Bink

I'm going to be in Boston in Late Feb for 4 days and will have 2 half days to explore (not a lot of time, I realize). Any must haves for things fairly central to see/do/eat?

Thanks!

Pulaski

Go meet Horace and ask him if he's smoking crack.

tonrob

Most of mine involve drinking. Do you like drinking?

Bink

Does that answer your question?

I should have time in the evenings to have a few drinks.

Southy_SWFC

I hear the aquarium is worth a visit.

The oldest pub in the US is in Boston too - the Bell in Hand I think its called

tonrob

Do you like 'craft beer'? Most of the pubs downtown are unforntunately crap from this perspective, but theer are some amazing (really amazing) beer pubs if you are prepared to travel just 2 or 3 miles from downtown. Great public transport help and definately taxi-able.

Hiro11

It's going to be cold, but if you're OK being outside Boston is probably the best city to simply walk through in the US. It's compact and not grid-based so it's easy to wander down little side streets and the like. Highly recommended to walk through:
Freedom Trail - a very well organized walking trail of the main historical sites. This should be #1 on your list if you're OK with walking.
North End / waterfront - historically (now gentrified) Italian neighborhood with lots of good food and the harbor
Common / Public Garden - the main parks, not too big and they are contiguous
Beacon Hill - historic, extremely expensive and beautiful neighborhood
Back Bay - snazzy retail district
Harvard Square - site of the famous university and general center of collegiate / bohemian culture

Museums to see:
MFA - the main art gallery
Isabelle Stewart Gardner - a smaller art gallery uniquely situated in an imported renaissance villa (hard to explain)

Not recommended:
Duck Tours - expensive tourist trap. You're better off just walking around. It's not that big a city.
Tha Aquarium. It's a nice aquarium, but you can see fish in other cities.

Try Burdick's hot chocolate if you can, it's unbelievable.

Bink

Yes, love it. Don't mind getting a taxi around and 2-3 miles is no issue. I'll be staying near the Hynes convention center but happy to get about so long as it's only a few miles not way out.
Living in Houston it's rare that I get to go out and drink beer since getting a taxi isn't that easy and I don't live within walking distance of good pubs and most of the time I have to drive.


Thanks! Will check some of these out. I'm good with walking around so happy to walk through the historic areas maybe stopping off to get a beer or two and a bite to eat as I do so!

tonrob

Ok - my choices would be:

Cambridge (near MIT). There are two great beer places just 5 minutes walk from one another. Cambridge Brewing Company is a fair bit more interesting than your average brewpub and has a nice atmopshere. Nearby Meadhall is a huge beer hall with literally a bazillion taps (well over 100). Both do good food. If you can be arsed going further along to Harvard Square (not walkable in February) then check out John Harvard's brewpub - but not a patch on the two I've mentioned but they do tend to do a couple on cask and reasonable food.

My other evening out would be in Allston. Sunset Grill and Tap also has a bazillion taps (literally, count them) along with a bottle list that reads like a phone book and cheap, cheerful non-authentic Tex-Mex in huge portions. Nearby (walkable, 5 mins or less) is Deep Ellum, much smaller and low key but with emphasis on quality.

Depending on how long you're out you might want to check out ratebeer for other places nearby. Avoid downtown (bit of a beer desert) and also the over-hyped Boston Beer Works chain (bland, formulaic oversized brewpub-by-numbers with barely passable food and shambolic service).

S Folinsky

I used to visit Boston a fair amount when one kid was in school in Cambridge.

I found the Duck Tour to be kind of fun. I don't know if it will be going in February and I'm not looking.

Walking the Harvard Bridge is of interest since it shows the origin of the Smoot as a unit of measurement. I think the Harvard Bridge is the only one in the United States marked in Smoots and the marks are restored every time the bridge is resurfaced. There is a special sign "Halfway To Hell" sign at 182.2 Smoots.

If one wants to emulate Charlie from the famous song, do note that Scollay Square is now "Government Center." Also, it is has been some time since the street cars went to Jamica Plain.

Also, be careful as a pedestrian crossing the street. In Cambridge, Memorial Drive adjacent to the Charles River is named in honor of the pedestrians who lost their lives attempting to cross the road.

md95065

If you are at all interested in museums and/or art definitely take a look at MFA.

They have a good collection that is very well laid out - I spent half a day there when I was in Boston last year and wished that I had more time.

Bink

Thanks all! Slight change in plan...
Mrs Bink, mini Bink and Bink's Mum are all going now. They'll have 2 full days and 2 half days there. Mini Bink is 2.
Anyone got any recommendations for the best child friendly things for them to see/do?

Thanks in advance!

tonrob

I reckon most of those pubs I listed are kid friendly...

kins

There's a children's museum that is pretty good - don't go on a rainy weekend day though.

The aquarium is good if you're made of money.

Science Museum is fantastic.

kins

Also read Make Way for Ducklings them take them to the Public Gardens, corner of Beacon and Charles.