We're just back from Boston, and I wanted to give a big thanks to everyone who provided us with great information. We did whale watching, ate lots of good food, went to a Sox/Yankees game, did the Freedom Trail and Duck Tour, also Isabella Stewart Gardner, and went sailing in Nantucket. Loved it all - you guys have a great city! We even loved the T - so easy to get around. And Shear Madness was fun too...will do a trip report when I have more time, but really wanted to thank everyone for the help. We'll definitely go back. Even though we did so much, there's still so much more we would like to see.

Glad you had a good trip. I know we all had fun elightening you about Fenway Park traditions. Looking forward to trip report. (And if you did just get back, you were fortunate to have some incredibly great weather for Fall in Boston)

I remember your posts! Glad you had a good time. I'm interested to hear your impressions of the Sox/Yankees game.

Glad you had a good time. And I'm looking forward to your trip report too. I hope you got to see the one and only Sox win over the Yankees!

Hi volcanogirl..
We were in Boston the same time you were and I was following your posts..
Had a blast too but I thought the 'T' was one of the worst subway/bus systems ever..
Weather was perfect and the food/drink and the people were just great.
What a great city Boston is!

Hi! We were in Boston this past weekend too...We were at the Friday night RedSox/Yankees game. I'll have to post more when I have time. We LOVED Fenway! We live blocks within Wrigley Field, so it was neat to visit Fenway. It's wonderful. We have always wanted to see the rivalry in person.
We also went to the Patriots/Chargers game on Sunday night...worth every penny. It was just the best time. Another great rivalry. Gilette was such a nice stadium and the fans were great.

I thought the subway system was great, but I'm from Chicago. You must be from another place. Not a knock on Chicago...we are probably just comparing two different things.

I wanna hear more about sailing in Nantucket. Looking forward to a long detailed trip report???!!!!! Please!

Re MBTA in Boston. It is old - really old. There are only so many facelifts you can give it. The bus system has no such excuses - few tourists ride the bus because it is so confusing. I would guess that about 90% of the people on any given bus route ride that same route 3 or more days/week. I have lived here about 25 years and rarely have ventured onto an MBTA bus.

Re: Fenway. Since you have now both been there, you are now eligible to participate in the keep it-tear it down argument. While it is historic, quaint, and I grant that the present owners have made huge improvements during their tenure - it is a really uncomfortable place to watch a 4 hour game. If I were a tourist I would love it - but as one who tries to get tickets several times/year, my back, knees and hips ache for hours after sitting in those torturous seats.

Gina - never reveal your true identity to any Bostonian - if you were able to get tickets to both Red Sox/Yankees and a Patriots game in same weekend.

Glad you all had a good time - it is important for those of us to live here to get a kick in the butt from tourists every so often so we appreciate our city a little more.

Regina's Pizza alone is enough to keep us coming back. After my husband tried it, it was a real challenge to convince him to go anywhere else! I'll do the trip report this weekend, but I will tell you we loved Fenway; the energy there was amazing. We got the sausage outside the park like you guys recommended and got to sing "Sweet Caroline" - no Dirty Water though - hopefully next time.

Wow Gina, you got to a Sox/Yankees game and the Patriots game? What a weekend! And you must have had plenty of time to enjoy Fenway since that Friday night game went almost 5 hours! I was watching it across the way at the Baseball Tavern's roof deck.

Hi, Tahiti - I'm from Houston; if you saw our public transportation, the T would impress you! They're just now starting to put a rail line in, but we're all so addicted to our cars. I thought it was amazing that so many people took the T and how you could get around so cheaply without paying for gas.

Gina, you just had my husband's dream trip. Sports every day would be his perfect vacation. I love that Boston is such a sports town. My husband was wearing a Texans cap, and everywhere we went, everyone was saying, "Texans 2-0!"

I remember your thread too. Glad you enjoyed your trip. Yes our subway is old (the oldest!). New York's subway is better, but we try to keep up by making sure our fare matches theirs, even though the service does not.

The keep Fenway debate is OVAH. it's staying, thank goodness. It's one of only a few unique old ballparks, and I'm glad the current owners don't want to tear it down.

Okay, here goes the trip report!

Saturday - we arrived late in the day. My husband and I are both big planners/researchers, so we had figured out before leaving the we needed to take the blue line to get to the Long Wharf Marriott. Lo and behold the blue line is closed due to some sort of construction, so we're clueless on what to do next. The people in the station are really nice and point us to the shuttle busses outside. They tell us we need to go to govenment center and transfer.

