Advice on Boston

Hi all,hope you had a great Xmas and happy new year
As the title suggests really,no very little about Boston and just after advice mainly on the best location to stay,want to be close to bars and restaurants and where it all happens and want to stay away from any rough areas if there are any.
Also what may be the best flight to catch in terms of a quiet CH.
Regards
Blacky

Quincy Market, Financial District, Back Bay, Copley, North End (good Italian restaurants) are the usual tourist neighbourhoods. You can also consider Cambridge across the river but it probably isn't the best for a family holiday if you want to be in the centre if everything.

The subway (T) is quick and cheap so getting around is easy, and it's a nice city to walk around. The main downtown area is quite compact.

There is only 1 VS flight so no decision there.

Thanks at240,prob going to be a solo trip although I haven't told the wife and kids yet!,
I want to be at the heart of things so I can walk out of a hotel and not have a long walk to get to a bar or restaurant ,any hotels you can recommend?
Blacky

I would consider BA for this trip, as they offer a daytime flight back from BOS leaving at approx 8am local and arriving at LHR around 7.30pm.

The flight back from BOS can be as short as 5h 40m, so really not enough time for any sort of sleep on a night flight.

I've stayed at quite a few places... just trying to remember a few:

Millennium Bostonian was good
Fairmont Copley Plaza, old-style comfort
Seaport Hotel, economical and friendly but out of the centre
Copley Square Hotel, very nice
Marlowe (Cambridge), very comfortable but obviously across the river

I find it an expensive city to stay in - worse than NYC at times.

I agree with clarkeysntfc about considering BA to avoid the red-eye back.

Not too worried about an overnight flight to be honest.
I want to travel PE and haven't heard many favourable comments compared to VS,have you guys experienced it ?
Blacky

I like the Liberty Hotel, in the evening it is lively (the whole lobby turns into a bar). Taxi's are cheap and easy to get if you are heading out elsewhere. During the day Newbury Street is a nice walk through the park away. Its not a big City to get around.

I find the VS flights are at good times, the VS011 always lands to an empty immigration hall (you can be through in minutes) and the LHR clubhouse is very quiet before departure. Coming back the BOS clubhouse is usually very busy and as others have said it can be a very short flight but it does land nice and early at LHR and if you can sleep (I can) you don't lose any time at either end.

I know from years of reading that I am out of sync on this one, I just find Boston dull. Yes it's pretty, it's "nice" but I don't get the vibe of it compared to other large US cities. I too find it expensive, especially because it attracts many conferences and when these are on hotel prices go through the roof.

I hear the chorus of disagreement B) .

Well slinky,that's thrown a spanner in the works.
Was planning on going for 4 nights,do you think I might get bored then?

If you do decide to take the.plunge, venture outside the central city to take in the JFK Presidential Library and the Unofficial Tour of Harvard (or 'Hahvahd')

Yes - 4 nights is a lot, it's no NYC.

The train journey to NYC is easy though, maybe do both - in to BOS and out of JFK?

Well slinky,that's thrown a spanner in the works.
Was planning on going for 4 nights,do you think I might get bored then?

Listen to the crowd, not the odd ball .

To be honest it was a toss up between a return to NYC and Boston but thought it would be good to try somewhere different,maybe time for a rethink.

To be honest it was a toss up between a return to NYC and Boston but thought it would be good to try somewhere different,maybe time for a rethink.

Ah now my mr misery guts has blown! Sorry about that - actually I would always try somewhere new. There are places I love and would return to any time, like Chicago, which I know is not everyone's favourite place. Then there are places everyone loves and so do I like New York or San Francisco or Sydney, then there are places I just don't get but everyone of my friends adores, like Berlin. So it's horses for courses and you never know until you try yourself. Go for it!

I know from years of reading that I am out of sync on this one, I just find Boston dull. Yes it's pretty, it's "nice" but I don't get the vibe of it compared to other large US cities. I too find it expensive, especially because it attracts many conferences and when these are on hotel prices go through the roof.

