One Night in Boston, Mid July (Cambridge, Quincy: hotels, house, price)

[ripley]

My wife and I will be in the area in July (looks like week of the 7th), plan on spending a Thursday night in Boston.

Will arrive at South Station that Thursday morning, spend the day and night, then leave Friday afternoon or evening.

I've been to Boston once before, but she has not.

If it were you ... where would you stay for that one night, and how would you occupy your time?

Please share a suggested itinerary.

[mattncind]

Any particular interests you two have? It will be easier to tailor one around your personal interests, there is a ton to see and do here.

After reading your post again, I can see you are asking for our personal favorites and you tailor it to your likes and dislikes. I am pretty new to the city, so I still would like to do some of the more "touristy" things.

Here is my Itinerary.

Check into Hotel (I would be flexible as to where I am staying since Boston is very compact and the hotels are pricey-use priceline btw) Would stay in either Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Theatre District, Downtown Crossing or the Financial District.

Go for Breakfast in Beacon Hill at The Paramount.

Then I would do the Freedom Trail, if you want you can do the entire walk, but doing a portion of it is also okay as well.

The Freedom trail will take you through the Common, Beacon Hill, Fanueil Hall, Financial District, North End and Charlestown. So it gives you a nice tour of the city of Boston, in addition to an interesting history lesson.

I would stop off for a quick and cheap lunch at the Quincy Market Food Court, I'm sure you can find something to your liking in there.

For Dinner I would go to the North End:

Appetizers: Go to Neptune Oyster's raw bar, for the best selection of Oysters you will find in Boston.
Dinner: Prezza (Higher End) or Antico Forno (Affordable)
Desert: Modern Pastry or Cafe Vittoria for a espresso and pastry.

Depending on what you like as far as night life is concerned you can either...

-Go out for Cocktails at Either No. 9 Park which is on Park Street by the Common, Eastern Standard in Kenmore or Green Street Grill in Central Square (so you can have an opportunity to check out a pretty cool neighborhood in Cambridge)

- Go to an Irish Bar. The Burren in Davis Square (another cool area), The Druid in Inman Square or Mr. Dooleys in the Financial District. All three have live Irish music on weeknights, along with being able to pour a good pint.

- If you are into Jazz you can check out Wally's on Mass Ave. Thursday nights are Afro-Cuban Jazz, we love going to this place and are here quite often. Its a bit of a dive but is an institution in the area.

- Or you can grab a quick bite and check out a Ball Game at Fenway. That is about as Boston as you can get.

Friday: Depending on time I would check out one of the museums. Either the MOS, MOFA or the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, which has a gorgeous Atrium.

Or you can go for a walk down Newbury Street (I'm sure your wife will like this) and grab a bite to eat for lunch on one of the outdoor cafes...my recommendation would be Tapeo.

Have a great trip, this is just my personal itinerary.

[Bostonian08]

Good recommendations from Matt. I would emphasize the Freedom Trail - it's truly the headline act of Beantown. If you don't want to walk the whole distance, you can do the same route on the Trolley tour or Duck Tour - info available at Park St Station on Boston Common.

[holden125]

I agree with the above suggestions but I wouldn't miss the Public Garden and Commonwealth Avenue, Copley Sq, and maybe Newbury St in the Back Bay. A walk on the residential streets of Beacon Hill is also something that you can't get anywhere else.

[crazyworld]

For one night, I would stay at the Long Wharf Marriott....take a stroll over to the North Ends for a nice dinner and perhaps a nice Sunset Cruise.
If you are flying in, you can take the water taxi from Logan to the Long Wharf.

Enjoy!

[maggiekate]

hotels-Boston Harbor-Parker House is old but has alot of history. I agree to visit the Public Gardens, and see if the Red Sox will be intown for a game.

[ripley]

Thanks to all who offered suggestions. We're still finalizing some dates and gathering additional info. Looking forward to our short visit and will check out the sights mentioned.

Thanks again.