colombiana

Good afternoon:
I was hoping to get some help. I want to visit Boston sometime between end of May to middle of June here are my questions:
How is the weather this time of the year (rainy, very cold, or good for walks)
And I would love to do side trips if possible, what is within driving distance (not more than 2 hours) to see or even travel to for an overnight.
I am not interested in night life, want to enjoy the beauty of the city and its surroundings your assistance as always is greatly appreciate it.
Gina

vjpblovesitaly

I would check the weather websites. I would be shocked if late spring was too cold for walks. That would have to be really really cold

yk

1) May/June is a good time, not too cold and not humid hot, with beautiful spring flowers.

2) However, the first week of June is usually the commencement week for both MIT and Harvard, so double check the dates for 2010 and try to avoid that week. Otherwise, you'll have a hard time finding affordable lodgings.

3) How many days are you thinking of staying here?

4) There are a gazillion possibilites for side trips, and it's difficult to make suggestions without knowing what your interests are. Eg, Newport RI for mansions, Concord/Lexington for Am literature & revolution, North Shore for scenery, New Bedford area for whaling history, etc etc etc

colombiana

yk: You mentioned two great things schenery and whaling I love those two! Thinking of ten days and how does June 10th or 11th sound for arrival? Thanks for your quick response have read some really good trip reports and more than one mention you again thank you.

vjpblovesitaly: Not too long ago we visited San Francisco around the same time and not sure what the temperature was but it was a little uncomfortable for walking (not for me one of my traveling buddies, really hates anything under 70 degrees)

yk

Unfortunately, you will most likely NOT get >70F weather in June. It may hit 70F for 30 minutes during the day, but it's definitely cool weather in the 60s during that time of year.

Here's info regarding the New Bedford Whaling Museum. http://www.whalingmuseum.org/
and then there's the National Park Service in New Bedford:
http://www.nps.gov/nebe/index.htm

Since it's down south, you can easily spend 2-3 days between Newport Rhode Island (I think the Newport flower show is around that time), New Bedford, and come back via Plymouth to visit the Plimoth Plantation.

china_cat

I can't help but laugh...your first post asked if it would be "very cold" in May-June, then the second post said your companion hates anything under 70. You have a very different idea of "cold" than someone who lives in New England (where it is about 10F right now).

Really, late June is a lovely time to be here. It might get up to 70, but it should be nice. We can get rain anytime, but June isn't too bad.

And you can definitely do a whale watch out of Boston that time of year. But do bring layers, because it will be cooler on the water, and possibly windy.

Salem might make another nice day trip, there have been lots of discussions about it, if you do a quick search you'll find them. Many of the whaling ship captains lived there, there are several nice historic homes, and the Peabody-Essex museum is great.

You can also get to Portsmouth NH in less than 2 hours, which makes a great side trip, worth an overnight.

sassy_cat

June is usually warm and sunny (highs of 70F are the norm) but can be unbearably hot!

Here's a link showing average June temps.
http://weather.msn.com/daily_average...SMA0046&weai=6

June and September are my favourite months in New England so you've picked a good time to come.

sf7307

What am I missing? Intellicast.com says that the average high temps in June range from 79°F on June 1st to 85°F on June 30th. The site sassycat linked to says 72-80°F for the same dates. I don't understand the "it might get up to 70" comments (?)

yk

Because it's like SF here. It stays cool for most of the day, and may hit the "high" for an hour in the middle of the day, and dips down quickly.

The only month I would consider HOT here in Boston is August. And perhaps the second half of July. June is not "hot".

yk

Anyway, what I'm saying is, the "high" is misleading in Boston because it only stays in that "high" temp for a short time during the day.

According to this: http://www.cityofboston.gov/arts/film/weather.asp
Average temp in June is 67.2F

and this:
http://www.cityrating.com/cityweather.asp?City=Boston
Average temp in June is 67.7F

Of course, this past June which was unusually cold is still fresh in our minds. The mean temp for June 2009 was 63.3F
http://globalfreeze.wordpress.com/20...une-on-record/

colombiana

Thank you all very much for the suggestions and for taking the time to help me. I will start doing my research and keep any questions for the future. Again thank you
Gina

gail

sf7307 - what you are missing is having obviously misread intellicast. Average high temp for June is 77 degrees, average low is 59 - according to both intellicast and weather.com.

May/June are weird months in Boston. It can be beautiful, warm and sunny - or rain constantly as it did last year. (There were something like 21/30 rainy days in June, if I remember). And when it rains at that time of year in Boston, it is usually quite cool.

I think mid-June, if you are lucky would be lovely. Temps are around 70 during the day, but you would require a sweater at night. Rarely beach weather, gut you could catch a hot day. So you will definitely need a sweatshirt, long pants, as well as shorts.

I like to summarize Boston area in categories. First, there is all the history stuff - Freedom Trail, etc. Second, like most decent cities, there are an assortment of museums. Third, you have the ocean and harbor - beaches within a drive, whale watching, Cape Cod. And fourth, the day trip part - and this can fit into any of the other 3 categories, depending on your interests.

