Two Rookies take on Boston- Day 3

[pink]

Cast-
Me, 19- Rebecka.
DBF, 19.- Doug.

Dates-
April 9th- 11th.

Hotel-
Boston Park Plaza and Towers.

Background-
As a Disney freak, it is customary for my family to go to Disney World at least once a year. In September I took my DBF to Disney for the first time and he was hooked. Unsuprisingly, when I went with my family to Disney in March he was crestfallen and felt the urge to go on another vacation. This time, however, it was time for a road trip. We decided on Boston because it was close to home and a big city we both wanted to see.

Day 3

Today was a our last day and I had set the alarm for 9 a.m. in fear that we were oversleep our welcome. However, I woke up at 8 a.m. and slowly started packing up my belongings. We had breakfast in the room and started bringing our suitcases to the car. The maid saw us passing in the hallway and asked if we were done. We said we would had to come back one more time to get more bags and DBF said she looked frustrated but check-out wasn't until 12 p.m. and it was barely 11 a.m.

Anyways, we brought down the rest of the bags to DBF's car. Our check-out was painless, there were never any lines near the front desk by the way, check-out only took a total of 2 minutes. We took some last minute pictures of the hotel lobby and off we went to the Boston Common to catch the "T" to Harvard.

We found the entrance to the red line and a nice workers helped us get a Charlie card I believe it was called to purchase our tickets. We knew we were going on the red line but we almost got on a train going the wrong way. Luckily another worker pointed us onto the right platform at the last minute. Within minutes, we were on the correct train and arrived in Harvard in about 10 minutes.

We weren't sure where to go when we got off the train but we followed a young man in a Harvard sweatshirt and he took us where we needed to go. Unfortunately, when we got to Harvard I started to feel sick and we uncomfortable the whole time. Not to mention it was pouring rain and cold that day.

We just went walking through the school grounds and saw the largest dog I've ever seen in my life and we even found the entrance to Winnie the Pooh's house. I wish I could have taken a picture of it but I wasn't in the best of moods.

We found an Au Bon Pain near the school and had a little snack and I felt a little better. We walked through the Harvard Book store, a stationary store and just around the town. However, the weather was overpowering our day and we were cold and I was sick so we decided to call it a day and that it was time to go home.

We took the train back, which was another quick ride. We stopped to get some last minute souveneirs for DBF's grandma, my brother and myself. We did a quick change into comfy clothes, paid for the parking and were off back on the road to New York. I once again, slept most of the way but DBF got us back home saftely within 4 hours.

Final thoughts on the trip/Boston:
- I don't know if I would go back for awhile because I felt like we did almost everything they had to offer but I really loved the city. I wouldn't mind living there, it was so quaint. I loved how you could walk anywhere.
- Almost everyone we met from friendly and well-dressed. I didn't meet any New York haters while we were there.
- The walls of the hotel are very thin and you can hear everything you neighbor is saying/doing.
-The maid service also doesn't clean up that well, they never vacumed when we were there.

Overall I would have to say we both had a great trip and Boston is a fantastic city.

[LorrieP]

I just read all three of your trip reports and I think you should give Boston another try in the summer when it's warm.

I live in Maine and take the train down a couple times a year. We usually go in August and take a whale watch from the aquarium. They are awesome. Last year some co-workers and I took a girls night out in Boston. We went on the Ghosts and Graveyards tour. It was really fun. It was raining that night and everytime we got off the trolley at a graveyard it would thunder and lightning. Perfect timing.

DH and I have even taken the trolley tour during the day and they are very informative. There's also the Freedom Trail. I plan on going down this summer and walking it. Paul Revere's house is along the way, along with the oldest cemetery in Boston, and the Old North Church.

Give it another shot, just go when it's warmer!!

[SBETigg]

I agree with LorrieP. It would be great to catch a game at Fenway, too. That's really something. Maybe in a few more years you'll go back. No need to rush back, but I would give it another shot. The museums are great, too, even the Children's Science Museum and Planetarium- fun for even adults. Another great MA trip is to head for Plymouth. There's a lot of fun stuff to do there for a weekend (but that's about it, a weekend's worth).

[faline]

Glad you enjoyed Boston!

[Hull-onian]

Next time you come here, get one of our phone numbers, and you can go on a personal of Boston Harbor and Castle Island. You won't be disappointed. There is a lot to take in. If I went to NYC, I would need a tour guide for sure. Sounds like you did well getting around. I loved your Disney reports as well.

[aprilisis]

I just read all three of your trip reports and I think you should give Boston another try in the summer when it's warm.

