We’re leaving on Wednesday and trying to finalize our plans, lease share your thoughts. Thursday Oct. 26 – drive from MHT overnight motel to Museum of Science, park and visit museum. Take T to Government Center, do Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall, visit North End. Dinner in North End (Antico Forno? Do we need a reservation on a Thursday?) Back to Musuem of Science on T, collect car and drive back to Waltham.

Friday Oct. 27, drive from Waltham to Riverside T Station to Boston Common area. Husband and daughter want to walk Freedom Trail. Hope I can meet college daughter for lunch and meet up near South Street station for for dinner, take T back to Riverside, collect car and back to Waltham.

Saturday Oct. 28, do walking tour of Brandeis in morning (it is purportedly a parent’s weekend!), collect kids (sibling overnight) and do MFA (T, bus or drive from Brandeis?) Dinner Saturday night with seafood theme (any suggestions for reasonable seafood?).

Brunch Sunday Oct. 29 on campus in Waltham. Stock up shopping at Costco. Drive through battlefields in Lexington & Cambridge on our way back to MHT. Leave at 5:30 p.m.

Questions: 1) will we run into problems with leaving car in Museum of Science parking lot till 9 or 10 p.m.? 2) Do we need reservations for North End restaurant Thursday night? 3) Suggestions for dinner near South Street station, need reservation? 4) where to find yummy, yet reasonable seafood Saturday in Newton/Waltham area (need reservations?)?

I would drive from Brandeis to the MFA; the trek on the T would consume a lot of time and energy and might cost just as much as parking in the MFA's lot or garage.

The Museum of Science closes at 5 PM on Thursdays, so, yes, you might run into difficulties parking in their garage long after-hours; the spot where you pay for the parking is inside the building, not in the usual exit-booth location. So IMHO you should call the Museum to check on this.

It's South Station, not South Street station; you'll get some strange looks asking for the former. It's on the Red Line of the subway system, whereas all your other stops are on the Green line, so I'm not sure why you chose it; it's not a particularly interesting or restaurant-y area

Anonymous, so perhaps on Thursday we should park at Riverside T and take that in? That way we won't be dependent on museum closing (only T schedule). We are hoping to squeeze in the Aquarium Friday, which I figured is near South St. If we do get to Aquarium, any dinner suggestions? Thanks!

The Museum of Science may close earlier, but the Omni Imax has shows until quite late. The museum website (www.mos.org) has the parking lot hours...till 11PM Sunday-Thursday.

There is a Legal Seafood's very close to the aquarium. Also, there is a nice French restaurant called Sel de La Terre.

I don't know any seafood specific places in Waltham, but there are some nice restaurants. I like Solea, which is a tapas place on Moody Street. Tempo, which calls itself an American Bistro has homey food with an upscale twist (like Kobe Beef hamburgers) which is very good. There's a good Cambodian/French restaurant called Elephant Walk. If you want upscale Italian (pricey!) Il Capriccio and La Campania are both excellent.

So if I were you, I'd try to do the seafood thing while in downtown, and try for something else while in Waltham.

Hi aliska, PhantomGourmet.com I hope will help with dinner selections. There is a Legal Seafood close to South Station, next to the Aquarium (blue line). Because of your stomach condition you can get the fish. They will cook what ever you want they way you want it. Faneiul Hall is almost across the street from the Aquarium. MBTA.com will give you the T map. Another suggestion, this is what I would do, is while your family is on the Freedom Trail, you can shop or get a pedicure at Downtown Crossing which is a couple of blocks away from where the tour starts. There is a Macy's, DSW, Marshalls and H&M. ArtsBoston is a great site to get discount tix for shows. Two booth locations, Faneiul and Copley. Fire and Ice is a good place to eat by Copley and Cambridge. You can add your own seasoning. My family and friends LOVE this place, all you can eat. Oh, the Museum of Science is close to the Cambridge Mall where there is a Cheesecake Factory and I think a Bertucci's. IKEA is now open in Stoughton and really popular with the college crowd. I hope this helps and you have a wonderful trip!