OT: Advice on first time trip to Boston

shadowfox

shadowfox

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Hi all,

If all the stars are lining up correctly, we may be on our way to Boston area from Texas sometime at the end of August for a couple of days.

I have a couple of questions:

1. Can you recommend places to stay (not Hotels.com type of info, more like your favorites/memorables), or anyone here running a bed-and-breakfast ? 😀

2. I'm hoping that I can take the fam (and the MF folder) to the Adirondacks, I just have one clue, it's beautiful! any other "clues/tips/hints" ? 😛

3. Tell me a bit of your Boston travel tidbits.

Thank you, y'all!
Will
 
I live here, so I can't really recommend a Boston area hotel. What's your budget? Something around the common would be nice, but very expensive. Ditto for the waterfront.

The Adirondacks are not really close to Boston.

What do you want to see/photograph?

I'd recommend a drive up to Manchester By the Sea, Gloucester and Rockport for the sort of stereotypical New England scenery. Take route 127.

If you're into walking, the entire town can be covered in a day. Chinatown is my favorite Boston photo spot.

You can always make a side trip to NYC if you have a hankering for some grittier street photography accompanied by the smell of urine and rats scurrying about your feet🙂
 
Boston, the Adirondacks and NYC are all pretty far from one another.

If it's mountains you want, the closest to Boston are the Berkshires.
They're not as big or rugged as the Adirondacks, and the area is more
settled, but there's lots to see and do, especially in summer. Enjoy! 🙂

Chris
 
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Pass on the Berkshires, if you want a day trip to the mountains head north to North Conway, NH and the White Mountains. Probably a 3 hour max drive (maybe less) from Boston up route 16. I would venture it is an easier drive from Boston than getting onto route 2 in NW Massachusetts which is also a beautiful drive, but not in the same league as the Whites.

If you want to try to stay a night in North Conway and really take advantage of that area for photography go with a B&B. Trust me on this one, you want to call the 1785 Inn in North Conway (603-356-9025). Same prices as the road side motels and hotels, and the best restaurant in northern New England. The innkeepers took very good care of my mom when my father was in the hospital in North Conway last year, and I have stayed there before. 100% New England charm, not a flat floor or square door in the place, but take your camera to breakfast, you will need it.

http://www.the1785inn.com/

I will leave the suggestions about Boston our friends from Boston. I have stayed at the MidTown Hotel though, a while ago, but it was nice. A hotel in the city, convenient to the T (subway) and easy to access.
http://www.midtownhotel.com/

Trust me on the 1785 if you are thinking of that side trip. You will not be disappointed.
 
Well from someone who lives in the Adirondacks, if your family doesn't mind a 4 hr drive, come on over and there is plenty to do

but as previously stated your best bet is to visit Boston, then head down I90 to the Berkshires or go up to either Maine or New Hampshire ... all 3 closer to Boston than anywhere in the Adirondacks

If you do still come to NY, keep in mind the end of August is track season in Saratoga so the Adirondacks are usually extra busy that time of year 🙂 Keeping in mind that I am speaking of the southeast part of the Adirondack Park
 
You might consider the Hawthorne Hotel in Salem:
http://www.hawthornehotel.com/
Boston is a short drive away, it's on the North Shore so Manchester, Gloucester, Rockport, etc are also a short drive away, and there is plenty to photograph right around the place in Salem itself.
I doubt you could 'finish' shooting Boston and the North Shore in a lifetime...your gonna miss a lot of stuff in just a couple of days. Unless you really like landscapes, I wouldn't bother going to the mountains.

Ed
 
First off, Boston is great city to visit.
Things to do:
1. Fenway Park and the Red Sox
2. Harbor boat ride to take in the sights.
3. Fanual Hall

Berkshires are nice, White Mts in NH, very nice. Drive up to Maine along the coast, very nice.
Have a nice time.
 
Things to see (in clumps of things that you can do in one day, walking)

Don't know about hotels but try to find one next to the commons, newbury street, and maybe government center.

* Newbury St, Boston Common/Gardens, Christian Science Center, Prudentical Center

* Beacon Hill area

* Government Center, North End, Fanuil Hall, the aquarium and the water front.

* Harvard Sq and Cambridge

Harvard Sq is kind of a ways off from the rest of Boston (but not really) and the rest of the places are all pretty much clumped together. Take a look on a map and see how you would want to group things. If the weather is good Boston is a nice place to walk around. It's not too big either, you could easily walk from the Christian Science Center, along Newbury, and all the way to the North End if you are a strong walked.

* Good Museums in Boston: The Gardener (a must see), ICA, MFA. They aren't within walking distance of one another.

---

In Harvard Sq I would definatly go to Cafe Pamplona for some coffee and sitting around, great place. I would get amazing burgars at Bartleys. If you want something more fancy there is a really nice restaurant called the Harvest.

Along Newbury there is a place called La Aroma or something like that and its right across the street from H&M, really good coffee there. Lots of fairly expensive resturants along that street...

For the moment can't think of much else off the top of my head...
 
I only ever pass through on business, but over the years managed to fit in a “Duck” tour that was interesting if a bit touristy, and a walking tour round harbour area, as a Brit I enjoyed the “olde worlde charm” on the cost to the south, towards Quincy.
The steamed lobster at Legal Seafood is excellent, if it’s charged to the company that is, I generally stay in Cambridge, the Hyatt this year
 
Boston is great during summer. Has (almost) all NYC has, but on a much smaller, more managable scale--You can walk anywhere in Boston.

Boston's North End (little Italy) is my avorite spot--100's o restaurants, and it's hard to ind a bad one.--great people watching here too.

In and around Copley Square (Back Bay) is also nice--Great architecture here.

Cambridge(Harvard Square is here) is a great walk along the Charles, and over a bridge.
Lexington, Concord & Salem are all within 1/2 hour drive rom downtown, i you're into history.

Commuter boats leave the water ront (Rowes Whar every 1/2 hour or so, are really cheap, and give a great view o the city, and the harbour islands. Whale Watching tours (here also) are really active in August i you've got kids. And o course, Quincy Market ( anuiel Hall), Newburry St., & the Prudential Center--have high-end (i not touristy) shopping...

Enjoy!
 
See, I knew I asked the right group of knowledgeable people 😉

First off, I don't plan to visit NYC area, that's another vacation 🙂

Secondly, thanks to all the advices on what to do inside Boston, I went to the bookstore last night and skim some Fodor's books on Boston and amazingly, I remember reading on the same places y'all recommended.

Pete, I'd love to visit the Adirondacks, here in North Texas, driving to a mountain is not exactly easy or scenic. It's either 6 hrs of boring drive to the Ozarks in Arkansas or 10 hours of equally boring drive to the Big Bend.

Rover, thanks for the B&B recommendation, sounds exactly like what we're looking for.

Ed, Salem sounds intriguing, that could become our base.

I'm in a dilemma, I like landscape as much as people photography, so the New England charm sounds like a good combination.

I'm so looking forward to the trip 🙂
 
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