Salem train stop to things to see.

Snow in December is questionable. I gather you are not from the north - please take seriously what you wear. It will be raw and windy. You need lined and waterproof footwear. Sometimes there is sleet and rain that collects on sidewalks.

There is public skating on the Boston Common. They rent skates. Lots of people who do not know how to skate go.

The Boston Common also will have beautiful lights. Go to the top of the Prudential or Hancock after dark and see the lit and decorated city.

Take a walking food tour of the North End (google for the website - I forget it) or Chinatown - but the one of the North End is far superior. You are not outside for long, going from shop to shop.

Copley Place is an enclosed mall - and close to your hotel.

See if the Bruins are playing (hockey). Schedule will not be out for a few months.

You can rent a car for one day, either a traditional rental or a zip car.
I agree about the Gardener.
Check out TDudettes recent Boston art trip report

Can people who are not Zip Car members rent Zip Cars?

No, but in some areas it is cheaper to join than to pay a regular rental rate.

From what I know, you need to have a zip car membership to reserve one of their cars. For multi-hour car rentals, it's always good to compare zip cars to regular car rentals, and weigh the pick-up convenience and cost.

Thanks for the info Gail!! Yeh, we are from the deep south, some say we have an accent but I don't hear it!! Lol

I think we will do ok just using the T subway or if we get stuck, a taxi. And I will google the food tour, sounds interesting! I think if I tried to skate, my daughter would never stop laughing!!

CW, I will check out the museums you mentioned, I think I can get her to go to one at least for me!

Y'all have been so helpful to me, wish I had known about this site earlier.

I must say I think you have had a pretty near perfect interaction with this site. I wish more people would do what you did.

1. Stated your needs clearly
2. Listened when people gave you answers (Peabody no, car no)
3. Didn't dawdle when you needed to jump (Gail's incredible rate for the Hilton)
4. Maintained your sense of humor throughout

It is a pleasure to try to help people like you.

As you get closer to the trip, come back to fill in the details. We will all be around.

Thanks!! I am so glad I got good feedback!! and Yesss, I will have more questions, such as where to go to eat the best clam chowder??

For clam chowder I the Neptune oyster and The Summer Shack.

Neptune Oyster's clam chowder was amazing!

Yumm, I added those to my list! Thanks!! And my daughter was online and she saw a pic of a canolli, where do they have good ones?? We have never had one!

Oh god, Bostonians, correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think you can get a bad one anywhere in the North End. In fact, if you go to Neptune it's in the North End, and you can wander around a bit and stop at any bakery that looks good to you--we passed at least three, some with long lines out the door, others crowded but doable. You should wander around, the neighborhood is quaint.

We had them for dessert at Nico's in the North End and they were excellent. (The meal was good, not great, the atmosphere utterly charming.)

modern Pastry , imho. Prepare to swoon

Get a freshly filled ricotta canolli at Mikes and Modern and do a taste off. Do not get the pre filled canolli's in the case.

Mike's was one of the places with lines out the door! And we saw lots of people carrying boxes from Modern. I was surprised at how late they both stay open, too.

A perfect day for me with a 16 year old daughter (having done similar things in other cities). Start late morning around Faneuil Hall Marketplace and do some shopping. Wander over to the North End and look into the many little specialty food shops. Have a late lunch at one of the restaurants that catches your eye (menus always posted outside). Linger over an afternoon glass of wine or coffee.

Then head over to Mikes or Modern Pastry and have them fill 4 fresh canolli for you. Get the traditionally sweetened ricotta filling. Get them packed to go. Wander back to your hotel (or take the T or a cab). After a huge North End lunch, canolli, a TV movie, looking through you shopping purchases and a 16 year old makes for a wonderful bonding experience.

(Do not eat any red chowder while in Boston, nor any canolli with chocolate filling - you will quickly be thrown into the Harbor like the tea at the Tea Party)

thanks for the dessert ideas! I can't wait!!!!

And Gail, I wish there was a site that would say the word FANEUIL, have no idea!! And lastly, what is red chowder???

( P.S. I love chocolate & wine!!)

cheryl

Red Chowder, AKA Manhattan clam chowder, is a tomato based soup. It is prohibited in Boston.

The word is most commonly pronounced Fan-Yull, although the exactly proper pronunciation is a bit different.

ok, so we will ask for the white clam chowder!! lol and we were calling it, Fanna-yewl

we already love Boston!! Now if it would just Snow!!!