Boston Trip Questions: (Lowell, Cambridge, Salem: for sale, living, price)

[WestieWhitie]

Originally Posted by id77

Parts of Europe. It's also pretty easy to spend several hundred on dinner for two at a nice restaurant in a city like London, Copenhagen, or Zurich.

Right, but it will be a very nice dinner. In Boston it is very easy to drop $300-400 on a mediocre dinner, or even a bad dinner if you think plate slingers deserve no less than 30% of the bill.

[GeePee]

List of restaurants I have enjoyed recently for around $200 a couple

Bar Mezzana
Sportello
Moona
Kava
Ostra
Commitee
Brassica Kitchen
Saltie Girl

[BostonMike7]

When i visit Salem, i usually park at the parking garage right at the corner of Derby and Congress St. Less stress, and from there it's a pretty easy walk to a number of areas to eat/shop or see.

Finz is a pretty good place for seafood and located right on the waterfront. https://hipfinz.com/ Sushi apps, drinks and Dinner for my wife and I ran about $150 plus tip last weekend.

There's a number of guided Tours that start from that general location. I would go see the House of Seven Gables over the Witch House. Short walk from the above area.


Friday weather will be good so I imagine Salem will be pretty busy tonight.

[GeePee]

Originally Posted by cavsfan137

3) On the last day of our trip, we are staying in the vicinity of North Cambridge. If going into the city for day and early evening, and leaving back about 8:30 or 9 PM, should we feel relatively safe or comfortable walking back from Davis or Alewife stations in that vicinity? Or, would you recommend an Uber at that time going to there.

Thanks! And, good luck with your NBA Finals series!

Walking back from either of those locations to North Cambridge will be completely fine. If you guys are looking to spend some time in N. Cambridge Gran Gusto is a wonderful Neapolitan restaurant

[WestieWhitie]

Originally Posted by GeePee

List of restaurants I have enjoyed recently for around $200 a couple

Bar Mezzana
Sportello
Moona
Kava
Ostra
Commitee
Brassica Kitchen
Saltie Girl

Ostra is the only nice one and you’d be very hard-pressed to get a decent meal for two with a decent bottle of wine for under $200, the rest are comparable to an average joint in Spain or Portugal where the two of you can eat and drink till you explode, the food will be a lot better and you still won’t break $80. $200 will get you a nice tasting menu with wine pairing, maybe without Michelin stars but way better than anything you can get in the US without selling a kidney.

[johngolf]

My favorite North End restaurant is Pagliucas. I make it there at least once each time I visit Boston.

[WestieWhitie]

Originally Posted by johngolf

My favorite North End restaurant is Pagliucas. I make it there at least once each time I visit Boston.

Molinari’s in Dorchester or Rino’s in Eastie are way better than all the North End tourist traps.

[GeePee]

Originally Posted by WestieWhitie

Ostra is the only nice one and you’d be very hard-pressed to get a decent meal for two with a decent bottle of wine for under $200, the rest are comparable to an average joint in Spain or Portugal where the two of you can eat and drink till you explode, the food will be a lot better and you still won’t break $80. $200 will get you a nice tasting menu with wine pairing, maybe without Michelin stars but way better than anything you can get in the US without selling a kidney.

How much is a ticket to Spain or Portugal though

[WestieWhitie]

Originally Posted by GeePee

How much is a ticket to Spain or Portugal though

A lot cheaper than a flight to the west coast.

[theurbanfiles]

Originally Posted by lrfox

1) If you’re already going to Assembly tomorrow, you could just hop on the Orange Line for a few stops to North Station (the Garden is literally built over North Station) to experience it during a game day. It shouldn’t be more than a 10 minute ride on the T, and a straight shot. Parking at Assembly is free in the garages for up to 3 hours (and fairly inexpensive after that). That said, I wouldn’t expect a ton of activity until 4, maybe 5pm. There’s a big Celtics logo on the main stairs and some NBA Finals banners flying, but it doesn’t look too out of the ordinary right now. If you’re in the area early enough, you could maybe find some street parking over in the area (Canal, Friend, Merrimac, Portland St. etc - Nashua St. has some spots too), but Assembly and Orange Line is a safer bet. If you find yourself at the Garden, it’s worth the relatively easy walk over to the original Mike’s in the North End. Modern is across the street if you want to sample both. The pastries are good at the Mike’s outposts, but the original location is a better experience.

2) Parking in Salem is pretty easy. The Church Street lot and Museum Place garage are right next to everything downtown. Downtown itself is compact and walkable with plenty to see/do. I can’t weigh in on a lobster roll in Salem (especially reasonably priced - they’re crazy now). But Jamie’s Roast Beef and Treadwell’s Ice Cream are right next to each other and a short distance from downtown (technically Peabody, but only a couple of miles from the center). It’s my favorite North Shore Roast Beef (Super Beef - Three Way is the order) and Treadwell’s is a great ice cream spot. Great way to try a local staple and follow it with dessert.

3) So if you’re thinking of parking and taking the Red Line in, Alewife is the only real option up that way. It has a massive garage above it and you shouldn’t have any trouble that time of night walking from the platform to your car. Davis is safe too, but there’s not really any parking around it. If an Uber is cheap enough, it might save you a few minutes, however.

I literally can’t rep you enough for all this info!

We ended up just going around Assembly Row because with our daughter especially, wanted to avoid complicated logistics. Cool seeing Celtics stuff everywhere in the area of late, though.

In Salem, we didn’t, but we ended up eating a lobster roll waterside yesterday in Portsmouth. Bonus day of exploring I did not think I would get. It was delicious and a great setting, not cheap, but worth a splurge. I’ll have to take you up on that roast beef recommendation if not this trip, another time.

So, we actually aren’t parking per se that day, we are staying overnight in that neighborhood of Cambridge kinda between Alewife and Davis. Maybe a 10-15 minute walk from either one.

Again, thank you so much! Heading towards Burlington for a couple nights starting tomorrow, and then our last full day of the trip will be in Boston city. Hoping to see MIT which a family member of mine attended, for the first time (already seen Harvard), and hopefully see some of the Copley Square/Back Bay Area of Boston in the day before the game starts. Any good food picks in that area or adjacent to the park that would also be a good value?