I live in Maine and take the train down a couple times a year. We usually go in August and take a whale watch from the aquarium. They are awesome. Last year some co-workers and I took a girls night out in Boston. We went on the Ghosts and Graveyards tour. It was really fun. It was raining that night and everytime we got off the trolley at a graveyard it would thunder and lightning. Perfect timing.

DH and I have even taken the trolley tour during the day and they are very informative. There's also the Freedom Trail. I plan on going down this summer and walking it. Paul Revere's house is along the way, along with the oldest cemetery in Boston, and the Old North Church.

Give it another shot, just go when it's warmer!!

I agree with you- Boston is best in the Spring or Fall. I have taken the trolley tour, too & loved it. I also really enjoy the ferry to the harbor islands.

I'm glad you liked Boston. I'm supposed to stay over one night in July after a concert at the same hotel & you creeped me out when you said the hallways look like the Stanley Hotel (from the Shining)!! hahaha

[DeniseMB]

Just read your report. I am glad you both had a good time. I hope you do visit our city again.

Here are some good restaurants you may want to try next time...

Faneuil Hall area:
Durgin Park..New England comfort food
Ye Olde Union Oyster House (the oldest restaurant in the country...request John F Kennedy's favorite booth)

North End:
Galleria Umberto , pizza..everything on the menu is less than $4.00...the place closes when they run out of food, in the afternoon about 1:30 or 2:00 pm
Pizzeria Regina
Gelateria..ice cream
Joe Tecce's ...italian
Giacomo's...Italian, cash only
Stregas ..Italian
Fiore...Italian
Mikes Pastry
Modern Pastry
Caffe Vittoria

Prudential area:
Jasper White's Summer Shack..seafood
Vinny T's..Italian

Harvard Square:
Mr Bartley's Burger House
Cardullo Gourmet Shop..chocolate covered grasshoppers, etc

Pier:
No Name Restaurant..seafood
Anthony's Pier 4...seafood

[DeniseMB]

Some other things to do...

DuckTours (highly recommend)

Hop On/Hop Off Trolley Tour

Bostix (1/2 price tickets to a play, day of performance)

Tour Fenway Park

See a Red Sox game

Beacon Hill..Louisburg Square

Ride on a Swan Boat

Run across the finish line of The Boston Marathon

Boston Public Library, get a copy of the headlines of your favorite newspaper of the day you were born, (great souvenir)

Walk down Newbury St, visit the boutiques, art galleries and visit Sugar Heaven.

Walk the Esplanade, see a free movie or concert in summer at The Hatch Shell

John F Kennedy Library

Whale watch

cruise from Aquarium to Charlestown Navy Yard. See the USS Constitution.

Climb the Bunker Hill Monument

Museum of Science

Museum of Fine Arts

Childrens Museum

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Institute of Contemporary Art

Hope you make another visit.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VMSGrY-IlU
This is how the Charlie Card for the T got it's name

[crazypoohbear]

I think if you came back to boston in the fall, mid october you would have a much better time!
there was so much more for you to do and see, especially in the sunshine!
In the north end, (about 2 blocks from Faneuil hall) there are more italian restaurants and shops than you can count.
When you walked through the theater district you were about a block or two away from china town
The old town trolley is fabulous! you pay one price and get on and off all day. While you are on the trolley you will be regaled with historic trivia.
did you know about the great molasses flood in the streets of boston?
Did you know that the battle of bunker hill did NOT take place on bunker hill, (it was foggy and they thought it was bunker hill but it was actually breeds hill)
did you know that Paul Revere was married twice and had SIXTEEN children!!
8 with his first wife( she died in childbirth)
8 with his second wife~
These are just some of the tidbits that you will learn on the trolley.
The boat ride around the harbor (about 2.00) at dusk and you will see the constitution going through the lowering of the flag ceremony, very nice
The hardrock is not very good food or atmosphere now, the old HRC was awesome, beautiful decor, memorabilia and great music, now the new one is kind of sterile and generic and the food isn't great.
You will usually only find "yankee haters" during the redsox/yankees games!
At least you rode the T. I have not done that yet
Come back again, you'll have even more fun

[Mfarquar]

I agree about the maid service at the Park Plaza.

I was there for a national conference in March.

This hotel has a great reputation, but I was also very disappointed in the cleanliness. Our room was consistently dirty. Moreover, one morning when I called for an iron (ours was broken), I was told that we couldn't have one for over an hour because "all the housekeeping staff is in a meeting".

Another evening, we called and asked for an extra blanket because we had a cot and it only came with sheets and a blanket so over-used it was see through and about as thick as a 2-ply tissue. We brought extra sheets and told there were no extra blankets - there is only 1 comforter per bed and comforters cannot be removed from unused rooms.

Crazy!

Regardless, I'm glad you had a great trip!