OT: Visiting Boston? We are here to help.

[jgatie]

so where the Bostonian Hotel is located,is it a nice area to walk around.

Absolutely. You are near Faneuil Hall, the most historical market place in the country. Also the waterfront is a short walk, and so is the North End, home of dozens of Italian restaurants and bakeries. It's a very welcoming and safe part of town, with a rich history going back to the revolutionary period.

 

[ODAAT]

We stayed at the Boston Park Plaza last summer was terrific, within walking distance of virtually everything we needed and steps from any T lines we needed to hop onto. A touch pricy but well worth it

 

[Fenway]

A tourist asked for recommendations in Boston. And social media responded -- with kindness - The Boston Globe

“Greetings Proud Bostonians!” Riding began, before launching into a flattering comparison between his hometown and the city he will soon visit and asking for help planning his trip.

“I know it’s a big thing to give up your secret eateries and bars, but I swear I’m only there for a week and I won’t steal your favourite barstool from you,” he wrote.

The Internet can be a rough place, and Reddit has a pretty high variance, from kind and helpful folks to straight-up nightmare fuel in its darker corners.

But Riding’s note was so earnest and complimentary and self-deprecating — “To be honest, I intend to quietly booo at Revolutionary War monuments, since us Brits are actually still super bitter over our rough break up in 1775-6,” he wrote — that dozens of great suggestions began pouring in. Hole-in-the-wall North End restaurants, North Shore clam shacks, advice about how not to be hit by a car — one person even successfully got Riding to reconsider his aversion to the Freedom Trail.

“You are hilarious and your enthusiasm for your trip is making me so happy!” one user wrote.

 

[Hockeyholic]

Buddy is a Leafs fan. We're thinking of making a trip to see a game in the new year. Maybe upper balcony seats. Thing is, he has a habit of doing a weird dance whenever the Leafs score. Will he be okay? Should he not wear the jersey at all?

Any feedback would be appreciated.

 

[Montecristo]

Buddy is a Leafs fan. We're thinking of making a trip to see a game in the new year. Maybe upper balcony seats. Thing is, he has a habit of doing a weird dance whenever the Leafs score. Will he be okay? Should he not wear the jersey at all?

Any feedback would be appreciated.

He’ll be fine

 

[talkinaway]

Buddy is a Leafs fan. We're thinking of making a trip to see a game in the new year. Maybe upper balcony seats. Thing is, he has a habit of doing a weird dance whenever the Leafs score. Will he be okay? Should he not wear the jersey at all?

Any feedback would be appreciated.

Depends....if he's good at "reading the crowd" (ie knows when to shut up), and you get reasonable people sitting near you, and he's an all-around nice guy who just as a single beer and is generally happy, and can take a couple of light jabs like "Hey, whatever happened to that guy...Raycroft?" or "Leafs suck!", he should be fine.

If he's double-fisting the $11.75 beers, and he's the type to be an angry drunk, if he has extended choreography to his "dance" that bleeds into the next goal and blocks the view of the people behind you, and if you're always the designated "babysitter" when he gets into his antics, then...whoah.

Basically, you get what you give. It's a pretty friendly place, and you might make a few friends since an opposing jersey's a conversation starter. And he certainly won't be alone - I'd say that Leafs jerseys are probably in the top 3 "invasive species" that we get in the Garden in the past few years, next to the Habs and Rangers. Even the most ardent fans understand that there will be people at the game cheering for the "other team", even if that other team sucks. (Don't worry - I'm talking about the Habs here...we hate all the Habs, right?)

My guess is a good portion of any "incidents" at the Garden are Bruin-on-Bruin, simply from numbers. Probably more booze-related than game-related. So, he should be fine, especially if the jersey is his only "sin".

 

[ODAAT]

Buddy is a Leafs fan. We're thinking of making a trip to see a game in the new year. Maybe upper balcony seats. Thing is, he has a habit of doing a weird dance whenever the Leafs score. Will he be okay? Should he not wear the jersey at all?

Any feedback would be appreciated.

ironically, of all the "incidents" I have seen at either the Garden or the TD, most have involved Bruin fan vs Bruin fan

I survived about 100 visits to the old Montreal Forum dressed head to toe in Bruin swag while also guzzling crappy beers but I wasn`t traditionally one of those fans who egged on others and if I`m being honest (and man do I hate that), too many of my trips wound up being a Bruins loss so fans ignored me

 

[Fenway]

The only places I have had real problems as a fan are at Madison Square Garden and Philadelphia. But NY is tame compared to the lunatics in South Philly. This bar is NOT visitor friendly

 

[High five Tom]

I'll be coming to Boston the fall. Are the Bruins practices open to the public?

