ethel

DH and I will be going to Boston 2/21 and 2/22. We were going with plans to see BB King at the new House of Blues as his birthday present. So, we booked the hotel on Priceline (Hyatt Regency Boston for $60) first and have now discovered that the concert is sold out--well, at least for the tickets we can afford. So, since we can't cancel our hotel res we're looking for some suggestions for fun on Sunday night. We're in our early 30's, leaving our 8 month old son for the weekend.

yk

the Hyatt Regency is right in the theatre district, so my first suggestion is to check the nearby theatres and see what's on for that Sunday night.

Here's a link to get you started:
http://www.boston.com/ae/theater_arts/

It's hard to decide what's "fun" for you. DH & I are just a few years older than you, but for us, "fun" on Sunday night = watching Masterpiece Theatre on PBS! LOL!

Apart from theatres, you can also check for comedy clubs, and the Blue Man Group is near your hotel. If you haven't seen Blue Man Group before, I would highly suggest that.

If you can't find any shows available on Sunday night, perhaps a dinner in Chinatown (5 min walk from your hotel) would be fun? there are several shabu-shabu restaurants in Chinatown, and I think that's fun too.
http://www.kazeshabushabu.com/
http://www.shabuzen.com/

wyatt92

You could check out a Celtics or Bruins game if they're in town.

yk

Hi ethel-

I have a few more suggestions:

Broadway Across America
http://www.broadwayacrossamerica.com/Boston

ArtsBoston is a legit ticket outlet for Boston for various shows. They sell tix at 50% off. you can search events by date to see if anything is interesting to you when you're here.
http://www.artsboston.org/default.asp

If nothing seems interesting, how about a romantic dinner for you and your husband? Sounds like this is a rare weekend away without the newborn for you two. Just around the corner from the Hyatt Regency, is a very romantic French restaurant, Pigalle. They offer a 3-course prix fixe dinner for $40, which is a very good deal.
http://www.pigalleboston.com/flashmovie.html

ethel

YK--thanks so much for your suggestions. You're on the right track. The shabu shabu restaurants sound like a lot fun so we may do that, and just relax after with some drinks some where. Maybe we can find a band playing at a bar or something. I'll check out Pigalle, too. $40 for prix fixe is a great deal!

Wyatt--ooh, a Bruins game. Don't know why I didn't think of that. We like hockey so we'll see what's going on that weekend.

ethel

Hi all,

What are your thoughts on the Boston Globe Travel show going on the weekend of 2/21 and 2/22? We still haven't been able to get tickets to BB King and the only show we'd be interested in that weekend would be Blue Man group. Not sure if we want to do that yet. So, we're still looking for ideas on what to do. I'm thinking about the Gardner museum. Also, any thoughts/comments on Finale dessert restaurant? Oh, and would we be likely to stumble upon a bar or two with live music in the area of the Hyatt Regency?

china_cat

I don't know if more serious drama is your thing, but the American Repertory Theater is presenting Beckett's "Endgame" that weekend. The ART is in Cambridge and does some pretty terrific productions but they are not for everyone.

It seems like a real dry weekend for music, unfortunately. You might find some live music at the Beehive or the Oak Bar.

I'm not a huge fan of Finale. They do some good desserts, but somehow they never seem quite fantastic. So if I'm having dinner at a good restaurant I don't skip dessert to go to Finale. If I want to go out for a late dessert after a show or something, I occasionally go there. it tends to be pretty crowded too, though, with no place to wait.

The Gardner museum is great, and definitely worth a stop.

yk

Hi Ethel-

I've never been to the Boston Globe Travel show, so I cannot comment.

If you go to
http://calendar.boston.com/
and plug in your date (2/22/2009) and limit the search to 5-mile radius, you can pull up lots of events happening that day.

Not knowing what else you like, there are other shows on that day, such as Shear Madness and Cat on a hot tin roof.

Others I find are some jazz concerts, plus a flamenco performance at Bar Lola
http://www.flamencoboston.com/barlola/

Another one I noted on the Calendar is that 2/22 is Oscar night. Supposedly Sel de la Terre on Boylston is doing a dinner + Oscar party event. I don't see it listed on its own website though.

In terms of bars with live music, I can't think of any off the top of my head near your hotel. but below are a couple of bars nearby:

Intermission Tavern
http://www.intermissiontavern.com/

Silvertone
http://www.silvertonedowntown.com/

Kingston Station
http://www.kingstonstation.com/

Jacob Wirth
http://www.jacobwirth.com/

ethel

Thank you for all this info. It's helpful. We're a pretty laid back couple. When we get the chance to go out on our own we're happy with a relaxed bar playing any kind of live music. I, actually, prefer to have some drinks while people watching. We're not into fancy schmancy meals. Actually, when we go on a trip we typically just like to get up and do whatever we feel like doing that day, but have a few ideas...There is the Extreme Beer festival going on that weekend, which we would have loved to go to but it's completely sold out

The plays sound interesting but not sure if that's what we want to do.

traveler100

Hi Ethel,

I would not go to the travel show, unless you're planning to book a trip somewhere! You're actually going to be on a getaway so if I were you I wouldn't want to walk booths of vendors with brochures and drawings.

I absolutely love the Gardner museum, it is an oasis in the middle of winter, small enough to be done leisurely in an afternoon with a nice gift shop. I've never eaten in the cafe but hear it is good. The MFA is right across the way and maybe there will be a good exhibit, or if you like movies they are always good for a film! I just checked the schedule and there are some really cool movies that weekend (Jean Luc Godard).

hmmm, I may need to go into town soon myself (I've been hibernating!)

I know it is disappointing not to get tix to the concert, but you will have a good time.

iris1745

Hi ethel; Gardner museum is a great way to spend time in Bostom. I agree with a previous post. But how about a musical, Dirty Dancing. It's at the Boston Opera House. On the 21st, the time is at 2pm and 8pm. On the 22nt the time is at 2pm and 7:30pm. If interested, ticketmaster is the way to aquire tickets. ENJOY Iris

cigalechanta

Ryles in Cambridge HAS A JAZZ LUNCH
NOT SURE ABOUT DINNER.

gyppielou

Maybe there's something at the MiddleEast that may be of interest.

http://www.mideastclub.com/

gyppielou

This local rag does a pretty good listing of music/clubs. Hope it helps.

http://thephoenix.com/Boston/

elsiemoo

The Gardner Museum is fabulous!!! But expect Security to really hover ... I'd never seen anything like it, when we were there last year. I know their history, but that was unbelievable.

HelpDesk23

PF Chang's for a fancy (but reasonably priced and with great atmosphere) dinner, and then a show. You're right there in the theatre district!
You could also take the Green line over to the Fenway area and hit up the sports pubs there. They have a Jillian's (an arcade for 'grown-ups') Faniuel Hall is worth the trip too!

ethel

Thank you, everyone! These are great suggestions. I think we're definitely going to check out the Gardner museum and just "wing it" from there. (hubby wasn't too interested in Dirty Dancing, although I wouldn't mind seeing it).

yk

Hi ethel-

Just wondering how your weekend in Boston went? Too bad that the weather was so horrendous on Sunday, although it was quite nice on Saturday. I hope you and your husband had a good time and a happy birthday for him.

fmpden

ttt

cigalechanta

http://tinyurl.com/cwmvrx for jazz, check the schedule