OT: Shipping Up to Boston

My in-laws live in Boston (backbay, actually) so am a bit acquainted with Boston itself.

Freedom Trail is awesome.  If you are in the North End and love seafood, highly recommend Neptune Oyser.  The place is tiny and does not take reservations, so would recommend getting there as they open, unless you enjoy waiting.  Hot lobster roll is excellent, best in the city.

Near Fenway, would recommend Island Creek Oyster Bar.  Oysters from the Cape tend to be smaller (and saltier) but they are delicious, and typically have up to a dozen varieties on any given night.   Can't go wrong with the shortrib with lobster-roe noodles, or if they have the seafood pot pie.  

Only really fancy restaurant we went to in Boston is L'espalier (Back Bay).   There is a Daniel Boloud outpost, but was not wowed by the DC branch (and that was a pale comparison to the NY one).  L'espalier is high-end French.  Fantastic if you are into it, the prix-fix lunch (with the wine pairing, of course) gives you a pretty good sample of the chef's skill at 1/2 the price of dinner.

Hotels are crazy expensive in Boston; Back Bay hotels ran $300+ in the fall/winter a night...and we are talking the Sheraton or Hilton, not the Taj or Four Seasons :/

I've posted previously about McGreevy's, America's oldest sports bar at 911 Boylston Street. It's associated with the Red Sox and the Dropkick Murphys, but it also has been a Michigan bar in recent years. It's a reasonable walk from there to Fenway Park where I'd recommend taking in the Fenway Park Tour that lasts about an hour and costs $30 on game days.

Depending on when you go to McGreevy's, try to first stop for a photo at the Boston Marathon Finish Line at 665 Boylston Street.

For history buffs, try to take the Freedom Trail Tour if you have a couple of hours to spend walking around the city. And after the walk, a stop at Mike's Pastry in the North End might be worth the calories.

Try to budget some time to visit The Michigan of the East in Harvard Square and consider taking one of the tours offered there. Fans of blues, jazz and folk music might like a stop at Club Passim in Cambridge. They haven't listed their July concert schedule yet.

Depending on the length of your stay, a trip to the Cape in July should take into account the heavy traffic that you can expect to encounter; but if you decide to stay overnight, take in a Cape Cod League Baseball game. There's a chance that you mioght see a future Major Leaguer there.

 

Boston is a great walking city.  It is a lot smaller than you would think.  If you start in Boston Commons, you can see the swan boats and the capitol building and start the Freedom Trail, which is a great way to see the city, and is easy to follow, as it is a red line through the streets. 

On the Freedom Trail I would recommend the kings chapel buring ground, which I believe you can go across the street and drink a Sam Adams while looking at Sam adams (in the grave. The picture on the bottle is of Paul Revere), the old meeting house, the old corner bookstore, old state house, and Fanueil hall, which you enter through the back and go up to the second floor. I'd grab lunch at Quincy Market, which has lots of options to eat new and upcoming places that are getting their start.  

Head up to the north end and grab some dessert at Modern Pastry, and stop by Paul Rever's house. Then you can head on to the North Church and possibly the aquarium. There's a great place to eat seafood on the Wharf that I can't remember, but ask people, and they will tell you.

On top of this, I'd suggest taking the Duck tour.  I've been 3 times, and learned something new every time.  They leave from the prudential building and I think the aquarium, but look it up to be sure.  Each driver had a specific personality and I still remember a lot of my history from those tours. Like the north end started as protestants, changed to irish, then to a jewish area, and finally is now itallian. Also learned about their famous crooked mayor Curly, who won an election from jail on the slogan "I did it for a friend" and the famous "If it's not Curly it's straight". Also learned about the Sam Adams thing too.

If you love history, you will really love Boston, as they've kept a lot of it around. Just try not to drive as the streets make no sense and the T is really easy to use. 

Then class started. Sorry about that.

1. Where to sit at Fenway - SRO tickets are the best. The seats are all uncomfortable unless you're able to swing monster seats, and anything along the 1st base line requires you to twist your head awkwardly to see the action. I can't emphasize enough just how uncomfortable every seat not in the RF box or on the monster is. I've had the best luck with RF roof SRO tickets. Very few people blocking your view or competing for a spot on the rail, plus it has its own bar. The stadium is the most uncomfortable in baseball so prepare yourself.

2. Attractions - If you're like me you'll dig Faneuil Hall, the waterfront, and the North End the best. Grab dinner in the North End if you like Italian food (Saraceno if you're on a budget, Fiore's if not, plus they have a badass roof deck). You can take in all the must see attractions in a day, so from there I'd head to Harvard Square if the weather's nice. There's also some amazing burgers and pizza there if you're not watching your waistline.

3. Nantucket - I've never stayed due to the price, but I'd recommend a B&B anywhere along the cape. 

I've noticed quite a few comments about seafood. If you're into that sort of thing, the Daily Catch is pretty solid.