 

[jgatie]

I'll be coming to Boston the fall. Are the Bruins practices open to the public?

Some are, some are not. Here's the website for the practice arena:

Warrior Ice Arena | Boston Landing

Closer to the season, they will have the practice schedule listed. Notice they also have public skating and other events.

 

[talkinaway]

I'll be coming to Boston the fall. Are the Bruins practices open to the public?

The best way to track this, IMO, is directly through the Bruins website. During the season, every Friday they publish a "Bruins Week Ahead" - I think it usually is in the "news" portion. Here's an example from last year:

Bruins Week Ahead: March 30 - April 6

If you scroll down to about halfway though the article, you'll get a breakdown of where and when the Bruins are scheduled to practice. Notice I said "are scheduled to practice" - they sometimes cancel practices, or turn them from mandatory to optional, depending on workload, prior games, how beat up the players are, standings, etc. The official Twitter account and/or various beat writers may tweet out in the morning if practices get cancelled, and/or may post updates from practice if you want to come late.

I've only been to one in-season practice, and that was last year. It happened to be the one where Rask got Bjorked into the net and suffered a concussion. The preseason main training camp is also fun, but can sometimes be a bit crowded.

Garage parking is free for 3 hours if you follow the signs and go into the correct lot. There's a validator at the concession stand behind the seats - no purchase necessary. Be sure to validate! I think they charge some crazy amount if you don't, I assume because they don't want people using the garage in conjunction with the commuter rail.

 

[JRull86]

B, C, D, E lines are all awful. Every line should eliminate 1/2 of their stops. And even then, still probably would stink. Takes 45 minutes to get from Washington st to park on the B line. And that’s like 2 miles. Moving to the red line was the smartest thing I’ve done. Savin hill to park is like 20 minutes and covers 3 times the ground.

T rant over

The T just sucks overall, but yes, the B is truly god awful, especially in late September when all the BU freshman are going out with their fakes and are plastered on it.

I do not miss those rides whatsoever.

 

[Fenway]

B, C, D, E lines are all awful. Every line should eliminate 1/2 of their stops. And even then, still probably would stink. Takes 45 minutes to get from Washington st to park on the B line. And that’s like 2 miles. Moving to the red line was the smartest thing I’ve done. Savin hill to park is like 20 minutes and covers 3 times the ground.

T rant over

The basic flaw with the Green Line is once the trains leave the subway they only open one door to exit and board because of fare collection.

Every other city with a similar situation and this applies to buses as well has a proof of payment- for example, San Francisco.

https://www.sfmta.com/getting-around/muni/fares/proof-payment

How Is Proof Of Payment Policy Enforced? What Are The Penalties For Not Having Proof Of Payment?

Muni Transit Fare Inspectors may ask you for Proof of Payment on board any Muni rail line or bus route, or in the paid area of Muni Metro subway stations between the Embarcadero and West Portal stations.

If you are traveling without valid Proof of Payment you may be removed from the vehicle and issued a fine of more than $100.

More information on paying or protesting a transit violation.

 

[Montecristo]

The basic flaw with the Green Line is once the trains leave the subway they only open one door to exit and board because of fare collection.

Every other city with a similar situation and this applies to buses as well has a proof of payment- for example, San Francisco.

https://www.sfmta.com/getting-around/muni/fares/proof-payment

How Is Proof Of Payment Policy Enforced? What Are The Penalties For Not Having Proof Of Payment?

Muni Transit Fare Inspectors may ask you for Proof of Payment on board any Muni rail line or bus route, or in the paid area of Muni Metro subway stations between the Embarcadero and West Portal stations.

If you are traveling without valid Proof of Payment you may be removed from the vehicle and issued a fine of more than $100.

More information on paying or protesting a transit violation.

I don’t know if the b line has gotten more crowded but my memory doesn’t remember there being much traffic getting on and off between Washington and Kenmore. Maybe 5 people would get on max at each stop with a couple getting off. I’m sure if they just opened the doors it would speed up a little bit but I doubt it would shave more than 10 minutes on that trip. I think it’s
1. Too many stops.
2. The fact it’s a street trolley that has to stop at red lights for cars and the E line actual traffic.

