Itinerary for Boston weekend
 

My 2 teenagers and I will be flying into Logan airport on Friday night. We're spending the night at the Tremont Hotel on Tremont Street. Saturday early morning we'd like to take the "T" to Harvard Square so the kids can take a quick look, but a sweatshirt, ect. Then we want to be on the "Freedom Trail" around 10am. We want to spend some time at Faneuil Hall & Quincy Market. We'd like to eat lobster at Legal Seafood. Hubby is meeting us at hotel Sat. evening, then we plan on going to the Old North Church for Easter Sunday. We're flying home Sun. afternoon. Any suggestions are appreciated. Like what else could we fill our time with? On the Freedom Trail I'd like to eat oysters at the Ye Old Oyster House. Do you think we could get to Harvard, take a quick walk in the library and bookstore and be back on the "Trail" by 10am? Thanks for your help!

I stayed at the Tremont on Friday night too... right behind the hotel (you can take a short cut through the parking lot) is the Blue Man performance, it was not sold out, I was on the balcony for not more then $50. I believe on Fridays they start at 7, not at 8.

I was alone, the the room was the smallest room ever. Otherwise, everything was fine. I only stayed overnight before a tour which took off early in the morning, so can't say much.

Oh, and across the street there is a theater, and they had russian ballet then.

Can't even remember where I had dinner! My report must be buried here somewhere.

The Harvard Coop opens at 9am on Saturdays. If you are there when it opens and take a quick look around Harvard Sq and Harvard Yard beforehand, you should be able to get back to the Freedom Trail by 10am. Take the Red Line from Harvard Sq to Park St. You can start following the Freedom Trail right from the exit of the T station.

Faina- My husband told me it was a old hotel, so I think we'll be prepared. It looks like the T stop to use closest to the hotel is NE Med. Center, am I correct?
Bennie - Thanks for the heads up with the Coop opening at 9am. Great suggestion to start the Freedom Trail at Park Street. Any other suggestions are appreciated. This is the first place I turn to when planning a trip! Great knowledge to be had here!

I don't think you'll be allowed into any of the libraries at Harvard, but there's plenty of other stuff to see. Depending on when your flight gets in and how energetic you feel, it might be worthwhile to go to Harvard Square on Friday night instead, to see a whole other side of it.

Park Street is where the Freedom Trail begins. Also nearby is the main tourist information booth -- a few yards down Tremont Street. You can probably pick up a handy map of the Freedom Trail there and brochures about the downtown attractions.

A bit of advice: Skip Legal Seafoods.
It's just a name. Go anywhere but there.
Also, I don't know where you're from but make sure to pack some layers. We've been extremely lucky to get to 50 degrees these past few days.

Have fun in Beantown! It's the best!

As someone who has been going to Legal's for >30 yrs, I must respectfully, but strongly disagree w/Jea1976.

I join socialworker. Legal has the freshest seafood available tho not innovative. And I too have been going there when they were a one small operation in cambridge with the fish market. People who put it down, do not know fresh seafood. Legal is also the only seafood place that has their own boats and inspectors so you know you'll never get sick.

Thanks social & cigal:
It's been several years ago but I've had lobster at Legal's and thought it was fantastic. I'm thinking it might be cheaper to have a lobster there at lunch time vs. dinner. Any idea of what prices to expect?

In response to socailworker:
I DO know fresh seafood. I live in Maine. The maine course I had at LS was marginal, at best. I also had chowder and it was dreadful.
To each his own.

What terminal are you flying home from? It might be worth saving Legal Sea Foods for the trip home.

They have restaurants in Terminals B & C.
A Legal's Test kitchen in Terminal A and a Legal Seafood Express in Terminal C.

HI Jea1976---please re-read my post. Thanks.

Legal has a menu on their website

http://www.legalseafood.com

They changed their menu online :( It used to have exact prices, now it just has a guide (but you can get a good idea what to expect)

To flygirl--if I am not mistaken, lobster is the same price all the time, in other words unlike some dishes that are cheaper at lunch, I don't think lobster is one of them. Other items have a lower lunch price b/c they are somewhat smaller portions.

If one cannot have lobster on a beach or at a lobster pound in Maine, then Legal Seafoods is the next best thing, especially for someone who lives outside New England, which I assume flygirl and her family do...

Yes, we live in the midwest. Boston is my favorite city and I haven't been there in 8 years so am excited for this spur of the moment trip to come up.
Alya-great suggestion to eat at the airport. We are coming in on Northwest but
don't know what Terminal that is.

NW is in Terminal E.

flygirl, you will be just amazed at the difference in the North End/Quincy Marketplace area, where they're just finishing taking down the Central Artery (i.e., the final phases of the Big Dig project). It's still a gaping construction site, but the lines of sight are like seeing a whole new city!

Legal Seafoods has its ups and downs. It may not be the same as having lobster on a dock in Maine within a few hours of having pulled up the trap, but compared to Filay-O-Fish type of food available outside New England, LS can be wonderful. They've had some problems with upper-management feuding, and I would agree with anyone who says they used to be better. And any restaurant in any location will have bad days (Mondays) and good days (Thursdays).

I remember going to the first Legal in Inman Sq. in Cambridge in the 60s: picnic tables with paper covers and family-style seating on one side, a seafood store on the other. Julia Child often came in for her fish. Swordfish was $1.25 a pound.

flygirl: you will be cutting it close to get to the Freedom Trail from Harvard Sq. after only an hour at The Squeah -- be flexible, esp. since some people find parts of the Freedom Trail less than compelling.

For Jea1976: I completely and totally agree with you about Legal Seafoods. They may win the superlative of freshest seafood but who's says it's prepared well? And here's the thing, I think the food in Boston is generally pretty average. There are a few above average and maybe even fewer outstanding...but...ah, well maybe I should start a new thread on Legal's, love'em or leave'm. With the strong-blooded provincialism in this town, I'm sure everyone has some very personal feelings about this. But as you said, 'to each his own'.