OT: Visiting Boston? We are here to help.

[Kate08]

Usually when I’m in town, it’s quick. For a game, for a museum or for business.

Just curious what the best places are, other than bars or cafes, to kind of hangout and explore. Somewhere where one might linger and even read? PM is fine. Thanks!

The Greenway is a beautiful spot with a lot of benches. On a nice day, it's a great place to sit and relax.

 

[Coopers Gum]

Hey guys, this is related. I’m visiting Portsmouth, NH next week for the 4th. Any suggestions where to stay, what to do?

 

[meliz112]

Hey guys, this is related. I’m visiting Portsmouth, NH next week for the 4th. Any suggestions where to stay, what to do?

I would stay right downtown if your budget can take it, either the Marriott Residence or the Hilton Garden Inn. You could park your car and walk everywhere. Otherwise there are a couple cheaper hotels either at the traffic circle or near Pease Airforce Base. You would need to drive downtown, but its only about 10 minutes away.

In terms of things to do: Prescott Park is great and right on the water, great for a picnic. They do outdoor theatre in the summer and the show is Beauty and the Beast this year. The Isles of Shoals does either a sunset or a dinner cruise, both are great. There are tons of great restaurants and bars walkable downtown. Just start in Market Square and wander. Harpoon Willie's is my favorite bar, kind of a dive, but its on the dock and has the best view.

If you want to do a beach day, you can head to Rye one town over and visit Wallis Sands or Jenness Beach.

The fireworks in Portsmouth are always on July 3. They are set off over the South Mill Pond. Head to Leary Field to watch them. There are bleachers, or you can bring a blanket and lay in the outfield. Its walkable if you stay downtown.

Have a great trip

 

[bleedblue1223]

Question about Patriots games and how they treat opposing fans. My wife is a big Pats fan and I've been thinking about getting her tickets to a home game, since Chiefs fans were a**holes when she saw them in KC with a friend. I'm a casual Chiefs fan, would it be ok for me to wear a Chiefs jersey or should I just avoid that? I'm fine with typical fan banter, but NFL games can get hostile with the drunks.

Also, thanks for beating the Rams.

 

[Seidenbergy]

Question about Patriots games and how they treat opposing fans. My wife is a big Pats fan and I've been thinking about getting her tickets to a home game, since Chiefs fans were a**holes when she saw them in KC with a friend. I'm a casual Chiefs fan, would it be ok for me to wear a Chiefs jersey or should I just avoid that? I'm fine with typical fan banter, but NFL games can get hostile with the drunks.

Also, thanks for beating the Rams.

I've worn opposing fan colors in Gillette multiple times with no issues. Usual common sense rules apply: don't be an ahole and you will be just fine.

It's certainly not Philly, Buffalo, Seattle, San Fran/Oakland, etc.

 

[jgatie]

I've never heard anyone getting into trouble with the locals at Gillette just for wearing opposing gear. As always, acting like an ass is far more hazardous than looking like one.

 

[talkinaway]

Question about Patriots games and how they treat opposing fans. My wife is a big Pats fan and I've been thinking about getting her tickets to a home game, since Chiefs fans were a**holes when she saw them in KC with a friend. I'm a casual Chiefs fan, would it be ok for me to wear a Chiefs jersey or should I just avoid that? I'm fine with typical fan banter, but NFL games can get hostile with the drunks.

Also, thanks for beating the Rams.

Disclaimer: Been to Gillette exactly once for sports, and that was the Bruins/Habs Alumni game, so this is probably more "Boston-centric", rather than "Patriots-centric".

Especially if you're with your wife, which should give you some fan cred cover...yeah, you should be fine. Typical fan banter is to be expected - e.g. "28-3" chants if you were wearing a Falcons jersey, or "haven't won since the merger" comments in your Chiefs jersey. Cheering for the "wrong" team is fine - as long as you're not dancing in the aisles making a spectacle of yourself if the Chiefs score a touchdown, nothing bad should happen.

