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IgoUgo's Best of Boston
As our unique community continues to grow, IgoUgo will be bringing you the best travel ideas for the places you want to go. With America's Independence Day on the horizon, we've focused on a city that combines a spectacular past with a vibrant, sophisticated present. History buffs, art aficionados, lobster lovers and hockey fans, here's what IgoUgo guides recommend for New England's most international city!
Check In: Three of Boston's Top Hotels
In Boston, you'll find quaint Bed and Breakfasts along Newbury Street, stately hotels overlooking Copley Square or motels near
Fenway Park booked with baseball fever...
Guide pen name: sid
Name: Encore Bed and Breakfast
Address: 116 West Newton Street
Telephone: (617) 247-3425
Price (per room per night): $100 - $150
"Bravo for the Encore, a new B&B in Boston's vibrant South End. Encore occupies the top floors of an 1860 Victorian brick townhouse on a leafy side street, just around the corner from busier Tremont Street. The B&B space underwent extensive renovation and redesign earlier this year under the masterful touch of the owners: Reinhold Mahler, an award-winning architect, and David Miller, an award-winning set designer. The three guest rooms - the Albee, Sondheim and Bernstein Rooms - are decorated with posters and materials from each author's work. David's collection of masks from around the world - Korea, Greece, Italy and elsewhere - hangs in the breakfast nook. Descriptions can't adequately capture the way walls, furnishings and bed coverings work together. Be sure to ask your hosts about theatre. They know what's going on and will gladly guide you to Boston's smaller, more intimate venues."
*Read more in Boston Bests
Guide pen name: mannyb
Name: Four Seasons Boston
Address: 200 Boylston Street
Telephone: (617) 338-4400
Price (per room per night): $150 - $200
"This hotel is gorgeous, placed in the middle of the city and is within walking distance to everything, especially the Bullpen Pub better known as Cheers from the hit TV show. It is located in front of the Boston Commons, a marvelous park to stroll through."
*Read more in
Boston Late Night for College Students
Guide pen name: shoppingbebe
Name: Marriott Copley Place
Address: 110 Huntington Avenue
Telephone: (617) 236-5800
Price (per room per night): $200 - $250
"This was a suite in the Copley Place, so single rooms are likely much less expensive. But this is a beautiful hotel, with several great restaurants and bars. The concierge lounge on the 27th floor is lovely, and offers continental breakfast and cocktail hour. The staff is incredibly friendly and helpful! The hotel is attached to 2 great shopping centers- Tiffany's is practically in the lobby! So you can stroll right from your hotel room to Saks or Neiman Marcus without putting on a coat or braving the Boston snowstorms."
*Read more in A Weekend in Boston
Daily Specials: Six of Boston's Dining Favorites
New England clam chowda and Boston Crème Pie are just some of the treats to tease your palate. From the top of the Prudential Center to a cellar in the North End, Boston offers a variety of menus and dress codes.
Guide pen name: aku
Name: East Coast Grill
Address: 1271 Cambridge St
Telephone: (617) 491-6568
Type of Cuisine: Seafood
Price Range: $30 - $40
Attire: Nice casual to dressy
Reservations: No
"The absolute best raw bar in town, with a rotating variety of high quality east coast oysters. Inventive preparation of fresh seafood - they are known for unique and spicy flavor combinations. The atmosphere is lively and unpretentiously hip; the staff is gregarious and entertaining. Always a long line for a table, no reservations unless party is large. Equally as fun to hang out at the marble bar."
*Read more in Hideouts + Hangouts in Boston
Guide pen name: sid
Name: Warren Tavern
Address: Main St at Pleasant St (Charlestown)
Type of Cuisine: American
Price Range: $10 - $20
Attire: Casual
Reservations: N/A
"The best place for lunch in Boston if you are looking for colonial atmosphere is near the end of the Freedom Trail at Charlestown's Warren Tavern. There are plenty of places to eat along the trail - the stalls at Quincy Market, nearby restaurants like the Union Oyster House (ex-pres. Clinton ate here when he blew through town recently) and bundles of small Italian spots in the North End - but the Warren Tavern is just enough off the main trail that it isn't completely filled with out of towners. In fact, it does a pretty good business with 'Townies,' the preferred name for residents of Boston's Charlestown section... Warren Tavern occupies one of the oldest existing buildings in Charlestown, constructed in 1780."
