ZiDenis

Hello everyone,

as I wrote before ( http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-in-boston.cfm ), I will arrive in Boston in june 28 after 9 nights in NYC.

Here is the link to my schedule for NYC. http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...omment-7116671

After a lot of research, I finished my Boston schedule (see below). I'd love to hear ideas and criticism from you.

Attractions marked with (***) I'll just take a fast look and some photos if the time permit. The approach to this itinerary it is as a "loose plan".

Thank you very much.

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BOS Day 1 (tue) 28/06 ** NYC - BOS / BACKBAY ** MAP: http://goo.gl/V5duW
- Arrive at Boston Back Bay, MA @ 4:40pm
- Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau at Prudential @
- Chekin at Sheraton Boston @ 3pm+
- Newbury St
- Old South Church (***)
- Boston Public Library @ 9am - 9pm
- Trinity Church

BOS Day 2 (wed) 29/06 ** FREEDOM TRAIL / NORTH END ** MAP: http://goo.gl/APfYF
- Buy Charlie Card
- Boston Common @ morning
- Massachusetts State House @ 9am - 5pm
- Park Street Church (***)
- Old Granary Burying Ground @ 9am - 5pm
- King’s Chapel / Burying Ground @ 8am - 5:30pm
- First Public School (***)
- Old South Meeting House @ 9:30am - 5pm
- Old State House @ 9am - 5pm
- Boston Massacre Site (***)
- Faneuil Hall @ 9am - 5pm
- Harborfest - Opening Ceremony (***) @ 12:30pm
- The New England Holocaust Memorial (***)
- Lunch at North End (Umberto Galleria or Mike's Pastry) @ noon
- Paul Revere House @ 9:30am - 5:15pm
- Paul Revere’s North End: Then and Now (***) @ 2:30pm - 3:30pm
- Paul Revere Mall (***)
- Old North Church @ 9am–6pm
- Harborfest - Behind the Scenes at Old North Church (***) @ 1pm-4pm
- Copp's Hill Burying Ground (***)
- Bunker Hill Monument (***)
- USS Constitution @ 10am - 6pm
- Harborfest - Early 19th Century Gun Drills @ 4pm-4:30pm
- USS Constitution Museum @ 9am - 6pm
- Harborfest - 1811 Overture: A Prelude to War! (***) @ Noon - 4pm
- Boston Harbor Water Shuttle @ 6:30am - 8pm
- Long Wharf Plaza (***)
- Faneuil Hall Marketplace @ 10am - 9pm

BOS Day 3 (thu) 30/06 ** MIT / HARVARD ** MAP: http://goo.gl/cQhqh
- MIT Information Center @ 9am - 5pm
- MIT Campus Tour (***) @ 11am, 3pm
MIT Courtyard
- MIT Museum @ 10am - 5pm
- Harvard Information Center @ 9am - 5pm
- Harvard Historical Walking Tour (***) @ 10am, 11:15am, 2pm, 3:15pm
- Harvard Yard (***)
- Holden Chapel (***)
- Independence day Concert at University Hall (***) @ 12:15pm - 1pm
- Widener Library (***)
- Memorial Church (***)
- Memorial Hall (***)
- Harvard Summer School Orchestra Auditions (***) @ 5pm - 9pm
- Harvard Museum of Natural History @ 9am - 5pm
- Old Burying Ground (***)
- The Harvard Coop (***)
- IMAX Movie at AMC Boston Common 19 @ Night

BOS Day 4 (fri) ** 01/07 ** MoS ** MAP: http://goo.gl/RIj2R
- Museum of Science @ 9am - 9pm
- Mugar Omni Theater at MoS
- Butterfly Garden at MoS @ 10am - 7pm
- Charles Haydem Planetarium at MoS
- Boston Duck Tours (***)

BOS Day 5 (sat) ** 02/07 ** AQUATIUM / WHALE WATCH ** MAP: http://goo.gl/cC3sH
- Samuel Adams Brewery Tour (***) @ 10am
- Eureka Puzzles (***) @ 10am - 9pm
- New England Aquarium @ 9am - 7pm
- Whale Watch @ 6pm - 10pm

BOS Day 6 (sun) ** 03/07 ** CHURCH / BACK BAY / PUB GARDEN ** MAP: http://goo.gl/bsW9g
- Christian Science Church Plaza @ 9:30am
- Christian Science Church Service (***) 10am
- Christian Science Church Tour (***) 11am - 3pm
- The Mary Baker Eddy Library (***) 10am - 4pm
- Mapparium at MBE Library (***) 10am - 4pm
- Commonwealth Avenue Mall (***)
- Public Garden @ afternoon
- Picnic at Hatch Shell Oval @ 5pm
- Boston Pops Concert @ 8:30pm - 10:30pm

