Iz & Irene's Excellent Beantown Adventure

I won an online auction for a luxury Boston Hotel. That is what started this adventure. Even with a sharply discounted price I couldn’t afford more than two nights but with one of my best friends Irene in tow we headed off to Boston on a sunny and crisp October Day.

Day 1
The Boston Harbor Hotel is magnificent and has a really spectacular location right on Boston Harbor. We arrived at 11:30am and we were able to check right in. Our room was a deluxe and worth every penny and more that we paid for it. We had a city view but I really couldn’t find anything to fault with that.

We headed off in search of the closest stop of the BeantownTrolley. This was about a third of a mile away at long wharf. I chose Beantown because their trolley goes to the Art Museum. We were able to purchase a two day ticket with a Harbor Tour included for . We got on the 12:30 Harbor Tour and it took about an hour.

We got on the trolley and got our bearing. It goes over to Charlestown and then over to Cambridge as well as around the North end, Chinatown and the Backbay. We had gotten a very late start and since we would have to get back on the bus by 3pm from any stop we decided to just go back to the beginning and then go to Fanueil Hall and Quincy Market. We did some serious browsing and a little shopping and then headed to Legal Seafood for dinner.

We had tickets for the 7pm Ghost and Graveyards Trolley Tour. The tour is scheduled to last about 1.30 hours ours lasted a bit longer. Be warned, even though this is a trolley tour there is some strenuous walking, stair climbing and general wandering around in dark cemeteries. If you are visiting between May and October I highly recommend that you do this, it is a lot of

Quick Tips:

Day 2
We hopped back on the trolley at Long Wharf and got off at stop #3 Charlestown Navy Yard. At this stop you can tour the USS Constitution and the USS Cassin Young and also view the video "The Whites of their Eyes" at the Visitor Center. We had stopped to view the video and while we were waiting for it to run (it runs every 30 minutes) we visited the gift shop.

After the film we waited less than 5 minutes for the trolley to return (it runs every 20-25 minutes) and road it to stop number 8 on Cambridge St. Here wee walked to the Otis House.

This House must be visited on a guided tour and we arrived just as one had started. We quickly joined the group as they were watching a slide show. You need to be able to climb stairs to take this tour. This is the home of Harry Otis who was a Congressman and former Mayor of Boston and the house has had a very interesting history.

After our tour we had a little bit longer of a wait for the trolley to arrive and we hopped on again and got off a stop #10 at the Back Bay Hilton. We were headed for the Mary Baker Eddy Center to view the Maparium. The Maparium is a one of a kind creation and I think that you have to see it yourself to really appreciate it, my telling you that it is a 2 story stain glass globe of the world that you actually walk into won’t begin to recreate it’s impact.

We decided to sight see at the same time as we attended Mass. St. Stephen Church is the only Catholic Church designed by Charles Bullfinch. Located right across the park from the Old North Church we knocked off two churches at one stop. Also right in the same neighborhood is the Paul Revere House which we didn’t have time to visit.

After dinner in the north-end we took a cab to the Colonial Theater where we saw a production of Sweeney Todd.

Day 3
We finished our weekend with a stop at the Isabella Stewart Gardiner Museum which was the perfect place to end an adventure.

Best Way To Get Around:

Getting around is Boston is easy. We were very surprised at how easy it was for us to drive into the city even on a Friday. We came in on the Mass Pike with a little flip off on exit 24A we found ourselves on Atlantic Ave and then straight up to the Hotel.


Boston is a very walkable city. We certainly did our share. It is however spread out a bit so deciding what you want to do when you are there can be a very important decision. I would suggest picking a hotel in the area where you will spend the most of your time. If you want to use the trolleys they do stop at several specific hotels and that certainly involves door to door service.


There are several of the a trolley companies and they are pretty good at getting you around the most popular tourist areas. I would only recommend Beantown if you want to go to the art museum, their route takes 2 hours which is too long if you don’t need to go to back bay. You can hop on and off all day but must get back on by 3pm which does make for a short day.




The T is Boston’s subway system, much of it is above ground.
We did a crazy thing we hopped on the T. Hopped is over stating a bit, we actually crammed ourselves like a sardine onto the stairs of the car and held on for dear life while we got push, shoved and assaulted, one man actually pushed my feet off the steps to get my space, I yelled at him to back off. It was awful and it was the last time we tried that, all that fun for . It can however get you. from point A to point B just not me!