I actually like seeing fans in opposing jerseys - it makes it feel like there's actually something at stake, and also shows that Boston's not only a good sports city locally, but that we can attract folks from all over - either as expats from another state who live here now, or as part of a "watch my team as an away team" vacation. I'd probably feel different if Gillette, Fenway, or the Garden were perpetually empty and were overrun with opposing fans - but the way tickets are priced nowadays, there are very few visiting fans who come to Boston to see their team just because it's cheaper.

 

[bleedblue1223]

Thanks for the responses, appreciate it. Want her to get a chance to see Brady live again before he retires and have no interest in going to Arrowhead when the Pats are there in 2020 due to too many obnoxious fans.

 

[badbrewin]

Hi all - coming down to Boston with the family this coming Friday and staying for 5 days. We'll be staying in Waltham and taking in the Sox game on the 9th...plan to do the Fenway tour, Freedom Trail, Quincy Market, TD pro shop / downtown, etc.

Was thinking we'd leave the car at the hotel for the most part and uber it. I know the T may not be the greatest option to get to Fenway and or downtown, so any suggestions on some mid-points where we'd be able to take the car and either do the T from there onwards or uber it.

Thanks for your suggestions!

 

[wintersej]

Thanks for the responses, appreciate it. Want her to get a chance to see Brady live again before he retires and have no interest in going to Arrowhead when the Pats are there in 2020 due to too many obnoxious fans.

Just don’t wear your Blues gear quite yet

 

[jgatie]

Hi all - coming down to Boston with the family this coming Friday and staying for 5 days. We'll be staying in Waltham and taking in the Sox game on the 9th...plan to do the Fenway tour, Freedom Trail, Quincy Market, TD pro shop / downtown, etc.

Was thinking we'd leave the car at the hotel for the most part and uber it. I know the T may not be the greatest option to get to Fenway and or downtown, so any suggestions on some mid-points where we'd be able to take the car and either do the T from there onwards or uber it.

Thanks for your suggestions!

Waltham has an MBTA Commuter Rail station in case you don't want to Uber. Takes you to North Station. Green Line from North Station to Kenmore Station gets you to Fenway, Green Line to Park St. gets you to Freedom Trail. $14 round trip. Have to get your fare pass at other places (listed in link) or download the Commuter Rail app.

Waltham | Stations | MBTA

 

[badbrewin]

Waltham has an MBTA Commuter Rail station in case you don't want to Uber. Takes you to North Station. Green Line from North Station to Kenmore Station gets you to Fenway, Green Line to Park St. gets you to Freedom Trail. $14 round trip. Have to get your fare pass at other places (listed in link) or download the Commuter Rail app.

Waltham | Stations | MBTA

Great info, big thanks. If it's $14 round trip, we will have to evaluate the cost/convenience factor vs Uber given that it will be $14 x 3 of us. Really appreciate the links as well...we will likely experiment. Now just need to hope the Sox can turn their ugly streak in time for a solid game.

 

[talkinaway]

Hi all - coming down to Boston with the family this coming Friday and staying for 5 days. We'll be staying in Waltham and taking in the Sox game on the 9th...plan to do the Fenway tour, Freedom Trail, Quincy Market, TD pro shop / downtown, etc.

Was thinking we'd leave the car at the hotel for the most part and uber it. I know the T may not be the greatest option to get to Fenway and or downtown, so any suggestions on some mid-points where we'd be able to take the car and either do the T from there onwards or uber it.

Thanks for your suggestions!

You could take an Uber from your hotel to Fenway - I always think of Fenway as sort of being the western most part of the city of Boston. That would be probably the shortest distance. You could easily hop the T at Fenway Park from Kenmore Square (Green Line, easy access from Fenway Park, and closer to the rest of Boston than the station marked "Fenway Park") to Park Street (also Green Line, takes you to the eastern end of Boston Common). The basic Freedom Tour starts there, I think. (Note: I've never gone on the tour - this is just the company that popped up when I googled.)

Tours | The Freedom Trail

The Taj Hotel has this quick blog summary of 16 landmarks on the Freedom Trail:

The 16 Landmarks of the Boston Freedom Trail | Taj Boston Hotel

The Freedom Trail goes all over Boston. But I think you wind up at Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market on the "Walk Into History" tour. If you then want to head to the Garden (aka North Station), you could walk north to get to the Garden - it's about 0.75 miles. If you're pooped after a walking tour, or if it's raining, you could take the T from Government Center or Haymarket to North Station, but it might be just as fast to walk.