BOS Day 7 (mon) ** 04/07 ** BEACON HILL / ESPLANADE ** MAP: http://goo.gl/IcNAo
- City Hall Plaza @ Morning
- Otis House Museum @ 11am - 4:30pm
- Myrtle Street Playground (***)
- Louisburg Square (***)
- Acorn Street (***)
- Charles Street (***)
- Charles River Esplanade @ evening
- 4th July Fireworks @ 10:30pm - 11pm

BOS Day 8 (tue) ** 05/07 ** MUSEUM / FENWAY PARK ** MAP: http://goo.gl/KKJ9t
- Museum of Fine Arts @ 10am - 5pm
- Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum @ 11am - 5pm
- Boston Red Sox vs Toronto Blue Jays @ 7pm

BOS Day 9 (wed) ** 06/07 ** LAST DAY ** MAP: http://goo.gl/h9CWP
- Prudential Center Skywalk Observatory @ 10am - 10pm
- Hotel Checkout @ 12pm
- Return to Brazil @ 17:35pm

Ackislander

You can do it!

You aren't wasting a minute, though.

I would probably give more time to the museums than you plan, but to each his own. You should, however, consider how you would adjust your plans for rain, and you may find that you need reservations for the IMAX movies. Fourth of July is a busy time in Boston.

I haven't figured out when you are going to eat, but there is plenty of food available on the street!

amyb

Just reading Day Two exhausted me. Are you passing by those landmarks or stopping in to actually visit them?

DebTS

Hi, I would consider doing a trolley tour or the duck tour on your day 3. That way someone else will be driving you around after your exhausting day 2. It would give you an overview of the city attractions which might mean that your other days could have some items removed.

Your Day 4 could then be your MIT/Harvard Day. I think you'll want to enjoy the North end at a leisurely pace (Paul Revere house, Old North Church,nice Italian dinner, etc). Fanneuil Hall is where you'll be able to buy lots of souvenirs. You can even eat lunch there and save some time. If you get tired of the museums you might change your Day 7 to be a boat tour to Martha's Vineyard for the day. You might enjoy venturing out of the city to see the other beautiful sights in the area. Enjoy your trip. I'll be there next month myself but mostly to visit family.

DebTS

P.S. When you go to Fanneuil Hall/Quincy Market you can buy some lovely inexpensive flowers for your bride and have a picnic lunch nearby in the park. There are lots of "fast food" choices inside of Fanneuil Hall.

bachslunch

Your itinerary looks fine to me.

I would also not be concerned about your Day Two. The Freedom Trail takes a day to cover, including going in and seeing the sights along the way. It's a full day of course, but you'll be fine there.

DebTS's suggestion to switch days 3 and 4 is reasonable, as your day 3 is a little less full and the break may be appreciated. Also note that there are scads of great day trips you can take from Boston, and I'd personally be less inclined to make one of them to and from Martha's Vineyard as a day trip -- nice as it is, that's a very, very long day. If it's a quaint seaside day you want, it's much easier to head to the North Shore via commuter rail (Gloucester, Rockport, Manchester-by-the-Sea) to get this kind of fix.

yk

On Day 1, I'd skip Trinity Church as you're arriving fairly late. You want to visit during daylight hours in order to appreciate the stained glass windows by Edward Burne-Jones & John La Farge. I would move Trinity Church to Day 6. Trinity Church is open for free tour after its Sunday service (@12:15)
http://www.trinitychurchboston.org/n...-schedule.html

You probably won't have time for this, but the Boston Public Library offers free guided tour on its art & architecture. It's well worth joining the tour if you have the time. I think you get much more out of the tour than if you were to tour it on your own. http://www.bpl.org/central/tours.htm

P.S. I see that the Boston Public library offers a tour at 6pm on Tuesdays - you may be able to make that tour if you arrive on time from NYC.

So, here's what I'd do for Day 1:
Arrive at Back Bay Station
Check in at hotel
Stop by the Visitors booth inside prudential Center, on your way to
BPL for the 6pm tour
photo op at Old south Church
Stroll along Newbury Street

Luv2travel15

You have a very ambitious and tiresome itinerary! LOL However, I guess that you can do what you want to do while on vacation. You will be visiting Boston during high tourist season and fourth of July will be especially busy. You have listed the 4th of July fireworks/concert at the Esplanade so know that it will be insanely crowded. People start camping out early on so that they will have a spot on the grass.

