May Visit

Hi all,

Thanks in advance for all your terrific info on this site. My wife and I will visit Boston for a graduation later this week and had some questions. Our schedule so far is:

Arrive Wed. night, staying at Residence Inn, Tudor Wharf. Thurs - walk around downtown, Freedom Trail, take bicycling tour in afternoon with Urban Adventours.

Fri - Aquarium in morning, possible whale-watching trip, dinner in North End.

We%26#39;d like to fit in some time in Cambridge as well.

Can anyone recommend some good restaurants in North End and Charleston? Nothing fancy, but good quality - there are so many choices. Also, are recommendations necessary at most restaurants on Thurs and Fri night?

On Sat., we%26#39;re taking a Duck Tour in the morning, then maybe Museum of Science and Charleston Naval Yard area, and then going to graduation ceremonies in later afternoon, with dinner at Legal Seafoods at Prudential Center.

Is there anything we%26#39;re missing that we should try to fit into our schedule?

Is a water taxi from Logan to the hotel the best option? We get in at 7pm and would like to be at the hotel and out to dinner not too late. Also, is buying a Charlie Card the best way to get around the subway for four days?

Sun. morning, we%26#39;re renting a car and driving up to Maine for two days and New Hampshire for two days, before returning to Boston and flying home.

Thanks

May Visit

Regarding the water taxi, it depends how quiickly you want to get to the hotel. Getting into a cab and to the hotel should take all of 15 minutes. Getting to the water taxi involves waiting for a massport bus, making several stops, wating for the boat.

Yes to the charlie card.

The North End...La Summa, Carmen, The Push Cart. I would make reservations. The North End can be very busy. I would walk thru the North End Wed. evening and check out several places. You can make a reservation then.

Charlestown. Olives...I think still does not take reservations but check.

May Visit

I%26#39;m not trying to be critical, but you are staying in the Boston neighborhood of CharlestoWn, not Charleston. I wouldn%26#39;t want you to have problems explaining this to a taxi driver. People who grew-up in Charlestown sometimes refer to themselves as %26#39;townies%26#39; ... that may help you remember.

In addition to Olives, there there is Figs, the Warren Tavern and Max and Dylan%26#39;s in Charlestown. I love Figs and the Warren Tavern, but haven%26#39;t personally tried Max and Dylan%26#39;s yet, but I%26#39;ve heard good things.

Hi, Bandit

After getting settled into your hotel on the first night, consider having dinner down the street from you at Navy Yard Bistro. You%26#39;ll really like it.

http://www.navyyardbistro.com/index.htm

For more good restaurant suggestions besides Olives, consider Figs, another Todd English restaurant. Figs will be lighter on the wallet than Olives, but both are good choices. You can decide if either interests you. The link will take you to both places.

http://www.toddenglish.com/

For a really nice Morrocan meal in a really cool atmosphere, check out Tangierino

http://www.tangierino.com/

If you just want to grab a couple drinks and a burger, walk on over to The Warren Tavern. It%26#39;s the oldest Tavern in Massachusetts and whose patrons once included Paul Revere and George Washington. This place reeks of history.

http://www.warrentavern.com/

There%26#39;s a few more places to consider near your hotel, but those are some to consider.

For North End dining, there are so many good places to eat and everyone seems to have their favorites. La Summa is good and so is Giacomo%26#39;s, Artu, Mamma Maria%26#39;s, Lucca, Taranta, Carmen and on and on. I would like to tell you about Regina Pizzeria. Stop by this place if you want an old school, brick oven pizza at it%26#39;s very best. It%26#39;s really really good.

http://www.pizzeriaregina.com/

You can%26#39;t go to the North End without sampling some delicious pastries from either Mike%26#39;s or Modern Pastry. Here%26#39;s the link to Modern

http://www.modernpastry.com/

As far as your itinerary goes, I have to ask why you want to go to the Aquarium? It%26#39;s not a bad Aquarium but it%26#39;s nothing special. There are far nicer ones across America than ours. It%26#39;s usually a nice place to bring the kids, but I wouldn%26#39;t bother going, unless you really want to :-)

Going on a whalewatch would be fun or head over to Harvard Square for a visit.

You%26#39;ll really like the city tour with Urban Adventours. The Duck Tour is fun and usually provides you with some good laughs while you cruise around. Quack!

Museum of Science is awesome! It%26#39;s another attraction usually associated with kids, but if you like science, age isn%26#39;t a factor. The MOS is one of the best in the country and certainly worth a visit. The only downside is all the extra costs not included with the general admission price.

Buying the 7 day visitor pass for the subway and water ferry is always a good idea, even though you%26#39;re only staying for four days. At $15 each, it should more than pay for itself once your four days are up.

If you can fit it in, try and take a stroll through the Public Garden before dinner at the Prudential Center.

Making reservations wouldn%26#39;t hurt, especially with graduations going on. You can do this easily any time of day at www.opentable.com. Many (but not all) restaurants are on this system.