I wanted to point you towards some food options, but let's get a few things out of the way first: * I love Fenway, and I'm a Tiger's fan. I think it is the best place in America to watch a game. Seat recommendations above all seem about right * I'll add endorsements for the Freedom Trail if you like walking (very easy to turn it into a massive bar crawl as well) or the Duck Tours if you aren't big into walking. Both are fantastic. * Cape/Islands: yes, very expensive, and yes, very busy. Alternative: Newburyport on Cape Ann, north of the city. You can even get there by rail if you so choose. I like Martha's Vineyard myself over Nantucket, but it's all pretty similar. * Avoid the Fanneuil Hall area unless you like tourist traps. Nothing there of real interest other than shops and not good but expensive restaurants (exception: Wagamama, a UK-based noodle chain that is pretty good and inexpensive) * If you like cheap food and artisan crafts, South End Market is lots of fun on the weekends. There should be food trucks aplenty (My favorite is an Asian one called Bon Me), plus artsy stuff to buy as well as all sorts of food stuffs. OK, differentiated advice, mostly on food: * If you want to find the best food, head to one of two places: North End, for Italian and some seafood options, and South End for everything else. There are good food options in Back Bay and elsewhere around, but I think the best -- especially if you don't want to drop big $$s -- are in North End and South End, which, incidentally, are not particularly close to each other. * Specific recommendations: Neptune's in North End (Seafood), Mike's or Modern Pastry in North End (canoli) are classics. There are many good Italian options there. Mama Maria's is pretty solid and on a pretty little square. Moving to South End, I'd recommend Metropolis on the more affordable end. If you don't mind spending $60/person or so for dinner, both The Butcher Shop and B&G Oysters are fantastic. All are on Tremont Street. On Washington Street, Stella's is good Italian, but the real winner is Toro for tapas. No reservations and you can expect to wait for some time, but amazing food and drinks. Get the corn and a dark and stormy, and then tuck into a bunch of tapas. * Breakfast: go to Flour Bakery. There is one in South End and one in Central Square in Cambridge (and one more I think, somewhere else). Sticky buns are what they are known for, but the place has a ton of amazing food. Sandwiches are incredible as well. If I only gave you one piece of advice, this would be it. Pretty cheap ($15 for a meal; less for breakfast) * Unless you just can't help yourself, skip Cheers. Just a bunch of tourists with bad service and overpriced beer. Would you like to see where the people who used to go to the Bull & Finch (the bar that Cheers is based on; is now actually called Cheers on Beacon St) would now go? Turn the corner from the Cheers on Beacon Street, and go up to 77 Charles Street, home of The Sevens. Fantastic neighborhood bar. Oh how I miss it. * While drinking at The Sevens, put your name in at The Paramount across the street for inexpensive ($15-$20 entrees) comfort food. Or, if you want to see a different part of town, go to Metropolis in South End. * Harvard Square is a fun place to visit, just because of the energy. Grab a drink at Grendel's Den, walk the square, walk Harvard Yard, and then head out. Preferably to Davis Square. * If you have time and want to get a non-touristry experience, go to Davis Square in Somerville. The bowling alley/flatbread place is good food and lots of fun, and Red Bones is great BBQ for cheap. Fantastic energy there -- even better than Harvard Square. (Source: I used to live in Harvard Square) * If you really don't mind splashing some cash on food, my favorite restaurant in the world is Craigie on Main in Cambridge. Very casual (wear jeans) but James Beard-award winning chef and amazing food. If you go early you can sit in the bar and order the legendary burger and walk out for $40/head with a drink each. Otherwise, seated at a table, you can drop serious cash. $500 for two is not out of the question if you do degustation with supplements and wine pairings. * If you are going to the Cape, Chatham Bars Inn is a gorgeous (very expensive) hotel there that you can stop and get a drink at and enjoy the ocean views from the porch, and is very convenient to the Chatham Pier Fish Market. There, you can have them drop a lobster in the water and have it boiled for you and eat it right on the dock it came in from only hours earlier, for way cheap too. No service, you'll be eating off a paper plate, but the most amazing lobster and mega-cheap. I moved away about four years ago and miss the city so... probably my favorite place I've lived out of AA, Chicago, NYC, Boston, and Charlotte.

both domestic and internationally for 35 plus years for work ( as I type Im at the Grand Velas in Playda del Carmen for 3 wks..God I love my job)  Boston Is and always has been one of my most favorite cities..I lived at the Park Plaza for 8 months when I got shipped up there during the Eastern Airlines Strike 25 years ago..In fact I was there when Michigan beat Seton Hall in 89..Oh the memories...anywhoo its a Great City..shopping and restaurants on Newberry(sp) and Boylston Streets..the Commons, Faneuil Hall, all the historical sites..Theres a History Pub Crawl you might look into that stops at alot of the famous historical sites and the bars near by...Its a great city to walk around and you dont need a rental car...In fact I dont recomment it unless you are going way outside the city..parking intown is really bad...There is alot to do downtown and the Original Legal Seafood place is at the Park Plaza...Have Fun hopefully you will love it as much as I do

Barking Crab and Modern Pastry INSTEAD of Mike's for cannolis.