now onto sight-seeing (Boston, Cambridge, Peabody: hotel, designs, discount)

[Slipperman]

since my main purpose on going up there is to go on a photo tour (part vaca, part work), i want to go to as many photogenic places as possible. using SmartDestinations Go Card for Boston, i've chosen these 2 so far - Skywalk Observatory and Charles River cruise. i figured a museum would be a good final option but i can't decide which one to go to. i do know i'm not interested in the Fine Art museums since i'd basically be taking pictures of pictures so to speak. so i've narrowed my choices down to these - Museum of Science, Harvard Museum of Natural History, MIT Museum and Peabody Essex Museum (though i'd rather not go that far north).
a few criteria..
the museum has to allow cameras inside obviously.
the exhibits have to be interesting/cool enough to take photos of.

i'd also like to visit Boston Common but not sure how to get there from my hotel (Hyatt Cambridge). any ideas on that?
or maybe there's a really cool architecture bldg i can check out??

[jayrandom]

I don't know how serious a photographer you are, but mueseum photography is tough. There's just never enough indoor light and while cameras are usually allowed, tripods and flashes are not. You'll be shooting high ISO blurry photos. It's also a bit discouraging because the meuseum itself can generally take photos with full support and great light. There's also not much room to get creative.

Boston is a walking city. I'd recommend walking the old parts of town (roughly the freedom trail) and trying to find interesting buildings in good light.

[scorpio516]

Originally Posted by Slipperman

i'd also like to visit Boston Common but not sure how to get there from my hotel (Hyatt Cambridge). any ideas on that?
or maybe there's a really cool architecture bldg i can check out??

20 min or so. Walk over the BU Bridge, take the Green Line to Arlington, Boylston, or Park. Or walk to Central Square and take the Red line to Park

Harvard has the only Corbu building in the US. The art museum just reopened with a Renzo Piano addition. MIT has some interesting buildings - like the Gehry building that leaks. Both the central branch of the Boston Public Library (Copley square) and the Cambridge public library are award winning designs.

[Slipperman]

Originally Posted by jayrandom

I don't know how serious a photographer you are, but mueseum photography is tough. There's just never enough indoor light and while cameras are usually allowed, tripods and flashes are not. You'll be shooting high ISO blurry photos. It's also a bit discouraging because the meuseum itself can generally take photos with full support and great light. There's also not much room to get creative.

Boston is a walking city. I'd recommend walking the old parts of town (roughly the freedom trail) and trying to find interesting buildings in good light.

let's just say i'm not a cell phone shooter. i have a full fledged DSLR (Nikon D750) with 5 lenses of various types so i'm fairly serious though not a pro.

and thx for the freedom trail suggestion. it's offered as an option on SD for a discount so that could be my 3rd option..

[jayrandom]

Originally Posted by Slipperman

let's just say i'm not a cell phone shooter. i have a full fledged DSLR (Nikon D750) with 5 lenses of various types so i'm fairly serious though not a pro.

and thx for the freedom trail suggestion. it's offered as an option on SD for a discount so that could be my 3rd option..

I find the more serious you are about cameras the more frustrating museum photography is. Perhaps you're more comfortable going to high ISO though.

Also, I'm not sure what SD is, but the freedom trail is just a line on the ground that's free to walk. A guided tour might be interesting, but it would not be conducive to getting much more than snapshots (unless it's a guided photography tour).

[Slipperman]

Originally Posted by jayrandom

I find the more serious you are about cameras the more frustrating museum photography is. Perhaps you're more comfortable going to high ISO though.

Also, I'm not sure what SD is, but the freedom trail is just a line on the ground that's free to walk. A guided tour might be interesting, but it would not be conducive to getting much more than snapshots (unless it's a guided photography tour).

i tend to try and stay under 1000 ISO because even with in-camera noise reduction turned on, i still get noise even as low as 1000. on my camera anyway.

SD = Smart Destinations. i mentioned it in the first post. reading up on the freedom trail, they do have tours but there has to be a group of 10 or more. rather than do that, i'll just go on my own so i can take my time. plus isn't the trail fairly close to the common? kill 2 birds with 1 stone.

[timberline742]

Freedom trail is a couple of miles

[porterhouse]

Don't miss the courtyard at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

Some other good spots include the Harvard (Mass Ave) bridge, BU bridge and Grand Junction Railroad bridge (right near your hotel), Beacon Hill (Acorn Street), Public Garden, North End, Fan Pier, Fenway Park, Harvard Yard, Arnold Arboretum. Boston is a photogenic city. Enjoy...

[Slipperman]

Originally Posted by porterhouse

Don't miss the courtyard at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.

Some other good spots include the Harvard (Mass Ave) bridge, BU bridge and Grand Junction Railroad bridge (right near your hotel), Beacon Hill (Acorn Street), Public Garden, North End, Fan Pier, Fenway Park, Harvard Yard, Arnold Arboretum. Boston is a photogenic city. Enjoy...

so much to see in so little time. the Gardner Museum definitely caught my eye on the SD site. i might go there just for the courtyard and forget the art.

[Ne999]

Agree with many of porterhouse recommendations. Mass Ave bridge, beacon hill, commonwealth Ave near the park, public garden. North end, Christopher Columbus park also have some nice shots