Boston Forum Secrets
Family Fun in Boston

Boston Forum Secrets

Boston – The Perfect Place for Your Forum Retreat!

Here is an “insider’s guide” to the BEST Boston has to offer! If you only have a few days, start with our “Top 10 List” and peruse our “must stays, must do’s and must eats” while in town.

The Boston Top 10 List

• Enjoy a sporting event. Choose from our championship teams— Red Sox, Patriots, Celtics, Bruins, N.E. Revolution, Boston College and more! If you’re visiting the TD Banknorth Garden, have dinner in the North End at Prezza or Mama Maria, and walk over to the Garden. If you’re visiting Fenway Park, stop for great cocktails and seafood at Great Bay at the Commonwealth Hotel, funky bistro food at Eastern Standard or just drinks at the Foundation lounge. Or you can save your appetite for Fenway Franks. If you go out to Gillette Stadium, tail-gaiting is the way to go. Need tickets? Visit Ace tickets at www.aceticket.com.
• Eat Boston’s best seafood at one of many great restaurants, including Legal Sea foods, Kingfish Hall, The Barking Crab, Woodman’s, Great Bay, Locke-Obers, Clio, Union Oyster House and more.
• Walk the Freedom Trail and experience Boston’s unique history. See Faneuil Hall, Paul Revere’s house, the Boston Common, State House, Bunker Hill Monument, USS Constitution and more. If you don’t feel like walking, get on a Duck Boat outside the Prudential Center or at the Museum of Science and experience true Boston hospitality.
• Visit the Kennedy Library. It not only offers the best history on the Kennedy family, but it is one of the best views of Boston Harbor and the city. What’s more, it’s an architectural winner by I.M. Pei.
• In the mood to shop? Newbury Street is a great place to start. It runs from Arlington Street to Mass Ave. (If you are from the area, you know that these streets go in alphabetical order – Arlington, Berkeley, Clarendon, Exeter, Fairfield, Gloucester, Hereford, and then it ends at Mass Ave.) It’s a great place to stroll and buy from unique, smaller boutiques. When you’re done shopping, eat on the sidewalk at one of the many great cafes. Two favorites are Sonsie and Stephanie’s. If you’re looking for something a bit quieter, walk over to Beacon Hill and check out Charles Street, or go to the South End and walk on Columbus, Tremont or Washington Streets and the smaller surrounding streets. They have great antiques, trendy clothing and hip, home stores. If you’re into souvenirs and tee-shirts, head over to Quincy Market!
• Include Cambridge in your plans. Visit Kendall and Harvard Squares, and check out MIT, The Stata Center, MIT Museum, Harvard Yard, Harvard Business School and the many life sciences and tech companies along the way. For great burgers, try Bartley’s Burgers in Harvard Square. For killer drinks, visit OM and enjoy dinner at Upstairs on the Square or Rialto in the Charles Hotel.
• If you’re a museum connoisseur, Boston has a ton of great options. For the best in innovative contemporary art, go to the new ICA ( Institute of Contemporary Art) on Boston’s waterfront. If you’re into robotics, visit the Museum of Science. For art, you can’t go wrong with Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts. If you’re into maps, there’s the Christian Science Monitor’s Mapparium. Finally, if you like prehistoric animals, a must-see is the Harvard Museum of Natural History.
• If you’re a water lover, head out on a whale-watching excursion in Boston Harbor, go sailing, kayaking or rowing on the Charles River, or if you have time, head down to Newport and sail the America’s Cup boats. If the view of the water attracts you, have food and drinks at Tavern on the Water in Charlestown or at the Boston Harbor Hotel on Rowes Wharf.
• For the “foodies” of the world, Boston has some of the most famous and innovative restaurants and chefs. Some of our favorite places to eat include: Radius (great modern food from Chef Michael Shlow), Clio or Toro (Chef Ken Orringer’s contemporary French American and Tapas restaurants), Prezza (Italian and not traditional!), Blue Ginger (Ming Tsai’s Asian Fusion), Rialto (Jody Adams superb modern American), Oishii (Japanese that rivals Nobu), Mistral and Sorrelina. And then there is the South End, which has many great eateries, such as Stella, Rocca, Union, Sage, Sibling Rivalry, 28 Degrees for drinks and small plates, Hammersley’s, Icarus and Metropolis. Dessert is a must at Finale, one of EO Boston’s own!
• If music is on tap, head over to the Beehive. It’s in the South End and is owned by a former EOer. It has some of the best jazz, drinks and food in town. Other great options are the Regatta Bar at the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square and, for the hardcore Jazz lovers, there’s Wally’s.

