Boston!

have been to Boston many times and each trip for me has been about something different. The first time I went it was to see a guy that I had a crush on. Of course, in my weird way I wouldn't tell him that was the reason I had come and made up some weird excuse about doing something for school. (I went to school in Nashville.) So that relationship was doomed from the start. However, I DID forge a great relationship with the city itself. I LOVED Beacon Hill and the Common and Public Garden, but more importantly I loved the shopping. So I did a lot of that on the first trip.

On the second trip, it was winter and I got to see it in a whole new light. I think I actually prefer Boston in winter. There's something about being in a big city around Christmastime that puts me in the spirit. After seeing Christmas trees for sale on the sidewalk, people ice skating on the pond, and having hot tea on Newbury Street I was up and ready to move. It was during that trip that I became acquainted with the theatre district and Chinatown.

Since those first two trips I have seen Boston in all seasons. Now that I am living in New England and within two hours of it I have made several trips for various purposes. It never fails to impress me and I always find something new each time I return.

Quick Tips:

Food
There are some great restaurants to be found in Boston. The North End, or Little Italy, has some wonderful Italian places. Like everyone says, get off of Hancock Street and dive down some of the little side streets to the Mom 'n Pop places and you'll find amazing places.

There are also some really good seafood places around the harbor. I've had some of the best shrimp and lobster anywhere in Boston.

Newbury Street is good for "places to see and be seen", although there are some nice little coffee shops and cafes tucked into some neat corners that can also be found.

Chinatown has, well, Asian food of course. Personally, I like the Asian bakeries although to my palate they don't compare to the Italian bakeries.

And then in the Common there are always hot dog stands which can't be beat on a clear sunny day.

Best Way To Get Around:

I would not recommend driving in Boston. Actually, despite the "big dig" it's not a difficult city to manuever. It's the parking that's the problem. if you can find parking on a side street or by a meter then good luck to you and congrats. But parking garages are extraordinarily expensive. Expect to pay around a day for parking. That's also what most hotels charge as well, although that usually includes valet parking.

Boston is definitely a walking city. It's very easy to get from point to point by foot and if you're too tired for that then there is the "T", or the metro. it's very easy to get around on and goes everywhere you want to go. A commuter rail service goes to a lot of the outlying places. A lot of people actually park outside the city and then take the T into town which isn't a bad idea.

We stayed here during the wintertime when we got an excellent rate off the Internet. ($79) I didn't know anything about the hotel when I booked it-only that it was in the theatre district. I was concerned that the area might not be that safe, since it was also in close proximity to Chinatown, but after I arrived I found it to be the opposite. There were a couple of times that I passed some questionable people (and dealings) I never felt unsafe and everyone pretty much kept to themselves.

Unique Qualities: For the first part of our stay they put us in a corner room and it was great. The size was incredible and the views amazing. We had dinner in the hotel restaurant, which was incredibly overpriced, but what hotel's onsite restaurant isn't? The staff were very helpful and friendly. The location was good for walking to the Common and to the shopping and right across the street at the hospital was a subway stop that got us everywhere else.

During our second stay we were put in a regular room which was really really tiny. We barely had room to turn around, but at least it was clean.

I stayed at this hostel on Memorial Day weekend and had a blast. Although it isn’t close to the center like most hostels that I have stayed at in Boston, the ambiance of it far surpassed any of the HI affiliated. The owner, Wayne, is a city councilman and is a trip. He was extremely helpful giving me directions when I ended up lost in Chinatown (don’t really know how I ended up there-too many one way streets I think) and when we walked in the hostel we felt like we had been staying there for years. The rooms were small, but the private baths were nice and clean and the water pressure good. There was a a large kitchen/bar area and common room with a big screen TV. On Saturday night Wayne had a birthday party and half the town showed up. Instead of driving into the city center everyday the hostel runs a shuttle that will take you to Wellington T stop. From there it is only three stops until Fanueil Hall.

Unique Qualities: The amenities were nice: large common room, big TV, travel brochures, and private baths. The only real drawback was the location, but the friendliness of the staff made up for that. I would definitely stay there again. Oh, and the next morning they gave me great directions to Newport Rhode Island for a daytrip. And told me that if I got lost to call and they would talk me through it.

I have to admit, Scoozi won by default. We were on the wait list for a restaurant on Boylston when a really bad thunderstorm hit. Having to duck into the nearest shelter, we found Scoozi and the staff were so friendly that we decided to try them out. As you can see, I had no idea that my pizza was going to be so huge! It’s dining room is small. I doubt they could get more than 20 people comfortable inside, and it has a “see and be seen” ambiance about it, but I don’t mind that from time to time. I like to dress up and go out occasionally. The menu was fairly comprehensive. It reminded me of a number of European cafes and had that same cosmopolitan vibe about it. I’m not sure that I would make a point to go back there for another meal, but if I were on Newbury Street and feeling a pizza calling my name then I would definitely return. I would especially like to sit outside on the patio the second time around so that I could people watch.

