Going to Boston on Thursday!!

[Scout]

On thursday I am headed to Boston to run the Boston Marathon on Monday. I am very excited and can't wait to leave. These last few days have taken forever.

DH is going with me. We will be there for three days before the run and we don't have any plans of sights to see etc. We tried getting tickets to the ball game which we really wanted to do but it was sold out. So I would love any suggestions of things to do, resteraunts to eat at etc. We are staying in a bed and breakfast in the south end. We aren't renting a car and are relying on the T to get us around.

Thanks Anne

[Peggy]

Just wanted to say good luck in the Marathon! WOW - I'm so impressed by marathon runners... Such dedication. Have a great time!!

Peggy

[TheresaM]

We are having such wacky weather here. This past weekend it was only high 30's and today it's 70. If you want someplace to walk around, try Faniel Hall. It has shops and eateries and restaurants, comedy club. Are you sure there are no bleacher seats left for the Sox's. I thought you could not buy these until game day ?

[Gracie]

Boston is a great city to walk around - it's very small.

You MUST walk over to the North End and eat at any one of the thousands (it seems) Italian restaurants. Don't eat dessert in the restaurant, go to one of the hundreds (it seems) Italian cafe/bakeries along the way. There isn't a bad one in the bunch. Walk through the narrow streets and stop in the Italian groceries, check out the Old North Church (remember Paul Revere's ride - one if by land, two if by sea - this is the place).

If you want to see the Red Sox game, go beforehand and buy tickets discreetly from one of the many people that will be selling them outside Fenway. There's no such thing as a sold out game that you can't get a ticket to.

For some pricey and wonderful shopping and dining, walk over to the Prudential Center (Saks and Lord and Taylor) and Copley Place (Neiman Marcus) (they're both indoor nice malls) and up Boylston St and Newbury St for boutiques and small restaurants. One of the most wonderful is Tapeo's on Newbury St. for authentic Spanish cuisine and tapas.

Take the Red Line (subway) over to Cambridge and walk around Harvard Square for tons more cool shops and places to eat. Harvard Square is a different culture and a must see.

Chinatown is right there, too. There are wonderful Chinese bakeries that make those steamed buns (pork or beef or ham and egg or coconut) as well as lots of very authentic Chinese food (no Puu Puu platters here).

Take a walk or practice run along the Charles River on either the Boston or Cambridge side - it's beautiful.

Your days should be full! I hope we have nice weather (finally) so you can enjoy it!

Good Luck in the Marathon.

Loren

[Scout]

Thanks for your responses.

Thanks Peggy for your support.

Theresa- I hope it stays in the 70's. Thanks for the tip on the bleacher seats. We will look into this and see what we can come up with. We really want to see a baseball game.

Gracie-Wow it looks like you gave me some great places to check out. On the baseball tickets we were told to watch out because a lot of the tickets sold on the street can be fake. Do you know of anybody who has had any bad luck with this?

Can't wait to get there!

Anne

[BosunsWife]

I know they might not be the greatest, but sometimes you can get "obstructed view" tickets to the Red Sox games. We used to live in Newport, RI and would call the day of the game and get these tickets. They are pretty reasonably priced and the "obstructed view" is usually a pole that can be seen around.

[sassysu3]

Scout~have a great time and a great run!
I used to go to college in Boston...great area. I see some others have already posted some tips on where to go.
I'm definitely with Gracie with regard to the Charles River area!
Be safe!
sassysu3 :)

[HRJ]

Wow!! Good luck in the Marathon!! I'll be thinking of you on Monday.

I live just outside Boston now, but not too long ago, we used to come here as tourists a lot. Some of the things we enjoyed were:

1. Duck Tours. These leave from in front of the Prudential building. They're tours of the city that use refurbished amphibious vehicles from the military -- you ride around the city, on land, and then you ride right into the Charles River, and the "bus" turns into a "boat" and you get a great view of the skyline, etc. The guides are really knowledgeable, and it's a lot of fun.

2. Freedom trail. Start on Boston Common, and follow the red line painted on the sidewalk, which will lead you on a walk around Boston and Charlestown, hitting most of the major historical points of interest. A good way to see a lot of basic stuff.

3. The Aquarium. It's not just for kids -- I love that place!

I'll also endorse Loren's suggestions for the North End -- a must! -- and Chinatown. I understand there are lot of nice places to have Dim Sum on Sunday morning in Chinatown, but I haven't tried that yet.

