I would love to visit Boston (Cambridge, Quincy: hotels, house, neighborhoods)

[redwine]

Alot of people say that Boston is very racist and everybody is rude. But I refuse to believe that. I have never been to Boston but to me it sounds so exiting and is the US most historical city. Next year myself and the rest of the family really want to visit. What are some things to do on a 2 day trip. I am very interested in the witch huntings during the 1600s and my husband really like to watch a baseball game at the historic stadium. What else is there to do? And can you sugest any cheap but disent hotels?

[brightdoglover]

I suggest you plan your trip around the day that you can get tickets for the baseball game- they can be hard to get, especially for certain teams.
Salem is where you'd get the witch history, tours, and so on. It's about an hour straight north drive from Boston. There's a pretty harbor area, rehabbed downtown, and nice walking after the witch tours. I suggest you contact the Salem, MA, Chamber of Commerce for info.
Can't help you with the hotels, sorry.
I am focused on Cambridge, right across the river from Boston. When I've gone downtown or to the ballpark (evenings) I drive to East Cambridge, where there is plenty of on-street parking after business hours, and then catch a taxi across the river to whatever evening activity or ballgame I'm going to. Works a lot better than trying to drive and park, believe me.
If you do that, there is a wonderful Afghanistan Restaurant called the Helmand in East Cambridge (reservations needed, because it's so popular). Like every place else in Cambridge, there's no concern about dressing up, although it is a pretty and nice place. (the prime minister of Afghanistan, Hamid Karzai's family owns the restaurant). The food is wonderful, fresh baked bread, lamb, eggplant, tasty and not very spicy, fireplaces going in the cold weather (as you watch the bread being baked). I park near there, eat, then get a taxi into Boston.
That's what I do with tourists. Have a great visit! (Oh, hotel should be to the north of Boston if you're going to go to Salem, not to the south).

[brightdoglover]

Add: There are neighborhoods of Boston with an old and nasty reputation for racism. Don't know how true it still is, but you aren't likely to have any reason to go to them in a fast two-day trip. (Hint- the exception being if you go to see the Bunker Hill Monument, but I don't think that's such an important thing in such a brief trip).

[TomDot]

Originally Posted by redwine

Alot of people say that Boston is very racist and everybody is rude. But I refuse to believe that. I have never been to Boston but to me it sounds so exiting and is the US most historical city. Next year myself and the rest of the family really want to visit. What are some things to do on a 2 day trip. I am very interested in the witch huntings during the 1600s and my husband really like to watch a baseball game at the historic stadium. What else is there to do? And can you sugest any cheap but disent hotels?

If you do not believe it then why would you start your post with this sentence?

[lrfox]

^maybe she was looking for reassurance? To put this in real summarization, the brunt of Boston's reputation of being a racist place came from several specific events in the 60s and 70s and some from a few neighborhoods that had issues with different immigrant and minority groups. In recent years, even the most ethnic neighborhoods in Boston have diversified a bit (some still maintain much of their character) and are now more blended and tolerant of other races. That's not to say racism doesn't exists, but it's no worse in Boston today than it is in any other comparably sized city. Much of the racism and grit you hear about exists today only in cinematic and literary form. Violence is mostly gang, drug related, and domestic violence, and if you EVER encounter racism, it will be from one crazy individual, not an entire neighborhood or city.

Boston is an exciting place and you would enjoy seeing it. For two days I would suggest seeing a Red Sox game (plan your trip accordingly), walking through the Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Financial District, China Town and the North End (do the "Freedom Trail") see Old Iron Sides (U.S.S. constitution), visit Faneuil Hall (along the Freedom Trail). I would eat at any of the following: Durgin Park, Union Oyster House (JFK's old favorite), Cheers, the Red Hat, or Dick's Last Resort (for an entertaining meal). You could also get some pretty authentic Chinese food in China Town and stop by an Italian Bakery on Hanover or Salem St. in the N. End.