*Read more in Boston Bests
Guide pen name: Harris
Name: Biba
Address: 272 Boylston Street
Telephone: (617) 426-7878
Type of Cuisine: Other
Price Range: $20 - $30
Attire: Coat and Tie
Reservations: Recommended
"In a colorful setting overlooking the Public Garden, Biba serves unexpected combinations of flavor. One of the priciest and tastiest restaurants in Boston, it may very well be worth the hole it will leave in your wallet--especially for the pomegranate pizza. Dinner is also served in the downstairs bar area, a pleasant place to stop in for a drink and an appetizer, if you can't afford a full meal."
*Read more in Time Travel in Historic Boston
Guide pen name: Harris
Name: Sonsie
Address: 327 Newbury Street
Telephone: 617-351-2500
Type of Cuisine: New American
Price Range: $10 - $20
Attire: chic
Reservations: No
"Sonsie feels like a little piece of New York City's Soho dropped down in Boston. In other words, it features faux Parisian cafe decor and beautiful people sipping cosmopolitans. But Sonsie has the additional bonus of featuring fantastic food, with a menu that changes periodically to offer some pretty original dishes. The Mee Krob is one staple of the menu that I highly recommend, but last time I visited I had the Rigatoni with Basil Chicken and Vegetable Ratatoille--one of the best things I've ever eaten in Boston."
*Read more in Time Travel in Historic Boston me Travel in Historic Boston
Guide pen name: Beth
Name: Buzzy's Roast Beef
Address: 327 Cambridge St.
Telephone: (617) 242-7722
Type of Cuisine: American
Price Range: Less than $10
Attire: casual
Reservations: N/A
"If you like your beef, Buzzy's Roast Beef is a Boston classic. It's ideal for lunch when you've spent some time exploring the Beacon Hill area and are now headed to the Charles River esplanade to relax. Buzzy's is at the end of Cambridge St in a sort of hairy traffic area but don't let that deter you. The sandwiches and burgers are all great and HUGE! Fries are very good also. This is a very popular place when the bars close but it's just as good at 1pm as it is at 3am!"
*Read more in Hidden Boston
Guide pen name: Pablo Diablo
Name: Lodo
Address: 210 Hanover Street
Telephone: (617) 720-0052
Type of Cuisine: Italian
Price Range: $10 - $20
Attire: casual/dressy casual
Reservations: N/A
"Situated on the main street of Little Italy (and not too far away from Mike's for some great pastry if you've got room afterward), it's hard to believe Lodo can seat all that many, as the building it's in is somewhat narrow. With three floors of dining space, though, it's more than meets the eye. The decor is wonderfully intimate, with dark walls and soft lighting (and some cool arty touches in the lights and wall decorations, too). The rooms' small width helps keep things cozy without making them too tight. Although Italian, the food isn't as traditional as in some of the other restaurants you'll find farther down the road. The chef does some wonderful things with pastas, salads, and meat dishes, although the menu isn't so radical as to alienate less adventurous diners. Entrees generally hover around or a little below $15. A great place."
*Read more in Be a Tourist Even If You Ain't
Weekend Wandering: Six of Boston's Best Bets
Beantown brims with devoted Red Sox fans and rival college hockey teams, Boston Symphony concerts and young rock bands dreaming of Aerosmith stardom. Visit Paul Revere's home, take a "Duck Tour," stroll along the Charles or stop by one of America's most prestigious universities...
Guide pen name: Pablo Diablo
Name: Newbury Street
Address: Newbury Street (runs from Boston Common west to Mass. Ave)
Type of Merchandise: various
"Newbury Street is a great place to shop (if you've got the dough; some places, especially towards the Common, can get a bit pricey) or just go and stroll on a warm Boston day. It's got everything from Newbury comics (music, comics, etc.) to Giorgio Armani (no music, no comics). Bonuses: Ben and Jerry's ice cream, J.P. Licks (more ice cream), a good Vietnamese restaurant that I can't remember the name of. And lots of 'euro' shops for those with lots of money (not students like). Fun times."
