Just an average Brit looking for advice on a solo holiday in Boston.

Submitted by Ieatflowers68 t3_125yyl8 in boston

Alright.

I’m looking to travel to your lovely city for a solo 10 day trip sometime in late May or early/mid June.

I’ve never been to Boston, but it caught my interest primarily because it’s lathered in history, at least by US standards ;), because it seems to be compact enough to get around via walking and public transport, and because I heard you lot love a good drink, (again, by US standards).

First things first, I’m wondering where to stay. I want decent proximity and access to the city centre via public transport, but not too expensive (no more than $150/night ideally). After a quick search on AirBnB I’m currently thinking Inman Square area or the area around Boston College, as these come at around $120 /night for a room in a shared house.

I’d be interested to know if these areas are recommended, and if there’s good public links to and from the city (especially going into the evening and nighttime)? Would a hotel be cheaper potentially?

I like anything to do with history, so museum or historical tour recommendations would be appreciated.

In terms of nightlife, I hear you have a pretty good pub scene which I plan to make use of. What sort of closing times do the bars and pubs have, and is it best to head to the city centre for drinking, or are there lots of bars and clubs on offer further out too? And as a single man with a British accent, it would be a shame not to make use of my Love Actually charm (if you haven’t seen it type in ‘Love Actually bar scene’) to meet some lovely ladies. I’m not expecting it to be quite like in that film, but I imagine having the accent will get me some level of interest from the ladies, will it not?

Finally, weather looks pretty good for this time of year (by English standards), so I’m assuming tshirt and jeans/shorts will suffice in May/June weather, but please correct me if I’m wrong.

Anyway that’s all from me. I appreciate the time you took to read my post and hopefully enlighten me about your city.

Cheers!

Edit: I also love hiking in nature. I'm guessing there aren't really many hills/mountains in the surrounding area, but if anyone has recommendations for pretty countryside to walk in that's accessible via a train or coach ride, I'm all ears.
Similarly, if there are any lakes that allow swimming that'd be nice in the hot weather.

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Samael13 t1_je6nrac wrote

Inman Square is a decent area; you'll be close to the Red Line, which will get you downtown, and you're easy walking distance to Harvard Square.

Be aware that the public transit around Boston is... uh... not amazing right now. So, just be prepared for delays and long waits.

The bar scene around Boston is fine, but our public transit shuts down before the bars close, so that's tricky, depending on how late you're planning to be out. In Massachusetts, bars close at 2am by law. That said, there are tons of bars in/around Cambridge, including some classic pubs. Davis Square, which is farther up the red line a few stops, has the Burren, for example. You definitely do not need to head into Boston to find good pubs (though there are lots of cool pubs all around Boston, as well).

As far as the accent goes... it won't hurt, but it won't help you anywhere near as much as that movie shows; Boston is a very, very international city. People come to Boston from all over the world to attend college or grad school or to work. It's super common to hear people with accents.

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Ieatflowers68 OP t1_je6rfr7 wrote

Haha I wasn't expecting miracles with the accent, but every little helps!

I'm fairly used to unreliable public transport at this point too, given most of England has had on and off train and bus strikes for the best part of two years.
Interesting. Yeah Inman square sounds like a good choice for me then in terms of proximity to lots of little nighttime hotspots and good daytime public transport to the city centre aswell.
Thanks for the info :)

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ZipBlu t1_je6vmif wrote

Inman would be better that staying near Boston College for transit. If you stay by Boston College the green line out there is super slow.

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Pinwurm t1_je6rv4n wrote

> Inman Square area or the area around Boston College

Inman Square is closer to fun & games. You'll be about a 10 minute walk from two Red Line stops (Harvard Square or Central Square).

I should warn you that the Red Line is currently the least reliable subway line (kind of an embarrassment, really), but it's fine if you're not in a rush or don't mind walking. Uber/Lyft is usually pretty inexpensive cause distances are short here.

> if there’s good public links to and from the city

Cambridge (which has Inman Square) is considered a de-facto neighborhood of Boston. For your purposes, you don't need to think of it as independent city.

> history, so museum or historical tour

Walk the Freedom Trail, check out the USS Constitution. If you have 10 days, maybe worth it to take a commuter rail to Salem - which is famous for the Witch Trails.