Those are the tip of the iceberg tourist attractions and you'll need more than two days to see the best of the city (especially if you're going to throw in a trip to Salem). As far as cheap hotels go, you'll have a hard time finding them. You can look at some of the hotels in Revere and East Boston near the Airport which will be cheaper than a downtown hotel but have EASY access to the subway (Blue and Silver lines) so getting into the center of the city would be easy. I'd also check hotels on the South Boston Waterfront and around the Convention Center and the Bayside Expo. They tend to be a bit cheaper than downtown hotels and if you go on a weekend, you may be able to get a good deal (as they are predominantly business hotels). The South Boston Waterfront is in close proximity to the Silver Line and some are close enough to the Red Line so getting to the city center is easy.

[ogre]

I can't help with info on individual hotels, but one general suggestion would be to find a hotel in the suburbs a bit north of Boston. Suburban hotels are likely to be a little cheaper than those right in the city, and a hotel north of the city would put you within easy reach of both Boston and Salem.

Salem may take up a full day by itself, but if you leave really early you might be able to squeeze in a side trip to another location on the North Shore as well. If you found you had time for this, I would suggest either checking out the Maritime Heritage Center in Gloucester, for a look at coastal New England's fishing history (Gloucester Maritime Heritage Center - Essex National Heritage Area), or the town of Rockport, which is kind of touristy in the summertime, but is a picturesque coastal town with some small shops downtown, and the quaint feel that people often associate with traditional New England towns. In either Gloucester or Rockport you can get views of the classic rocky New England coastline.

No way you can scratch the surface of everything to do in the area in two days, but I second the earlier suggestions to center your schedule around the ball game, since the timing of which game you can get tickets for will determine the day you want to be in the city of Boston proper, and the suggestion to walk the Freedom Trail, which connects to a number of Revolutionary War historical sites (Old North Church and Paul Revere's house, for example). With more time, you could check out some of these sites in greater detail, but the Freedom Trail should give a good overview: The Freedom Trail Foundation.

Two other walking tours close to downtown are the Black Heritage Trail (Museum of African American History, Boston - Black Heritage Trail Introduction), and the Harborwalk (The Boston Harborwalk). Since you expressed an interest in history, I'd suggest the Freedom Trail first, as the walk that hits a lot of the sites involving early American history, and then if there is time, try the Black Heritage Trail. The BHT is oriented toward pre-Civil War and Civil War history, while the Harborwalk is longer--too long to do all at once--and is more geared toward nice views of the water than history. Another good sight to check out during the day in Boston would be Old Ironsides.

Tough one here, since there is way more to do than you can do in two days. There are museums, harbor cruises, whale-watching trips, etc., in addition to the history, but since you expressed an interest in the historical sites in particular, I'd especially suggest that you check out as many of the above history venues as time will allow.

[lrfox]

I agree with everything Ogre said. I forgot to mention, that aside from Ogre's good suggestion of looking at a suburban hotel on the N. Shore, looking on the South Shore (particularly in Braintree and Quincy) and West of Boston would be smart too. You could make sure it's on a subway line (view a subway map at MBTA.com > Official Website for Greater Boston's Public Transportation System ) or commuter rail line (mbta.com again) and you could easily get in and out of the city. Hotels just outside the city would be cheaper than ones in town.

[redwine]

Originally Posted by TomDot

If you do not believe it then why would you start your post with this sentence?

No matter what
one say it's just never right

[ogre]

Don't worry about it, Redwine. Someone's always going to be critical no matter what you say. I hope you've gotten some good info here. Enjoy your trip.

Re, hotels in the suburbs, they're probably cheaper in general than the city hotels, no matter which suburban region. I specifically suggested 'burbs to the north since the OP wants to visit Salem, so something between Salem and Boston would be especially convenient.

Anyway, once again, enjoy your trip. And maybe drop back in next summer and let us know how you liked the area.

[KarynO]

Captain Jacks is a quaint waterfront inn in Swampscott which close to Salem and a pretty quick trip into Boston. The Hawthorne Hotel is popular in Salem and sits on the Salem Common. If you're over that way you might want to visit Old Town Marblehead if you like the historic vibe. You can also take a schooner ride out of Salem Harbor...(Pickering Wharf), this is where Laurie Cabot, the official witch of Salem has a shop...you might want to make it three days.