Please help me Boston experts...this town is so big!
 

Hi

My husband just informed me that we are going to Boston the 2nd week of June. As I begin looking for a hotel I realize Boston is huge, what area should I stay in. We are wanting to enjoy all Boston has to offer, without renting a car. Is this possible? One day we are driving out to the coast.

The rest of the time we will stay in town because I am assuming there is a lot to do and see. We may use our Starwood points, so we could stay maybe at the Westin Copley place......is this where I want to be?

I just hate to be stuck in a place that has a good clean hotel but lousy location. My friends are staying either at the Ritz or Marriott Wentworth by the Sea. They heard these are good locals for Boston and surrounding areas. Should I be considering one of these?

Please help, I need your quick advice. Thanks again!!!

If you want to use your points, the Westin is in a good location for getting around and seeing the sights, as are the other two hotels.

Well - if it were me - I would get a good map of Boston, locate and then mark the places that I want to see - and then pick a hotel with easy access by foot or cab. (You don;t want a car in downtown boston - way more trouble than it's worth.)

LOL, you need a better map. Boston is actually a very small city in square miles -- it has roughly the same population as Milwaukee or Denver, but has half or one-third as many square miles, repectively.

Marriott Wentworth by the Sea not only is not in Boston, it's not even in Massachusetts, it's an hour north of Boston, in New Hampshire.

"One day we are driving out to the coast." Boston is on the coast -- Boston Harbor, in fact.

Westin Copley Place would be a good location for you.

Last Oct. we stayed at the Marriott Wentworth by the sea, NH, but that was at the end of the trip, and then we drove the hour to Logan for our flight home the next day. Nice facility.
The Marriott Longwharf on the Harbor in Boston, is a great location. We walked everywhere from there.

i lived in boston for years. everytime i go back i stay at the long wharf marriot. you can walk to the north end; fabulous restaurants; fanuel hall- touristy but great; you should make a reservation in charlestown and take the boat over to olives or figs; and walk behind the boston harbor hotel. if i do these things every time i go... i am somewhat satisfied. usually i dont' have time to do all that i want but i get my "home fix." maybe a sox game thrown in there? my favorite place for romantic dates was marrizzios on clarke and hanover. i lived on clark and commercial and could walk down the street. they give you a glass of sparkling wine. ask for the table by the front window. and just soak it all in. don't worry about doing it "right." you will want to go back again and again. too much to do for a short visit; and really.. if you want to go to the cape. save it for another time. enjoy bean town... many i know have travled all over the world and say its the best city they have ever been to. i have moved away but still keep my 617 area code cell phone number. remember elain on seinfeld and the episode of the 212 area code? i was so flattered one time when my neighbors told me i reminded them of her... but it turns out it was because i was yelling out the windo at my neighbors barking dog....

Good advice. Marriot Long Wharf is in a great location, near the Acquarium, Quincy Market - a big outside shopping area with lots of great food and street performers. I think the Boston Duck Tour is also worthwhile...have lived just outside of Boston all my life and took the tour last year for the first time. It starts out in a land vehicle and takes you on a nice street tour, then drives right into the water and boats you around the River Charles. It was really great fun for young and old!
What "coast" do you plan on driving to? The Marriot is right there on Boston Harbor...you can go to the North or South Shore if its beaches you are looking for...just not sure what your intent is. The Ritz is right across from the Public Garden, which is lovely. You can ride the Swan Boats, and there is great shopping if that is your thing near the Ritz on Newbury Street. Boston is not huge...hubby and I have actually walked the whole city. We were tired, but it can be done...have a great time!
Good luck...

Consult a map. We live near Boston and when we visit other areas of the country I always become aware how geographically-challenged I can be.

As a previous poster said, the parts of Boston you would be likely to want to see is tiny, not huge. You want to stay in areas called things like Copley, Back Bay, Downtown. You do not want to stay in hotels that list themselves as Boston-Revere, Boston-Waltham, etc - or anything that is outside main downtown area.

Sticker shock with hotels may make some of these other locations attractive. I would not recommend it, though.

I also wonder what "out to the coast" is. You must go either north or south to get to a vacationable coast. Boston is on the coast. It will take about an hour drive to get to a beach coast in either direction.

The Westin is in a great location!!!

Second week in June...book it right now...anything in Boston...College graduations and hotels and restaurant reservations are hard to come by.. Definetely stay in Copley Square.. Boston is a very walkable city, not big but those streets are cowpaths..lol The Westin is a great location...Newbury Street, Copley Square and the discount ticket booth, restaurants, and easy to get around..

I agree that the Copley area is a great location for Boston sightseeing but I definitely prefer the Fairmont Copley or the Omni Parker House just because they have more character. The Hotel Commonwealth is right by Fenway so not so central but is a beautiful hotel -the junior suites are very nice. My daughter lives in Boston and I visit 2-3X a year and think that Boston is very easy to navigate so choose a great hotel and figure you can walk or take the T everywhere.

HI, Boston is busy in June but the major colleges *except* Harvard all have their graduations in May, ie Tufts, Boston College and BU--however, I am not sure about Northeastern.

However, the advice to book now is still very important.

Thursday 9 June is Commencement at Harvard. Even though this is mostly a Cambridge event, because it is Harvard, many Boston hotels are packed that week - as various alumni groups have home bases and events at hotels. Book now, and even then you may have limited choices.

(FYI - Northeastern is 30 April, so no conflict there).

