OT: spring vacation in Boston area

[SPOKE]

I'm thinking of heading to the Boston area in early April for a long weekend vacation with my GF. Probably fly in on Friday before noon and depart the following Monday afternoon/evening.
What's the weather usually like during this time of year?
Where's a good location to consider staying?
What sites should we consider trying to see?
Is it worth heading up the coast into NH or Maine?
Any info or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

[Bruce K]

Seafood dinner up here in Gloucester wife my wife and me for sure

Weather can range from very spring like to blizzards

The third Monday is Patriots Day - Boston Narathon, battle reenactments from the start if the Revolution, etc

Red Sox season has started but tickets are scarce as Fenwsy Park is small

The coastal drive is nice if the weather is good

Plenty of museums and historical sites

Lots of good restaurants

BK

[Louis]

Do Boston if you want city stuff & history.

Do Maine if you want relaxation & scenery. (I suppose weather will be somewhat iffy)

Edit: IMO one weekend is not enough to do both

[oldguy00]

head up to NH for nice skiing!

[nighthawk]

There's some cool islands in the harbor worth checking out, but the ferry schedule is sparse.

Go up to Maine another time and go to Bar Harbor.

Walden Pond is a short drive out of the city if you like being in the woods...

Anything specific you are looking to do?

[majorpat]

Agree that one weekend is too short for anything but a single focus. Stick with Boston for this one, is my take. It will take a few hours (or more) to get to the "real" Maine coast, Kennebunk just doesn't hack it. Of course, my family is from Bangor so the coast to them is Penobscot Bay and downeast. Plenty to do in Boston for a long weekend.

Pat

[schwa86]

I'd probably try to stay:

1) on the water (if you want a big hotel) -- these can range from pretty expensive/fancy like the Boston Harbor hotel to somewhat more affordable like the Marriott
2) downtown area (if you prefer boutique hotels, eg check out nine-zero (a Kimpton), or XV Beacon, etc)
3) or as a slightly "off the beaten path" idea the Charles hotel in Cambridge -- near Harvard Sq. Great views of the Charles River.

There are good restaurants all over town -- let us know what you like to eat ;)

4) I'd probably stay away from Copley (kinda commercial large hotels) and Seaport area (conventions)

[1centaur]

Spring in Boston is 2 weeks in May.

Early April is late March - cross your fingers for 52 degrees and not too much wind.

Nothing much to see in NH and Maine at that time of year, IMO. The perfect rocky shore picture from the car is not worth the time to get there because wandering around off season won't be a joy.

[MattTuck]

Spring in Boston is 2 weeks in May.

Early April is late March - cross your fingers for 52 degrees and not too much wind.

Nothing much to see in NH and Maine at that time of year, IMO. The perfect rocky shore picture from the car is not worth the time to get there because wandering around off season won't be a joy.

What he said.

Don't get me wrong, it is POSSIBLE that the weather could be really nice for 3 days in a row during that time of year, but you have to play the probabilities.

VT & NH are Fall, Winter, Summer kind of places. Maine is a summer, fall kind of place. In New England, spring is usually known as "Mud Season", this year might be different because we're getting pretty sparse snow. I'd stay away from any sea shore kind of hotels, as you could easily get stuck with a 40 degree day blowing 25 mph off the ocean. Yuck.

Not saying you won't get beautiful weather to sit out and enjoy a meal on the water front, just saying that you need to play the odds.

In and around Boston (inside stuff), there's some decent food. If you're looking to be cultured, you could try Museum of Fine Arts, Gardner Museum, Contemporary Art, Boston Symphony Orchestra, etc. outside stuff in Boston, Boston common, boston garden, esplanade (can go up the boston side of the river, and return on the cambridge side to see a view of boston), walk around the north end, etc.

If you're looking for some American History, there's the Freedom Trail, Bunker Hill monument, USS Constitution, Walden Pond (accessible I believe from the Train and a bit of a walk), Minute Man National Historical Park (out in Lexington), if you come April 14th-16th, you can see the Reenactments (http://www.battleroad.org/), Holocaust Memorial in Boston, and some other historical stuff too.

For purely outdoor/hiking stuff, you'd best not come in the spring.

[johnmdesigner]

My wife and I did this last year about the same time. Burrrr!
Stayed at the Boston Park Plaza (giant old hotel, comfortable and close to everything). They have some good rates in early spring.
Maine too much for your short trip. You could go to Newport though and see the mansions.
Lots to see in Boston. Great seafood. Just walk around.
And try this place,

http://www.bandgoysters.com/

There's also a butcher shop across the street that turns into a restaurant at night - very good.