I say get rid of blandford or whatever that stop before kenmore is. Get rid of BU east and west. Get rid of babcock or pleasant. Get rid of warren or Washington. I mean it’s a 5 minute walk from stop to stop. That’s insane. Savin hill to jfk is a good 20 minute walk. I don’t see a stop at JFK and then another at like the banshee, and then one at like belfort street. It’s 6 stope from Savin to park. It’s like 15 from Washington to park. My solution. Cut the trolley stops in half and make people walk

 

[Fenway]

I don’t know if the b line has gotten more crowded but my memory doesn’t remember there being much traffic getting on and off between Washington and Kenmore. Maybe 5 people would get on max at each stop with a couple getting off. I’m sure if they just opened the doors it would speed up a little bit but I doubt it would shave more than 10 minutes on that trip. I think it’s
1. Too many stops.
2. The fact it’s a street trolley that has to stop at red lights for cars and the E line actual traffic.

I say get rid of blandford or whatever that stop before kenmore is. Get rid of BU east and west. Get rid of babcock or pleasant. Get rid of warren or Washington. I mean it’s a 5 minute walk from stop to stop. That’s insane. Savin hill to jfk is a good 20 minute walk. I don’t see a stop at JFK and then another at like the banshee, and then one at like belfort street. It’s 6 stope from Savin to park. It’s like 15 from Washington to park. My solution. Cut the trolley stops in half and make people walk

The problem is the people who run the T don't take it.

 

[WestCoastBruins]

Hi All,

I have been lurking on these boards for way longer than I will ever admit but now seemed like as good a time as any to sign up. Never been to Boston and I have always wanted to visit and this October I am FINALLY doing what I hope will be the ultimate Boston trip. October 22-November 6 and planning to catch the Bruins/Flyers, Bruins/Habs(bucket list game), Bruins/Stars, Pats/Packers Sunday nighter(another bucket list game), A Sox world series game if the stars line up(again...bucket list game) and a Celtics game if it works out. I absolutely can't wait for this. Anyways, one thing I wanted to ask is for accommodations, I am looking at airbnb and just wanted some advice of good areas to stay in, or more importantly areas to avoid. I don't need to be right downtown and don't mind to transit around. I have read through the read and am making notes as I go. Any other tips or tricks I will gladly listen to. I look forward to getting to know you guys and gals and hopefully can even meet a few of you later this year! Thanks everyone!

 

[Fenway]

Hi All,

Anyways, one thing I wanted to ask is for accommodations, I am looking at airbnb and just wanted some advice of good areas to stay in, or more importantly areas to avoid. I don't need to be right downtown and don't mind to transit around. I have read through the thread and am making notes as I go. Any other tips or tricks I will gladly listen to. I look forward to getting to know you guys and gals and hopefully can even meet a few of you later this year! Thanks everyone!

Generally, anything with a Boston address is OK BUT - parts of the city actually have postal names that are the neighborhood, not the city. For example, Dorchester and Jamacia Plain could be good or bad. Give us an address and we can tell you. Cambridge, Somerville, Charlestown, Allston or Brighton should be OK.

 

[Alicat]

Generally, anything with a Boston address is OK BUT - parts of the city actually have postal names that are the neighborhood, not the city. For example, Dorchester and Jamacia Plain could be good or bad. Give us an address and we can tell you. Cambridge, Somerville, Charlestown, Allston or Brighton should be OK.

I concur with Fenway. Send an address and we can let you know about the area.

I am also willing to help visitors out with putting money on Charlie Cards and mailing them to you ahead of your trip. PM me if interested!

 

[WestCoastBruins]

Thanks for the responses! Unfortunately Airbnb does not give exact addresses until you book, but I will keep those areas in mind and let you know what I come across.

That is very generous Ali, I might have to take you up on that! Cheers.

 

[Fenway]

Thanks for the responses! Unfortunately Airbnb does not give exact addresses until you book, but I will keep those areas in mind and let you know what I come across.

That is very generous Ali, I might have to take you up on that! Cheers.

Do they give zip codes?

Boston is like any big city, there are good areas and not so good. The west coast sister city to Boston is San Francisco in the sense the poor are being priced out. Natives here are flabbergasted at how the areas around Fenway Park and TD Garden are now upscale.

 

[Deleted]

So myself and the missus are planning our trip to Boston for the Canadiens game on the 27th of October. The plan is to spend 4 days total in Boston. Seeing as we were in Boston last year, I see this as an opportunity to scratch a little bit further below the surface. We plan to do the Fenway park tour as we missed out on that last time and we are also thinking of heading up to Salem for a day. Is Salem a worthwhile trip? Our reasoning is A) we wouldn't mind getting out of the city for one of the days and maybe experiencing some of the famous New England foliage. Would Salem be good for this? and B) my wife loves Halloween and given we are going to be there pretty close to the day itself I thought it might be a place she would really enjoy.

