Going to Boston, MA

[angeloks]

Hi,

I'll be spending the next few days in Boston. Any must see areas ? Cool pubs, small restaurants ?

I was also looking for some worthy photo exhibitions to see. Any suggestions ? Also, is there a good place to buy some films ?

Thanks,

 

[batterytypehah!]

I moved out of the city years ago and don't get back very often now, so I'm afraid I'm useless for up-to-date exhibit and restaurant info. Pick up the Phoenix (free alternative weekly, boxes are all over town).

If you're there tomorrow, a good place to watch and shoot people is Memorial Drive (along the river on the Cambridge side). Closed to car traffic on Sundays after 11 am. Should be a good crowd of joggers, skaters, etc. Forecast is for partly sunny and 60 degrees. Similar crowd on the Boston side, on the Esplanade (park, lagoon, site of the annual July 4th concert). A lot of see-and-be-seen happens on Newbury Street, too.

If you want to shoot some urban desolation, go to Fenway Park... Ouch. But I'm not kidding. Interesting area of the town, sadly now much sanitized. Use the Kenmore Sq stop on the subway, not Fenway, that's actually further away. (If you like Indian food, India Quality near Kenmore is cheap and fantastic.)

The subway itself makes a good subject, especially the Green Line (it works better as a photo subject than as a means of transportation, if you know what I mean).

Chinatown -- 'nuff said.

Architecture: Downtown has a lot of 80s skyscrapers; South Boston waterfront is where architects have been set loose most recently (new ICA museum and Federal courthouse). Typical tourist shot: Copley Sq, where a Victorian cathedral, Boston Public Library and the Hancock tower (sleek, angled, glass) make for interesting neighbors.

Photo stores: E.P. Levine and Bromfield Camera are still in business, I think. Look for their websites.

 

[raydm6]

Same here. I grew up a few miles outside of Boston and have moved further west - don't get in there much anymore - but, this time of year, if you are shooting color, you might enjoy Forest Hills Cemetery (off the Orange Line on the T) or just outside Boston, Mount Auburn Cemetery (in Cambridge).

While in Cambridge, you might walk around Harvard Square (but again, it's been decades since I've been back there) so don't know if it's as electic as I remember.

EDIT: Forgot to mention, The Boston Phoenix and Boston.com might give you some ideas on exhibits and eats

- Ray

 

[batterytypehah!]

Oh, and since you might not be familiar with drugstore chains in the U.S.: Walgreen's house brand film is Fuji, and I'm almost certain that CVS is, too. They also carry Kodak, of course, including (usually) BW400CN. Bring your own 120 and/or chrome, if that's your thing.

 

[matt_s]

welcome to boston!

welcome to boston!

What area are you staying? How will you be getting around?

If you have a car and some time, I would suggest the DeCordova museum- about 20 mins. outside of boston, but always have some great photography exhibits. I have not been in a while, but have never been disappointed when I did go.

The MFA has a decent, if not overwhelming, photo collection.

For walking around town (and Boston is a walking city) you should see the North End. This is the oldest section of town, and before they filled the river in with mud, the only land in Boston. From there I would go to the Common/Gardens- nice place for a walk and photos. From there you can make your way down Commenwealth ave- Boston's answer to the Champs Elysees. Here you can continue to the Fenway, or turn around and back up Newbury st or Boylston st to see the Back Bay neighborhood- lots of shopping and people watching- check out the Copley square and the previously mentioned churches while here.

If you have time to walk through the Public Library in Copley Square (the old section!) it will be worth your time.

Too many bars and pubs in Boston to mention- if you can give me an area you are staying I will be happy to make recommendations.

Enjoy your time here,

Matt

 

[zgeeRF]

The easiest photo store to access near Downtown is Calumet in Cambridge: http://tinyurl.com/g735u
They have a decent selection of BW and color film in all formats.

You may want to take a walk from Boston Common (centaral Park so to speak) toward Fenway via Newbury street, for people, stores cafés and restaurants but if the weather is like today it may not be as productive 🙂

 

[angeloks]

What area are you staying? How will you be getting around?

First, thank you all for the info ! I'll be staying at the Super 6 motel. I have a car, but I intend to walk. This is probably the best way to see the city !

 

[batterytypehah!]

You mean Super 8, right? I see that's in Watertown. You'll probably be passing right by the Polaroid factory ruin in Waltham, then. (Right on I-95, northbound side, exit 26 I believe.) Been meaning to shoot there before they do whatever they do to sorry remains of once-great names. No idea how accessible it is, though. Chain link fence all around, I would presume.