Here is one suggestion for you that would eliminate a lot of walking. A couple of years ago we had some friends visiting us from out of state that had never been to Boston b4. They came first week in June which was less crowded than the end of June forward. We do not visit Boston all that frequently and didn't want to drive around Boston (wonder why) so I purchased trolley tickets online (here's the website).

http://www.park-boston.com/

We drove to the Cambridgeside Galleria (a mall) and parked in the garage. We then went outside at the back of the mall and waited for the trolley there. The thing I liked about this particular tour was that you get a nice overview of Boston/Cambridge as the trolley leaves Cambridge and goes over the bridge into Boston. There are many drop off points and you can spend as long as you want visiting the sights. We went to Old North Church (they had a free lecture), Fanueil Hall, etc. The trolley has designated pickup spots and came along about every 20-30 minutes. It really worked out well for us. We got off at the North End stop and walked through North End and had lunch there.
When the trolley heads back to Cambridge (I think the last pickup was 5:30 ish) the driver will show you MIT and you could also walk to Harvard Sq. We were so tired we decided not to).

They give discounted parking at the Mall if you book the trolley tour. I think we pd. $6.00 for the entire day (what a bargain). I was very pleased with the trolley tour and our friends loved it.

The driver even drove us right up to Fenway Park so our friends could take a picture. BTW, do you have tickets for the Red Sox game?

You can pretty much see most of Boston this way, get to ride on the trolley and rest between spots. I would highly recommend seeing Boston this way.

You can also visit Old Ironsides as the trolley stops there. Check out the website.

Good luck and have a wonderful time in Boston.

May

paulhelmick

your plans are so ambitious i wont try to rearrange anything but you might look into the following.
the stained glass windows at trinity church are spectacular and i was happy we took thier sunday tour. the windows come from an assortment of sources and they cover that very well.
the boston public library is a highlight and i wish i could have done thier tour.i was underwhelmed with paul reveres house.i have heard that the house next door is more interesting and they do tours.
Pierce/Hichborn House
enjoy

ZiDenis

@Ackislander - I think that I should put more time for museums too. But I'm also afraid of getting tired of so many museums (in NYC there will be some).

As for the IMAX films, I don´t think of doing the reservation prior to not create an obligation to go, since this is an event that I can fit on other days or even use as a backup plan for a rainy day for instance.

I do not want a rigid plan in relation to food, but I'm cataloging a series of restaurants in the region that allows me to tailor meals to your route. I do not have many demands about food and hope I do not spend much on it.

@Amyb - attractions marked with (***) I'll just go quickly and maybe take some pictures.

@Debts - the idea of ​​making the tour in three days is good. The Fanneiul Hall / Market is certainly a place I should go more than once. I'll look for the inexpensive flowers.

@Bachslunch - I put the Museum of Science on Day 4 because it is on Friday, and on this day the museum stay open longer, giving opportunity for me to not miss the planetarium and IMAX. If I switch that to the day 5, it will not be harmed?

@Yk - I will move Trinity Church to the day 6 (Sunday) and try to get the Public Library tour. Very good advices.

@Luv2travel15 - I will evaluate your trolley tip.

I already bought tickets for Red Sox game by aceticket.com and they cost me $ 96.30 for BL 41. The tickets came in the name of another person. Will I have problems about this?

@Paulhelmick - following your and yk's suggestion, I'll put the Trinity Chuch for day 6 (Sunday) and try to make their tour.

Many Thanks to you all.

Luv2travel15

"I already bought tickets for Red Sox game by aceticket.com and they cost me $ 96.30 for BL 41. The tickets came in the name of another person. Will I have problems about thisI already bought tickets for Red Sox game by aceticket.com and they cost me $ 96.30 for BL 41. The tickets came in the name of another person. Will I have problems about this?"

I am not sure about this as I am not a sports fan. Perhaps others can answer the question.
Good luck.

wyatt92

No, you won't have a problem with the tickets. You don't have to show ID once you already have tickets. And aceticket.com is a reputable ticket reseller.

turista

These are great activities and I hope you get to see/do all of them, but... don't forget to stop at Mike's Pastry in the North End while on the Freedom Trail. You will need the energy to complete everything on your great plan! Enjoy.

Cranachin

A couple of comments -

If you have not done so already, you might want to buy your whale watch ticket in advance, as it seems highly likely to sell out.

You probably want to be at the Hatch Shell Oval as soon as it opens to the public on July 3 (probably 4 PM) in order to get a place.

gail

Some useful information on Red Sox game at Fenway. The tickets being in someones name does not matter - someone bought them and resold them to Ace Tickets.

The bleachers - where you are sitting - is fun. There is no protection from sun (even though it is late), rain, etc. While the tickets probably say "no bags" can be brought in, they are OK with purses, small daypacks - but you will need to have them "searched" upon entry - they just ask you to open them and hardly look inside at all.

Once you are inside Fenway, you can not leave and return. Gates open an hour or so prior to the game and if you get there early you can watch batting practice - but the game is rather slow anyway, so that would be way too much time for me to sit there.

The food inside Fenway Park is not very good and is expensive. You can not bring any food in. At the beginning of the 8th inning they play an old Neil Diamond song (Sweet Caroline) and everyone stands up and sings - a really silly tradition that is difficult to explain.

