Things to do in Boston

[Faust]

I'm thinking to do a little getaway in a few weeks. Where should I stay, eat, drink, and shop?

[Chinorlz]

I'm thinking to do a little getaway in a few weeks. Where should I stay, eat, drink, and shop?

I may be a bit out of date with the newer spots but:

Shop- Alan Bilzerian on Newbury st (the way they organize the store you essentially HAVE to ask staff about stuff... they have old Carpe but often times not hung out)
Stel's on newbury (BoO and other pieces in that vein... mens and womens)
Bodega on Mass. Ave (if only just to check out the storefront)
Second Time Around & The Closet (or something like that)- two consignment stores also on Newbury that sometimes have some old Cloak and other gems. Good womens finds though often times.

Drink- Eastern Standard in Kenmore Sq, Middlesex Lounge in Cambridge

Stay- For a more central location probably somewhere in/near Copley. The Commonwealth Hotel is also nice and about 2 blocks from the western edge of the start of Newbury St.

Eat- Eastern Standard is still one of my local favorites since I lived less than a block away. The food is nice and has some adventurous/interesting dishes as well.
The Daily Catch- Only the one on Hanover St. in the North End. Small as hell but that single asian guy making EVERY SINGLE DISH kicks out the best seafood pasta dishes I've had anywhere. The fried calamari is a must and you can't go wrong with any pasta dish there. Always cooked to order from scratch.
The Butcher Shop- in the South End... by day a local small butcher shop and by night a wine/dinner joint. Prices/popularity seems to have increased over the years but still nice and intimate setting.

A few other random places (high and low end) but nothing you can't get in NYC. Current Bostonians may have some more up to date joints but I pretty much eat at Daily Catch and eat/drink at Eastern Standard every time I'm in Boston (once/twice a year).


Have fun E :)

[francojean23]

don't have much time to elaborate, but of the very limited shopping available in boston, check out alan bilzerian's shop on newbury (if you can get them to dig out old carpe stuff and the like, all the better) and riccardi (cdg, attachment, few others) also on newbury

[maldoror]

[klangspiel]

twisted village,
requiescat in pace

[endersgame]

there is a cool cemetery the last time i was there. i don't recall the name..

please do not take waywt pics here..

[Chinorlz]

on the back side of the quad in harvard sq leading towards the Charles?

[Sombre]

Nice to have this up. Going off now, but I'll update this post when I get back.

[endersgame]

on the back side of the quad in harvard sq leading towards the Charles?

uh, uhmm, i don't remember. it was in a very quiet neighborhood in boston..

look out for guys in tricorne hats!

[Sombre]

So this update is really late, but here it is.

Shop There isn't too much good shopping in Boston. Albert covered all the big ones:

Alan Bilzerian

Bodega (if only to enter a store through a vending machine. They've also got some old candy in the "convenience store" too, so it'll remind you of your chidhood.)

Riccardi, if you're traveling with the lady. They have a lot of tacky logo plastered stuff, but there are some real gems in their women's buys. You'll find Forme d'Expression, Comme des Garcons, and a great Junya selection.

Eat

Mooo (expensive). Don't let the silly name fool you, this is an excellent steak restaurant. The lamb is succulent, and every beef entree is tender and juicy. The wine list is amazing and extensive, and includes a good selection of vintage wines. The only negative comment I have about Mooo is that the bread is too salty. But you're not going there for the bread, now are you?

Top of the Hub (expensive). This comes with a warning, and isn't really a recommendation; I'm just including it so you know about it. The good: The view is spectacular and you see the entire city from the window. The bad: I've heard many mixed reviews of this place from friends and reviewers that were enough to make me not go. I've heard the food is mediocre for the price and the staff can be rude. Of course I've also heard good reviews of this place, from the food to the service, but it sounds more like an attraction for the view than for the food. If you decide to go, just keep all of this in mind.

Avila (moderate). A decent Mediterranean restaurant. When I went it was close to closing time, so the place was empty and the staff might have been tired. That said the experience wasn't negative, although it was not positive enough for me not to mention it. The food was good. I can't remember exactly what I had, but I remember enjoying my entree and wishing I had ordered my girlfriend's instead. They have what I'm told is an excellent paella dish. Overall I'd say it's worth it if you like Mediterranean food.

Davide's (moderate). I'm not a huge fan of Italian food, so I'm not the best person to be recommending Italian restaurants, but people here love the Borth End (Boston's little Italy), so I feel like I should include at least one Italian eatery. I went there once four years ago, so I don't remember much, but I did enjoy the design (as if they had literally cut into a cave and placed the restaurant inside), and the food, from what I remember, was not bad. It's a romantic place, so I'd recommend it if you go with a companion.

Eastern Standard (moderate). The prices really straddle the border between inexpensive and moderate, but either way it's a good value. The cuisine is American, but without the frills and gimmicks, and also without the massive servings of fried food that are all too common. Their in-house daily sorbet is wonderful. Avoid it on baseball day, because although Red Sox fans might not rush it the same way they do Uno's, the metro station is right beside the restaurant, the noise from the thousands of fans will annoy you.

Osushi (inexpensive). A solid sushi restaurant. It might be on the slightly expensive side for sushi, but overall it won't leave a big dent in your wallet. The food is good, as is the decorating (I like it, at least). It's a great place to just stop in for lunch during a day of sight-seeing or shopping. One point to note is that they don't take reservations for small parties, and it's a popular spot for dinner, so if that's when you plan to go, see below.