For museums with a ton of history, I really like the Museum of Fine Arts and Gardner Museum. I would also recommend taking a walk through Mount Auburn Cemetery, which is a national landmark and arboretum. Some famous burials there, most locals treat it more like a 'sculpture garden' than a graveyard, ya know.

> closing times

Early by US Standards. But if you're from the UK, you're used to 11PM I think.
Bars here close between 11PM and 1:30AM here. If you need something later, the nearby Encore Casino (it's identical to it's Vegas counterpart, and a 10 minute Uber Ride away) serves alcohol until 4AM and is open 24/7.

> are there lots of bars and clubs on offer further out too

Best bars are scattered. The stuff downtown like Bell in Hand, Green Dragon, White Bull.. not really my scene. Mostly frequented by tourists.

As far as pubs, the Druid right in Inman Square is a favorite. Lord Hobo is also great (the one in Cambridge, not Seaport). Other places I like include Delux Cafe and Bukowskis (on Dalton).

I'm more of a cocktail/whiskey person, so I recommend Drink, Saloon, The Quiet Few, BackBar, Brick & Mortar. If you can get in, I love OffSuit (it's a speakeasy in a Chinatown backalley, they might do reservations now).

If you like Dive Bars, hard to go wrong with The Tam, Sligo or Biddy Early's. Those place are always fun.

DONT FORGET TO TIP! ~18% or $1 a drink, whatever is more.

> make use of my Love Actually charm

It wont work as well as an Irish accent, to be honest. But it will give you an advantage for opening. The effect tends to wear thin after a few minutes and you have to rely on your personality. Foreign accents are common here, so you'd have better sway in less 'international' cities inland.

You could expect some gentle & friendly banter regarding the American Revolution. "How do you like your tea?" "In the harbor, Redcoat!" kinda thing.

> I’m assuming tshirt and jeans/shorts will suffice in May/June

Should be fine.

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Ieatflowers68 OP t1_je6ykz2 wrote

Wow there's alot to unpack here!

>Inman Square is closer to fun & games. You'll be about a 10 minute walk from two Red Line stops (Harvard Square or Central Square).

You and a few other commenters have recommended Inman Square, so I'll probably go with that accommodation wise.

>Walk the Freedom Trail, check out the USS Constitution. If you have 10 days, maybe worth it to take a commuter rail to Salem - which is famous for the Witch Trails.

For museums with a ton of history, I really like the Museum of Fine Arts and Gardner Museum. I would also recommend taking a walk through Mount Auburn Cemetery, which is a national landmark and arboretum. Some famous burials there, most locals treat it more like a 'sculpture garden' than a graveyard, ya know.

Salem definitely interests me. USS Constitution I had never heard of, but now that I've looked it up I want to go. I'll definitely check out the cemetery too, even if just for a nice morning run.

>Early by US Standards. But if you're from the UK, you're used to 11PM I think.

Bars here close between 11PM and 1:30AM here. If you need something later, the nearby Encore Casino (it's identical to it's Vegas counterpart, and a 10 minute Uber Ride away) serves alcohol until 4AM and is open 24/7.

Yeah I mean 2am close certainly wouldn't be considered early by UK standards and is fine for me. Most pubs tend to shut by 11 on weeknights and midnight latest on weekends, but many clubs are open until 3/4/5pm. I don't really fancy losing loads of money in a casino, but might be cool to check out anyway, purely for the Vegas-esque experience, and to watch other people loose lots of money aha!

>Best bars are scattered. The stuff downtown like Bell in Hand, Green Dragon, White Bull.. not really my scene. Mostly frequented by tourists.

As far as pubs, the Druid right in Inman Square is a favorite. Lord Hobo is also great (the one in Cambridge, not Seaport). Other places I like include Delux Cafe and Bukowskis (on Dalton).

I'm more of a cocktail/whiskey person, so I recommend Drink, Saloon, The Quiet Few, BackBar, Brick & Mortar. If you can get in, I love OffSuit (it's a speakeasy in a Chinatown backalley, they might do reservations now).

If you like Dive Bars, hard to go wrong with The Tam, Sligo or Biddy Early's. Those place are always fun.

