abqdeb

We will be in Boston on Sept 16 and I see that there is SOWA Open Studios that day. Is that different than the market? Is it worthwhile? We only have 3 full days to spend so we need to make the most of it. I was thinking of going to the SOWA market and then to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum after lunch. Any comments? Good lunch spot nearby?

hlsam

There are different things. The market is an outdoor market with produce, jewelry, etc. I've only gone once and don't think it was that impressive. Open Studios is a good experience where you just wander in the studios and most serve wine. There are some good restaurants in the immediate area.

abqdeb

thanks hlsam! Do you know if these studios are close to each other and walkable? Can you give me some names of restaurants in the area for Sunday lunch?

escargot

Yes, two separate things.

I happen to enjoy both.

The SOWA open studios is wonderful - all within a few blocks of each other - in a few different directions - everything very walkable and many of the artists exhibiting either in their studios or within the same space in a building - everything - sculpture, paintings, photog, jewelry - we've found many wonderful pieces for our home at the open studios over the years.

There are great restaurants all over the South End - one section of it on Tremont St is commonly referred to as restaurant row.

You can get your guide booklet for hte SOWA walk at the Boston Center for the Arts kiosk on the corner of Tremont and between Berkley and Clarendon Sts. - which is also a good starting point.

For breakfast/brunch/lunch dpending on the day, in the area you have: Sibling Rivalry, Aquitaine, Garden of Eden, Union Bar & Grille, Stella's - So many - from Boston diner experiences like Charlies or Mikes to reasonable neighborhood type places to higher end like Aquitaine, Union, Stella's, etc -

can you give us an idea of what type of food you like and if, weather permitting, you'd want to eat outside.

Also, you can look at a lot of these on www.opentable.com and put south end into the drop down box and/or boston.menupages.com

The Sunday markt has a range - some not impressive, some ok, some excellent - depends on what you are looking for - it doesn't hold a candle to the Open Studios, but sometimes some artists nearby take advantage of the crowd and do open -
but mostly it is bags, dresses, cards, gifts, some food items - it depends sometimes on the Sunday, the weather, summer vacations, who is there -

escargot

I think your idea about SOWA in the morning and ISG in the afternoon is great - it would be hard for me to choose, since I usually spend all day at the studio walk - but you could certainly get the book, sit for a minute with a cup of coffee at Francesca's or Garden of Eden or Buttery or Appleton Cafe and go thru the book and narrow down - if you are more interested in scultpure or fabrics, jewelry,e tc and then map out a plan to see what you want in half a day.

Then you can take the T over to ISG (which also has a great, but small cafe) but I think I would enjoy a nice lunch in the South End. Also, check and see what if any evening concerts the ISG might have while you are there - that might interest you.