I second the De Cordova. The sculpture park should be spectacular this time of the year, and I believe non-commercial photography is OK there.

 

[pesphoto]

enjoy the city, check out china town for some interesting subjects
Hey nice to see some Boston/Englanders, we should plan a GTG or shoot some day

 

[batterytypehah!]

Hey nice to see some Boston/Englanders, we should plan a GTG or shoot some day

Yeah, now you're all coming out of the woodwork. Where were you guys when I posted the HU for Photographica? Still zero views.

Not that I can go this time. :bang:

 

[rover]

Public transportation (the T) is very convenient in Boston for those times you want to give your shoes a break. Walk or ride around and enjoy. I spent a day with a friend with only about $30 between the two of us. We found plenty of free stuff to do and saved the cash for the occasional beer for nourishment.

 

[RFOBD]

Boston's tiny and you can easily see most of it in a few days. That's not saying you can't spend longer here, but you won't feel like you missed out on too much. It's also a fantastic walking city. The furthest walk you'd want to do, from the North End all the way down to the Museum of Fine Arts is only a little over three miles. That being said, the subway (or T) is easy to use and goes to all the areas you'd want to stop by.

Beacon Hill and the South End are my favorite parts of the city. Beacon Hill is within close walking distance of both the Public Gardens, the Commons, and the North End (the Italian district). There's loads of fantastic Italian restaurants in the North End, my favorites being Antico Forno, Limoncello, and Lucca, if you're looking for something a bit fancier.

If you're not from the New England area, or somewhere else with beautiful fall foliage, you might appreciate taking part of a day to go to the Arnold Arboretum. It's a great place to relax and enjoy some wide open spaces, but would require you to take the T a little outside of Boston. It's probably about a 20-30 minute T ride away from the center of the city.

The Freedom Trail is a great way to see some of the older areas of Boston. It's a red line literally painted/paved-in-brick on the ground and it leads you from the top of the Commons to the Quincy Market/Faneuil Hall up into the North End and over the river into Charlestown to see the Bunker Hill Monument and the USS Constitution. Do not that the Constitution and the Boston tea party boats, which are south of Faneuil Hall, are both under a bit of repair, so they are mainly covered in tarps.

EDIT: I see you're staying up in Watertown, a bit outside of the city. I'm not certain the best way to get into Boston daily from there, but I'm sure your hotel will have suggestions. If you do end up driving into the city every morning, spending the day in the city, and then heading back to your hotel via car after dinner or something, I have found the best rates at the parking garage underneath the Boston Common. See http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=100+N+Beacon+St,+Watertown,+MA+02472+(Super+8+Watertown%2F+Cambridge%2F+Boston)&daddr=Zero+Charles+St.,+Boston,+MA+02116+(Boston+Common+Garage)&geocode=CTB88i3m1uc3FVBthgId9eXB-yGX_iOfk8UptA%3BFRRHhgIdMZXD-yFg14xMZ3fn0w&gl=us&hl=en&mra=pe&mrcr=0&sll=42.337915,-71.346699&sspn=0.761333,1.399384&ie=UTF8&z=13.

I apologize I don't know how to make the url smaller haha.

Enjoy!

 

[pesphoto]

Yeah, now you're all coming out of the woodwork. Where were you guys when I posted the HU for Photographica? Still zero views.


Not that I can go this time. :bang:

sorry guess i would rather shoot than go look at equipment

 

[rover]

I am up for a shoot so if some thing is planned I will try to make it.

 

[batterytypehah!]

I am up for a shoot so if some thing is planned I will try to make it.

Yeah, why don't you guys start a more visible thread for that?

As for myself, I'm a slow shooter. You wouldn't want to drag me around, trust me. Rarely can find time, anyway.

 

[morgan]

The Decordova is great. But if you're going out there also don't miss the Walter Gropius house just a few minutes past the Decordova. If you have any interest in modernism or the Bauhaus it's a don't miss. Also near Watertown is the Mt. Auburn Cemetery. Huge, expansive, wild-park ish, with a tower that has a killer view. Harvard Sq is fun, but a little sanitized.

Skip Faneuil Hall, it's a tourist trap.

 

[prosthetic]

Not about photography but several cool places in my mind....

MFA has the new Art of the American Wing, worth a visit. Mapparium, no photography allowed and crappy tour guide but still unique. Stata Center at MIT, touristy attraction but there's a reason for that, it's too weird looking 😀 And glass flowers in the Natural History Museum at Harvard - until you see some of the broken models you won't believe it's made of glass! Have fun 🙂