Labor day trip to Boston--itinerary input appreciated
 

I just booked my husband and I for a flight to Boston over Labor Day weekend. We'll have 4 nights. We'll be staying at the new Fairmont Battery Wharf.

Now, I'm moving to the trip planning stage. These are my initial thoughts:

1. Jersey Boys (never seen it--heard rave reviews)

2. Blue Man Group (never seen it--I know, we're the last people in the world to have not seen it)

3. Whale watching tour or Historic River Cruise--which one is more worthwhile?

4. Freedom Trail tour

5. Some time at Copley Square

6. Some time at Beacon Hill and Boston Common

7. North End neighborhood exploring near hotel

8. Fenway Park tour

9. Samuel Adams brewery tour

10. Time permitting, Cambridge and check out Harvard

What do you think about this plan? Anything you would add or remove?

Also, can anyone give me some specific restaurant suggestions near some of the tours for lunch and/or near our hotel or the Jersey Boys/Blue Man sites for dinner? I'm thinking a couple of dinners in the $75-100 range and a couple more high end, over $100-200. We like Italian, French bistro, Mexican, Japanese, Thai, and New American.

Thanks!

I really enjoyed the Duck Tour and also, the Isabella Stewart Gardner museum.

The duck tour is fun. We saw the Blue Man Group early on when we chaperoned a teen group. It was zany, the theater is small but I think the tickets are too expensive now. My husband didn't care for them at all but he's the serious old Yankee plus it was sort of like watching our son and his friends when they were teens and doing the garage band except they didn't paint themselves blue.
We've done many Boston weekends but my absolute favorites were Michelle Topor's Culinary Tour of the North End. Lots of food samples and great neighborhood information. I have always enjoyed visiting Haymarket Square when the pushcart vendors are there on Fridays and Saturdays. Good time to pick up some fruit. It will be packed on Saturday. Depends on how much you mind crowds and authentic Boston experience. It is less busy on Fridays during work hours. Haymarket is adjacent to Quincy Market. Most recently we did the Culinary Tour of Chinatown ending with a dim sum lunch. Offered by same company. Tour is limited to 10. Book now if interested because it is only given by one person twice a week. I had trouble getting a free weekend but surprisingly it wasn't full on the weekend we could finally go. Other members of the group had already done the North End tour. If you like to cook, the tour leader is a former professional chef. On both tours allow time to go back to shop since you won't have time on the tours for shopping. Now Chinese markets are no longer so mysterious. One both tours you will get some restaurant info that might help you pick a place to go.
We have gone back for lunch at Durgin Park for old times' sake. It's a Boston institution that we first visited as school children umpty-ump years ago. Expect hearty but plain cooking. Can't remember if we had Indian pudding on our last visit or not. It's a favorite dessert, very old fashioned.

A few comments:

1) Blue Man Group - You can usually get discount tickets via BosTix or Travelzoo
http://www.bostix.org/default.asp
http://entertainment.travelzoo.com/entertainment/616799

Looks like discounts thru August right now, but keep checking back when it gets closer to Sept.

2) Check out Boston's tourism website for potential savings:
http://www.bostonusa.com/visit/bosto...iew=greatdeals

3) I enjoyed the free UNofficial tour of Harvard (a tip is expected) http://www.harv.unofficialtours.com/index.php

4) While at Copley, don't forget to check out the Boston Public Library. If your timing is right, you can join the free Art and Architecture tour of the BPL:
http://www.bpl.org/central/tours.htm

5) For Beacon Hill, take a look at this self-guided walking tour: http://www.beaconhillonline.com/cgi-...dex.cgi?cid=21

6) boston by foot offers a wide variety of walking tours. I haven't taken any by them but they get good reviews.

7) This company offers free walking tours, but not sure what the new schedule will be: http://www.amsbostontours.com/

8) Walk to the Sea is another self-guided walk. There are signs along the way so you won't get lost: http://www.walktothesea.com/about-the-walk.html

9) Around Theatre District (ie, near Jersey Boys and Blue Man Group), I like:
Via Matta (italian)
Avila (Mediterranean)
BiNA (Italian)
Montien (Thai)

Hope this helps.

yk-

Thanks so much for that post. Very helpful, especially about the savings!

3. By 'river cruise' do you mean the Duckboat tours? They're land/water (Charles River) - I've never done one but I'd guess they take an hour or so, and leave from the Copley area. Whale watching would be, I think, at least a half-day affair. Another option if you're looking to fill a day, would be to take the fast ferry to Provincetown and walk around - you can also rent bikes near the ferry dock.

4. You'll be right in the midst of the Freedom Trail since you're staying in the N. End. If you're history buffs it's definitely worthwhile.

