Boston Trip Questions: (Lowell, New Bedford, Quincy: hotel, homes, closing)

[theurbanfiles]

Bostongymjunkie and MikePRU, thank you for the pastry recommendations! I will have to keep those (lobster tail and other bakeries) in mind, as we do still have a couple days in Metro Boston.

As for Salem, our stay there was quite short. I did walk the length of the core part of town (Essex Street Mall, past the witch house, the waterfront and down the wharf, and along the commons (favorite part, gorgeous park). I thought the town was very picturesque though it didn’t quite have as much of a nautical/port vibe as I was expecting although the architecture was beautiful. My wife was creeped out though by just how many occult shops, etc were a pct of the downtown retail make up. Not meaning to offend anyone from or connected with Salem, but because of that we weren’t there overly long lol.

Assembly Row though it’s modern was an interesting instance of new urbanism
and mixed use to me, and even the idea of using that as a parking spot for <3 hr trips into the core potentially is insightful.

We went to Lowell on the 9th. I really loved the industrial vibe present there and found that the brick combined with the canals almost gave it a bit of an Amsterdam look. Touring the cotton weave mill there was a really cool experience, and something about there just spoke to me. Seems really undervalued and underrated.

Portsmouth had a very clean, polished feel to it in spite of being so old. Like, in some ways having been to both it, Portland (ME), and Charleston/Savannah-it’s aesthetic to me felt more like Charleston a bit, perhaps, whereas Portland feels and looks a bit more like Savannah.

Cool towns in any case. Looking forward to more adventure ahead!

[theurbanfiles]

Originally Posted by GeePee

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

We will be based and staying overnight there, so that works out well! Thank you.

[htfdcolt]

Originally Posted by cavsfan137

Bostongymjunkie and MikePRU, thank you for the pastry recommendations! I will have to keep those (lobster tail and other bakeries) in mind, as we do still have a couple days in Metro Boston.

As for Salem, our stay there was quite short. I did walk the length of the core part of town (Essex Street Mall, past the witch house, the waterfront and down the wharf, and along the commons (favorite part, gorgeous park). I thought the town was very picturesque though it didn’t quite have as much of a nautical/port vibe as I was expecting although the architecture was beautiful. My wife was creeped out though by just how many occult shops, etc were a pct of the downtown retail make up. Not meaning to offend anyone from or connected with Salem, but because of that we weren’t there overly long lol.

Assembly Row though it’s modern was an interesting instance of new urbanism
and mixed use to me, and even the idea of using that as a parking spot for <3 hr trips into the core potentially is insightful.

We went to Lowell on the 9th. I really loved the industrial vibe present there and found that the brick combined with the canals almost gave it a bit of an Amsterdam look. Touring the cotton weave mill there was a really cool experience, and something about there just spoke to me. Seems really undervalued and underrated.

Portsmouth had a very clean, polished feel to it in spite of being so old. Like, in some ways having been to both it, Portland (ME), and Charleston/Savannah-it’s aesthetic to me felt more like Charleston a bit, perhaps, whereas Portland feels and looks a bit more like Savannah.

Cool towns in any case. Looking forward to more adventure ahead!

Glad you're enjoying your stay. Portsmouth is really nice...have gone there twice in the past year on short solo-cations to get away from Greater Boston. I do think Lowell is a bit underrated, but I don't think I've ever heard it mentioned in the same sentence with Amsterdam It's got some nice areas, especially the area around the National Historic Park, but it still feels gritty and in spots unsafe to me.

[rranger]

Originally Posted by WestieWhitie

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.

So true, but there are definitely exquisite restaurants in Boston. Deuxave and Sorellina come to mind, for example. As you point out, nothing is more irritating than dropping a huge sum on a crummy dining experience. I find NYC to be exactly the same. In my experience, the only two US cities where you can reliably get good food are Chicago and San Francisco.

[WestieWhitie]

Originally Posted by rranger

So true, but there are definitely exquisite restaurants in Boston. Deuxave and Sorellina come to mind, for example. As you point out, nothing is more irritating than dropping a huge sum on a crummy dining experience. I find NYC to be exactly the same. In my experience, the only two US cities where you can reliably get good food are Chicago and San Francisco.

Those two are OK but nothing special - get a bottle of barely drinkable wine and it’s very easy to spend over $200 per person, and they might as well be Olive Garden on a bad day compared to a $200 per person restaurant in Spain or Portugal.

As for nearby foodie-friendly US cities Portland, ME is a good option. Boston is mostly countless boring $25 burger/$15 IPA reclaimed wood joints and stuffy gilded places where enjoying your meal is secondary to showing how much money you have.

[bostongymjunkie]

But they're pretty and shiny so substance doesn't matter.

[WestieWhitie]

Originally Posted by bostongymjunkie

But they're pretty and shiny so substance doesn't matter.

That and already ridiculously overpriced mediocre wine marked up 4x - nothing says you’re loaded better than paying $400 for a $100 bottle of wine that would cost you 30 euro retail/45 euro at a restaurant on the other side of the pond.

[bostongymjunkie]

I don't think those people are as loaded as they perhaps present themselves. More likely trying to impress. Most self made wealthy people aren't inclined to waste money. Or maybe they are living on mommy and daddie's money.

[WestieWhitie]

Originally Posted by bostongymjunkie

I don't think those people are as loaded as they perhaps present themselves. More likely trying to impress. Most self made wealthy people aren't inclined to waste money. Or maybe they are living on mommy and daddie's money.

Right, I meant projecting the image of being loaded. Funny part is most won’t be able to tell red from white in a blind test, let alone $30 bottle from $300 bottle. Or, since we’re taking restaurants and not retail, $120 bottle from $1200 bottle.

[GeePee]

Originally Posted by WestieWhitie

That and already ridiculously overpriced mediocre wine marked up 4x - nothing says you’re loaded better than paying $400 for a $100 bottle of wine that would cost you 30 euro retail/45 euro at a restaurant on the other side of the pond.

My guy, It's no secret that USA marks up its poison sometimes 1000% it's the highest margin they operate on. We can't compare rents to a restaurant in Salerno Italy to Back Bay USA
You will undoubtedly get a fine house carafe in the former for 4 eu.
Most people i know in the former make less than 1/4 of most people in i know in the later.
This is the unfortunate trade off.