The price of the bus is free, which is a big (and nice!) surprise. I'm lugging a big suitcase on the bus, and the man behind me insists on lifting it for me. First impression of Bostonians - friendly and helpful people. And it seems like everyone is really in a hurry! The people rush on and off the bus - very different pace that what we have in Houston. We get off at government center - this area is not too attractive, and there are loads of cigarette butts all over the ground. We get on another bus to get to the aquarium stop. Ask the driver if we're on the right bus, and he stands up and says, "Everyone not going to the aquarium, you're on the wrong bus and need to get off. We're going to the aquarium." Another tourist tells him thanks and that he's really helpful, and he says, "Well, yea, just don't tell nobody, or they'll come to expect it." Funny! I think Bostonians as a whole have a great quick, dry wit about them, and we keep finding ourselves chuckling.

We get to the Marriott, and it's in a great location. Thanks to everyone who helped us pick this spot. We had points to use and wanted something near the water - it's perfect. The room is really comfortable, but the view stinks. We had requested a water view, and our view was of the inside of the hotel - weird, it looked out into the hallway and into an inner meeting room/ballroom area. We ask for another room, and they put us on a list. Off to dinner at Legal Sea Foods.

We had made a reservation, and I'm glad that we did. The place was packed. After a couple of minutes wait, we are seated. The food was really good, and the service was wonderful too. They even asked if we had any special dietary needs or allergies they should make the chef aware of. Seems like a first-rate establishment. I know it's chain, but we don't have them here, so fun for us. Our waiter was really great, and they were trying out the new fall vegetables, so we had a delicious butternut squash with dried cranberries as a side dish. A cool front had come through, so it seemed like the perfect dish for autumn. We walk back to the hotel and just relax in the room and plan out our next day.

Sunday - we get up and do the early Duck Tour - really liked it. Seemed like a great way for a new visitor to get oriented. Only two kids on our tour, so we got an older gentleman dressed like a professor who found quacking to be demeaning. He told us all we should say, "Quackibus, Quackibus" instead. We saw all the sites and then went into the river. The two kids on board had a chance to drive the boat, which seemed like the highlight for them. The entire tour took about 90 minutes; we'd recommend it.

After that we walked over to the North End. The Marriott is in a great location for getting there - pretty easy walk. The weather was cool, so I stopped to buy one of those $15 hoody jackets that everyone wears. Seems like Boston is the land of the hoody - are those just the tourists? I really wanted a jacket without a hood, so I asked the guy if he had any, and he says, "No, but I got a pair of scissors for ya." We end up buying it, and I'm now sporting the hoody - keeps me warm, so I like it.

Next stop is Regina's Pizza - another recommendation made to me on this board. We waited outside in line for about 20 minutes. The waitress kept coming out to announce that two more people could come in. It was so worth the wait - we loved it! One of the best meals we had - split a small pizza - half pepperoni, and half sausage - good stuff. The waitresses are so sweet and keep calling me "hon" - I have my camera out, and one of them asks the guy in the back to toss some dough so I can get a picture of it. Great place!

Another thing we noticed about Bostonians - they tend to say everything twice. When you ask about bus fare, "It's free, it's free." Or "Get on, get on." Some people accused the waitress of bringing them the wrong pizza, and she said, "Watch yourself. Watch yourself." Seems like a lot of them act tough, but they are really charming and sweet and helpful. We are falling in love with the city.

We head off to Mike's Pastry to get some cannoli (am I spelling this right?) and some cookies to keep at the hotel. The Marriott has found us a room with a water view, and it's great. They even offer to put a frig in the room to keep the cannoli cool. Ended up loving this hotel. The view was really pretty - a park on one side with lots of people and dogs, a nice fountain, and the water/boats on the other side.

We relax a bit in the room and head off to catch the T to the Sox/Yankees game. The T is really easy to use and so clean. I notice no one makes eye contact with each other. I think Texans will start a conversation with anyone, and are used to smiling a lot, lots of "Good Mornings" and "Hi"s even to total strangers, but here everyone seems to keep to themselves. The second the doors open, people rush on and rush off, and we're on the move again. My friend from New York said, "Watch out for those people that make eye contact!" Guess it's not the norm.

We get to the game, and the atmosphere is so great. I know from your recommendation to get the sausage outside. We get a sausage and a kielbasa - really good. Wondering why no one in Boston is heavy - all your food seems so good! I guess it's because you do a lot of walking! We get to our seats and think they're not too bad - pretty comfortable. Then other people start arriving and I realize that we're all overlapping into each other's seats. My husband is touching shoulders with the guy next to him, the lady next to me has her coat over my lap, the lady behind me keeps hitting me with her purse, but you know what? We loved it and had the best time! Such amazing history there and a super high energy level. We got a kick out of people eating clam chowder at a baseball game. We got to join in on "Roger, Roger" and sing "Sweet Caroline" - saw Wally and the Green Monster. Got to yell "Steroids" - thanks to all your help, we knew all the traditions. It was a close game, but the Sox ended up losing 4-3, so no Dirty Water. Hoping we can go back someday to hear it. The fans were really into the game, but no one was too drunk or obnoxious. Go Sox! We headed back to our new room to turn in for the night. More later...

And thanks again for all the help.

