Visiting Boston for 1st Time from the West Coast (Cambridge: rental car, rental)

[charmgary]

I am planning a trip to Boston for the first time at the end of October and would love suggestions on the best areas to stay.

I have been researching and want to be in an area where I can walk to most places. Would Beacon Hill or Back Bay be a couple of the better areas to take in some great attractions and see some action. Any advice is appreciated.

I am so excited and want to be well prepared for my visit.

THANK YOU!

[ogre]

Assuming you'd like to be close to the main attractions in the central city area, those are good neighborhoods for easy access. The waterfront area and the North End are good areas for this as well.

[brightdoglover]

And the end of October is stunning. You've chosen perfect neighborhoods to stay. Hotel or B&B? There are hotels all along the Boston Common at the foot of Beacon Hill (other hotels are down towards the Pike and are a whole lot less charming. What kinds of things interest you?

[Mr. Joshua]

Residence Inn Boston Harbor on Tudor Wharf: Spacious suites and amenities for longer stays

[JViello]

Originally Posted by charmgary

I am planning a trip to Boston for the first time at the end of October and would love suggestions on the best areas to stay.

I have been researching and want to be in an area where I can walk to most places. Would Beacon Hill or Back Bay be a couple of the better areas to take in some great attractions and see some action. Any advice is appreciated.

I am so excited and want to be well prepared for my visit.

THANK YOU!

How long will you be staying? I ask because if you want to see foilage, mid oct through the end of the month is the best bet if you can stay for 2+ weeks.

I've always tell folks you really can't miss if you come from the 8th to 22nd as peak can vary from year to year but that window pretty much assures you get something good. If you hit it just right in that time frame, you'll see mostly green trees with hints of red and yellow turn into blazing red's and yellows and start to wind down....the whole process.

[Redsox1972]

Originally Posted by charmgary

I am planning a trip to Boston for the first time at the end of October and would love suggestions on the best areas to stay.

I have been researching and want to be in an area where I can walk to most places. Would Beacon Hill or Back Bay be a couple of the better areas to take in some great attractions and see some action. Any advice is appreciated.

I am so excited and want to be well prepared for my visit.

THANK YOU!

Are you going to spend any time outside of the city? If you are here long enough, keep in mind New England (if you haven't been to any of the other New England states) is small so you can go to several states very easily. So, if you have a rental car, you might want to zip up the coast and check out Portsmouth, NH, or southern Maine (which I love), or zip down to Cape Cod, which is lovely and much less crowded in the fall. (Just some thoughts ....)

[tellitetre]

I lived on Beacon Hill and you can walk or take public transportation to several places of interest. I used to ride a bike to Cambridge and other points of interest. If you are going to do the touristy scene, you will be fine. Like others have mentioned, if you are going to be there a while that time of year, rent a car and drive west to catch some really breath taking sites of the foliage. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate and the colors will be spectacular. Last season, the iffy weather led to a rather dull venture. The couple of weeks after Columbus Day has always worked for me.