So now that we have beatent he weather issue to death, if you can be a little more specific about interests, we can torture you with suggestions on what to see.

sf7307

Gail, you're right that I had the numbers wrong (not sure what I was looking at), but even so, the average high even at the beginning of the month is is more than 70°F, so I'll have to go with yk's explanation, that even if the average high is 75, it'll only be that for an hour.

colombiana

Gail: Thank you, I like nature, hikes would LOVE to go whale watching, love visiting towns and feel the city itself, I have another question I will rent a car what area would be best for me to use as a home base, I have not read too many reports yet but would it be best to rent a car for half the time or not worth the extra trip. Also any suggestions for companies to do the whale watching would be great. Thanks a bunch for your assistance.
Gina

yk

Do not rent a car while you're in boston. Only rent a car when you're ready to head out for your sidetrip, and return the car as soon as you come back to Boston. You do not need (nor want) a car for sightseeing while you're in Boston, as you'll spend more time stuck in traffic & getting lost than actually being able to sightsee. Plus it'll cost you an arm and a leg to park the car overnight in the city.

gail

How about this for a rough plan (still not sure how long you will be here). Day One. Walk Freedom Trail (several miles - winds thru city and is historic look at Revolutionary War events in Boston - all on city streets). End near North End for Italian food dinner.

Other days can be in any order. Day Two: North Shore/beach day. Rent car and drive to Plum Island (Newbury) area or Ipswich - take a nice seaside walk. Then head to Rockport and/or Gloucester to see a seaside town, eat, a little shopping. If it is warm, add a little beach time.

Day Three: Whale Watch - the ones out of New England Aquarium are very good, although I have to admit I personally have not been on one as I have major seasickness issues. Dress really warm - fleece, windbreaker, etc - no matter how warm it is on land.

Day Four: Museum Day - Museum of Fine Arts, Isabella Stewart Gardner, JFK Museum/Library - and also Cambridge and Harvard if you should be so interested.

Day Five: Rent car and drive to Lexington/Concord historic sites; perhaps stop in Lincoln at Walden Pond. Several nice walking options in these areas.

Other fun things - take a Duck Tour (amphibious vehicle, not a bird); hop on/hop off trolley; Fenway Park tour and Red Sox game if you are lucky or rich enough to get tickets; Haymarket pushcart produce vendors on weekend (near North End); Peabody Essex Museum in Salem (the same Salem with all the witch stuff - which some people are really into).

Other nice Boston walks - along the Esplanade (along Charles River on Boston side); down Newbury Street thru Public Gardens (beautiful in spring) and onto Boston Common.

Try to stay in middle of everything - Downtown, Faneuil Hall, Copley - is what areas are usually called. These areas are expensive, but worth it since you are close to everything. Do not stay in any hotel called Boston/something (like Waltham, Burlington, etc) Do some research here on Boston lodging. I would sooner cut my visit a day or 2 short than stay at some remote area - commutes into Boston could ruin your entire trip.

More info on this board than you could possibly digest on any of the above - and several other Boston regulars who will be happy to pick on your hotel, plans, driving plans - we can be rather opinionated. dfrostnh usually has good Boston info - check some old posts under that screen name. Also several others - plus some trip reports mentioning specific lodging. Your head will fall off trying to read it all - but I can almost guarantee you will enjoy Boston.

colombiana

yk & gail: thank you, I did see the rates for parking ($31.00) i will figure out the first 3 to 4 days in the city and will take it from there thank you very much, this is why I like to start early enough time to plan (I actually enjoy this soo much) have a great day.
Gina

Cranachin

Gina--

At the risk of beating a dead horse, my sister and brother-in-law visited from Florida (I grew up in Florida but live outside Boston now) a couple of years ago during the first week in June. They thought the weather was cold some days and hot others (it certainly was pretty warm for more than "just an hour" on a couple of days!).

So, unless the weather is unusual like last year's was, be prepared for it to be cool some days and pretty warm some days.

Also - Be aware that school is still in session in June, so there could be lots of students visiting the most popular attractions. We ran into crowds of schoolchildren at the USS Constitution and several Freedom Trail stops in Boston and at Plimoth Plantation (south of Boston).

If there is something you really want to see, check to be sure it will open before you go. The major sites will be, but some of the smaller ones do not open for the season until the end of June. We found this to be the case in Plymouth, for example.

colombiana

Cranachin: Thank you, hopefully she will be able to deal with the cooler days, I have a question,I've already decided not to rent a car for the days we are in Boston the day I pick up the rental do I have to get myself to the airport for car rental companies or do they have them at the hotels, I usually like to rent through Priceline for obvious reasons what would be my best way to get to a rental company. Thank you. Gina

yk

Gina, there are plenty of rental car locations thoughout the city for all the major rental car companies. However, it may be a bit tougher to get that via Priceline. If I were you, I'd just shop around for discount codes and then rent a car the conventional way at a location closest to your hotel. Unless you're saving a ton of $, I'd avoid doing PL at the Airport. You'll waste a tremendous amount of time getting to the airport/rental car places there.