Never been there but I'm taking a couple of friends who are visting from England up there for a few days (3-5) at the end of July and have a few questions. Accomodation? Any affordable local hotels/B&B's or just stick to chains like Days Inn etc. Do we need to rent a car or is there good transport out to Cape Cod. How crazy busy will it be at that time of year? Any ideas of stuff to do, maybe see some of the Irish Culture but not that much because we are all British after all. What are the beaches like around the Cape? Thanks
I've never stayed here but the fact that it's above a pub is intriguing http://www.angelfire.com/ma/IrishEmbassy/ Now Boston is a bit of a drive from Cape Cod so if your true destination is the Cape you should be looking at accomodations/transportation out there (but can be done as a day trip from Boston if you hit towns closer in). The summer is peak time so hotel room will be $$ so book as soon as possible to get the best rates. If you can go during the week there might be less traffic. Here is some transportation info http://www.capecodchamber.org/transportation.htm There's basically 3 roads out there so a car is going to be the most convenient but again as it's peak season there will be tons of traffic. If you want to see the rich and famous on vacation take a ferry over to The Vineyard! There are a lot of Cape websites, just do a seach. It's very beautiful and by mid to late summer the water is warm for a nice swim. K
when will you be up here? that plays a big part when your talking about the cape. Place to go in and around boston,,,the USS constitution, sam adams brewery, Newport Manisons in newport RI(hour and a half drive), boston duck boat tours, faneuil hall, fenway park. if its spring or summer shoot out to the cape starting with the mayflower in Plymouth then head to places like Provincetown, falmouth and hyannis,,,,nantucket and martha vineyard are nice too
That Irish embassy looks great. I've stayed in hostels all over the world and have never had any problems and at $20 a night you can't go wrong. However, I'm going with my wife so I'll probably get a room in a hotel. My friends may welcome the cheaper alternative though. So Cape Cod is a "bit of a drive" from Boston. 2 hours? If that the case we'll hire a car for a day trip out there. I think I'd rather stay in Boston so that my friends can experience the night-life and big American city feel. We'll be fine getting the Subway around town. If we can do a couple of day trips to Cape Cod or Plymouth Rock (if thats driveable) in the daytime and then hit the bars and clubs and find some good pizza places in the evening.
Here are some links to help you out. http://www.boston.com/ http://www.bostonusa.com/ http://www.phantomgourmet.com/frame.asp http://www.bostonphoenix.com http://www.boston-online.com/Tourism/ http://www.boston2004.com/boston/ This last link has a ton of links on its front page. I hope this helps. Coach Joe
If you're looking to take people to the beach from Boston you might want to check out Revere, MA (you can take the subway out there). http://www.reverebeach.com/ If you go you have to have lunch at Kelly's, it's an institution: http://www.kellysroastbeef.com/ If you go past Revere you will get to Salem (famous for the witch trials, also a port town, very New Englandly and probably less crowded than the Cape). http://www.salemweb.com/ The Peabody/Essex museum up there was just redone and it's supposed to be wonderful. The Cape is wonderful but for a day trip in the Summer it can be a big hassle (personally I would go in the fall). Another town worth a look is Rockport, MA http://www.rockportusa.com/ You can take a train from Boston there. K
Except for the Cape, the summer months are actually okay in Boston... the college kids went home so it is actually more quiet. But in May or June, you have to complete with the graduations.... all the hotels will be full & expensive. I know some cheap B&B on Beacon Street & Newberry street, but I do not know their phone numbers. If you are in Boston, you can just follow Freedom trail and see the America won their freedom from the British. basically, it goes through all the major historical sites inside Boston. I also recommended Newport Manisons in newport RI. I have never been to Martha's Vineyard, but check out the Blackdog cafe over there.... it supposed to be THE place.
http://www.mbta.com was recently re-done, and has a lot of good information on subway lines, buses, and trains.
The freedom trail is a fun walk. If you visit the USS Constitution you need to be aware they only open the ship on certain days for visits, so call ahead for those days. The local transportion via the T is easy enough to get around the city. Check the post by Jeff for the map. Inbound and Outbound is simple enough. Plus you get to see and hear the colorful life under the city. And smell it too in certain places. I would advise a visit to Fenway Park and take in a game if you can, while you may be bored with baseball as a sport, all will enjoy the atmosphere of the event. And of course the Rev's farther down the road in Foxboro. There are all kinds of tours in the city too. I've taken the river tours which offer a lot of great information as well as good views of the city. Some bus tours will let you get off the bus and check the area and then get back on another arriving a little later. Cambridge is a fun place to visit, and is easily accessible via the red line on the T. MIT and Harvard University are here. But to try and answer your question about hotels, I don't think you will find many in the city that are real cheap. It will still be busy enough with tourists and local traffic but is worth the visit.
Lansdale street outside Fenway Park is a happening place at night. It might not be the best in town, but not so bad. Long, long time ago, I was heading toward a club over there.... Roger Clemons walked out of Fenway Park after a game. It was late, late night, but it was the beginning of my night. Prudential Centre has a viewing platform.... you can see the entire greater Boston area. The building has a nice restarant, but I could not remember the name of it. Oddly, I never took a date up there before.
Yeah gotta follow up with the Prudential tower, on a clear day. But be advised I think you have to pay a little for the trip up. Or the Hancock Tower nearby for viewing.
Err, I'm not so sure about that. I stayed in Rockville (in between Rockport and Camden) a year ago, and Amtrak service was just then being introduced between Boston and Portland. Rockport is more than an hour further north of Portland. I certainly don't remember any train lines going further up the coast than that - though there should be some bus options, I'd think. A couple friends of mine came skiing with me in New Hampshire two years ago, and I sent them back to NYC on the bus from Portland - while I was afraid it would be the ride from hell for them, they said it was actually a lot of fun.
There is a commuter train between Boston and Rockport, MA. http://www.mbta.com/traveling_t/sch...sp?line=newburyport&pagefrom=commuterrailmain I think you're thinking of Rockport, ME. There was a train, and I think there still is, The Noreaster, between Boston and Portland. Last I knew it ran 4 times a day.