Boston - not just fish and Baked Beans

I've stayed at three hotels in Boston - the Four Seasons, the Club Quarters, and the Copley Plaza. The Four Seasons was the best one because they treat you like royalty. I asked for an upgrade upon check-in, and they gave me a huge junior suite. The room was amazing as was the bathroom. It had a huge spa tub, scale, and lots of different bath oils and soaps. Plus, it was convenient to the park and to downtown. The hotel actually provided free transportation to my office in the morning which was a nice bonus. On rainy mornings, a bellhop hands you a gorgeous full size umbrella. The city itself was beautiful and was very walkable. The Cheers Bar was fun.

The NE Clam Chowder at Legal Seafood and Turner Fisheries was amazing, but I equally enjoyed the American fare at Joe's American Grill. Plus, Joe's had the best desserts. Boston also has my favorite bagel store - Finagle a Bagel. I love their energy bars!

Fanueil Hall is my favorite attraction. The shops and foodcourt are wonderful, and you get a good view of the Harbor there.

Quick Tips:

American Joe's Grill
Turner Fisheries
South of the Border Restaurant in Cambridge
Walking around the MIT and Harvard campuses
Catching a Red Sox game at Fenway
Filene's - the city's oldest department store

We watched New Year's fireworks at the Harbor along with thousands of other screaming, freezing people and had a great time.

I got the hang of the subways pretty quickly, but the system is a little tricky since you need to know if you are going inbound or outbound.

Best Way To Get Around:

Walking is great as long as you can stand the extreme cold. Otherwise the T is an extensive system. There are horse and buggy rides. Boston is notorious for having horrible drivers, and it has many unexpected one-way streets, so it is frustrating to try driving around if you aren't familiar with your route. I recommend leaving the driving to others by taking public transportation or walking. Also, from the airport the shuttle busses only charge about and they get you to your hotel very quickly and are a much better value than the + cab fares.

They were running a special of $150/night when we went, and it was worth the price. We have spent $175/night to get a crummy hole-in-the-wall hotel room in NYC, so this hotel was a treat. The staff was all the epitome of politeness. They certainly made every effort to please their guests. We enjoyed their excellent fitness center, bottled water that they provided us in the room, the huge living area, and the well-appointed bathroom. I was sorry to go home to an apartment that was smaller than our hotel suite! The location was central to everything - downtown, Copley Place, the park and the T. We had room service for breakfast each morning, and there would always be something extra on our tray. The accommodations could not have been better.

I have never had a bad entree here. I love to start off with the nachos, and I generally get some sort of cheeseburger or pasta primavera main course. The ice cream sundaes are amazing. Usually I have to share the nachos and a dessert with someone else because the portions are so large. The restaurant is only about three blocks from the Copley Plaza and Copley Marriot. The ambiance is laid back and fun, and the waitstaff are very friendly. I've been to this restaurant about 15 times and go every time that I'm in Boston.

To get to this delectable smorgasborg, take the T to Government Center or walk if you are near Copley Place or the Park. I was not expecting such a variety of taste sensations, and I ended up going to Quincy Market for lunch every day for two weeks and trying a different place every day. Quincy Market used to be a collection of shipping warehouses, but now it is a major attraction for tourists and locals. During the peak lunch times in the summer, it was very tough to find a seat, but you never have to wait long on line to get your food. My perennial favorites are Boston Brownie and Finagle a Bagel. I haven't found bagels or brownies like theirs any where!

The area is a great place for a walk on the cobblestones, too. You can shop at Victoria Secret, Serendipity or others, enjoy a meal at one of the sit down restaurants outside of Quincy market, or enjoy the view of the Harbor. We stood near the Sharper Image to admire the New Year's Eve fireworks two years ago before hightailing it out of the freezing cold air.

High in the sky, the John Hancock Building boasts that it is the best place to see Boston. At 740 feet above the heart of Boston, the building is the tallest one in all of New England. It is also well-know for its asthetically-pleasing architectural design. It's a great place during the day for families, tourists, or couples. We went up during New Year's when snow blanketed everything, and it was beautiful!

Be sure to pop your ears after the speedy ride up 60 floors. Enjoy the breathtaking view of downtown Boston, but don't ignore the Observatory exhibits and interactive quizzes and games (for kids).

If you are planning to see lots of Boston attractions, you should buy a CityPass. It gets you into the John Hancock Observatory and five other attractions for $30.25 for adults, $14.00 for youths aged 12-17 and $22.25 for seniors.