I hear the chorus of disagreement B) .

Actually I completely agree. I stayed once during an enormous convention and it was fearsomely expensive and very difficult to find a room. For years I thought it was a dull and preppy place, but on my last few visits it has grown on me.

As someone else said, you could do Boston for a few nights then zip down to NYC for a better choice of flights back. The train is a bit of a slog, though.

I agree with what pblondon said about the VS flight -- it's a good time to be in the CH, after the morning US flights have gone.

If you are in PE then I would definitely prefer VS over BA.

When asking for 'advice' you are going to get a very mixed view based on other people's opinion and experiences. So here's my bit if it helps:-

I think Boston has some good and bad points (just has New York and that's my favourite place in the world!) and I also think the time of year you visit Boston is another consideration.

We've done Spring, summer and the fall. We've stayed at the TAJ and The Four Seasons hotels both on Boston common, and then the best of all was the Mandarin Oriental. However there are many very very nice hotels in Boston.

Personally I think the area from Boston Common upwards towards Copley Square area is the best. There are fine shops, bars and restaurants all around this area. The Hancock tower is certinaly worth a visit, coz the views from the top are fantastic.

The harbour and downtown convention areas are worth a visit but I would not stay here.

In the summer we took an overnight trip by boat to Cape Cod and that was so different to Boston city. A whale watch trip was a blast. Our fall holiday was beautiful and a coach trip took us up into the glorious countryside.

My grandson did the tour of Fenway Park, home of the Boston Red Soks, whilst we went and spent a wonderful day over in Harvard. Boston is a very accessible walking city and that is such a bonus.

Maybe Boston does not have that Wow factor of nyc in my opinion but it is worth a visit.

Well thanks all for the replies and advice,I think that my one fear is that I'm now going to be disappointed after having been to New York ,couple of days to think about it before I book anything I think

Well thanks all for the replies and advice,I think that my one fear is that I'm now going to be disappointed after having been to New York ,couple of days to think about it before I book anything I think

It depends what you like doing.

I'd say visiting Boston having been to New York is like visiting Oxford or Cambridge having been to London.

Quieter, more genteel and less going on but a very pleasant, walkable city with some good shops, bars and restaurants.

But if you want the 24/7 "city that never sleeps" buzz of NYC or London, you may be disappointed.

Out of all US cities, I think Boston feels most like the UK - not surprising I guess.

Thanks at240,prob going to be a solo trip although I haven't told the wife and kids yet!,
Blacky

Hope your wife is not lurking on this forum

I would not do 4 nights in Boston city itself. If I had that long, I'd try and take a day or two out to explore Cape Cod or wider New England.

Boston is a really nice place, and certainly a great city for 2-3 days, however New York is unique so the comparison is somewhat unfair.

I would not do 4 nights in Boston city itself. If I had that long, I'd try and take a day or two out to explore Cape Cod or wider New England.

Boston is a really nice place, and certainly a great city for 2-3 days, however New York is unique so the comparison is somewhat unfair.

I guess I just imagined it to be similar to New York which it clearly isn't ,my lack of knowledge shining through.
It would appear it needs to be judged on its own merits and not an unfair comparison with NY

Gumshoe,thanks for the comparison,it's given me a better idea of the city.
LTH,I dearly hope not !

for fun N'awleans..........

as clarkey says look a bit out of Boston. we went whale watching at cape cod and biked Marthas vineyard (and my ar** still aches)

personally I liked Boston but 4 days .....hmmmm

Whilst I agree with many of the comments on here about the city, 4 days is really not a long time and I think you could easily find enough to do -- e.g. this list, which doesn't even have the Museum of Fine Arts on it!

http://www.time.com/time/travel/cityguide/article/0,31489,1984920,00.html

gumshoe's comment about London vs Oxford/Cambridge is a good one, although obviously Boston has a lot more going on than Oxbridge.