The Garden's under renovation. I imagine the Pro Shop is open, but I can't be 100% sure. There are definitely no tours of the Garden until at least October, since it's undergoing renovations.

 

[bleedblue1223]

Just don’t wear your Blues gear quite yet

Haha, I'm not stupid.

 

[badbrewin]

You could take an Uber from your hotel to Fenway - I always think of Fenway as sort of being the western most part of the city of Boston. That would be probably the shortest distance. You could easily hop the T at Fenway Park from Kenmore Square (Green Line, easy access from Fenway Park, and closer to the rest of Boston than the station marked "Fenway Park") to Park Street (also Green Line, takes you to the eastern end of Boston Common). The basic Freedom Tour starts there, I think. (Note: I've never gone on the tour - this is just the company that popped up when I googled.)

Tours | The Freedom Trail

The Taj Hotel has this quick blog summary of 16 landmarks on the Freedom Trail:

The 16 Landmarks of the Boston Freedom Trail | Taj Boston Hotel

The Freedom Trail goes all over Boston. But I think you wind up at Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market on the "Walk Into History" tour. If you then want to head to the Garden (aka North Station), you could walk north to get to the Garden - it's about 0.75 miles. If you're pooped after a walking tour, or if it's raining, you could take the T from Government Center or Haymarket to North Station, but it might be just as fast to walk.

The Garden's under renovation. I imagine the Pro Shop is open, but I can't be 100% sure. There are definitely no tours of the Garden until at least October, since it's undergoing renovations.

Very valuable insight, thank you. Flipped this over to my wife, who's logistically great at this stuff as well and she should now be able to build a solid itinerary.

Anything else we might want to visit while in town? Thanks all.

 

[Bocephus86]

Thanks for the responses, appreciate it. Want her to get a chance to see Brady live again before he retires and have no interest in going to Arrowhead when the Pats are there in 2020 due to too many obnoxious fans.

Gillette is almost entirely a wine & cheese crowd now, it's priced out most of the ruthless drunks.

 

[Alicat]

You could take an Uber from your hotel to Fenway - I always think of Fenway as sort of being the western most part of the city of Boston. That would be probably the shortest distance. You could easily hop the T at Fenway Park from Kenmore Square (Green Line, easy access from Fenway Park, and closer to the rest of Boston than the station marked "Fenway Park") to Park Street (also Green Line, takes you to the eastern end of Boston Common). The basic Freedom Tour starts there, I think. (Note: I've never gone on the tour - this is just the company that popped up when I googled.)

Tours | The Freedom Trail

The Taj Hotel has this quick blog summary of 16 landmarks on the Freedom Trail:

The 16 Landmarks of the Boston Freedom Trail | Taj Boston Hotel

The Freedom Trail goes all over Boston. But I think you wind up at Faneuil Hall/Quincy Market on the "Walk Into History" tour. If you then want to head to the Garden (aka North Station), you could walk north to get to the Garden - it's about 0.75 miles. If you're pooped after a walking tour, or if it's raining, you could take the T from Government Center or Haymarket to North Station, but it might be just as fast to walk.

The Garden's under renovation. I imagine the Pro Shop is open, but I can't be 100% sure. There are definitely no tours of the Garden until at least October, since it's undergoing renovations.

@badbrewin

Solid list from Taj Boston.

I would say the USS Constitution is an absolute must if you plan to do the Freedom Trail.

I love the figurines atop the Old State House.

The State House is nice but if you can get a tour of it, it really is quite spectacular.

If you are going to do anything in the Common, you should ride the Swan Boats.

Check out Boston Trolley Tours as they may take you to other places: Boston Tours | Boston Trolley | Old Town Trolley Tours

 

[Ratty]

@badbrewin

Solid list from Taj Boston.

I would say the USS Constitution is an absolute must if you plan to do the Freedom Trail.

I love the figurines atop the Old State House.

The State House is nice but if you can get a tour of it, it really is quite spectacular.

