What fun things can I do from my hotel just south of Boston Common? for Questionland Seattle

Reputation: 26

What fun things can I do from my hotel just south of Boston Common?

I'll be there for a conference (at the convention center) from the 23rd to the 28th. I have friends from Great Barrington coming to take me around the final Saturday night and Sunday, but want to explore on my own every night before then. I won't have a car.

Qaraghandy asked in Trips & Travel over 2 years ago | Report

Answer this question or share it with a smart friend:

Type your answer here…

Latest Greatest

4 Answers

Reputation: 3

Follow 0

sailormouth1

3 0

1) Bostonians have a very foggy idea of ordinal directions and we have two major-ish convention centers. I imagine you are in the new one in South Boston.

2) You will neither miss nor need your car. Take the T and taxis. Cabs tend to be fairly expensive in Boston. The subway maps (the ones that you see most everywhere anyway) are not to scale, and it may make sense to walk rather than take it only two or three stops. Also, you SHOULD stand to the right on escalators and jaywalk when crossing the street.

3) Eat and drink. We do these well. In town it tends to be rather expensive (spaghetti without sauce starts at $20 + tip, tax, and drinks), all together I'll spend between $40 and $80 pp at an average restaurant. Chinatown is great if you're on a budget and a nice walk from either convention center. It may help to remind your boss (unless you are the boss) that the expense allowances for Boston are typically second only to NYC in the US (and during some seasons it's actually higher here). The local chowhound page is pretty good for what's happening food and drink-wise.

4) If you're near the new convention center, the ICA (our own little MoMA) is nearby and great for a couple of hours. Also nearby are Lucky's and Drink, both bars, Lucky's is diveyesque but the food is good, I like it late on a weeknight. Drink is fancy cocktails, and, again, better late-night early in the week.

5) The trendier neighborhoods are in Cambridge and Somerville (redline to Central and Harvard, also check out Inman Sq., about a ten minute walk from Central) but they often have early last calls. The taxi back to your convention center hotel will be about $25.00.

6) Our beautiful people live in the South End (not the same as South Boston), and you will find some good restaurants and shopping (check out Bobby from Boston on Thayer St for some cool clothes).

7) Do not make comments on the accent.

8) There are two weekly rags, the Weekly Dig and the Phoenix. The Phoenix is pretty good for music, the Dig is better for most everything else.

9) If you have Saturday off, you may consider Friday night in Providence: the Tijuana of New England.

10) The gay bars and clubs are pretty lame, but should be fine for the short time you're here unless you go more than twice.

11) The only absolute thing you have to do is go to the Boston Public Library. It'll take at most an hour, you'll you be glad you did. Enter the old building from Copley Square (avoid the new part), and it's free.

12) As a rule Boston is much less friendly than most other cities, but we like fresh meat and we LOVE to give directions. I am convinced that telling people how to get around is the real reason behind having a convention center in the first place. So feel free to ask someone how to get from here to there.

sailormouth1 answered in Trips & Travel over 2 years ago | Report

Comment on this answer

Share this answer with a friend:

Reputation: 6000

Follow 6

2 0

Go to Jake Wirth's. You're practically there already; 31 Stuart Street, just east of Tremont (get a map, if you try to walk around Boston without a map no one will ever hear from you again). Just to the west of where you are is an adorable early 19th century neighborhood called "Bay Village", which is similar in style to the much more famous Beacon Hill. Walk down Melrose Street and say hi to my old apartment. It contains Jacques, which is one of the oldest drag bars in the country; when I lived there it was common to see the "ladies" stumbling home as I was heading to work. You're close to Back Bay; shop on Newbury Street. Boston Common is fairly boring, but the Public Garden next to it is delightful.

Fnarf answered in Trips & Travel over 2 years ago | Report

Comment on this answer

Share this answer with a friend:

Reputation: 5

Follow 0

2 0

check out the boston common, take the T (subway) to revere beach and get ice cream, the museum of fine arts (MFA) is great, walk along the charles, wander through quincy market, see the blue man group, explore any of the beautiful college campuses, walk down newbury st. for shopping, north end for great food (mike's pastry!!), etc

boston is a walkable city, but there's also the T if you're going farther, like revere. there are bars all over the place around where you're staying, and also a good cluster just north along the common. my friends and i liked estate, a karaoke/club atmosphere up on boylston. easy to walk to, but the green line also goes right there. have fun!

airinem answered in Trips & Travel over 2 years ago | Report

Comment on this answer