Any thoughts or tips on spending a day in Salem would be greatly appreciated. Also if anyone has any tips in general on must do's around Boston that we might have missed first time around we are all ears. We plan on staying in or around the Quincy market/Faneuil hall area as we found it a convenient location last time around for both getting to the garden for the game and just in general.

 

[PhysicX]

So myself and the missus are planning our trip to Boston for the Canadiens game on the 27th of October. The plan is to spend 4 days total in Boston. Seeing as we were in Boston last year, I see this as an opportunity to scratch a little bit further below the surface. We plan to do the Fenway park tour as we missed out on that last time and we are also thinking of heading up to Salem for a day. Is Salem a worthwhile trip? Our reasoning is A) we wouldn't mind getting out of the city for one of the days and maybe experiencing some of the famous New England foliage. Would Salem be good for this? and B) my wife loves Halloween and given we are going to be there pretty close to the day itself I thought it might be a place she would really enjoy.

Any thoughts or tips on spending a day in Salem would be greatly appreciated. Also if anyone has any tips in general on must do's around Boston that we might have missed first time around we are all ears. We plan on staying in or around the Quincy market/Faneuil hall area as we found it a convenient location last time around for both getting to the garden for the game and just in general.

Please respond to him first.

The Fenway Park tour was pretty awesome yesterday. I managed to get a baseball during a fan bp practice, although I had to run to the far left field stands to grab the foul ball while one of the assistants phoned in security. A kid from Philly followed suit to grab the second foul ball. It's a wonderful stadium worth visiting.

My sole question is: Museum Tour or Arena Tour at TD Garden? We're undecided as to which tour to take. We're mostly hockey fans.

 

[Kate08]

So myself and the missus are planning our trip to Boston for the Canadiens game on the 27th of October. The plan is to spend 4 days total in Boston. Seeing as we were in Boston last year, I see this as an opportunity to scratch a little bit further below the surface. We plan to do the Fenway park tour as we missed out on that last time and we are also thinking of heading up to Salem for a day. Is Salem a worthwhile trip? Our reasoning is A) we wouldn't mind getting out of the city for one of the days and maybe experiencing some of the famous New England foliage. Would Salem be good for this? and B) my wife loves Halloween and given we are going to be there pretty close to the day itself I thought it might be a place she would really enjoy.

Any thoughts or tips on spending a day in Salem would be greatly appreciated. Also if anyone has any tips in general on must do's around Boston that we might have missed first time around we are all ears. We plan on staying in or around the Quincy market/Faneuil hall area as we found it a convenient location last time around for both getting to the garden for the game and just in general.

Salem will be a complete shitshow that weekend. Legit circus. Not sure I’d recommend going. Earlier in October would be fine but Halloween weekend is absolutely insane

 

[jgatie]

Salem is great anytime except around Halloween. There is much more to see and experience in Salem than the witch stuff, starting with the Peabody Essex Museum.

But if your wife is into touristy, shticky, crowded masses of humanity, some (much) stranger than others, then give it a go.

 

[talkinaway]

Please respond to him first.

The Fenway Park tour was pretty awesome yesterday. I managed to get a baseball during a fan bp practice, although I had to run to the far left field stands to grab the foul ball while one of the assistants phoned in security. A kid from Philly followed suit to grab the second foul ball. It's a wonderful stadium worth visiting.

My sole question is: Museum Tour or Arena Tour at TD Garden? We're undecided as to which tour to take. We're mostly hockey fans.

Note: Take this with a grain of salt, as I've never done either of these tours. But I have been in many of the areas covered: The south half of Level 9 (aka "high above the ice"), the Club area behind 5 and 6, behind the z̶a̶m̶b̶o̶n̶i̶ ice resrufacer doors, and on the parquet/ice level. IIRC, got to sneak a peek at the locker rooms during the new Garden's 20th anniversary, but we didn't get to go inside.

If you're absolutely never, ever coming back to Boston or TD Garden ever again, and only had to do one...I'd lean towards the Museum Tour. It seems less nuts-and-bolts of "how an arena runs", and seems to give more of the history of Boston sports. You'll get everything - basketball, hockey, college, etc. I think there's even a few concert artifacts on 5-6, but I could be wrong. Pretty sure they have some old seats from the original Garden, too.

If you told me you were coming back in October, and already had a $150 ticket to a suite "fan box" seat on Level 6 against the Flyers, I'd say Arena Tour. You probably can see most of the stuff on levels 5/6 with a suite or a club seat by just wandering around the concourse, although you don't get a guide. This way, you'd get the best of both worlds, by being able to see the ice resurfacer, locker rooms, etc. Also, naturally, these tours only run in the summer, so if you're coming back and want to do another tour, it's harder to schedule this one.