You're doing God's work here son! I'll be sure to check out some of these. I've always been interested in the idea of Dive bars too. They seem to pop up in alot of the US films I watch.

>DONT FORGET TO TIP! ~18% or $1 a drink, whatever is more.

Ah yes. That's going to be a strange one for me to adapt too, since we hardly tip in the UK for anything (typically just 5-15% at a restaurant, and sometimes niche things like tour guides too. Thanks for the reminder. You've probably saved me from a couple dirty looks and watered down drinks :)

>It wont work as well as an Irish accent, to be honest. But it will give you an advantage for opening. The effect tends to wear thin after a few minutes and you have to rely on your personality. Foreign accents are common here, so you'd have better sway in less 'international' cities inland.

Yeah fair play. The whole accent thing is more like a minor bonus for me, so I'm not too fussed if nobody pays it any attention. Like I said, I'm mainly in Boston for the sites, the culture and the history.

>You could expect some gentle & friendly banter regarding the American Revolution. "How do you like your tea?" "In the harbor, Redcoat!" kinda thing.

Ah all the classics! I'll have to think of some witty comebacks for when the tenth person in a row asks me how I like tea, or when I last met the Queen.

Thanks for all the info mate, you've been a great help!

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ketofauxtato t1_je7z2vy wrote

The advice you’ve gotten above is generally great (particularly the list of pubs and bars - spot on!) but I would advise against spending any time at Encore. I suppose it’s fine if you’re really desperate but it’s pretty isolated from the rest of the city and rather sad - not much like Vegas honestly.

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Pinwurm t1_je87k32 wrote

> we hardly tip in the UK for anything

Yeah, it's a different approach. Tip for waiter service and bartenders. No tipping expectation for counter service (like Starbucks) or takeout.

Tipping a tour guide is pretty good practice anywhere, I'd think.

One thing you'll notice is that the US has comparatively liberal pours of liquor and wine. You'll pretty much never see measured liquor dispensers which are common in much of Europe. Especially at dive bars, you'll get a glass of alcohol and it's like.. 3 shots worth when you're paying for one. A lot of those places want to see you happy, so a tip can stretch far.

Measured pours are only common in fancy cocktail bars (since the drink requires balance) and places that attract tourists (cause the owners are cheap).

One other thing to remember is that a US Pint is slightly smaller than a UK Pint when ordering beer.

> Salem definitely interests me

I forgot to mentio, in lieu of the commuter rail - you should consider the Salem Ferry. It's $45 round trip and really lovely.

Another historic town is Plymouth, which is also commuter rail accessible. There's a lovely little walkable downtown area with some boutique shops and ocean views. And of course, Plymouth Rock. But don't go for the rock. The rock is bullshit. And it's not even the original rock. But it's free, I guess?

However, if you're looking to dive into American history, I would highly recommend the Plimouth Patuxet Musuems (formally Plimouth Plantation). It's a 17th Century 'living village', filled with period actors to interact with.
There is also a small area with some 17th century Native American (Wampanoag) structures and tribal ambassadors you can chat with. Also, just some good nature out there. It's a good way to spend a day.

If you need any other recommendations or anything, don't hesitate to message me. I clearly get bored a lot.

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twowrist t1_je6r2vw wrote

Ten days is a lot for Boston.

The obvious history answer is the Freedom Trail. Most people do it in a day, but I encourage people to plan at least half day for just the USS Constitution, including the guided tour of the ship, some time in the small free museum of the visitor’s center, and some time in the larger, by donation USS Constitution Museum. You can also climb the nearby Bunker Hill Monument. That’s in addition to the full day walking the rest of the Freedom Trail and going into most of the historic buildings on the trail.

There are other historic sites within easy T distance (T being the common term for our subway, though the same authority runs the buses and commuter rail). Taking the Duck Boat tour, while touristy, can be worthwhile.

With 10 days, you could also travel outside the urban center. The commuter rail goes to Salem, where in addition to the tourist-oriented Salem witch trial places, there’s also the House of the Seven Gables and the excellent Peabody-Essex Museum. Salem is very walkable. It also goes to Lowell, where you can find the Lowell National Historical Park, which is about the Industrial Revolution era, particularly the fabric mills in New England. Finally, you can also take commuter rail to Concord, where we started a small war you may have heard of. It’s a pleasant walk from the train station to the Old North Bridge and the Minuteman National Historical Park visitor center, though having a car there would make it practical to also visit some the historic Concord homes (Hawthorne, the Alcotts, and obviously Thoreau).

