Boston Nesties
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Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
Please recommend ideas for Ladies weekend in Boston
Hi Ladies! A bunch of my girlfriends and I want to rendezvous in Boston for a girl's weekend.
Please recommend places to stay, eat and do! I would love ANY suggestions!
Thanks so much!
Re: Please recommend ideas for Ladies weekend in Boston
One Boston nestie has a great compilation of things to do around the city, so I will let her post that.
As where to stay, I can't recommend a specific hotel, but the Back Bay/Copley and around the Common are the most convenient locations because all the major attractions aren't far away. But the T (subway) is great to get around if the weather is bad.
The North End has great little Italian restaurants. Can't go wrong there. You'll probably want to make a reservation for a Friday or Saturday night though. These places are tiny and they fill up quick.
You called?
Here's the list MrsC was referring to. It's boilerplate, so let us know if you have any specific questions about this and we'll do our best to help! And I agree with the suggestion of staying in the Back Bay/Copley area (Priceline is your friend), or downtown locations by the Commons are good too (e.g. the Nine Zero Hotel, Omni Parker House, etc.).
Duck Tour - http://www.bostonducktours.com. Fun tour that provides a good overview of the city and its history via an amphibious vehicle. Book tix in advance via the web site
Freedom Trail - This walking tour will take you through most of the historic sites of Boston. You can do a guided tour or I've heard there's a downloadable iPod tour so you can do a self-guided thing.
Public Gardens/Boston Common ? Not such a great visit in the winter, but otherwise a nice public space to walk through. There's a Make Way for Ducklings bronze statue here that the kiddies might like if you have them. The Swan Boats are also a personal favorite, though not a must do.
Beacon Hill/Charles St. ? Quintessential old New England neighborhood with great architecture and quaint little boutiques to shop in. Just a few minutes walk from the Common.
Newbury Street (shopping) ? Just across the street from the Commons. Great for people watching and grabbing a bite to eat too.
SOWA Open Market ? Outdoor artisan market that runs on weekends in the summer and fall. Check the website for dates.
Sam Adams or Harpoon Brewery tours ? self-explanatory
Faneuil Hall ? Historic area now full of shopping and restaurants. Mostly chain places, but can be fun to walk around, see street performers, etc.
Fenway Park ? game tickets are hard to come by but you can sign up to take a tour of the stadium.
Museum of Science - great exhibits and a domed IMAX theater that's amazing and shows lots of great documentary-style films.
JFK Museum
Children?s Museum ? Really fun for the kids
Art museums ? We have top-notch art museums: Museum of Fine Art, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Institute of Contemporary Art
Whale Watch Tour ? You can leave from the Aquarium downtown or, if you have a car or are willing to take the commuter rail, go up to the one in Gloucester and check out the neighboring Rockport area (very quaint seaside town).
Harvard ? Campus is pretty and Harvard Square is fun to walk around
A little farther out:
Salem Witch Museum ? a history of the infamous Salem witch trials. I haven't been there since I was a kid though and I think it might be kind of cheesy now.
House of Seven Gables ? also located in Salem
Walden Pond ? site where Thoreau penned Walden. You can see the site of his cabin as well as a recreation of the building.
As for restaurants...so many options.
$$$$$
No. 9 Park (Boston) ? you must have the prune-stuffed gnocchi appetizer if you go. Trust me.
O Ya Sushi (Boston) ? The omakase is very good, but very pricey.
Salts (Cambridge) ? the honey lavender whole-roasted duck for two is amazing. Reserve it in advance; they only offer a few each night.
Blue Ginger (Wellesley) ? Ming Tsai?s Asian fusion restaurant. The butterfish is my favorite dish.
Mooo (Boston) ? steakhouse
$$$
$$Atlantic Fish Company (Boston) ? As the name implies, seafood is their specialty. There?s no real need to go to a seafood-specific restaurant in Boston as most good restaurants in the area will have excellent seafood options (see Blue Ginger?s butterfish above), but AFC really does a great job. I?ve tried cod, swordfish, haddock, and sea bass there and all were excellent.
Anything in the North End (Boston) ? It?s our Little Italy, located right near Faneuil Hall. I don?t have a favorite restaurant here, but for the most part you can?t go wrong with anything in the area. Just wander around until something strikes your fancy. Then go to one of the pastry shops afterwards (Mike?s is the most famous especially for their cannolis, but others are equally good, like Modern).
Legal Seafood (various locations) ? Get a bowl of clam chowder here. The rest of the food is pretty forgettable though.
Stella (South End, Boston) ? I?ve only had brunch there but I know others like it for dinner. The brunch offers large portions at reasonable prices. You can also walk over to the SOWA Open Market from there (see the things to do list) and those things together can make for a great summer/fall afternoon.
Geoffrey?s Caf? (Boston) ? I?ve never been but a lot of people have raved about their donut muffins....
Cafe Luna (Cambridge) ? also has an amazing brunch menu. It?s small though so call ahead.
East Ocean City (Chinatown, Boston) ? great place for dinner. Everything on its menu is good, but they?re well-known for their seafood and their salted steamed chicken.
Hei La Moon (Chinatown, Boston) ? good Hong Kong-style dim sum restaurant.
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Dumpling Caf? (Chinatown, Boston) ? the best xiao long bao (soup dumplings) I?ve had in town. I dare say I like them better than the ones I?ve had in Taiwan.
Hong Kong Eatery (Chinatown, Boston) ? wonderful Chinese comfort food (their wonton noodle soup is awesome).
Ho Yuen and Hing Shing (Chinatown, Boston) ? the best bakeries in Chinatown. For egg tarts, though, go to Crown Royal?sooooo good.
Rock, we really need to make that a sticky post!
My personal recommendation is that if you do go to the North End (which you absolutely should!), avoid the restaurants on Hanover, and stick to the side streets. There are some good restaurants on Hanover, but there are some very mediocre ones that like to trap tourists. I also always recommend avoiding anywhere that has the dishes named in English on the menu.
If your looking for a fun thing to do at night, I love Jacques Cabaret for a girls night out.
http://www.jacques-cabaret.com/jacquesweb.asp
Seriously, right? I feel bad for you guys who have to see this crazy list a bajillion times
The Langham Hotel has a Chocolate buffet that would be great for a ladies weekend. It's a little pricey, but amazing!
http://boston.langhamhotels.com/restaurants/chocolate_bar.htm