Charlestown okay?

we are coming into town in june and have booked 2 nights at a bed and breakfast in charlestown. any thoughts on this location? is it an easy walk into the city? good restaurants nearby? or merely a place to park our bags?

also, it looks relatively easily accessible by subway from logan, we are not renting a car. thoughts?

thanks.

Charlestown okay?

Apenn,

Charlestown is or should I say %26#39;was%26#39;, a predominantly Irish-American neighborhood of Boston. Nowadays, it%26#39;s another gentrified enclave in the city. There has been some problems in their low-income housing areas, but as a tourist, you won%26#39;t see any of that, and you should feel safe. It%26#39;s a 15 minute walk over the North Washington Street Bridge to the North End and North Station (where you can catch the T). However, it%26#39;s not quite as easy as you may think to take the T from Logan to Charlestown. Go to mbta.com for map, fares, and other info. The closest station in the area is North Sation and Community College, both require a hearty walk. Sullivan Square is also in Charlestown but would most likely require a taxi to get to your hotel.

Charlestown okay?

Healey%26#39;s right. In most of areas of Charlestown, you will need to take a taxi from the airport. Unless, of course, you%26#39;re staying in the Harbor Area. Then you could take the Water Taxi. Let us know exactly where you%26#39;re staying and we can give you the best options.

Charlestown is small, but the answers to your questions really depend on exactly where your b%26amp;b is. It could be pretty close and easily walkable to Community College T or Sullivan Square T. If it%26#39;s toward the City Square area, it%26#39;s a pretty easy walk over the bridge into the North End. If it%26#39;s near the projects you should be somewhat concerned about safety.

There are some pretty good restaurants in Charlestown. The original ';Olive%26#39;s'; of Todd English fame is there. Some say it%26#39;s not what it used to be, but it%26#39;s still pretty good.

Charlestown used to be an Irish-American working class neighborhood. Now it%26#39;s overrun with yuppies which means better coffee and fancier restaurants but a huge gap between the haves and have-nots. The projects are still old-school. They%26#39;re tough. If you google ';code of silence'; and Charlestown, you%26#39;ll get a bit of the history. Many of the more ';famous'; bank robbers and armored car robbers came from Charlestown and for many years it was known as a place unwelcoming to anyone of color. Those years are thankfully over (I think), but I wouldn%26#39;t go wandering by the projects after dark. There%26#39;s enough upscale froofery there now to make the gangland undercurrent missable, but you asked...

I should add that the area around the Bunker Hill Monument is wonderful and should not be missed. Gorgeous.... the Navy Yard is also a great take. These are not very close to the projects. The walk over the bridge to North Station is a pleasant enough one, though the traffic can be noisy...

i used to rent at a small townhouse near ';the projects'; and I never had any problem - theres actually a lot of people out at night in the summer - its quite a unique small little city of its own - the city bus runs thru the main avenue quite frequently even at night - every ten minutes (?) - easy to get to boston and a nice view going over the bridge

Good morning APenn,

It%26#39;s a really nice time of year to visit Boston. Are you staying at the Bunker Hill Bed and Breakfast located at 80 Elm St. in Charlestown by any chance? If it is, you%26#39;re going to love staying there, it%26#39;s a ';good'; one and a ';keeper!'; It%26#39;s not a bad walk to get in to downtown Boston at all from there. As a matter of fact, I used to live right near the Bunker Hill Monument and we did this walk all the time. If you head toward High St. from Elm right toward the Monument, look for Winthrop St. and walk right through the ';training field';, you can%26#39;t miss it in this area and from here, you can head in to Boston in no time. It won%26#39;t take long at all, you%26#39;d be in the North End in seconds just walking over the foot bridge at City Square.

There%26#39;s so many neat restaurants in Charlestown now. One of them that you have to try to go to is the Warren Tavern and it%26#39;s located at 2 Pleasant street. Another one is down at the Constitution Marina and it%26#39;s called the Navy Yard Bistro. They%26#39;re probably my favorites lately, they%26#39;re gems and I think they always will be!

You%26#39;ll be fine at a B%26amp;B in Charlestown, good choice! I think you%26#39;re going to really enjoy it here. Don%26#39;t worry about the projects, just remember exactly where they are and stay clear of them that%26#39;s all. You%26#39;d have no reason to be in that area any way right? If your B%26amp;B is the Bunker Hill House B%26amp;B instead of the one on Elm St. then that%26#39;s located up on Sackville St. off of Bunker Hill St.and you can very easily still head toward High St. from any of the side streets to get where you want to go. Look for Concord or Lexington St. which will bring you right up to the Bunker Hill Monument. IF you%26#39;re walking and I would think you%26#39;d want to do a lot of walking, especially in June! You can also hop in a taxi too if the weather is bad, that is IF the weather is bad, I think by the time you get here it%26#39;s going to be beautiful for you!

You won%26#39;t need a car, don%26#39;t even think about it in the city. Forget parking spots in this particular neighborhood! That%26#39;s one of the main reasons why my family and I moved, it%26#39;s ridiculous! It%26#39;s totally out of hand now with the way it is for parking a car. Every inch of space is either a single home or condo.

Here%26#39;s two sites to check out their menus!

www.warrentavern.com

www.navyyardbistro.com

For a June visit to Boston it would be good if you could take the Water Taxi right to Charlestown? The thing is, if you have a lot of luggage with you, getting from the dock to the B%26amp;B might be a little annoying for you. You could always hop in a taxi or take the MBTA BUS? There%26#39;s some very helpful info on the Water Taxi right on the Massport website:

www.massport.com

Click on Water Taxi under getting to and from Logan.

Here%26#39;s a list of Taxi%26#39;s if you end up needing one, while you%26#39;re in the City:

Boston Licensed Taxi Companies

Boston Cab, (617) 536-5010

City Cab, (617) 536-5100

ITOA, (617) 825-4000

Metro Cab, (617) 782-5500

Town Taxi, (617) 536-5000

Good luck and have a wonderful time.

If you have any other questions, ask us right here on T.A. any one of us will be happy to answer them for you!

I can%26#39;t help thinking about this...

Is it wise to promote Charlestown as a go too place for tourists with or without a car?

Ah, why not.

Just don%26#39;t have lunch at the ';99'; (especially the steak tips).

Hey CoCoSandy ... I%26#39;d love to know where you find the ';better coffee'; in Charlestown. I%26#39;ve worked there for nearly 7 years and it%26#39;s Dunkin%26#39; Donuts or go to Wellington Circle .... to the place next to LensCrafters or the new Starbucks at Station Landing.

I walk on my lunch hour and I%26#39;ve never felt unsafe around there. The projects aren%26#39;t anything like they were 15 years ago. Lots of families w/ young kids and not even a fraction of the trouble there once was.

Also, I find it strange that you sing the praises of Monument Square when a three minute walk down Lexington Street will bring you to the projects ...

APenn ... the B%26amp;B sounds lovely. My anniversary is coming up, I may check it out for an overnight ... As others have said, there are a few good restaraunts, and you are fairly close to downtown and right on the Freedom trail. Personally, for a %26#39;quiet get-away%26#39; I%26#39;d do it in a minute, but if you want to be ';in the heart'; of things and do a lot of site-seeing, it is a bit removed, and not a place you%26#39;d easily stop back at for a mid-day break ...

Happy planning!

Happy planning.

best thing about chaztown is u can cross the bridge from boston and ur in another world