There are other sites of historic interest that can be done as day trips from Boston, but they really require a car. (Battleship Cove, Old Sturbridge Village, some others). Plymouth Rock is not worthwhile, though Plimoth Patuxet (formerly Plimoth Plantation) is.

May and June are beautiful weather-wise, but bring a lightweight rain jacket and maybe a sweater (jumper?) just in case.

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Ieatflowers68 OP t1_je6tzna wrote

Ah nice one. Yeah I definitely would venture outside of just the city of Boston itself given I have the time to do so.
Salem is a good shout. I studied a module on Middle Ages Witchcraft in England whilst at university, so would be interesting to know more about the witch trials going on across the pond around the same time.
I'll definitely give Concord a visit too.

Lowell is another great shout - thanks for that. I would definitely give a tour of the mills a go, if that was something they offered.

And yeah you're right jumper = sweater.

Thanks for the insightful comment!

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twowrist t1_je6ww5b wrote

At Lowell, the Park itself is free, meaning you can go through the mills and museum at your own pace. But you can also take a guided tour, which isn’t free and we found very good. There’s more info, plus you’re guaranteed that they’ll fire up whatever equipment they can. Typically that will include a handful of the looms out of dozens, which are loud enough for them to hand out ear plugs. I can’t imagine what having the entire floor of looms running would be or how anyone working there didn’t go deaf. There’s at least one other building on the tour where they fire up one of the water-powered wheels. Plus the tour goes on the trolley instead of having to walk.

It’s about a mile from the commuter rail station. I’ve never walked it, but imagine it’s walkable, and certainly cab/Uber/Lyft should be doable. There are also some nice restaurants in Lowell.

I forgot to mention: pay attention to the commuter rail schedules. All of these trips are opposite the usual commuter traffic, so they’re not going to be frequent and the last one of the day can be early.

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Ieatflowers68 OP t1_je70adn wrote

Fascinating! I'll definitely look at doing one of the guided tours then.

>I can’t imagine what having the entire floor of looms running would be or how anyone working there didn’t go deaf

Absolutely. I watched a video on the HistoryHit Youtube channel the other day about mill work life in the north of England and it sounded like a grim existence. Terribly long working hours in unsafe conditions. Hardly a break in the day. Machines whirring all around you and making a racket. Honestly makes you grateful for the world we live in now, despite all its flaws.

​

>It’s about a mile from the commuter rail station. I’ve never walked it, but imagine it’s walkable, and certainly cab/Uber/Lyft should be doable.

Noted. I'll bring my running shoes!

>I forgot to mention: pay attention to the commuter rail schedules. All of these trips are opposite the usual commuter traffic, so they’re not going to be frequent and the last one of the day can be early.

Ah that's helpful to know. I wouldn't want to get stranded out of town.

Thanks again.

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zootgirl t1_je70zl7 wrote

I’m just here to +1 Inman Square. Lots of bars and dining. You can walk down the street to East Cambridge and onto Kendall/MIT. Or, walk to Union Square (Somerville) or Harvard and then along the River to Back Bay.

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michael_scarn_21 t1_je6rdl8 wrote

If you want to attract women with your British accent go to the Midwest. I'm an average looker and I was fighting women off there. It doesn't work as well in Boston which is probably for the best in my case because I hate attention lol.

May and June is usually lovely. Boston has terrible nightlife in terms of clubs but some great bars and breweries. Most places close by midnight and 2am is the very latest.

Boston is expensive to stay in but it is a lovely city with great museums, some interesting neighbourhoods and shite public transit. Definitely worth checking out. I'd also recommend getting the Amtrak up to Portland for a couple of nights, for its size it has a better food and drink scene than Boston.

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Ieatflowers68 OP t1_je6v233 wrote

Haha ah well as much as I'd love to be fighting off women, I can't justify booking a holiday solely for that reason. Plus I'm not a fan of warm climates so the mid-west would probably be a no-go for me in the summer.