*Read more in Be a tourist even if you ain't
Guide pen name: kannruss
Name: Museum of Fine Arts
Address: 465 Huntington Avenue
Type of Museum: Art
"The museum has many different features, lots of pieces from ancient civilizations (Ancient Roman and Greek times). The part of the museum that is my favorite is the section containing the old musical instruments. Also they have a fashion section with old dresses. I also like the sections of old furniture and those that are set up into old style bedrooms, similar to that of Versailles Palace in France. Looking at exhibits can be fun. For some, however, the museum may get old quickly. It's a little pricey, too, so splurge for the exhibit as it will make it all more worth while."
*Read more in Boston, The City on the Ocean
Guide pen name: Alyssa
Name: Harvard Square and Harvard University
Address: Harvard Square T Stop
"Harvard Square is where the action is--for visitors and residents alike. A quaint, eclectic area originating with the birth of Harvard College in the 1600's, it still has remnants of the twisty streets and historic buildings established at the time the university was founded. This is the center of cafe life in the Boston-Cambridge area, and there is a wide choice of places to plop down and people watch--from the always-busy snack-and-brew emporium, Au Bon Pain, in the center of the Square, to the precious, tiny and robust TeaLuxe, on Brattle Street nearby, where the selection of teas is plentiful and astonishing."
*Read more in Boston by subway - How to Get Where You Want To Be
Guide pen name: Harris
Name: Freedom Trail
What it's like: "The Freedom Trail is the best and most well-known of several activities in Boston that allow you to travel back in time. This 2.5 mile, carefully marked red-brick path leads participants to 16 commemorative sites, including the Granary Burying Ground, which contains the graves of some of our country's founders, such as Samuel Adams and John Hancock; teh city's North End, home of Paul Revere and the Old North Church where he hung his famous lanterns to indicate 'two if by sea'; and the Bunker Hill Monument in Charlestown, where American and British troops met in a bloody battle of blunders, which began when they mistook Breed's Hill for Bunker Hill."
*Read more inTime Travel in Historic Boston
Guide pen name: mlkraemer
Name: The Cantab Lounge
Address: 738 Massachussetts Ave
Attire: dress up or down
Cover Charges and Drink Prices: About a $10 cover
"With the local R&B legend 'Little Joe Cook and the Thrillers' playing every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night, the Cantab Lounge is a great place to bring together a group of friends. The bar is one of the few spots in Boston where the crowd is ethnically diverse and, without exceptions, inviting. Little Joe's repetoire is limited, but the charm is in feeling like a regular after only being there for a few hours."
*Read more in
Boston - Like a Resident or a Tourist
Guide pen name: mannyb
Name: Europa
Address:
Attire: hip and elegant
Cover Charges and Drink Prices: $20
"It is a mystical experience-- the women are gorgeous and the music is intoxicating. What a way to enjoy a night in Boston. You can dance the night away mingling with the hippest people in all of Boston. From the time you go in, all the way til the doors close, you will be dancing and sweating to the best music in all of Boston."
*Read more in Boston Late night for college students
Useful Web Sites:
Boston.comOfficial Site of the City of Boston
The Boston Globe
Boston Online
Sponsored Links
More on Boston
3 Things You Didn't Know about Boston...
- Six - toed kittens are so common in Boston and surrounding areas of Massachusetts that experts consider it an established mutation.
- The Boston Public Gardens is the oldest public garden in the U.S.
- The Head of the Charles is the largest single day regatta in the world.
Smaht Guide to Getting Around
When asking a Bostonian for directions, keep these translations in mind:
The T Trolleys and trains run on four lines: Red (this line once ended at Harvard, whose color is crimson); Blue (this line runs by the ocean); Green (this line runs to the suburbs of Brookline and Newton) and Orange (this line once ran above what was known as Orange Street). The T costs .85 cents to ride.
Inbound Riding the T towards Park Street/Downtown Crossing
Outbound Riding the T away from Park Street/Downtown Crossing
The Big Dig Refers to the plans to build an underground highway through the heart of Boston. May disrupt normal traffic and highway routes.
Com Ave Commonwealth Avenue
Mass Ave Massachusetts Avenue
Common The Boston Common
Cah A car or T train
7 Must-See Paintings at the MFA
- Rembrandt's Artist in his Studio
- Panini's Picture Gallery with Views of Modern Rome
- Van Gogh's Enclosed Field with Ploughman
- Gilbert Stuart's Washington at Dorchester Heights
- Whistler's Nocturne in Blue and Silver: the Lagoon
- Manet's Execution of Emperor Maximilian
- Cezanne's Uncle Dominique
