Boston Trip Questions: (Cambridge, Peabody, Salem: house, wedding, restaurants)

[theurbanfiles]

Hello! Visiting your fine city throughout the next week, and, just a few questions:

1) Regarding Mike's Pastry, which is one of the primary foodie stops we want to make: Leaning toward just getting it from the Assembly Row location, I like that it is relatively more suburban from a standpoint of "ease of access", parking cost, etc. JP Lick's is there, too, which because my wife enjoys that, is another plus. However. I know Game 3 of The Finals is tomorrow night, also, and there's a location immediately attached/outside of TD Garden. Is there somewhere you could park for like $3 or less for a half hour or so in the vicinity of the arena during the day, to just get the experience of being down at the arena on gameday real quick? Or, is that foolish, and we should just stick to Assembly Row and visiting the arena another day.

2) On the foodie subject again, considering visiting Salem en route to our final destination, a place we are staying at for a wedding over the next few days. Looks like a pretty cool town. Recommended parking spot here? Also, is there a place you could recommend, perhaps particularly along the waterfront like a good stand to just order it from or carryout somewhere, that would be a fairly priced lobster roll in the vicinity of the Salem downtown/waterfront? Also, considering visiting the Witch House, is it worth it?

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!

[lrfox]

Originally Posted by cavsfan137

Hello! Visiting your fine city throughout the next week, and, just a few questions:

1) Regarding Mike's Pastry, which is one of the primary foodie stops we want to make: Leaning toward just getting it from the Assembly Row location, I like that it is relatively more suburban from a standpoint of "ease of access", parking cost, etc. JP Lick's is there, too, which because my wife enjoys that, is another plus. However. I know Game 3 of The Finals is tomorrow night, also, and there's a location immediately attached/outside of TD Garden. Is there somewhere you could park for like $3 or less for a half hour or so in the vicinity of the arena during the day, to just get the experience of being down at the arena on gameday real quick? Or, is that foolish, and we should just stick to Assembly Row and visiting the arena another day.

2) On the foodie subject again, considering visiting Salem en route to our final destination, a place we are staying at for a wedding over the next few days. Looks like a pretty cool town. Recommended parking spot here? Also, is there a place you could recommend, perhaps particularly along the waterfront like a good stand to just order it from or carryout somewhere, that would be a fairly priced lobster roll in the vicinity of the Salem downtown/waterfront? Also, considering visiting the Witch House, is it worth it?

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!

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.

[MikePRU]

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.

I got some pastries last Friday at the Mikes in Harvard Square. They tasted exactly the same as any that I've had at the North End location so 110% agree with what Irfox is saying . . . if the pastries are what you're after then it doesn't matter what location you go to. The original location is a bit of a different experience though. Personally, I'd be happy to go to the Harvard Square location. There are lots of great restaurants in the area and it's fun to walk over there for dessert.

On the subject of Mike's cannolis are great but the real gem there is a pastry called a lobster tail. It kind of looks like a giant croissant and it has a filling that's like a cannoli's but lighter and a little more creamy and less cheesy tasting.

[bostongymjunkie]

Originally Posted by cavsfan137

Hello! Visiting your fine city throughout the next week, and, just a few questions:

1) Regarding Mike's Pastry, which is one of the primary foodie stops we want to make: Leaning toward just getting it from the Assembly Row location, I like that it is relatively more suburban from a standpoint of "ease of access", parking cost, etc. JP Lick's is there, too, which because my wife enjoys that, is another plus. However. I know Game 3 of The Finals is tomorrow night, also, and there's a location immediately attached/outside of TD Garden. Is there somewhere you could park for like $3 or less for a half hour or so in the vicinity of the arena during the day, to just get the experience of being down at the arena on gameday real quick? Or, is that foolish, and we should just stick to Assembly Row and visiting the arena another day.

2) On the foodie subject again, considering visiting Salem en route to our final destination, a place we are staying at for a wedding over the next few days. Looks like a pretty cool town. Recommended parking spot here? Also, is there a place you could recommend, perhaps particularly along the waterfront like a good stand to just order it from or carryout somewhere, that would be a fairly priced lobster roll in the vicinity of the Salem downtown/waterfront? Also, considering visiting the Witch House, is it worth it?

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!

There are better North End bakery options than Mike's in my opinion. Mike's is the favorite of tourists and probably most well known, but I prefer Modern and Bova's. Much better cannolis can be found at Bova's. Parziale's is also good but off the beaten path. There are others as well.

[ivyleaguediver]

If you can only see one site in Salem, I think that the House of Seven Gables is better than the Witch House.

[westminster88]

Originally Posted by ivyleaguediver

If you can only see one site in Salem, I think that the House of Seven Gables is better than the Witch House.

Yes!

[WestieWhitie]

Boston is not a great place for a foodie, most of the restaurants are quite bad and insanely overpriced. Go to any of the nicer restaurants, order a few things a decent bottle of wine, add tax, tip and whichever equity fee that gets tacked on and next thing you know you've paid more than you would at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Europe.

[GeePee]

Originally Posted by WestieWhitie

Boston is not a great place for a foodie, most of the restaurants are quite bad and insanely overpriced. Go to any of the nicer restaurants, order a few things a decent bottle of wine, add tax, tip and whichever equity fee that gets tacked on and next thing you know you've paid more than you would at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Europe.

There are some great restaurants in Boston. They will never be as cheap as Europe.
Happy Friday

[id77]

Originally Posted by WestieWhitie

Boston is not a great place for a foodie, most of the restaurants are quite bad and insanely overpriced. Go to any of the nicer restaurants, order a few things a decent bottle of wine, add tax, tip and whichever equity fee that gets tacked on and next thing you know you've paid more than you would at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Europe.

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.

[massnative71]

Originally Posted by bostongymjunkie

There are better North End bakery options than Mike's in my opinion. Mike's is the favorite of tourists and probably most well known, but I prefer Modern and Bova's. Much better cannolis can be found at Bova's. Parziale's is also good but off the beaten path. There are others as well.

100%. Although, I can't blame a one time visitor who just needs to check Mike's off their list once and for all.