Staying in Boston

Over the past several years, Boston has seen the growth of boutique hotels with superb accommodations, services and locations. The best boutique hotels include:

The Liberty Hotel
Nine Zero
XV Beacon
Boston Harbor Hotel
Jury’s
Onyx
Hotel Commonwealth
Intercontinental Hotel
Charles Hotel

Walking in Boston

Boston is a walking city. You can easily walk all of Boston in a day. Depending on what hotel you are staying in, you can start your tour from anywhere in the city. A central location to get maps, your bearings and have central access is at ParkStreet Station on the Boston Common. You can reach it by taking Boston’s subway system, known as The T or MBTA. If it’s a historic walking tour you’re looking for, you can follow the red bricks on the ground and walk the famous Freedom Trail. This will take you to most of Boston’s historic locations— from Faneuil Hall to Paul Revere’s house to the Old North Church and USS Constitution.

Boston is broken into several neighborhoods, including North End, South End, Back Bay, Kenmore Square/Fenway, Charlestown, Beacon Hill, Financial District/Waterfront, Seaport, Cambridge and others. Each area has a distinct feel and a highlight reel of great restaurants, bars, shops, history and more. Here is a brief overview of some of the unique aspects of each neighborhood:

North End – It’s the “Little Italy” of Boston. This region has wonderful ethnic food shops and bakeries, restaurants and great cappuccino. Get cannolis at Mike’s Pastry, and walk the winding streets. Located in the center of North End is Old North Church and Paul Revere’s house. On a summer weekend evening, you may encounter one of the many festivals taking place in the streets.

South End – The South End is host to eclectic townhouses, the coolest new restaurants, bars, art galleries and one-of-a-kind shops.

Back Bay – This is the center of Boston’s shopping, restaurants, parks and many of Boston’s major company headquarters. It includes the BPL (Boston Public Library), Boston Public Gardens, Trinity Church, Copley Place hotels and mall, the shops and restaurants on Newbury Street, Prudential Center and much more.

Kenmore Square/Fenway – It’s all about Fenway Park and the Red Sox! Well, maybe a bit of BU ( Boston University) as well. When it’s a game day, Fenway is full of Red Sox fans hanging out in the many bars, of which Eastern Standard is a great new addition. On a weekend night, it features Landsdowne Street, home of Boston’s largest dance clubs and Jillian’s. During the rest of the year, it’s home to Boston University students and folks who work in Boston’s major teaching hospitals and Harvard Medical School down the street on Longwood Avenue.

Beacon Hill – It’s one of Boston’s oldest and upscale neighborhoods. With the likes of John Kerry, the Kennedy, and Jack Welch as residents, it’s winding river-stone streets, iron-work fences and great antique stores are worth a visit. The Massachusetts State House is prominently featured at the top of the hill and overlooks Boston Common.

Financial District and Seaport Waterfront – This area hosts Boston’s many banks, financial and investment institutions, as well the many law firms and professional services companies. The waterfront is an area that represents Boston’s future. The Seaport is booming with new structures that include office space, hotels, condos, restaurants and the Bank of America Pavillion, an outdoor music venue.

Charlestown – This area hosts many of historic sites on the Freedom Trail. It blends the old and new with the Charlestown Navy Yard— from condos to offices to the home of the USS Constitution warship, “Old Ironsides.“ Charlestown was actually settled by the English before Boston, so it has many river-stone and cobble-stone streets, and includes the Bunker Hill Monument commemorating a famous battle of the Revolutionary War. If you have a chance to eat there, it hosts Olives and Todd English’s first, and original, restaurant.