If you are going to do anything in the Common, you should ride the Swan Boats.

Check out Boston Trolley Tours as they may take you to other places: Boston Tours | Boston Trolley | Old Town Trolley Tours

Good suggestions. The Swan Boats are actually in the Public Garden, across Charles street from the Common. Beautiful park, ducklings and all.

 

[badbrewin]

@badbrewin

Solid list from Taj Boston.

I would say the USS Constitution is an absolute must if you plan to do the Freedom Trail.

I love the figurines atop the Old State House.

The State House is nice but if you can get a tour of it, it really is quite spectacular.

If you are going to do anything in the Common, you should ride the Swan Boats.

Check out Boston Trolley Tours as they may take you to other places: Boston Tours | Boston Trolley | Old Town Trolley Tours

Will do, thanks Alicat. So the USS Constitution is part of the 16 sites comprising the Freedom Trail tour, right?

 

[Fenway]

Will do, thanks Alicat. So the USS Constitution is part of the 16 sites comprising the Freedom Trail tour, right?

It is part of the Freedom Trail but on the other side of the river behind TD Garden

https://www.thefreedomtrail.org/sites/default/files/content/page/hero-image/ft-map.pdf

 

[badbrewin]

Thanks for all your insight and appreciate those that PM'd me as well. We head out early tomorrow AM and looking forward to the trip. Our last time down was back in 2014 when I signed up my little guy to the week long Bruins youth camp...what an experience that was. Got to meet Middleton, O'Reilly and Linseman...great memories. Love Boston.

 

[gphr513]

I'll be in Boston with family in a few weeks when the Yankees will be in town. While we're not going to Fenway for a game, I'd love to head down around the ballpark on Friday afternoon and just take in the vibe.

I looked around, and there's no shortage of bars around Fenway. Is there one in particular that's a good "baseball bar", a spot where people are all watching the game, audio on the TVs, etc?

I think it would be fun as hell to find a cool bar with a bunch of Sox fans, and cheer with them to beat the Yankees

 

[jgatie]

I'll be in Boston with family in a few weeks when the Yankees will be in town. While we're not going to Fenway for a game, I'd love to head down around the ballpark on Friday afternoon and just take in the vibe.

I looked around, and there's no shortage of bars around Fenway. Is there one in particular that's a good "baseball bar", a spot where people are all watching the game, audio on the TVs, etc?

I think it would be fun as hell to find a cool bar with a bunch of Sox fans, and cheer with them to beat the Yankees

The Cask is traditionally the go to dive, though it's been renovated and lost some of the divey aspects.

Boston | Cask 'n Flagon


But really any bar will have the game on. It is the Yankees, after all.

I found this list that has something for everyone. Note, all bars near the park will be full up before the game. Get there early.

Where to Find the Best Bars Near Fenway Park

 

[gphr513]

The Cask is traditionally the go to dive, though it's been renovated and lost some of the divey aspects.

Boston | Cask 'n Flagon


But really any bar will have the game on. It is the Yankees, after all.

I found this list that has something for everyone. Note, all bars near the park will be full up before the game. Get there early.

Where to Find the Best Bars Near Fenway Park

Thanks! Yeah I figured the bars around the park are probably gonna be packed. We're staying in the North End, so on Friday I'm thinking we'll take the day walking town towards Fenway and taking in the sights along the way. Then find a bar just before the after work crowd floods in. Ideally, lol.

 

[sooshii]

A new Boston food hall will feature Mike’s Pastry, Monica’s, and Sullivan’s, among others - The Boston Globe

Some of New England’s most popular food vendors will come together in a new food hall near North Station, slated to open this winter, officials said.
Patina Restaurant Group has yet to reveal all 18 vendors that will set up shop at the new Hub Hall, part of The Hub on Causeway. But the group has announced a few well-known names coming to the venue: Mike’s Pastry, the renowned North End cannoli shop; Monica’s Mercato & Salumeria, the popular North End deli; and a branch of Sullivan’s Castle Island, the hot dog and seafood shack.
Two other restaurants opening at Hub Hall are APIZZA, a New Haven-style pizzeria, and Lily P’s, which will serve up fried chicken.