I liked jillc1’s ideas. We vacationed twice in New England with Boston as a starting point and it’s now one of our favorite US cities.
We have stayed at the Copley, having a conference to attend there. The Copley Plaza is a nice starting point with Newbury Street, the Back Bay, John Hancock Tower, and the Old South Church nearby. From there, you can also walk to the Gardens and the Commons on your way downtown. The Freedom Trail is a basic self-guided walking tour and a good introduction to the city. Afterwards, you can catch a cab to any point in the city and walk and explore that area. We found ourselves walking most of the time. There are also tram tours originating at the Plaza.

I would try to book a car for a couple of days and see Cape Anne. Marblehead, Salem, Gloucester and Rockport are all just gorgeous. Hammond Castle in Gloucester http://www.discoversandiego.com/feat...on/castle1.htm was interesting. The rocky shores of Rockport reminded me a bit of our own Monterey Peninsula, with the obvious addition of all the lobsters!
On my first flight to Boston from CA, I sat between two Bostonian businessmen. We struck up a conversation and they recommended several restaurants which I tried out. One asked if I liked fried clams. When I said “yes”, he recommended the No-Name Restaurant. It’s plain, very rustic, and the fried clams…so good! http://www.theinsider.com/Boston/Res...ts/no-name.htm We actually saw a limo drive up and drop people off here!
We also ate at Lucia's Ristorante in the North End on Hanover Street. It was quaint, reasonable, with excellent food and service. We liked it so much we returned several nights later but couldn’t locate it. I stopped into a corner market and asked for directions to Lucia’s. I guess my Californian accent confused the owner into thinking I asked for “Cheers”. In his thick Italian accent he said, “Thatsa no good! Itsa justa tourist trap! You no wanna go there!”
I was bewildered, and said I just ate there two nights ago, it was great and I wanted to go back.
“To Cheers??”
“No…. To Lucia’s!
“Oh..! Itsa right around the corner. Tell them Sammy sent you!”
Was too funny! We told our experience to Salvatore the waiter (don’t know if he’s still there) and he set us up with extra wine and anti-pastas!
http://www.epinions.com/rest-Restaur...splay_~reviews
Lucia’s home page http://www.luciaristorante.com/pastandpresent.html
Take good walking shoes and enjoy!
Cheers! …or is that...Lucia’s?!
Walk on!
~ ben

Thank you so much for the great advice. Keep it coming you are making planning my trip so easy. With all the walks I should take and restaurants I should enjoy, this will be another great trip courtesy of my Fodorite Friends.

First we thought one day we would drive to Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard or Nantucket or maybe hit Salem. I know that I do not want to spend all of my time in a car, I love to walk and see the sights. I have friends here where I live that keep telling me I MUST drive to one of these locals. But if you all think that I will have plenty to do in Boston alone then that is where I will spend my time. I do not even know how long it would take to go see soem of these places. Any suggestions?

My good frineds want to stay at Wentworth because a friend suggested they stay in a better local to visit many things. They are their for 2 weeks and they love staying at such places as the Ritz. I on the other hand have 5 kids and am just glad I can afford a hotel with a heavenly bed.

Please keep the ideas coming.......should I take a day trip or skip the rental car all together. Also how far is the Marriott Longwharf from the Westin?

Also thank you Gail for letting me know exactly what locations I want to stay in. I know Boston is a walking sity but never been so I do not know.

Love to you all and again thanks for all the help!!

momof5, you can take a ferry to Provincetown for a daytrip if you want to get out of the city. The downside is its a pretty long boat ride, and you don't get to spend that much time in PTown. But you can see a bit of Cape Cod without driving there.

If you are going to take a daytrip by car, I think the north shore is pretty nice. The advice to visit Rockport or Gloucester or Salem is good.

Mom0f5:

I can just see the wheels in your mind spinning! Your enthusiasm and research will help you gave a good time no matter what you decide on.

We spent several days in Cape Anne the first trip then drove up to Main with destination Bar Harbor. On our second trip we drove Cape Cod, and then drove west into Concord and surrounding areas (Walden Pond, Orchard House, House of Green Gables, Sleepy Hollow, etc.). Each visit, we spent significant time in Boston first. There is so much to see and do there.

We will probably try Martha¡¦s Vineyard on our next trip there. I guess my point is, with your limited time, and especially limited driving time, set a goal for just one direction. You will be sure to go back and try more. But definitely do a drive in addition to the city!

We were there in April (rainy) and September (muggy), but still had a great time. Although I have been to Cape Anne twice, I would probably return there over Cape Cod, perhaps¡K.because I already live in a sandy beachy area on the central California coast? The towns in Cape Anne also seemed closer together, and if I recall (not looking at a map) there¡¦s a nice loop drive around the Rockport area. We just found it more enchanting, as we did the Concord area.

In Boston alone, there is SO much: Harvard Square and campus, MIT, Museum of Science, Bunker Hill, Old Ironsides, The North End, and the downtown shopping district, among things I mentioned in my previous post. It¡¦s impossible to see and do it all in one trip. If you¡¦re into American history (as I), Boston is the place to go! If you want a great and scenic city to visit, with friendly people, fun things to see and do, and great food, it¡¦s the place to be!

Funny story¡KWhile at the top of the John Hancock observatory, we met and talked to several teenagers from Boston who discovered we were from California. While we told them how much we were enjoying the city, they told us of their greatest travel desire¡K to visit San Francisco! We have been to SF three times in the past nine months, love it, enjoy it, but would still rather go to Boston! So, it¡¦s all a matter of perspective.

Now where¡¦s my Carmel/Monterey itinerary? Going there next week for our anniversary! ¡Kbut will be thinking of Boston¡K..sorta¡Kƒº

Enjoy!
~ ben