Your itinerary will work - and you may end up making some minor modifications once you are here. One final reminder - If I remember correctly you are from Brazil. We eat dinner hours earlier than you are accustomed to - if you wait to find a restaurant until 10 PM, almost everything will be closed.

ZiDenis

@Luv2travel15, wyatt92, turista, Cranachin - thanks.
@gail - thanks again, you cleared up a lot of my doubts.

ZiDenis

well, now I'm checking where to eat.

I put many points on the map that are relatively close to the attractions and will not make me go bankrupt. Below I relate what I have found in researching. If you could give me some hints about this, I would be very grateful.

---------

* BACK BAY

Pour House, Bostone Pizza, Cheesecake Factory, Legal Sea Foods - Prudential Center, Bostone Pizza.

* DOWNTOWN

Jacob Wirth, Hong Kong Eatery, Burritos Express, Chacarero.

* NORTH END

Modern Pastry Inc, Ernesto's Pizza, Umberto Galleria, Caffe Vittoria, Giacomo's Restaurant, Al Dente Restaurant, mike's pastry, Bova's Bakery, Pizzeria Regina

* BEACON HILL

Villa Mexico Cafe

* FENWAY / KENMORE

Boston Beer Works, The Squealing Pig, Uburger

* BAY VILLAGE

Picco, Franklin Cafe, Mike & Patty's

* CAMBRIDGE

Clover Food Truck, Mary Chung Restaurant, Dosa Factory, Rangzen Tibet Restaurant, Bartley's Burger Cottage, Felipe's Taqueria, Pinocchio's Pizza & Subs, Grendel's Restaurant & Bar, Flat Patties, Courthouse Seafood Restaurant

-------------

Should I remove or add something?

do you know if there is any place convenient and cheap where I can have breakfast? in preference, near the hotel.

yk

Please do not eat at Cheesecake factory! I guess if you REALLY want to try their cheesecakes, you can go there for dessert (or take-out) AFTER you have dinner elsewhere. There are so many better options than Cheesecake Factory!

BTW, there are farmers markets at Copley Square (every Tues/Fri afternoons) and at Prudential Center (every Thurs afternoon). You'll find fresh fruit, lots of baked goods, and cheese stalls, all from local farms and freshly made.

The Clover Lab has a food truck in Kendall Sq (in Cambridge), but they also have a brick-and-mortar store in Harvard Sq. I like the Harvard Sq location, esp if you want to eat while sitting down.

Regarding North End, you'll most likely encounter long lines at Mike's Pastry and Modern during July 4th period. If the lines are long, just head west on Hanover Street, make a Right on Cross Street and patronize Maria's Bakery. I just had a sfogliatelle there yesterday and it's incredibly fresh and tasty (and no lines too). They are open until 7pm.

Also, don't forget all the food trucks we have now in Boston, many of them are located along the Greenway (which is very close to sections of the Freedom Trail). This recent article has a good run-down of the food trucks and their locations:
http://articles.boston.com/2011-06-0...dge-restaurant

And this thread on chowhound has suggestions for cheap eats near tourist attractions:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/782641

Finally, what type of breakfast are you looking for? Sit down restaurant or grab-and-go? Simplest would be a Starbucks or Dunkin' Donuts or Panera Bread to get some baked goods and coffee. Your hotel is also connected via pedestrian walkway to a supermarket (Shaws) so you can buy some ready-to-eat breakfast item from Shaws and eat in your room. There is also a Trader Joe's across the street from the Pru on Bolyston Street.

amyb

I'm with yk...Cheesecake Factory is really only good for the Cheesecake, plus it's a chain you can go to anywhere else in the country.

Also agree on Maria's, but anything but Mike's is a better choice imho (mass-produced, previously frozen pastry...blah!). One overlooked restaurant in the North End is Antico Forno on Salem Street. For the second year in a row, I took a visiting group of Boston Marathoners there for their night before the race meal and it was wonderful. Very consistent and I think very reasonable.

bachslunch

ZiDenis, of the places you mentioned, I can recommend:

-Hong Kong Eatery
-Chacarero
-Modern Pastry Inc
-Umberto Galleria
-Caffe Vittoria
-Giacomo's Restaurant
-Al Dente Restaurant
-Mike's pastry
-Pizzeria Regina
-Uburger
-Picco
-Franklin Cafe
-Mary Chung Restaurant
-Bartley's Burger Cottage
-Villa Mexico (it's a take-away place in a gas station, but it's good)

I'd avoid most of the other places you mentioned, either because they're lousy (Grendel's), basically okay but inconveniently located and not worth the effort to get to (Courthouse Seafood), or okay but not worth going to over other close-by choices (Bova Bakery, Ernesto's Pizza) given the limited time you'll be here.

Definitely search the chowhound website, and take a look on past food threads here as well (I've participated in most of them).

More shortly.