Things to do/see/eat in Boston.

greyhammer90

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Greyhammer is coming to Boston soon. I'd love to get insider opinions on what there is to do/see in Boston while I'm in town. I'd also like local tips on where to get the best lobster/chowder/bisque/lobster newberg/creme pies in Boston.

Is Sam Adams/Anchor tour worth taking?
Freedom Trail?
Other revolutionary sites of interest?
How about Fenway? Is it worth it to spend one of my four nights in the city watching a game?
Museums/Aquariums?
 

ThePiombino

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Harpoon Brewery tour worth it (the pretzels are divine), never did Sam so can't speak for that.

Freedom Trail a must.

Fenway also a must if you've never been. It won't there forever.

The aquarium and art museum are good, but I wouldn't list those as must-visits. Depends on how long you'll be there. More than two days, then maybe.

Make sure to stop by Quincy Market and Little Italy as well. Dinner in Little Italy is highly recommended.
 

jimmymac

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Depending what your budget is, Neptune Oyster in the north end has probably the best lobster roll in the world.
 

Veritate Duce Progredi

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Old Iron sides
The duck boat tours are fun and you wrap a bunch of history into a few hours.

Let me ask my SIL for restaurant suggestions.
 

NDgradstudent

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Fenway and the Freedom Trail are excellent. The Old Statehouse is worth visiting, too.The Sam Adams brewery tour is very good; the only issue is that it is a decent T/car ride outside of downtown.
 

#1rish

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Sam Adams Brewery tour is great. It's a little out of the way from the center of Boston but transit isn't too far away.

Fenway was very cool, even coming from a Yankee fan.

The New England Aquarium was great as well.

Check out the Cheers bar as well and grab a drink.

My fiancee and I wanted to do the historic trail and whatnot but it was freezing cold out. You might want to do that since it's warmer now.
 

GO IRISH!!!

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Last time I was in Boston, I went to the Bleacher Bar at Fenway. It is in the right field wall and has a window that looks right out on to the field. I am not a baseball fan, so for me it was cool to see Fenway for a game without having to do a whole game. It is tough to get tables right at the window, but you can see from just about any seat in the bar.

The Freedom trail is great and there is history just about everywhere in the city. Boston is a really cool city. Lots of great places to eat and drink, but I don't have enough experience to give the best tips for the culinary experience.
 

MPClinton22

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Definitely go to the North End for some good Italian food. The last place that I ate up there is called Al Dente and their food was great and reasonably priced. And while you're up that way you need to go to Mike's Pastry and get a Florentine cannoli. Those things are incredible.

As for a lobster roll, only place in Boston I've gotten one is from James Hook & Co, and it was really good. They primarily sell fresh uncooked seafood but also have a little counter that you can get prepared food from. It's a little shack type place so you won't get 5 star dining type service from them, but the roll was delicious!
 

Irish2155

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I usually get the two day trolley pass...it'll take you anywhere you might want to go plus a nice tour of the whole city.
 

RDU Irish

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Iron Sides is under construction.

Fenway tour was awesome, get to see more behind the scenes than going to a game for a fraction of the cost. Tons of historical stuff if you are into that. Sam Adams with Sam Adams is a nice touch.

Duck boats for sure, just don't be a wet blanket and ham it up a bit - for the kids on the boat if not for yourself.

Oh, and the pan handlers and nut juggling vagrants all over the place are a must see, or rather impossible to miss.
 

NDBoiler

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I'd make sure you go to Lexington and Concord in addition to the Freedom Trail. Gotta walk across the North Bridge too.
 

Irish Insanity

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Reading the tittle it sounds like your shopping for a clean hooker while you're there.
 

BGIF

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Reading the tittle it sounds like your shopping for a clean hooker while you're there.


Go to The Combat Zone!


Sorry, that was the last millennium.




Everything else posted sounds great except I skip the Cheers Bar. the Bull and Finch/ Wjen I was there it was nothing remotely like the TV set. Tourist trap for selfies. Better bars to use your time. If you're an Irishman screw Sam Adams. Take in the Black Rose and have a Guinness served correctly. If the people next to you are speaking with a brogue don't bring up immigration. You might start a stampede.

Is this a business trip? What part of town do you plan to stay? Will you have a car? Alone? With family?

Boston is a primarily a walking, trolley, cab town. I sorry they call the "subway" the "T" but it's a trolley. You don't want to drive on roads laid out several hundred years ago unless you absolutely have too. Getting from the Back Bay to center city seems to take a half day by auto on quaint streets.

Faneuil Hall - the shops are tourist kitsch but the building is History.

I'd still go see Old Ironsides if only from the outside. If you've ever been on a battleship or aircraft carrier you'll be boggled on the smallness of that ship that played a part in nation building.

At the Union Oyster House you can sit at the bar and place your forearms in holes worn in the bar since Adams, Revere and the boys bellied up to the bar. A revolutionary war newspaper was printed clandestinely there in 1771.


Oysters, Chowda, Lobster, Scrod. It's fresh.

Definitely go see The Swamp North , the Florida Gators got the idea from Fenway actually Fen Way, Swamp Road. No, the Bosox aren't WS caliber this year but seeing them now is like reliving history their hapless. BUT a stadium like Fenway will never happen again.

If you're staying at the Copley Plaza walk a couple of b locks to the Boston Common and catch a open concert. At least 4 generations of my wife's family have ridden the Duck Boats.

If your into government, go see the Ted Williams Tunnel. Dem's and Buster hate the Intersate Highway System as despoiling cities but no city can spend federal money on "Highway" projects (or wastewater projects) like Boston can. Cost overruns are state of the art.
 
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BGIF

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Harpoon Brewery tour worth it (the pretzels are divine), never did Sam so can't speak for that.

Freedom Trail a must.

Fenway also a must if you've never been. It won't there forever.

The aquarium and art museum are good, but I wouldn't list those as must-visits. Depends on how long you'll be there. More than two days, then maybe.

Make sure to stop by Quincy Market and Little Italy as well. Dinner in Little Italy is highly recommended.



"Ant-ta-knee! Ant-ta-knee! Wednesday in Boston is Prince Spaghetti Day!"

https://youtu.be/KlNAYCcxgUw
 
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dshans

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<iframe width="420" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/aP1bvY7IqZY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Boston is an interesting, fascinating and schedule-straining place to be with less than a year of absolutely free time with unlimited funds. Avoid renting a car and driving if possible – scary shit.

I had my "Charlie and the MTA" experience my first visit to Bean Town in 1974. I was staying with my older sister in Jamaica Plain and was headed to interview a Boston College [don't stone me] Dean (or someone of some such title) to explore what their graduate program in Communications Arts/Television Production might have to offer. Suffice it to say that I was not impressed ... by BC, that is.

Another visit in the mid 1980's had me dining at and gastronomically reveling in the fare and fresh-catch selection and simple preparation of the day-to day life and ambiance of those who worked the ships and the docks and the kitchens.

My last stop, of any duration, in Baastun was about 1990. It was brief. The No Name had gone commercial. The food was still great but the ambiance and charm were gone. If nothing else, look into this [ Faneuil Hall Marketplace | Shop, Dine & Experience ] as a jumping-off place.

ENJOY!
 

greyhammer90

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Thanks everybody I appreciate the tips. I'm going up there with my dad. I think we're definitely going to skip the Cheers bar, but I really want to see Fenway, the Freedom Trail and some beer tours. You all have convinced me to make a trip North for some good Italian.

Please tell me more if anything else comes to mind!
 
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