Going first weeked in November and looking for things to see/do as well as great restaurants. Maybe hotel accommodations. Thx

We stayed at the Godfrey and I thought it was great. Nice location to most stuff and a subway station a block over.

Walk to the freedom trail. Hang out in the north end. Go to Regina pizza. We loved Boston. Didn't do any museums or any of that. More less just walked and strolled. Also rented bikes and rode to Harvard area which was cool to see. Fenway is a must if you enjoy baseball.

We stay at Omni Parker House...home of Parker House rolls and Boston Cream Pie.

Walk the red line. Go to North End and check out Old North Church and the skinny house.
Little Italy:
Mike's Pastry
Artu Italian right around the corner from Mike's
Check out the cemeteries. Kings Chapel Burying Ground is the oldest.

Chinatown is cool

Following thread; wife and are going in early October.

Neptune Oyster in the north end. One of my favorite places to eat. I won't go to Boston without going.

I've stayed in the Parker House, wasn't impressed, unless you like old and small rooms.

Get a Boston cream pie there, though. Just know it isn't anything like Duncan Donuts.

Freedom Trail is great. Definitely hit up Old North Church, Bunker Hill, and the Constitution. All the old cemeteries are surprisingly cool. You'll see tons of names you'll recognize.

And of course throw some tea in the harbor and stick it to the limey eyes.

We stayed at the Parker House. While a neat old hotel in the heart of everything, the rooms were very small. And their Boston cream pie was a huge disappointment. The one I can buy at my local grocery store was a lot better.

Anything in the Harbor worth doing/seeing?

We spent 2.5 days there last summer. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency Boston on Ave de Lafayette in the theater district area and only about a 5 minute walk to Boston Common and the start of the Freedom Trail. We thought it was a great location- very walkable, centrally located, but also close to several T stations/ lines.

We didn't do any formal museums while there- just more explored the city and did things uniquely Boston. Highlights included: Boston Common/ Beacon Hill (Cheers is right there if interested- we stopped in for a beer), Fenway Park tour (Sox out of town), North End and the almost 100 year old Regina Pizza, and of course the Freedom Trail which is about 2.5 miles long and takes you through many historical parts of the city. We did the entire Freedom Trail over 2 days - could do in one, but we split it up. We did a guided tour for the part from Boston Common to Faneuil Hall which was great and then we did the rest on our own with stops at Old North Church, Paul Revere's House, the USS Constitution, and Bunker Hill. (Some require small admission fee) If you are there on the weekend, we also enjoyed a guy in an out building of Old North Church who does a printing of the Constitution on an old printing press. We also took the red line to Harvard one evening, but it was raining (all day long) so we just walked around campus for about an hour and then headed back. Tours were all booked up before we got there for the entire week so if you want to do that, book early.

As far as food, there are so many options. We are casual eaters on vacation most of the time. We enjoyed Regina Pizza on the North End. We also ate in Quincy Market, in Back Bay which was a nice area with so many options, and in Charlestown. Also got cannolis at old 24 hr bakery in North End (forgot name right now).

We walked everywhere (25,000+ steps one day) and combined that with the T and an also took a ferry ride to/from where the USS Constitution is back to the Long Wharf area. Ferry ride gave us great views of Boston from the water. T was very easy to use, but green line was down while we were there. (We walked all the way to Fenway and back through Back Bay.) We greatly enjoyed walking all over and exploring and seeing hidden/ off the beaten path Boston sometimes. We also noticed that Boston has a crazy amount of colleges/ universities everywhere you look.
Hope this was helpful. Sorry it was so long- reminisced a little. Let me know if you have any questions.

A day trip to Salem was one of the high points for our Boston trip (but i'm a history buff).

And Sam Adams brewery is there too.
Not a lot to see there but we enjoyed the tasting room

agAngeldad said:

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Going first weeked in November and looking for things to see/do as well as great restaurants. Maybe hotel accommodations. Thx

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Carmelina's in the North End (Little Italy). Make reservations well a head of time and thank me later.

Other than that, the freedom trail makes it easy to hit all the major historic sites. I also recommend visiting Salem for a day trip, or even for a night. Amtrak makes it easy to get there.

My wife and I went several years ago. Our first day we did the Hop on Hop off Bus tour. It gives you a good, overall view of the best locations to visit. Redid the tour on our own with better ideas of what to do or see.

We really liked the Marriott Long Wharf and the Renaissance - my husband is Marriott loyal, though.
I've had clients at Omni Parker House and Hilton Boston Back Bay and both said that they were great.

