What's new
By:
Filters

Boston

gypsy13

gypsy13

Establishing Talker
PF Member
Messages
29
Reaction score
0
Points
62
Location
Illinois
I am taking my 14 year old son to Boston for his graduation gift. We have never been their. Anyone ever been their? What should we see? My son wants to "wing it". I would like some idea on what to do. Thanks for the help!!
 
Never been, but I agree you should plan out a couple things. Have fun!

ETA: Oh and out of curiosity, why Boston?
 
You can do campus tour (Harvard, MIT, Boston College, Boston University, Tuft, & many others), whale watching, or visit different historical sites in Boston. I like Boston except the driving.
 
gypsy13 said:
I am taking my 14 year old son to Boston for his graduation gift. We have never been their. Anyone ever been their? What should we see? My son wants to "wing it". I would like some idea on what to do. Thanks for the help!!
Click to expand...


Just curious what graduation we talking about? 8th grade or high school? I guess I'm asking when you are goin, lol.

My sis lived there and loved it. I'm sure you can wing it and still have a plan, lol Have fun!!!
 
Ennui lives near there...
 
Yes I was born, raised & educated in Boston [& suburbs].

What kinds of things is he interested in? When are you planning to go? There are tons of things to see & do.


We've got more museums, colleges and historic sites than you can shake a stick at. Taking a whale watching cruise is fun. You can take walking tours of the sites, or a Duckboat tour. I've always loved walking the Freedom Trail myself; and still partial to touring Old Ironsides aka USS Constitution.
 
I lived there for 6 years a decade ago. When I go back to visit I always make sure to go to Mike's Pastry's in the North End. I usually get a few of their cannolis. In fact, most of what I do when I go back is eat. =) I like dim sum at China Pearl and sushi at Suishaya (both on Tyler St in Chinatown). There are also great Ethiopian, Afgani, Brazilian, etc. restaurants. There are probably places like this in Chicago, too, but I don't know them.

If he likes history, there is always the Old North Church and Paul Revere's house (both in the North End, on the Freedom Trail). There are a lot of interesting buildings and history all around that area and downtown. You could either pay for a guided walking tour or print out a "self-guided" walking tour from the internet. I think the USS Constitution is on the Freedom Trail, isn't it? I remember when I went there nearby was a place that told about the Battle of Bunker Hill, had a video, and some other stuff.

The Public Garden is pretty, but I can't imagine that it would be that exciting for a 14 yo boy.

Newberry Street, at least 10 years ago, was pretty hip and had some interesting stores.

Like ennui said, there are all kinds of museums. If you like music, you might see if you can get tickets to the Boston Pops or Symphony but I don't know what their schedules are like.

If you are a baseball fan, see a game at Fenway or tour the stadium.
 
DH is from Boston, I lived there for 4 years. I second the Freedom Trail, Fenway Park, at least one meal and sweets in the North End and stopping by Harvard Square to walk around.

There is so much to do. Stay downtown if you can or if you are away from downtown and you don't want to drive take the T (metro), parking prices in downtown are insane.
 
mrsmom said:
Never been, but I agree you should plan out a couple things. Have fun!

ETA: Oh and out of curiosity, why Boston?
Click to expand...
I imagine the lure of it being the hub of the nation and all that. So much history there.
 
My son graduated from grammer school and has never been on a plane before. I promised him a plane ride anywhere within the US. He choose Boston. He is interested in history. Especially war ( any war history) I was looking into the Fenway park tour. I was wondering if anyone knew if the Boston Card was worth it? Alot of cities are doing this- I know it depends on what we want to visit, but you have to pay for this by the day. $50 per person, per day. It gets alittle cheaper the more days you buy. Just wondering if its worth it. Thanks for all the helpful information.
 
I don't know about the card but do NOT plan on driving around Boston. It's the most confusing place even if you know where you're going. Don't miss a chance to see Fanueil Hall - there's just something about that whole mall (not shopping mall although there are tons of stores) area that's special.