Cabs area plentiful and not terribly priced. After our horrifying experience on the T there is no price we would have considered too high but both trips we took were under with very generous tips.

There are also regular transit buses but we didn’t use them so I can’t tell you much. To check out bus maps as well as train and subway schedules go to

When it comes to gorgeous, this hotel has it down to a tee. You know as soon as you drive up to the front and the door man greets you that this is going to be a special visit.
We checked in at 11:30am without a hitch and we were upgraded to a deluxe king room. We were almost stunned into silence when we walked into our room. First you open the door and walk down a short hall with a marble tile floor into the bedroom. The king size bed is high and covered with a beautiful floral brocade coverlet. There are four large pillows and two roll pillows. There is a wooden oriental style headboard and the wall behind is upholstered.

When you are lying in bed you can watch the flat screen TV on top of the dresser. This dresser holds the bar and some drawers. There is a separate tall chest to store your belongings. There are two night stands with crystal lamps on them and they are backed by two tall mirrors and topped with granite.

The parlor is done in a co-coordinating color (it is s soft green, the bedroom is yellow). It has a sofa, a glass top coffee table. In the corner there is a credenza with the silver ice bucket and glasses sits on and inside is a second TV. There is a truly beautiful desk and two chairs. There are end tables with large oriental lamps.

The view look is of the city and there are three layers of curtains. The windows actually open. Crown molding frames the room. From the bedroom you walk into a little room with a huge marble topped dressing table and a closet that has an iron and ironing board, umbrella, two terry bathrobes and two pairs of slipper. There is of course the usual luggage rack as well.

The bathroom is all marble except the tub and there are Penhaligon amenities. Everything is so special even the water comes out of the faucet with a diamond pattern in it.

When we got off the elevator on our floor during the day there was a bowl of apples to snack on. In the evening it becomes a bowl of candy. There is also turndown service.

I was able to pick up wireless internet but the hotel offers high speed internet at $9.95 per day. There was a double plug near the bed which was great to use for my charger and I also was able to plug in my computer.

Valet parking for two days cost us $52 plus tips.

Sunday morning we decided to splurge for their buffet breakfast ($24.95). The view of Boston harbor is fabulous and the food does it justice. I loved the bowl of fresh berries and the muesli to which I added yogurt and honey. You can have an omelets made to order and lots of other delicious choices including luscious pecan stickly buns.

Our ship was the Frederick L. Nolan. It was a relatively small ship and it was certainly not luxurious. We hopped aboard and headed right up to the top of the ship. Many of the people chose to sit down inside of the boat. If you want to be able to experience the outdoor views you need to be able to climb stairs.

The tour leaves from Long Wharf and takes about 45 minutes. It makes one stop at the Charlestown Naval Yard where you can leave the boat and hop back onto another tour. The tour begins as soon as you pull out of the berth. You are given a running commentary for most of the rest of the tour.

Boston was settled in 1630 and it didn’t take them long to realize that the New England land was poor and that their prosperity was going to come from the harbor. The Pilgrims had no aversion to making a buck as a matter of fact financial prosperity was a sign of God’s favor. It was this wealth that got the attention of the British Parliament and they implemented new taxes to get their share of the money. Thus without representation the seeds of the American Revolution were sown.

Today the Lobster industry is thriving and brings in $200 million a year. There are traps to be seen in Boston Harbor itself.

As we were cruising around the harbor we could see planes landing at Boston’s Logan Airport which services over 24 million passengers a year.

The views of the Boston skyline from the harbor are unsurpassed. It is a new skyline with only one building over 40 years old. The oldest skyscraper is the Marriott Custom House Hotel and timeshares.

From the cruise you can see the steeple of the Old North Church in the North end.

You are able to walk around on the boat while it is cruising. There are folding chairs on the upper deck if you want to sit down. Inside there is a snack bar and you can have a nosh if you want or need to.

I enjoyed this tour and the fact that it was free was even better. The tour is offered along with the Beantown Trolley tour from May-October. If you buy the two day ticket you can choose either day for your tour. If you buy the Go Boston Card the Harbor Cruise is also included.

Since it was October it was quite chilly so be prepared with a sweater or a coat.

I found out about this tour as I was looking for a hop on hop off trolley tour of Boston. It looked too good to pass up. I booked it online, well almost. As it turned out I booked a tour but it was up to me to call and get my name on the specific tour that I wanted to take. It was a three step process, very complicated for such a simple thing. The good news is that when we arrived at the office on Atlantic Ave our name was on the list for the 7pm tour. Hurrah.