[johnmdesigner]

I've heard some say the place is no good but my wife (who knows lobster well) said the ones at Legal Seafood were wonderful.

[4Rings6Stars]

What they said... weather can be really hit or miss.

If possible, stall a few weeks and come mid May. Catch a sox game, have seafood one night, Italian in the north end another night, check out the Common / downtown area and do some touristy historical stuff... Most locals say to avoid Quincy Market area as it is tourist central but I think it's still fun to see.

[tv_vt]

Just stay in the city for the weekend. Museums: Museum of Fine Art, Gardner Museum, Museum of Science - those are all world class. Head over to Cambridge and walk around Harvard and MIT - check out the MIT prank museum - not sure what it's really called, but it's fun. If weather is nice, a walk along the Charles on either side (Boston or Cambridge) is nice. Lots of good food.

And... check out some bike shops, dude! Wheelworks, International Cycles,... some great shops in Boston area.

[tiretrax]

If you don't mind driving, there are lots of hotels with views of the Charles River. I used to stay a the Embassy Suites on Storrow Drive because it was easy to get to my father's house. Sonesta is nice, there's a Hyatt, and some other's across the bridge (Cambridge side) from the Museum of Science.

Stay in Boston - driving up for the day will be too much and you'll see too little. Upper NE needs to be at least a week.

If you go to Harvard, check out the museum with glass flowers. I haven't seen anything like that anywhere I have travelled.

I suggest you look online for tips on Travel and Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, etc. Also, search for "48 hour in". There are lots of museums, and you'll find the ones that interest you (i.e. motor cars at Larz Anderson Park).

[MattTuck]

If you go to Harvard, check out the museum with glass flowers. I haven't seen anything like that anywhere I have travelled.


The one with the glass flowers is the Harvard Museum of Natural History which also has a ton of stuffed animals, etc., also check out the Art Museums at Harvard, "Fogg Art Museum" being the most well known.

[NHAero]

Ahem, the MIT Museum (http://web.mit.edu/museum/) is not the "prank Museum" - though there is a fair bit of space devoted to what are called "hacks", which elevate pranks to a more sublime level (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSt73eg0GXk&feature=related).

The best part of the collection are the amazing kinetic sculptures of Arthur Ganson. The strobe photos by Doc Edgerton are also cool (remember the drop in milk?) I'm sorry to say that my '74 BSME thesis aluminum bike (http://museum.mit.edu/nom150/entries/1128) is no longer displayed, though it remains in the collection.

Just stay in the city for the weekend. Museums: Museum of Fine Art, Gardner Museum, Museum of Science - those are all world class. Head over to Cambridge and walk around Harvard and MIT - check out the MIT prank museum - not sure what it's really called, but it's fun. If weather is nice, a walk along the Charles on either side (Boston or Cambridge) is nice. Lots of good food.

And... check out some bike shops, dude! Wheelworks, International Cycles,... some great shops in Boston area.

[nighthawk]

The one with the glass flowers is the Harvard Museum of Natural History which also has a ton of stuffed animals, etc., also check out the Art Museums at Harvard, "Fogg Art Museum" being the most well known.

+1 on the Harvard Museum of Natural History.. Totally awesome... and right in Harvard Square.. which is a site of sorts (shopping and food and such)...


some fancyish restaurants I like.. Douzo in Back Bay for sushi.. Toro in the south end for tapas... Prezza for Italian in the North end.. or Sonsie on Newbury St. more eclectic menu...

[SPOKE]

Thanks so much for all the thoughtful replys!
When is the "usual tourist season" in the area?

Cheers......SPOKE

[Bruce K]

School vacations, Patriot's Day weekend/Boston Marathon, and summer break for schools are usually higher visitor times.

Whatever you do, you better call. :beer:

BK

[Climb01742]

food is better in portland, maine than in all of boston put together. though the countryside around boston is prettier. but boston is only an interesting city if you can't get to a real city, such as nyc or LA. (harsh but true.)

as others have asked, what would you like to do? what would be fun for you and your gf? those answers would better determine whether you'd find boston fun.

weather here in april can be very iffy.

[scottyjames]

Stay in town Fri and Sat nights, and don't be afraid to venture over to Cambridge for dinner -- Hungry Mother near Kendall Sq does southern cooking like nobuddy's bidnis, and Oleanna near Inman Sq is da bomb for upscale north African/Middle Eastern. But make rezzes at least 2/3 wks in advance. In Boston, the newish Sel de la Terre on Boylston in Back Bay is quite good. The Romerita margarita at Casa Romero (in an alley off Gloucester St. in Back Bay) is a thing of wonder, as is the stuffed squid entree.