5, 6. Copley Square has the BPL, as a previous poster noted, and Trinity Church which offers tours. Not much else to see other than the large Copley Mall - and if you're in the mood for shopping and the weather is nice, it's much more pleasant to stroll along Newbury St right nearby. Similarly, Boston Common is pretty much just a park. Might be worth a quick walkthrough but unless you're planning a picnic it won't take up much time.

7. The N. End and the waterfront nearby are great for walking and exploring, and eating. There are usually festivals in the late summer - you can Google 'North End Boston festivals' to see if there's one while you'll be here. If so expect LARGE crowds -and many of the restaurants don't take reservations. I'd avoid the ones on Hanover St - most are touristy and overpriced, with not-great service (because few locals go there!). Try some places slightly off the main drag - Antico Forno, Trattoria il Panino, La Summa, Monica's Trattoria are all excellent. For fantastic (non Italian) seafood, Neptune Oyster. Again, be prepared to put your name in and wait awhile, especially if it's dinner on a weekend night. Cafe Vittoria is great for espresso. If you are into the pastry thing (and are looking to avoid lines), Bova's on Salem St. or Maria's (Cross Street I think) are more locals, less tourists.

If you are into museums, the MFA (Museum of Fine Arts) and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (essentially an Italian palazzo full of art & antiques) are both worth a visit.

Restaurants, other than the N. End - Union Oyster is right across the Greenway from the N. End, near Faneuil Hall and has been around forever. Durgin Park, imo, is a tourist trap with horrid food and extremely surly waitstaff (part of the "schtick", like some diners) - some like it, some don't I guess. The South End has loads of great restaurants - Aquitaine, Masa (contemporary southwest, and about all you'll find of this type of cuisine here - don't expect great Mexican!), Hamersley's, the Beehive are a few. For your splash-out evening, #9 Park or Clio are both wonderful. If you are into wine pairings, Troquet near the Common has a menu built around pairings.

All good suggestions.
the North End is fun, lots of new restaurants and boutiques have opened
The MFA and Gardner museums.
I've never seen the Blue Men. I saw enough commercials to know it didn't appeal to me
Have fun and be sure to walk through the Public Garden.
Right now it's at its best with the swans in the pond and the swan boats full of tourists and the explosion of flower beds,

I always enjoy taking visitors to see the U.S.S. Constitution, "Old Ironsides", and the associated museum at the Charlestown Navy Yard. There's also a WWII Destroyer there, the USS Cassin Young, which you can tour. You can take the MBTA Water Shuttle there from Long Wharf, near the New England Aquarium; it's a ten minute boat ride. A plus to this is you get the advantage of seeing nice views of the inner harbor from out on the water.

If you want to see Jersey Boys, check into ticket availability ASAP. My MIL, who's coming to visit next week, said she really wanted to see it, but when I checked recently for tickets during the week she'll be here, all that were left were way up in the top of the balcony, so we decided to pass on it. Maybe there will be more availability over Labor Day weekend, as that's farther away, but don't delay looking into it.

DH and I have also really enjoyed Blue Man Group, we've been twice - it's quirky and a lot of fun (just be aware, the music is pretty loud in that small theater).

Will disagree very strongly about the relative merits of Durgin Park vs. Union Oyster House. The food is significantly better at DP, and this place's legendary "gruff" service has been at pussycat level for a long time -- in fact, I've encountered much less friendly service at UOH. I'm a local and in fact eat at DP sometimes but won't set foot in UOH.

And of the four North End Italian spots rmw555 suggested, I would not at all send anyone to Trattoria il Panino until they stop

-refusing to give patrons tap water, even when asked.
-repeatedly hounding patrons to order a beverage during the meal if a patron refuses to purchase one.

Antico Forno, La Summa, and Monica's Trattoria are all indeed very good, but given the choice, I would opt to hit Prezza, Mamma Maria, Pizzeria Regina (Thacher Street location only), Pagliuca's, Maurizio's, or Taranta (indeed, the last two of these are located on Hanover Street) first. Despite what I've seen some folks say here, the North End does indeed have some top-flight places to eat, including arguably the best seafood place locally in Neptune Oyster. And while Hanover Street indeed is home to some touristy places with poor food (Dolce Vita, La Famiglia Spagnuolo, Cafe Pompei, Piccola Venezia), that's not uniformly the case (worthy places there besides Maurizio's and Taranta would include Marco, Galleria Umberto, Saraceno's, and Daily Catch).

Since I was worried about ticket availability due to the holiday weekend and popularity of the show, I just bought 2 tickets to Jersey Boys for Saturday, September 5th, in the center balcony, front row.

Now, on to the rest of the itinerary!

Thanks for all of the detailed suggestions on activities & restaurants. Really appreciate it!

I'm glad you were able to get such good tickets to Jersey Boys - enjoy!