You cannot go wrong with Giacomo's or Carmelina's in the North End.
Regina Pizza is one my most favorite places ever.
Mike's Pastry is the best, don't come at me with Modern Pastry. Actually both are really good, I just like Mike's better.
Neptune's Oyster

Walk the Freedom Trail, all of the cemeteries are really cool.
Boston Creme Pie at Omni Parker House was good.
Tour Fenway if you like baseball.
USS Constitution was awesome and Beacon Hill Neighborhood was nice to just walk around.

It's one of my most favorite cities! Need to go back soon!

breezecustomtravel said:

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We really liked the Marriott Long Wharf and the Renaissance - my husband is Marriott loyal, though.
I've had clients at Omni Parker House and Hilton Boston Back Bay and both said that they were great.

You cannot go wrong with Giacomo's or Carmelina's in the North End.
Regina Pizza is one my most favorite places ever.
Mike's Pastry is the best, don't come at me with Modern Pastry. Actually both are really good, I just like Mike's better.
Neptune's Oyster

Walk the Freedom Trail, all of the cemeteries are really cool.
Boston Creme Pie at Omni Parker House was good.
Tour Fenway if you like baseball.
USS Constitution was awesome and Beacon Hill Neighborhood was nice to just walk around.

It's one of my most favorite cities! Need to go back soon!

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The only proper way is to try cannoli's at both shops and compare. Sometimes, this must be done repeatedly to arrive at the correct decision

Couldn't agree more!
Sometimes it's the sacrifice of multiple taste tests that makes all the difference.

Must visit the North End to have some very authentic Italian fare.

Boston and the surrounding area is a really nice place to visit during the warm weather months. Last visit I stayed in Arlington and loved the small town feel.

I'll add another vote for the Godfrey as a hotel. Great location that allowed us to walk to just about everything during our 6 days there. The compactness and walkabillity of Boston really sets it apart. Beyond the usual historical sites walking through areas like Beacon Hill is really nice.

If you go to Salem, I highly recommend the Peabody Essex Museum. I'm not terribly interested in the Salem Witch Trials, so Salem was not a big draw for me. I'm also not the biggest fan of museums when traveling. Despite that, the Peabody Essex Museum alone made the trip to Salem worth it. Genuinely amazing art and exhibits in a first-class museum. Highly recommended.

Another vote for the USS Constitution

Also did a duck boat ride that was pretty cool.

Another vote for the duck boat ride, its a short tour of the city and also gave me a few ideas of things to see. I also really enjoyed petting stingrays at the aquarium and going to the museum of science. I also reccomend a day trip to Salem- I made a broom when I was there. You can take the purple train from the north station. You can also get canolis from Mike's Pastry's at the station.

Fenway park is really cool to see if you are a baseball fan. I went whale watching out of Rye Harbor, but that may or may not be running that time of year.

I wouldn't bother renting a car between the metro, the trains, the bus and ride shares.

I stayed at Hilton Back Bay a few times. It's only a block from the prudential tower blue line stop.

chris1515 said:

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Another vote for the USS Constitution

Also did a duck boat ride that was pretty cool.

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This brings back a memory. agAngeldad, remember you are in Massachusetts. The cradle of liberty has some very strict laws on guns AND KNIVES.

Technically, The Constitution is still a commissioned ship in the US Navy. There will be metal detectors and passenger screening.

I asked a friendly Park Ranger about the legality of my knife (Kershaw Speedsafe w/assisted opening). She told that particular knife is illegal in Mass and it will be confiscated.

I walked back to the snackbar and stashed the knife in a planter and then went on the tour. Knife was still there when I got back.

Pack and carry accordingly.

Lots of good suggestions above. If you want a true Irish pub experience, plus the best fish and chips you'll ever have in your life, go to The Druid in Cambridge. Be sure to go on a night when they have live music. Fantastic place
https://www.druidpub.com/

Lots of good stuff thanks. Is the Freedom Trail a walking event?

agAngeldad said:

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Lots of good stuff thanks. Is the Freedom Trail a walking event?

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Yes, but your party needs to be able to walk 2.5 miles with steep hills and stairs.

Noneya mention chowdah?

Outside of the touristy stuff Bostonians love walking their town. Stroll the Common if weather is nice. Boston Public Library (main branch) is nice if weather stinks. Walk the North End. Top of the Pru (restaurant up there with great views).

Food - great weekend brunch at Contessa just off the Common (book in advance!). Also do the chowdah at Boston Sail Loft and say hello to the owners who still run check-in and hold court on Sundays at very back table.

Never done it but hear the Fenway tour is cool. Fenway area has great bars. Back Bay has great local shops and they usually close Newberry to cars on Sundays during the summer. Walk the Charles.

Thank my daughter who's up at Northeastern U - we've spent a ton of time in town and love it.