For a cheaper, rowdier dining destination, head to hoppin' Davis Sq (Cambridge/Somerville line) and check out the tasty bbq and voluminous beer offerings at Redbones, which is also a nexus of local hipster bike culture. (They feature valet bike parking.)

A few random notes about movement and transportation in Boston/Cambridge: Everything is much closer than you think it is. If you try to drive there, though, it will take you twice as long as you think it will. If possible, throw your car in the hotel lot and forget about it -- walk, T, or taxi to where you wanna go, cuz driving in Boston will drive you crazy. For all its faults, the T is actually a decent way to get around. Walking is rarely a poor option for getting to point A to point B, within reason. Look at a map: I can walk from Kenmore Square to Charlestown in 50 minutes, to give you a sense of the ground you can cover afoot.

If I drove anywhere, I'd get up Sunday morning and drive south, out to Cape Cod -- it's 1.5 hours to Provincetown, smooth sailing that time of year. If the weather's decent, or even if it isn't, you can walk through the dune paths out to the National Seashore -- pretty spectacular, and hardly anybody there. Off-season rates at waterfront inns. Great steaks and vodka martinis at The Mews on Commercial Street. Galleries galore. Norman Mailer's house. Etc.

[schwa86]

This post basically hits almost all of my favorite restaurants, esp. Oleana and Redbones!

Stay in town Fri and Sat nights, and don't be afraid to venture over to Cambridge for dinner -- Hungry Mother near Kendall Sq does southern cooking like nobuddy's bidnis, and Oleanna near Inman Sq is da bomb for upscale north African/Middle Eastern. But make rezzes at least 2/3 wks in advance. In Boston, the newish Sel de la Terre on Boylston in Back Bay is quite good. The Romerita margarita at Casa Romero (in an alley off Gloucester St. in Back Bay) is a thing of wonder, as is the stuffed squid entree.

For a cheaper, rowdier dining destination, head to hoppin' Davis Sq (Cambridge/Somerville line) and check out the tasty bbq and voluminous beer offerings at Redbones, which is also a nexus of local hipster bike culture. (They feature valet bike parking.)

A few random notes about movement and transportation in Boston/Cambridge: Everything is much closer than you think it is. If you try to drive there, though, it will take you twice as long as you think it will. If possible, throw your car in the hotel lot and forget about it -- walk, T, or taxi to where you wanna go, cuz driving in Boston will drive you crazy. For all its faults, the T is actually a decent way to get around. Walking is rarely a poor option for getting to point A to point B, within reason. Look at a map: I can walk from Kenmore Square to Charlestown in 50 minutes, to give you a sense of the ground you can cover afoot.

If I drove anywhere, I'd get up Sunday morning and drive south, out to Cape Cod -- it's 1.5 hours to Provincetown, smooth sailing that time of year. If the weather's decent, or even if it isn't, you can walk through the dune paths out to the National Seashore -- pretty spectacular, and hardly anybody there. Off-season rates at waterfront inns. Great steaks and vodka martinis at The Mews on Commercial Street. Galleries galore. Norman Mailer's house. Etc.

[merlinmurph]

If I drove anywhere, I'd get up Sunday morning and drive south, out to Cape Cod -- it's 1.5 hours to Provincetown

What are you driving? :D

Though I challenge the driving time (more like 2ish hours), I support the idea. Very cool place to visit, lots of places to go for a walk if the weather cooperates. As others have said, weather could be anything, especially out there because you're basically on an island.
Enjoy,
Murph

[scottyjames]

Yeah, 90 mins is ambitious, but not far off if you share my driving tendencies. Call it somewhere south of 120.

Meant to mention among all the restaurant overload that under no circumstances should you go on a whale-watching tour out of Boston Harbor (or out of P-town if you end up out there), no matter how glorious anyone makes it seem. I did an April whale watch with visiting in-laws a few years ago, and less than 20 mins into the trip people were hanging over the side of the boat, tossing their Cheerios -- serious early-season pitch-and-yaw roll out there, a total bass-o-matic for the tummy. Combined with a cold raw wind out on the open water, it was absolutely a party and a half. By mid trip the scene on the boat looked like a war zone. It was among the most brutal 3.5 hours I've ever experienced. We saw one whale. I'm sure it was a very nice whale, but I can't say as it was worth it.