If you like seafood, Boston is the place to be. There are several good seafood places -- Turner Fisheries; Skipjack's; McCormick and Schmick; and, the granddaddy of Boston seafood restaurants, Legal Sea Foods. There are a ton of Legals all over the city -- they're usually crowded, and kinda touristy, but well worth checking out.

If you're in Harvard Square, and if you like ice cream, go to Herrell's, which is just off the square on, I think, Dunster St. It's run by Steve Herrell, the guy who started Steve's Ice Cream way back when -- remember the mix-ins craze? -- and this is big, rich, creamy, ultra ice cream.

Enjoy.

Helene

[eas11]

Anne GOOD LUCK IN THE MARATHON

In addition to all the good suggestions so far, check out http://boston.citysearch.com/ and http://boston.com to see whats going on in the city and surrounds this weekend. If you're into music, there's generally a good selection at small clubs around town. There are two half price ticket booths for day of performance theater tix (1 in Copley Square and 1 at Quincy Market, cash only).

Have fun!! I'll be cheering for you!

Ellyn

[slknight]

Good luck in the marathon!

In addition to the other sites and info mentioned, the Boston Online site (http://www.boston-online.com/) has some humorous info about the city. Some of the articles include the Wicked Good Guide to Public Restrooms and a guide to different movies that were filmed in Boston.

And I've got to second (third, fourth?) the recommendation about going to the North End. You can't go wrong with any of the Italian food there.

If you're looking for other restaurant reviews, check out The Phantom Gourmet (http://www.phantomgourmet.com)

-Susan

[SusieO]

If I had three days in Boston, first I would go to the North End for dinner. Then I would go back to the North End the second night. And back again the third. It's really fun to walk around and read all of the menus, and then choose a place to eat dinner, then choose a place to have dessert.

Gracie, you could have been my tour guide when I was there. You should work for the Chamber of Commerce. :)

But, most importantly, Scout, Good Luck in the Marathon! Can't wait to hear all about it!

[SQ]

If you do head into Harvard Square, I suggest you go on Sat. nt. That's the night that area is vibrant w/street musicians and performers. Have a great time.

My husband is also running on Monday. If I get around to making any signs for him, I'll also make one that says, "Go Scout!", for you!

[Gracie]

Originally posted by Scout
Gracie-Wow it looks like you gave me some great places to check out. On the baseball tickets we were told to watch out because a lot of the tickets sold on the street can be fake. Do you know of anybody who has had any bad luck with this?


Anne - I don't know anyone who has had a bad experience with buying tickets at Fenway but I'm sure it happens more than we know. Anytime you buy tickets that way (we've done it for sold out concerts and it's always been ok) you really do risk your money. I guess all I can say is go with your instinct on the person selling.

DD and I went to see Aida last night at the Wang Theatre. We ate at the North End beforehand and had a wonderful meal at Artu at 6 Prince Street. It was extremely reasonable (entrees no more than $15), the waitress was genuinely nice (even DD said "we really have nice waitress") without being phony and food came quickly. You walk in past the open kitchen and are seated around the corner in a different room. When we left the cooks all said goodbye and we told them how much we liked it! We had dessert across the street at Mike's Pastry on Hanover Street (the main drag) which has no atmosphere but the best selection. The cheesecake DD picked had a layer of chocolate fudge for icing on the top, a thin layer of chocolate cake, more fudge, a 3 inch layer of sinfully creamy cheesecake, a whipped cream layer, then another thin chocolate cake layer, then the crust. It was about 5 inches tall and the piece was about 4 inches across. This description doesn't even BELONG on a Cooking LIGHT BB :D :rolleyes: and also doesn't even begin to do it justice. I bought the piece for her but I ended up eating all of my half.

But anywhere you go will be great! Let us know how you do in the Marathon and where you ended up going!

Loren

[Scout]

Thank you everybody for all the information you provided. I will definately check out the North side after all these wonderful reviews. I am very excited and can't wait to get there.

Gracie- I love cheescake and dessert in general. I may have to go check that out. You are making my mouth water.

SQ- Good luck to your husband. Keep an eye out for me. I will be wearing yellow shorts with a red zia on the front and back(that is our state symbol).

I will let you know how everything turns out when I return.

Anne

[SusanT]

Congratulations and have a great race!