The fun began almost immediately as soon as we walked up to the ghoulish guides they saw my e-ticket and started to moan no, no it’s an e-ticket. They were all dressed in scary costumes and they put on at least a half hour of pre tour show. They were all so funny and really seemed to love their job.

There were about 20 people on our tour and our guide was ‘Maggie Poppins" Mary’s not so nice sister. She had been a nanny too and when the kids got to her she took care of them, "really took care of them" and that was why she had the marks of having been hanged on her neck. She kept us entertained with her real and not so real stories of the seedier side of Boston.

I am going to recommend over dressing, in October it can be very cool in the evening and the trolley is open to the air, we didn’t have mittens and hats but we should have. Our first stop was the Copps Burial Ground where we walked up a steep hill to the cemetery. When we were done we had to come down a very long staircase back to the trolley.

We got off the trolley again at the Common and took a walk there and then to the Granery Burial Ground where John Hancock, Paul Revere, the Boston Massacre victims, Sam Adams, Mother Goose and Ben Franklins parents are all buried. We met up with several other members of the troupe here and we are given quite an entertaining tour. There really was quite a bit of walking during this part of the tour not only on paved paths but also on uneven ground, if you have any problems with balance or seeing in the dark this is not the tour for you.

Finally we hopped back on the trolley and drove through the streets screaming like maniacs at any group of people that we saw. The really scary part is that most of them screamed back at us. Of course it was the weekend before Halloween and everyone was pretty much in the "spirit" of things.

Did we learn any really interesting facts, not many but it was certainly entertaining and a good time was had by all.

Let me begin by saying that there are several choices of hop on hop off trolley tours in Boston. Our hotel recommended Old Town Trolley and I am familiar with them having taken their tour in Savannah. The reason we chose Beantown Trolley was that they went to the Museum of Fine Arts and none of the other tours did. I would recommend Beantown if you plan to visit the Museum but otherwise the tour itself is about two hours to make the round and that is longer than it needs to be.

Most of the tours have kiosk at Long Wharf. Beantown is behind the other tours facing Legal Seafood. We bought a two day ticket for $35 and it included a free Boston Harbor Tour (which I will describe in a separate entry). The Harbor Cruise is included May-October, otherwise you get free entrance to the Maparium. We took the 12:30pm Harbor Tour and were back to get on the Trolley at 1:30pm.

You get a receipt that is a register tape so be careful to hang on to it, you need to show it every time you get on and off. The tour heads out of Long Wharf and into the North End. Our first driver was not very interesting as a tour guide, he sounded bored and it was pretty much by rote. In spite of this we enjoyed our first views of the area. We then crossed over the Charles River to visit Charlestown where the USS Constitution and the USS Cassin Young are docked. This is also the stop for the Bunker Hill Monument and the Park Department film "Whites of their eyes". We got off at this stop on our second day of touring to see the film.

Coming back across the river to Boston the next stop will allow you to visit Faneuil Hall Market Place, Quincy Market, The Old State House and the site of the Boston Massacre. Needless to say this is a very popular stop. Be sure to keep you trolley tour map close at hand it will tell you everything you need to know about each of the stops.

One thing I was hoping was that taking the tour was going to familiarize me with the city and it did in some areas but in others we seemed to weave in and out of streets that made no sense what so ever to me.

Stop 7 is the beginning of the Freedom Trail right across the street from the State House. We decided to visit the Otis House on Saturday and this is best reached from stop 8 which is right down the hill from the house.

The trolley crosses the Charles River again at this point and goes over into Cambridge. It doesn’t go to Harvard or Harvard Square but it does take you on a loop through MIT.

Stop 10 is the Back Bay Hilton and it is an 8 minute stop allowing for a bathroom break if you can find the bathroom in the Hilton (Which we did but not without difficulty and it is a very small bathroom). On Saturday we got off here and walked to the Mary Baker Eddy Center to visit the Maparium.

The trolley goes to the Fine Arts Museum if anyone wants to go there otherwise it has a couple of stops in the Back Bay mostly at hotels, go figure. We headed back up Atlantic Ave and returned to where we had started. On our second day we had three tour guides who were much more enthusiastic and actually deserved the tips they so blatantly ask for.