JFK Library and Boston Questions
 

Next July 1st we are flying to Boston!!!! W will be staying at Club Quarters (161 Devonshire) and have some questions:

1. Is a cab from the airpot to the hotel best?

2. We arrive at 11:30 am, plan to check in the hotel, get something to eat and take a cab to JFK Library. Where do we eat? Quincy Mrket? Exploring the library from 2 to 5 pm is enough?

3. The second day we plan to got to the Park Rangers Fredom Trail tour. Is it OK? too crowded?

4. Can we walk from our hotel to the North End?

5. Can we walk from the hotel to Beacon Hill?

6. How do we get to Harvard Square? metro?

THANKS

Alba

Hi alba-

A cab from the airport is your best bet if you have lots of luggage. We have stayed at the Club Quarters more than once. The beds are big and comfortable. The bathrooms are tiny. They don't have hairdryers in the baths, so don't forget to bring a travel one. Things like irons and extra pillows are located in a storage closet located on each floor. The elevator requires your room key so don't forget if one of you runs out somewhere. The location is great. You can walk just about anywhere but the street is very quiet at night. The Elephant and Castle next door has good food and a cool atmosphere, lousy service though. Some people want to spend more than a day at the JFK library. Just depends on your interest level. I wouldn't bother to eat at Quincy Market. It is usually incredibly crowded and has lots of chains and food court type places. You can certainly walk along and check out menus in windows which is what we usually do everywhere. We've had very few misses that way. You can walk to the North End if the weather is good and you don't mind walking. Have a great time.

1. - if you can afford it, take a cab. Why start a vacation hauling luggage thru subway stations.

2. Unless you are a Kennedy history freak, that should be enough time. It is, however, easy to get there on MBTA (what you call metro). Take Red Line to JFK. I actaully think Quincy Market is a fine place for lunch - while it is touristy and chainy, there is an enormous selection of vendors from which to choose - everything from food stalls to sit-down restaurants. You can then catch red line of MBTA from nearby to go to JFK Museum.

Don't know how long you are staying, but there will be a large number of July 4th activities going on all week - I am sure hotel will have some sort of brochure/listing.

3. Freedom Trail, with or without Ranger is a great idea. Lots of indoor and outdoor things to see along the way.

4. yes

5. yes

6. MBTA. Check out MBTA.com - a good website that gives you maps and info. A nice feature is that you can enter destination and it will tell you how to get there.

Just a couple of things. I used to live in this neighborhood (Financial District/Waterfront). You are within very easy walking distance of the North End and Beacon Hill, Boston Common, and the Public Garden. Just beyond the Public Garden is the Back Bay, with upscale shopping (Cartier, etc) It is only about a twenty minute walk from your hotel.

You will arrive on a Sunday, so there will be little traffic near your hotel, and a cab is easy if you can afford it. Do not be surprised by the additional items (tunnel tolls and airport fees) added to the meter amount. Your driver may not speak English but may well speak Frencn (Haitian or West African) or Italian (Somali) or Russian. You may want to return to the airport by T when you depart and know your way around better.

I do not think you can get off a plane, check into your hotel, eat lunch, and make it to the JFK library on public transportation by 2 PM. On a weekday, it would be easy to get a sandwich and have a picnic at the museum, but on a Sunday, you will probably have to eat at the small museum cafe. There are, however, classic American fast food places between your hotel and the T station (Mcdonalds and Burger King) if you can be satisfied with that.

Ask at your hotel how to get to Park Street Station on the MBTA. Take an outbound Red Line train (well marked) to Ashmont or Braintree and get off at the JFK/UMASS station, where you can get a shuttle bus to the museum every twenty minutes. Same route in reverse to return.

The North End had many restaurants, of course, but near your hotel on Long Wharf is a very pleasant French restaurant called Sel de la Terre, which has good breads as well as bistro food at reasonable prices. Around the corner is Legal Seafood, which has very high quality seafood, often very badly served. Quincy Market does have a number of real restaurants as well as market stalls and kiosks.

Have a good visit!

Agree with taking cab, unless budget means you should take the T. In that case, and for all other usees of the T during your stay (JFK LIbrary, etc)
the easiest and most efficient and up to date way of plotting from point A to point B on the T, in my opinion, is to go to MBTA.com and to the drop down menu that allows you to type in the address of your destination and print out the results and bring them with you on your trip.

the ohter good site for how to get from point A to point B is www.hopstop.com - from which you can get direction options for walking, the T, bus, combinations of those, etc, etc.

IF your plane is on time and you can get to your hotel, drop your bags, and do a quick turn around, you should be able to have a quick bite and get to JFK somewhere arouhnd 2, but agree thi sis not enough time for a sit down, get waited on leisurely lunch but more for a grab something in the food court at faneuil hall -

July 1 could surprise you. Yes it is a Sunday but it is the Sunday prior to July 4 - some things could be dead and others could be crazy busy with people in town for that weeks vacation and all the 4th activities.

I would have dinner rezzies in the North End ahead of time unless you don't mind playing that by ear or have some restaurants that are on your wish list -

3 hrs would be enough for me in JFK, but others like more, depends on how interested in the many details, etc you are -

if this is a highlight of your trip for you, then personally I would start with it on another morning, so if you want more time there you easily have the option and if not, so then that is how you spent the first 2-3 hrs of a day -

don't know what you wanted to do in Beacon Hill, but maybe that is what you do on arrival day -
get out and walk, walk Charles St, over to the Charles River, esplanade/hatch shell area, Arthur Fiedler bridge back and down Commonwealth Ave and over to Newbury/BOylston/Boston Public Library - maybe if a good day see the sites from the Skywalk Ob servatory at Prudential Center, -
stretch those plane legs!! have some dinner and start out early the next day -

You guys are THE BEST!!!

How expensive is a cab? You guys have me scared ......LOL. How much?
Alba

A cab from the airport to your hotel will run about $25.

You didn't mention in your plans the Duck Tour, I would put that into your plans and don't tell everyone else that part of the trip is on the Charles River, just let them be a bit surprised when the vehicle heads for the water.

Also you might enjoy Durgin Park at Fanuiel Hall, it's an old Boston tradition, and family style seating, so likely you will meet other visitors.

The Museum of Fine Art and the Science Museum are both excellent in Boston and worth a visit as well.

For more info on what is happening while you are intown, check www.boston.com for lots of local info.

When you land at Logan the houses on your IMMEDIATE view out the window is Winthrop, so please give a wave for me (my hometown), oh and it only LOOKS like you are going to land on their roofs.

go to Park St subway and take the red line to Harvard Square(the direction of Alewife)