I will stay in Boston on 12/29~1/2,and lodging in HI-Boston,I have some question:
1.I will take bus back to NY on 1/2 7:00am
in Chinatown by subway ,is it safe in the
morning?
2.As I know,the weather is bad and cold in
this season,is it suit for Freedom Trail?
3.Does any ever try Holly Jolly Holiday
Trolley,is it worth to take ?
4.Could you give me suggestion should to
visit.
5.Is Harvard university Glass flower museum
open on 1/1?
thanks

1. Yes, in Boston the Chinatown is part of downtown and on a work day it is very safe and plenty of people around.

2. Yes, you can walk the Freedom Trail if you are dressed warmly. Hat, scarf, gloves, warm coat, etc. The weather in Boston is very different every day -- you might have a high temperature for the day of 40 degrees or just 20 degrees.

4. If you do a search here on the Fodors board for the word "Boston" you will find many posts and discussions with ideas about things to do.

5. No, the Harvard Museum of Natural History is closed on New year's Day.

1)All the area of Chinatown (in DC too) that I've been in I would feel entirely safe at that time of day. Maybe not at 3am, but during daytime hours I would not think twice about my safety.

2)I walked the entire Freedom Trail in January - maybe around Jan 10, a few years ago. There can be nice, sunny days with little wind, and you could have cold windy days. There are a number of places you can always go into along the trail for some shelter, and to "warm up". I advise wearing some "layers" of clothing, to keep warm, and to be able to shed excess cloths if it's too warm. Gloves and a knit hat are very helpful too.

3)don't know the trolleys very well, but have been on a few of them - can't remember which ones. The narrations / commentary on the two I've taken was very good. As far as just getting around, you can purchase all-day MBTA pass, but you don't get the commentary. Most of the trolley companys have sales booths near the Aquarium, with "hawkers" trying to drum up business. I told one that I thought I might just use the MBTA pass, rather than spend all the money they wanted, and he told me he'd let me ride for the children's price.

4)Visits? Lots of things. Science Museum, Aquarium, Museum of Fine Arts, JFK Library - just a few. I do not know about Glass flower Museum.

Enjoy your visit at both cities. I like them both. I like the location of the Boston HI, but have never been at the DC HI.

Topping for anson. have a great visit in Boston!

5. Not much is open on 1/1. If it is cold, it is fun to walk around and see the ice sculptures from First Night before they melt or get knocked down.

Since you will be here over New Years Eve, you should find plenty to do. They sell First Night butrtons which allows you entry into all sorts of cultural things, but even if you do not buy a button, there are fireworks, parades, street vendors, street performers. Have a good trip.

firstnight.org gives details of everything happening in Boston 12/31

The glass flowers at Harvard are so well worth a visit - I was astounded by them. Can you get there on another day? It seems to be open daily except Christmas and New Year's day.

http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu/exhibitions/glassflowers.html

There are hundreds of flowers and plants made around the turn of the 20th century as scientific models. They are so realistic and delicate, it is almost impossible to understand how the detail (of stamens, cactus spines, wrinkled leaves, for instance) was made in glass (let alone shipped from Germany!). There's a spray of apple blossom that one would swear had just been picked from the tree. I can honestly say it was one of the most memorable exhibits I have ever visited.