Cambridge – Well, they call Cambridge “the People’s Republic of Cambridge.” It is home to the world’s most famous universities: Harvard and MIT. In its mere 6.25 miles, it has more life sciences, technology and energy companies than anywhere else in the world. It also has several squares, including Harvard, Kendall, Central, Inman and Porter. It’s bordered by the Charles River and has miles of public walking trails, boating, eclectic shops, restaurants and street performers. It’s worth the trip “over the river!”

Web Sites

There are some great Web sites that will help you learn more about Boston and let you know about all of the current events.

www.boston.com
www.newbury-st.com/Boston
www.boston.citysearch.com
www.thefreedomtrail.org
www.cambridgerestaurants.com
www.opentable.com
www.bostonusa.com

Restaurants by Neighborhood

North End

• Prezza
• Mama Maria
• Marco
• Bricco
• Lucca
• TerraMia
• Tresca

South End

• Hammersley’s Bistro
• Sibling Rivalry
• Oishii
• Rocca
• Stella
• Union Bar and Grille
• Gaslight
• Metropolis
• Tremont 647
• 28 Degrees
• Icarus
• Toro
• Sage
• Mistral
• Beehive

Back Bay

• Avila
• Pigalle
• Via Matta
• Excelsior
• Sorrelina
• Clio
• Capital Grille
• Grill 23
• Davios
• Smith & Wollensky
• The Palm
• Rustic Kitchen
• L’espalier
• Bouchee
• La Voile
• Stephanie’s
• Vox Populi
• Abe & Louis
• Finale

Kenmore Square/Fenway

• Great Bay
• Eastern Standard
• Boston Beer Works
• The Hong Kong
• Petit Robert Bistro
• Foundation Lounge

Beacon Hill

• Moo
• No. 9 Park
• Upper Crust Pizza
• Beacon Hill Bistro
• Hampshire House (Site of the Cheers Bar!)

Financial District and Seaport Waterfront

• Radius
• Lock-Ober
• Les Zygomates
• Sel De Terre
• LTK – Legal Test Kitchen
• Barking Crab
• Meritage at the Boston Harbor Hotel
• Morton’s

Charlestown

• Tangierino
• Olives
• Tavern on the Water

Cambridge

• Rialto
• Rendevous
• Blue Room
• Chez Henri
• OM
• Upstairs on the Square
• Legal Sea Foods
• The Harvest
• Redline
• East Coast Grill
• Oleana
• Henrietta’s Table
• Bartley’s Burgers

Family Fun in Boston

For kids and parents alike, Boston offers lots of places to learn and have fun! If you're looking for a museum, check out Boston Children’s Museum in South Boston, The Museum of Science on the Charles or The New England Aquarium on Boston Harbor. After touring The Museum of Science or The New England Aquarium, check out the movie at their IMAX theaters.

If it’s a beautiful day, spend your time touring Boston on a Duck Tour or take a Swan Boat through The Public Garden. The Public Garden and Boston Common are great spots for a family picnic. Boston Common is one of the oldest parks in the country. Afterward, head over to the Prudential Center and check out a breathtaking view of Boston from the Skywalk Observatory.

The Freedom Trail offers a great walking tour for families to see the sights and learn about Boston’s rich history. There is even a walk for younger ones through “Boston By Little Feet.” At night, the Theater District has some great shows for the whole family. Check out Shear Madnes, an audience-participation show, for some big laughs, or watch the Blue Man Group perform and be awed by their creativity, energy and humor.

For thrill-seekers, check out the Boston-based production company 5W!TS' new venue, TOMB. This interactive adventure takes groups through a pharaoh’s burial chamber and challenges you mentally and physically to find your way out. This adventure is best for kids who are 7+ years old. The production company is located in the Fenway area of Kendall Square. Afterward, take your time and tour around Fenway for some Boston Red Sox history. There's plenty of things to do as a family in Boston!

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