my wife and i will be staying in braintree in july. we arive at logan on fri. and will have sat. and sun. to sightsee. we are early risers so a 1 or 2 hour trip by rail will not be a problem. all our travel will be by subway, commuter rail and foot. we will do the freedom trail, the aquarium, the uss constitution and little italy. should we spend both days in boston or possibly go to plymouth, salem or rockport? will sunday be a good day to take one of these side trips or wil a lot of places be closed?
weekend in boston
You could cram all those Boston highlights into 1 day. The USS Constitution is the place on your must-do list which has the most potential for a time-consuming bottleneck: because of its small size, only a certain number of visitors are permitted onboard at any gven time, so lines build up there, especially on holiday weekends.
My suggestion would be to arrive at the Navy Yard at 9 AM when both the National Park Services Visitors Center and the USS Constitution open, and then you%26#39;ll be able to be among the first visitors to board ';Old Ironsides'; when it opens at 10 AM.
When you%26#39;ve finished there, hop onto the water taxi which will take you across the harbor to Rowes Wharf and proceed to the Aquarium: that%26#39;s another place where it can become uncomfortably croweded on a summer weekend afternoon so that%26#39;s why I%26#39;m suggesting you go there earlier in the day. My favorite branch of the local Legal Seafoods chain is right across the street from the Aquarium %26amp; would be a nice place to have lunch before embarking on the Freedom Trail. Then spend your evening in the North End (highly recommend you make advance reservations for dinner).
I know this proposed itinerary is the most geographically efficient, but I think it will pay off for you in terms of quality time.
I myself would spend the second day in Boston, but I tend to be an ';in depth'; traveler (e.g., I spent 5 days in Boston in October %26amp; still wasn%26#39;t ready to leave), and that very well might not be your MO or desisre - especially if you don%26#39;t see yourself soon returning to the area. Rest assured that any of the places you%26#39;re thinking of traveling to as a side trip will be in full swing on a summer Sunday -- they want/need to take advantage of the influx of visitors during ';the season'; :-)
weekend in boston
OOPS, haste makes waste: I should have typed that my proposal for your Saturday ';is *not* the most geographically efficient, but should pay off...';
And here are some URL%26#39;s for you:
http://www.ussconstitutionmuseum.org
http://www.nps.gov/archive/bost/Navy_Yard.htm
http://www.roweswharfwatertaxi.com
http://www.legalseafoods.com
If you%26#39;re not ready for lunch by the time you arrive at the Aquarium %26amp; wish to eat at that Legal Seafoods, I suggest you stop by the restaurant before going into the Aquarium to make a lunch reservation for later so you don%26#39;t have to then wait to be seated.
Instead of the Water Taxi, there%26#39;s a regularly scheduled ferry that runs between the Charlestown Navy Yard (where Old Ironsdes is) and Long Wharf, next to the Aquarium. It runs every 15 to 30 minutes (the times are posted there) and costs only $1.70 each - versus $15 each for the Water Taxi. We can share the difference ;%26gt;)
I also meant to add that I wouldn%26#39;t make a big side trip if you%26#39;re only spending two days in Boston. You%26#39;re missing out on Back Bay, including Copley Square and Newbury Street, Beacon Hill, the Waterfront, and Harvard square, including Harvard Yard. I think all of these are must-sees. So please don%26#39;t leave!!
THANKS, Alan, for that better tip re: harbor transportation (I had a free water taxi pass to use in October %26amp; totally missed seeing the signs for the MBTA water shuttle).
As someone who grew up in the landlocked Midwest before moving to Boston for graduate school, I understand why some folks hope to also get a taste of the New England beach/seaside village experience while in Boston... that%26#39;s a real novelty for us :-)
Have fun with whichever options you choose, kcspecks!
this itinerary sounds great as we would rather be traveling than standing in line. if we stay in boston for sunday any sugestions. we may have time fri evening to go have dinner and drinks, we will be staying next to the south shore plaza mall in braintree, should we try there or ride into boston? i also can%26#39;t decide if we should get a charlie card or a 7 day pass. i think the cost would end up about the same but i%26#39;m not sure if i can get the 7 day pass at logan. thanks
You want Charlie cards, and here%26#39;s why: only one person can use a pass, i.e., the turnstile won%26#39;t permit another person with you to swipe the pass. But because the Charlie cards are sold in dollar denominations, it doesn%26#39;t care how many people swipe sequentially.
You can order Charlie cards online ahead of time here:
http://commerce.mbta.com/program/?prog=stored
Don%26#39;t know how you%26#39;ll feel about trekking into Boston after traveling on Friday. I%26#39;ve not been to the Braintree Plaza in 4-5 years, so let%26#39;s hope someone else here can give you current info on the dining possibilities near your hotel.
i would buy 2 passes. i think on the charlie card we would spend $11.90 each; a trip to and from logan, 2 trips into boston sat. and sun. and 1 ferry ride. 0ne more ride on the t and we would be at
$15.30, about the same price as a 7 day pass. i just didn%26#39;t know if one card would be more convenient and if i could get both cars at logan. thanks
One more bit of MBTA trivia info. You cannot right now use the Charlie Card for the Ferry, but they will accept the pass. I suspect they just don%26#39;t have the equipment in place to ';read'; tthe Charlie Card.
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