Favorite Dish: I ordered the pizza margherita because I have theory that no matter where you are, you can never go wrong with it. It’s really hard to screw it up. As you can see, it was huge. I took most of it home with me. My dining partner had shrimp scampi over fettuccine. The shrimp were huge and cooked to perfection. For dessert I had a chocolate soufflé and she had a piece of cheesecake that they bedecked with fresh strawberries at her request. The pizza was amazing and the soufflé wonderful. Overall, it was a good meal and rivaled some of the Italian fare that I have had in the North End.

Okay, so I actually went into this restaurant because I liked the look of the menu. I had no idea that it was famous or that there were other off-shoots of it around town. Apparently, however, after reading reviews I realize that I went into the best of the bunch. This one is the "original" and to me it had the look of many small Italian trattorias that I have been to in Italy and Croatia. It was small and had more staff than guests and the atmosphere was charged and happy. The pricing was about average for the area, although it was a little higher than most Italian places of similar calibur.

Favorite Dish: I ordered the penne arrabiata. it was just spicy enough and the noodles were al dente as they should have been. I hate over-cooked noodles. The bread was fairly average and I would have liked to have had some olive oil instead of the pre-packaged butter that came with it. Over all, it was a nice lunch but I would probably try somewhere else next time, if just for variety's sake.

This goes down as one of those spur of the moment moves that I jumped on first and thought about later. I’m actually a big fan of hop on/hop off tours. They’re a great way to see the city layout and I use them as a way of determining what I might want to go back and revisit later. I picked this one up at stop number 1 which was located on the harbor by the aquarium. For the first part of the tour I rode around until I got to Boston Common. I wasn’t that impressed with the guide. He knew his history, but he was very monotonous in speech. Still, I got some great views of the skyline and was able to get a good feel for where the North End and USS Constitution were located geographically. After walking around the Common and Beacon Hill I re-boarded in front of the State House. This time the driver was a little more animated. I enjoyed the drive through Chinatown and the Theatre District but was disappointed that the route wasn’t more expansive. This time I disembarked at the North End and had lunch in Little Italy. After visiting the Old North Church and Paul Revere’s statue I got back on the trolley. This was by far my favorite driver. He was funny and knowledgeable and made sure that everyone was having a good time.

At the end of my tour I took the free Harbor Cruise which was wonderful for skyline views of the city. The weather was great and the tour took 45 minutes which was just about perfect timing with the sunset. The other option was admission to the aquarium but since it was so pretty I opted for the cruise.

The only negative aspect of the tour was that it didn’t go more places. It didn’t go down Newbury or into Copley Square at all. I also would have liked to have gone into Cambridge. There are other trolley companies that do that and I might try one of them next time.

There is always something going on at Faneuil Hall and it is always crowded. That is the conclusion that I have reached. While it IS touristy and the shops are pretty much those of what you could find in any mall, it is still definitely worth visiting. You should really visit Quincy Market on an empty stomach because it is impossible to sniff all the mouthwatering smells without wanting to taste a little bit of everything. When I was in there last, it was a madhouse. The ice cream stand had a line that looked like it would take 30 minutes tog et through. You can find any kind of food you want, from hamburgers to Indian and Thai. You can take your food outside and people watch from a bench or you can try to find a table in the atrium which isn’t likely. Around Quincy is a pedestrian mall where artists, magicians, and other local entertainers set up shop and entertain. It can be a zoo, but it’s all in good fun. There are also carriage rides available. Another good area to visit is the farmer’s market. At the end of the day they start getting rid of everything and you can get some real bargains.

Directions: bordered by Clinton, Chatham and Commercial Streets (Or get off at Haymarket on the T)

One of the most famous things about the Old North Church is the hanging of the two lanterns back in 1775. The two lanterns informed the patriots in Charlestown that the Brits were leaving Boston by water. (“One if by land, two if by sea.”) On April 18, 1775 Robert Newman sneaked into the empty church to hang two lanterns in the church's belfry. Paul Revere had already left for his famous ride to warn the patriot leaders in the area; the two lanterns were lit in case he was intercepted by the British and prevented from delivering his message. It is also Boston’s oldest surviving church building. I think it’s interesting to see the pews up close and personal. It would have been cold in the church and since there was no central heating, little boxes of embers and firewood would have been placed in the pews to keep the patrons warm during the long services. The church is free to visit although they ask that you make a $3.00 donation.

www.oldnorth.com

Although there aren't a lot of good reviews concerning the aqarium it's really not a bad way to spend a couple of hours. And that's really all you need-a couple of hours. To be located on the ocean it's actually smaller than most that I have been to. (Cincinati, New Orleans, and Gatlinburg.) But they have an interesting array of aquatic life and a great IMAX theatre. At last check "Aliens of the Deep" was playing. Really, the best way to view the aquarium is to use your free admission if you go on a trolley tour. Otherwise, the admission price of $16.95 IS a little steep.

Phone: 617-973-5200
Address: Central Wharf, Boston, MA 02110
Website: http://www.neaq.org