Go to Sam Adams brewery first thing. I just went on friday, and we got into the 2nd tour at 10:45; you could see by the time we got out how busy it was getting. Hour tour, plus getting back and forth, will take sometime.

Monicas is one of my favorites, and I just had another great meal at La Summa. Huge portions, and reasonable. Reservations were needed on a Sat nite. otherwise the wait was 30-45 min.

Definitely doing Sam Adams brewery first thing on Saturday. I've revised the itinerary a bit to see which activities would fit on each day. I added a half-day trip to Salem...it seems really interesting from my history classes. I thought we'd take the ferry and see the Witch Trials museum, then eat dinner at the Old Spot (seems to get good reviews), then ferry back to Boston. Is it too cheesy?

Here's the updated itinerary:

<b>Friday, 9/4<b>
1.Arrive at 4:30 (ten minute taxi from airport to hotel)
2.Quick snack at hotel
3.Blue Man Group at 7 p.m. (1 hr. 45 min. long)
4.Dinner (tapas maybe near theater district, TBD)

<b>Saturday, 9/5<b>
1. Samuel Adams brewery tour (go to the first tour as it gets crowded—hour long tour)
2.Lunch near Boston Common (TBD)
3.Walk into History Tour (afternoon-exact time TBD)
4.Pre-theater dinner (TBD)
5.Jersey Boys (8 p.m.; 2.5 hours long)

<b>Sunday, 9/6<b>
1.Fenway Park tour at 10:00 a.m. (50 minutes long)
2.Explore Back Bay & Copley Square near Fenway Park, including possible trip to Prudential Skywalk Observatory
3.Lunch (TBD)
4.Whale harbor cruise at 2:30 p.m. (3 or 4 hours long)
5.Dinner at (TBD)

<b>Monday, 9/8<b>
1.Explore near Beacon Hill through self-guided walking tour
2.Lunch (TBD)
3.Unofficial Harvard tour of Harvard & Cambridge (free, 70 minutes): 12:30 or 1:30
4.Ferry to Salem (3 p.m., 45 min. long)
5.Salem museum and explore area (possible trolley)
6.Dinner at the Old Spot in Salem
7.Return ferry to Boston (8:10 p.m.)

I think it's ambitious but definitely doable. I'd double check to make suure the Harvard tour and Witch museum are open/operational on Labor day. And double check Labor Day (Holiday) schedule for the Salem ferry.

Hi, DH & I are flying into Boston next weekend (Aug 7-10) and would like anyone's opinion on Toscana and Euno restaurants for Italian food. (The Inn we're staying at rec. Toscana). Also, since we're flying across country and arriving 5pm on a Friday night, we know we'll be bushed but STARVING! Where could we eat close to Charles St Inn (walking distance) and get good local food but not too fancy cuz we'll be so wiped from flying?

mah1980: AM's Boston Free Walking Tours are Wed-Sun, 11AM. Meet at the 3 flag poles in front of the Government Center subway station-look for people wearing GREEN shirts! We plan on doing that walk on Sun, Aug 9-lasts 1.5-2 hours. No ressies needed, just show up! Check them out on the web.

Katerbug, I've been to both Euno (in the North End) and Trattoria Toscana (in the Fenway area). The former is very, very good, the second terrific. Am thinking you can't go too far wrong with either place.

What kind of food do you like? There are several worthwhile spots on that stretch of Charles Street to suit varying budgets and tastes, everything from gourmet pizza at The Upper Crust to Persian food at Lala Rokh to fancy French at Hungry I to American semi-upscale at Beacon Hill Bistro to breakfast/pastries at Panificio.

bachslunch: what do you think of our just walking out from the Chas St Inn and seeing what gets our taste buds going? it's a Friday night (I know, not the best night to arrive in town!)-will we have long waits? Plus we'll be a bit "spent" from flying. I think we'll do the Italian place Sat night and maybe some chowdah for lunch along the wharf when we visit Ironsides. Oh, we'll need a good "European" bistro for espresso in the mornings! I'll check out your suggestions online;maybe the bistro might be the best option...?

Oh my, The Bistro looks mighty nice, maybe too fancy for a disheveled couple!!?? Have any gelato recommendations?

I don't think you can reasonably see the museums in Salem that late in the day. It is a 10-15 minute walk from the ferry dock to the museum district, putting you there 4ish at best.

I am not sure which museum you want to see, but the Witch Museum is $8 and closes at 5. The Peabody Essex Museum, a very fine museum indeed, costs $15 and also closes at 5.

You can, however, go to Salem, walk around the historic district and seaport museum, have a dinner, and get back to the ferry, which should be magical at dusk coming back toward the city.

You could also look into taking the train from North Station to Salem (it is closer to the museums) and the ferry back.