Typhoon (inexpensive). Another good sushi restaurant two blocks from Osushi. It's a good dinner alternative when Osushi gets crowded and the wait time climbs to half an hour. Prices here are less expensive than Osushi's, which is a plus. I think Osushi's food is slightly better, but that's not to say Typhoon's is bad. It's a good place to go when you're tired of crowds, and just want good, inexpensive food.

Thai Basil (inxpensive). And I mean inexpensive. This is a great place to kill mid-afternoon shopping frustration. It's cheap, the food is great, and you'll be in and out faster than at most places. The portions are big, so you might want to think twice about ordering two or three dishes.

Finale (expensive). This is one of the best dessert restaurants in the city. I list it under expensive because you'll spend less than you would on dinner, but this is just dessert, so it's expensive for dessert, but well worth it. Their signature molten chocolate dessert is excellent, and if you can't decide which one of their desserts you want, they have a nine sample dish for two. Their wine list has some wonderful dessert wines, and the waiters are pretty knowledgeable about which wine to pair with which dessert. Like Osushi, Finale doesn't take reservations for small parties, and can get packed right after dinner time, so plan accordingly.

Tealuxe (inexpensive). It's not really a place to dine, but it gets a special mention. If you like tea, this is the place to go. They've got dozens of selections, some of them concocted by the owners I believe, and all are richly flavored and satisfying. None of this Lipton tea bag rubbish. They also have a nice selection of pastries to eat with your tea. The only negative is that it's in Harvard Square, which is a good deal out of the way. They had a Newbury St location, but closed it this past summer.

Drink

Eastern Standard. Their signature mixed drinks are well-known and respected around the country, and were recently featured in GQ (that may or may not mean anything to you).

Grendel's. A nice, small place in Harvard Square to have a beer. I've never been, as I'm not a beer drinker, but my girlfriend recommends it.

John Harvard's. Same as above. My girlfriend gives them extra points because they make their own brews.

Stay
As far as I know, all the hotels around here are pretty expensive. Like Albert said, anywhere in/near Copley would be a good, central location. That would include the Marriott, the Westin, Back Bay Hotel. I'd probably recommend Hotel Commonwealth if you don't mind being a bit farther from the centre and being a bit closer to undergrads. It's not on the Boston University campus, but it's right at the edge. It's about 0.5-0.75 miles from Newbury St and most of the stuff you'll want to see. If you don't feel like walking, the metro stop is right outside the hotel, and you'll be in the centre in less than 5 minutes. Since I'm recommending Hotel Commonwealth I should also suggest Hotel Buckminster. It's right across the street from Hotel Commonwealth, but the prices are significantly lower. The rooms aren't as nice, but if you're on a budget it's a pretty good deal I say.

I hope this helps. Let me know if you need anything else.

[Faust]

/\ Thanks a lot. I will PM you closer to the date, hopefully you are around.

[kunk75]

blue ginger is a bit of a drive but i love the restaurant. we go to the cape every year and then boston so hit me up if you need family friendly recos.

[Sombre]

/\ Thanks a lot. I will PM you closer to the date, hopefully you are around.

You're welcome. I edited the post with an additional hotel recommendation. That sounds good. Just let me know.

[Chinorlz]

You're welcome. I edited the post with an additional hotel recommendation. That sounds good. Just let me know.

Buckminster isn't too bad. Definitely on the cheap for such a nice location. Good to hear that Eastern Standard is still on its game even to those residing in the city now.

Grendels is sort of dive-y but it's got it's quaintness. My buddies and i used to go there for happy hour where the whole menu is 50% off... get drunk and order half a dozen burgers just because you came in ready to buy three and now you can get more

Finale as a sit-down place may be a bit pricey but you can get a couple of the mini-desserts to go and enjoy them somewhere else and they're really lovely. The Creme Brulee is awesome

[plasmoplas]

Hi, I'm a current Cambridge resident, so I can help a little with things in that area.

For a general what-to-do grab a copy of the Weekly Dig (the other papers are crap for events).

We do get a decent selection of music coming through. The three places to check are:

1)http://www.nonevent.org/
2)http://wmbr.mit.edu/www/cr_red and http://wmbr.mit.edu/www/cr
3)http://www.last.fm/events/+place/United+States/Boston

Going out, I recommend the Middlesex Lounge (Cambridge) and Goodlife (Boston). But the nightlife scene in Boston is xp compared to NYC, so oh well.

One nice date spot in Cambridge is Cuchi-Cuchi (20's themed place). If you want a hamburger, go to Bartley's. If you like chocolate try Burdick's.

Movie-wise, there's a nice rotation of curated movies at the Harvard Film Archive: http://hcl.harvard.edu/hfa/

The only decent place to shop in Cambridge would be the Tannery (upstairs), maybe the concept shoe store next door. Otherwise, stick with Alan Bilzarian, Stels, and Louis of Boston <u>at Fan Pier</u> (Bodega didn't have shit worth looking at last time I was there, but the concept is interesting - and it's next to the Christian Science center which is nice to walk around). There's also Louis of Boston.

Any specific interests in what to do? I figure you'll hit up the North End for some grub, check out Boston Harbor nearby, see Boston Garden/common, walk on the Charles River, blah blah blah.

Oh, the shot of guy in the tricorner hat above was taken in Fanuel Hall, where you can pick up touristy stuff.

Boston is a good city for the fine arts too. The best place IMHO is the Decordova musuem, but you need a car for that. Within the city, check the ICA, the MFA, and to a lesser extent assorted galleries on Newbury (http://www.newbury-st.com/Boston/20/Art_Galleries). Classical music at Symphony Hall and free recitals at Jordan Hall (http://necmusic.edu/calendar_event).