Boston Cream Pie to go

Freedom Trail takes only a full day, but we spread it out a little, so we walked a little more. We visited the Harpoon Brewery, which is the local beer of choice besides Sam Adams, who, by the way, is buried at the old Granary burial grounds in front of the Beantown Pub, where you can drink Sam Adams beer while looking at his tombstone.

The JFK Library was great, and the fine arts museum was amazing. Foggs in Harvard is also worth checking out, as there are nice Van Gogh's, Monet's, Rembrandt's, and more.

The best place to eat lunch in Cambridge/Harvard is called Bartley’s Burgers. Political humor at it's best, I had the Howard Dean Burger while my wife enjoyed her Laura Bush burger. Little Italy is really beatiful. Check out a restaurant called Al Dente, which has the best veal I've ever had, and the wait staff was like family. There are lots of great steakhouses and great seafood places, like the Union Oyster House and the Barking Crab. My Favorite pubs/bars include Sevens, The Last Hurrah, and the Sunset Bar and Grill, which also had great food and 133 beers on TAP.

Quick Tips:

Try to do all the museums and tours during the week because, on the weekends, it's just nasty.

Drink lots of Harpoon beer, and the best wings I ever had in my life are at the Good Life in downtown. Omni Parker House was a great choice because it was in the center of downtown Boston near the Faneuil Hall, Beacon Hill, and The State house (old and new). The old North Church was directly in front of us, and to make things better, the first step onto the sidewalk when leaving the hotel lands you on the Freedom Trail.

I'll be honest; without my Roughguide to Boston, I would not have enjoyed this trip as much as I did. Boston is complex and there is a whole lot to do in different places.

If you like sports go watch a Bruins game or better yet go to Fenway and see the Red Sox.

Take the tours and eat and drink to your hearts content. This is one of my favorite cities and a place I wouldn't mind calling home one day.

Best Way To Get Around:

The best way to get around in Boston is by using the train, also known as the T. Taxis were only of use at night when we were dressed up and going out. Most of the day we spent walking though. We used the T to get from town to town. For example, we'd go from downtown to Cambridge and then we would walk the whole area. Trains in Boston are surprisingly clean, fast, and efficient

The reason we decided to book this hotel is because we saw it featured on the travel channel. You can get a small European-style room or upgrade to a suite. The suite is only $20 more per night, and it's worth it. The service here was superb; the concierge and front desk were very helpful. They were always recommending the best places to eat, and then making reservations for us and extremely helpful with anything we wanted. Now when you stay here keep in mind that this is not a 5-star luxury hotel, but it once was. Stay here for the rich history and location. Smack in the middle of downtown, a few blocks from Fanuell Hall, is the old and Current State House and the T is across the street, ready to take you where ever you want to go.

The hotel has a really great restaurant, with everything you would expect in a Boston Menu. The Boston Scrod and the Boston cream pie originated in the kitchen of the Omni Parker House. The fact that JFK announced his bid for the Senate here assured me this was the place to stay. As I said earlier, the history here is rich. As a matter of fact, all of the local politicians used to drink at the Last Hurrah, which is one of the two bars featured at the Parker house. The other bar is a little more intimate, as you can have a cocktail as you receive warmth from the fireplace in those cold, long winters. The parking is $30 per day, and it's a garage or you use the valet. The Boston Common and the Old North Church are across the street. The Freedom Trail runs along the same sidewalk, and it's conveniently close to all of the main attractions. I would definitely stay here again, and again, and again.

We visited a couple of pubs per day while in Boston, but the Sevens was my favorite one. Not too many tourists hang out here; the atmosphere is warm, friendly, and consists of 21- to 35-year-olds sitting around with brews and apps. It is relatively quiet unless there is a game on, and the locals here are cool. We had a couple of Harpoon Ipa’s as the bartender was recommending some other pubs across town.

133 beers on Tap!!!!
150 beers in bottles!!!
Dogfish brewery makes awesome stout. I had the Oyter Stout and Boddington. They had a whole bunch of wheat beers, ales, lagers, and anything you can imagine. However, my search for Tetley's on tap has not come to an end. The food is OK, but don't come for the food, come for the beers!

The name of this upscale downtown bar was conceived from the title of a book by a local writer named Edwin O'Connor, who wrote The Last Hurrah, a political-humor book based on old-school Boston politics.

It serves as a great name for this establishment being that this was basically a hangout for local politicians, including the Kennedy Clan; I think Ted still stops by once in a while.

Being it was cold when we visited Boston, it made a great excuse to come here and warm up with a cocktail.

You like martinis do you?

They have the most extensive martini menu I have ever seen, all $8. The same goes for single malt scotch. You can even get the most expensive single malts in a half measure so you don’t break the bank!

If you are like me and like to relax and enjoy the view of people walking by while relishing the taste of an 18-year-old Glenfiddich, this is the place for you.

I'm walking around little Italy with my wife, browsing menus and looking for a good place to eat. This is not an easy task when there are dozens of Italian restaurants all lined up one looking just as good as the next. I came across one menu to glance at it, and as I continued to walk down the street, an older man steps out from the dark and shouts, "hey." I looked back and he said, "whataya doin?" You look at the menu ova heya and you just keep waokin?" I laughed because it was straight out of the Sopranos show. I walked over to hear what else he had to say and then he puts his arm around me. As he's walking me into the restaurant, handing me menus, and sitting me down, he's telling me how his son owns the "joint" and what a great cook he is. From the moment he said, "hey," I got bamboozled; it was his job to get me in here. My wife and I sat down, ordered a bottle of Chianti, and when I asked him how the veal was, he looked behind both shoulders as if he was making sure no one is hearing him and says, "Fuhgeddaboutit! Best veal in town." That's it I had to try it. I had the Veal Scaloppini while my wife had the Chicken Cacciatore. You know, he wasn't kidding, seriously… The Best!

The Best veal I ever had with eggplant and mushrooms, and not even in New York. The whole experience was amazing, and the waitress treated us like we were family, with kisses across both cheeks before we left and everything. They were all so proud of being Italian that it made you proud to eat there. The place was very cozy and the lighting was dimmed. You could see parts of the kitchen in the back through a large opening where the food would come from. I’m really exited about the restaurant because everything about it was enjoyable. I could have easily walked away from the old man shouting, "hey," trying to get us to eat there, but I’m glad I didn’t because it just added to the experience. My wife and I loved the food, the service, atmosphere, and the old man out in front luring customers in. Al Dente will always be my favorite stop in Boston.

This kinda reminded me of South Beach, but with better drinks and nicer people. There was a very attractive bar with all the right spirits in place. The live music makes you stay longer.

This is really worth checking out if you are in this area. The crowd consists of a mix of locals, college kids, and young travelers. It's a pretty modernized place, so it's not like your local pub. I didn't eat here, so I wouldn't be able to tell you about the food; although, next time, I will.

One of the main reasons I come here is because I'm a beer enthusiast, and they are the only place I know of in Boston that serves Brooklyn Lager on tap. Other than that, I don't really see myself coming here too often. It has a couple of pool tables and some rock music. Kids from the colleges and some local club scenes would be the crowd here.

They have IPA Ale, Munich Dark, and Hibernian ale, and if you're nice, they pour you half a pint from their private reserve that is not available in the market. I can honestly say I can live my life with no other set of brews. Don't forget to try the UFO, which is a nice wheat beer they serve with lemon. Be sure to tour the brewery and taste all the beers. As a matter of fact, you can buy jugs of freshly poured Harpoon to go.