2am close is fine. I'm not looking to spend my whole holiday drinking and I've always preferred a nice cosy pub night than getting rat-arsed in a club anyway.

Hmm I don't know much about that Portland. I'd only heard of the one in Oregon. Might have to check it out.

Thanks!

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jack9lemmon t1_je709on wrote

It's probably obvious, but he meant Portland Maine. Sometimes we have to make that clarification because there's actually 30ish Portland's in the US.

Just wanted to point that out before you ended up in a completely different state than intended.

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Ieatflowers68 OP t1_je72oa2 wrote

Haha yeah I figured that was the one he meant, but thanks for double-checking.

>there's actually 30ish Portland's in the US

Wow that's a fair few, though I guess a country of your size is bound to result in a fair bit of repetition.

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jack9lemmon t1_je73cmh wrote

I have no factual basis to this, but I'm pretty sure if a town exists in one New England state, it exists in all of them. And then there's MA which basically stole all of your county town names and used them here.

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quiksilver123 t1_jeb2c3k wrote

>Haha ah well as much as I'd love to be fighting off women, I can't justify booking a holiday solely for that reason.

Go to Colombia and you might rethink that stance.

Also, for hiking, there's the Blue Hills Reservation in Milton/Canton. Not super expansive or anything, but great considering it's proximity to the city and MBTA access.

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Ieatflowers68 OP t1_jedsz0l wrote

"Go to Colombia and you might rethink that stance." Ah so it's the Bangkok of South America then?

"Also, for hiking, there's the Blue Hills Reservation in Milton/Canton. Not super expansive or anything, but great considering it's proximity to the city and MBTA access." I might give that a go. Would you say it's better than the Middlesex Fells and the Lynn Woods reservations, or just easier to access via public transport? Thanks

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quiksilver123 t1_jee811c wrote

Have never been to Thailand so can't compare, but if you're referencing a Red light district, it certainly has those like any other Latin-American country. But that's not what I was referencing. Plenty of super-attractive, feminine women who aren't pros was the gist.

Haven't never been to Middlesex Falls or Lynn Woods, but I'm pretty sure Blue Hills is much bigger than either of those. If you're into history, the Blue Hills Weather Observatory is the oldest running weather observatory in the US as well. Not 100% sure, but I'd guess Blue Hills is also more T accessible than either of the other two.

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sympathymaximum8182 t1_je7otpx wrote

Harvard and its museums might interest you. Harvard Square is pleasant as well as a walk down Commonwealth Ave towards the common (lots of brownstones). Louisburg Square in Beacon Hill is not to be missed. Great architecture all through Beacon Hill. Also Marblehead for its historic homes and quaint atmosphere in the harbor.

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f0rtytw0 t1_je8jbqm wrote

Inman Square, which is also a short walk to Union Square, which now has the green line, and a few drinking spots of its own, including a couple of breweries nearby.

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AutoModerator t1_je6mo05 wrote

Your post appears to be one of a number of commonly asked questions about the port city of Boston. Anyway, Royale is fine if you're just trying to get drunk and dance and hookup. The Grand is more of the same as Royale but more expensive and a stricter dress code. Bijou is fine if you're into house music, the last few times I've been to Bijou the crowd was mostly freshly 21 people. Legacy is under Royale and a pretty great queer club if that's you're thing. Good Life, Phoenix Landing, Middlesex, and The Lower Level are all great for underground shows if that's your thing. The vibes at those 4 places are all pretty good. Good Life is my favorite and they open back up this weekend. If you're just looking to get trashed and don't care what you dance to or who you dance around, any of the bars around Haymarket/Faneuil Hall will do. Ned Devine's, Hennessey's, Hong Kong ($1 chicken sticks!), Sissy K's, Coogan's. I think there's a few more I'm missing but those are the big ones. Also, I can't believe I forgot this, but if you're into top 40 or hip hop, Venu, Cure, Icon, and Hava are places to go if you're looking for something a little nicer/fancier/more upscale than what the Faneuil Hall/Haymarket bars and clubs offer. I also forgot about Memoire because it's in the casino but frankly I don't really know anyone who goes to Memoire regularly. It's more of the same stuff they play at the Grand and Royale. Now I think I've named them all. Also, please check the sidebar for visitor information.

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