I second/third the Freedom Trail. Staying IN Boston is very expensive (as with any big city), but there's something about being right in the middle of things. Although I would not bring a child to the Park Plaza. Location is great but rooms and amenities suck donkey eggs. In fact, I wouldn't stay there myself again.

Check out some threads on tripadvisor.com
 
Are you going soon? Please make sure that you don't go on Sept. 1. If I remember correctly, Sept. 1 is move in day for many college/universities in Boston or surrounding area. It is so congested everywhere and it is difficult to find a parking.
 
littlebuffalo said:
Are you going soon? Please make sure that you don't go on Sept. 1. If I remember correctly, Sept. 1 is move in day for many college/universities in Boston or surrounding area. It is so congested everywhere and it is difficult to find a parking.
Click to expand...
Last week of August through the first week of September is moving hell in Boston/Cambridge.


I hadn't heard of the Boston Card but it seems to be a decent value provided that you can organize your trip to take advantage of multiple sights. The Boston edition of the Entertainment Book has many B1G1F admission coupons to all but the most coveted attractions, even so, the Boston Card may be worth it.


Definitely skip the Franklin Park Zoo.

Look into going to Georges Island in the harbor, Fort Warren [haunted Civil War fort & prison] is out there. http://www.bostonharborislands.com/georges

The Freedom Trail is free and has free guided tours led by park rangers.
http://www.nps.gov/bost/planyourvisit/guidedtours.htm

Fenway Park is a must see for any baseball fan.

If you delay the trip until April, you can catch the re-enactments of the battle of Lexington & Concord.

Walk through Harvard Yard & around Harvard Square. Don't forget to get an ice cream cone from any of the terrific ice cream shops between Harvard & MIT.

If you want historic, there's the Union Oyster House, the oldest restaurant in the US. http://www.unionoysterhouse.com/ They are not cheap.

Unless you both hate seafood, there are tons of wonderful restaurants right on the harbor that have unbelievably fresh fish.

If you love plants, the Arnold Arboretum is a must see.
http://www.arboretum.harvard.edu/

There are selected hours during the week when most of the museums are free or reduced admission; but that is difficult to squeeze in during a short trip.

Do not rent a car or attempt to drive. The T is fine & will get you around town when you don't want to walk.

Best piece of advice is wear comfortable walking shoes.
 
ennui said:
Don't forget to get an ice cream cone from any of the terrific ice cream shops between Harvard & MIT.
Click to expand...

Can't believe I forgot to mention Tosci's! That is something else I never miss when I visit. I lived across the street in college, and had several friends that worked there. Employees were allowed to give their friends free ice cream. To give you an idea of how much ice cream I ate, when I moved away from the ice cream shop I lost 25 pounds. :giggles:
 
crissygail said:
Can't believe I forgot to mention Tosci's! That is something else I never miss when I visit. I lived across the street in college, and had several friends that worked there. Employees were allowed to give their friends free ice cream. To give you an idea of how much ice cream I ate, when I moved away from the ice cream shop I lost 25 pounds. :giggles:
Click to expand...
LMAO

I love their burnt caramel, orange choc sorbet, and ginger snap molasses to name just a few.
 
OMG!!! Thank You for all the wonderful ideas!!! We leave on Wednesday- and we are renting a car for one day. We are visiting friends in Cape Cod for just one night. Then we are on are own. Can't wait for the seafood and the ice cream. :cartwheel:
 
gypsy13 said:
OMG!!! Thank You for all the wonderful ideas!!! We leave on Wednesday- and we are renting a car for one day. We are visiting friends in Cape Cod for just one night. Then we are on are own. Can't wait for the seafood and the ice cream. :cartwheel:
Click to expand...
If you take Rt 3 south from Boston to the Cape, instead of Rts 24/495/25, you can hit the Plymouth Plantation & Plymouth Rock.
 
Thank You so much ennui for all your help!!! We are driving on Wednesday to the Cape and returning on Thursday. Hopefully their won't be traffic. Besides the rock, is their anything else at Plymouth? Or is it a five minute stop to see the Rock?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top