Monday - This was another day of site seeing for us. There's so much history in Boston. My husband jokes that in Houston, if a building gets to be 30 years old, we tear it down to put up something new. So nice to see all the old buildings and streets that have been preserved.

We started the day doing the guided tour of the Freedom Trail. It was about 90 minutes long, and our guide was dressed in period costume. He was Ebeneezer Macintosh, a couterpart of Paul Revere's, and very witty and informative. The trail is doable on your own - marked by a red line painted on the street/sidewalk that you can just follow along, but we got a lot out of the tour that we wouldn't have on our own. It starts in Boston Common and winds around - our favorite part was the cemetery where Paul Revere, Sam Adams, and John Hancock are buried. The tour ended at Fenueil Hall/Quincy Market area - decided to go to Durgin Park for lunch based on the rec. of our guide. He said they would be mean to us, and it would be fun. I guess they're supposed to pick on you in an amusing sort of way, but no one did anything like that - just seated us and served us lunch. The food was pretty good - I had a cod sandwich, and my husband had the yankee pot roast. They served complimentary corn bread with it. After that we just walked around the city - saw the old North Church and walked down Newbury Street to see all the good shopping. Also went to the Public Garden, which was so pretty and peaceful. Wanted to ride the swan boats, but they were put away, so we hiked over to see the frog pond - I guess this is for skating in the winter? It was really just an empty cement pond, but it was a pretty day so nice to walk around. Also saw Make Way for Ducklings. Ended up going back to the North End and eating at Artu - excellent calamari for an appetizer and then some pretty heavy duty southern Italian food for dinner - Veal Parm and lasagna, good glass of red wine too. Very nice, relaxed evening here.

Afterwards, we walked to Modern Pastry. We really liked this place - thought the quality of the food was better than Mike's - great cannoli! Very friendly service too. Was surprising to see such a long line late at night. We got a couple of cupcakes to celebrate my birthday - luckily we had the frig in the room because all our pastries were piling up!

This is a great report--I love Boston--I am from California and I had never seen a building more than 70 years old....fell in love with some of the buildings at Harvard..
Glad you had such a good time..

That was a great trip report - good on important details - I enjoyed reading about your trip since I also kept track of the planning process.

"Seems like Boston is the land of the hoody - are those just the tourists? "

Not just tourists. Between the unpredictable weather and the basic windiness, everybody wants a hood at unplanned times.

traveler, Houston is the same way; we have several historic buildings near my office that people are battling to preserve, and they're tearing them down to put in a big Barnes and Noble.

Thanks, gail - I have more to write about - just trying to break things up a little, so it doesn't get too long-winded.

Thanks for the report, volcanogirl.

I lived in Boston for 8 years, followed by 6 more in Philly, and now living in Dallas.

The first few months in Dallas I was kind of weary of people saying "hi" to me. I was just not used to strangers talking to me!!!

Now when I go back to the NorthEast, I complain about folks up there being unfriendly.

anonymous, I fell in love with the hoody after I got it - I get it now!

Tuesday we started the day with whale watching. We did it through the aquarium, which is conveniently located right next to the Marriott. Booked it the day before, and they told us to arrive at 9:00a.m. for the 9:30 departure. The boat was big and comfortable with multiple decks and a snack bar and restroom. They highly advised us to take Dramamine before we left because there was a "slight chop" on the water. We took ours, and boy were we glad we did! We sailed out about 25 miles and the water was so rough, you literally had to hang on to the railing; at times my feet left the deck. The first whale spottings were amazing - loved it. Saw two humpacks, and then a group of three. Then several more - got to see the water spouts and the tail flukes. I've wanted to go whale watching for so long and are so glad we did it. They can identify the whales by their different patterns, and if you show them your pictures, they can identify which whale it is - pretty cool.

After we headed back in, we were off to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum - really unique place that was recommended to me on the boards. It's am amazing collection of art - most of it isn't labelled and kind of overwhelming because there's so much of it. Ms. Gardner precisely arranged it all before she passed away, and no one is allowed to move anything, so it's always just as she wanted it. The interior has a beautiful 3-story courtyard with a garden - very nice. We took the T back into town; this was the first time we had to wait for any substantial period of time - guess this train doesn't run as frequently. We ended up buying a weekly T pass - would highly recommend this to other tourists - made it really easy.

Ate lunch at Legal Sea Foods - had the lobster dinner to celebrate my birthday; it was great, and the service was really nice. Had rice pilaf and broccoli - all very good. That night we went to see "Shear Madness" which was a hoot - it's a murder mystery play, but funny and the ending changes based on audience involvement. The playhouse is really casual and laid back, and they make some stroooong drinks. We were pretty wiped out after that day, so just had room service for dinner and prepared to leave for Nantucket. We loved Boston - still have a lot of things we didn't get to do. Our votes are to keep Fenway and for Moden Pastry over Mike's.