Boston Guide

August 8, 2018 Smita Jacob

I'm always asked to share my favorite restaurants and things to do in Boston, so I thought I'd post a quick guide in case you're ever visiting Boston over a weekend.

Boston is an incredibly walkable city, and I find that you get to enjoy the hidden gems a lot better on foot. If you can't avoid taking the T, the Red line runs more smoothly than the Green line.

My favorite season in Boston is autumn, but I must admit that it looks beautiful during all the seasons. If you visit in the spring, you have to time it precisely when the cherry blossoms and magnolias are blooming. In the summer, you have access to all of the best outdoor activities, beaches and sports (baseball at Fenway). In the winter, it can be lovely post-snow storm, especially if the streets are shut down due to the amount of snow, but otherwise commuting can be a pain.

*please note that this post is not sponsored*

North End: my favorite part of Boston, and is great for the lively ambiance and food

Transit:

Haymarket T, ORANGE Line

Pauli's - has my favorite sandwich: the "Pauli-tician" with fries! I also enjoy the warm lobster roll (blog post)
Parzialie's for a square slice of pizza - it's $1.60, can't beat that price, and I prefer this pizza over Umberto's which is near by.
Cafe dello Sport - for coffee - order a "Half and half"
Giacomo's - great dinner but it's always packed with a line up
Strega and Nico are both very good options for dinner in the North End.
La Summa is a new favorite, for fresh home made pasta - get the eggplant, the chicken and sausage pasta, and the homemade sausage, also the artichoke appitzer
Mike's Pastry, I'm not a fan of cannoli's but if you are, so far those who have gone have loved the cannoli's
Modern Pastry, less of a line up and the cannoli's are just as good, if not better
Old North Church, worth the visit for the historical significance of this church

Beacon Hill: definitely a must-see for the picturesque brownstones and cobblestone Acorn street

Transit:

Charles/MGH T, RED Line

Visit Acorn St. the oldest and most photographed street in AMERICA!
Tatte Bakery - several locations but Charles St. is the one on Beacon Hill - always a line up - get the chocolate ROSES, croissants are also good ad coffee is excellent. The orange juice and lemonades are also good
The Rouvalis Flower shop is a prominent fixture on Beacon Hill, and is the perfect background for photographers.

Boston Common / Boston Public Garden:

Transit:

Charles/ MGH, RED Subway Line
Park Street, GREEN Light Rail /RED Subway Line
Arlington, GREEN Light Rail Line

If you walk down Charles St. (on Beacon Hill) you end up at the garden. Beautiful to walk through
Boston Common has this carousel I used in this shoot
Boston Public Garden is famous for the "Make Way for Duckings" Sculpture and the swans in the pond
Stop by CHEERS, just outside of Boston Public Garden, on Beacon Street - for a beer!

Back Bay / Newbury Street / Copley Square

Transit:

Copley, GREEN Light Rail Line
Arlington, GREEN Light Rail Line
Back Bay, ORANGE Subway Line

Newbury Street is known of it's fancy shopping (Valentino, Armani, DVF), art galleries, but there is also an H&M, Victoria Secret, Anthropologie, Nike)
Boston Public Library: the main library hall and courtyard are beautiful
Flour bakery -lunch time fare like sandwiches
Sweetgreen - there are 2 locations in this area - a great lunch time healthy option, but gets very busy so you can use the app to order beforehand and the pick up (*Shamless plug* the Sweetgreen at Prudential Mall also has my photograph hanging up in it!)
Top of the Hub - surprisingly good food and great sunset view of Boston but you can just go and have a drink up there
L'espalier - fancy french cuisine
Georgetown Cupcake, famous cupcakes, that are good, but not amazing (will do in a pinch if you're feeling like a cupcake!)
LA Burdicks - coffee/chocolate shop, the hot chocolate here is literally a cup of chocolate - very sweet
Take a walk down Commonwealth Avenue and Marlborough Street

Harvard Square:

Transit:

Harvard, RED Subway Line

Harvard Yard: the statue of John Harvard and the general campus
Harvard bookstore for souvenirs
Maharaja Indian buffet
LA Burdicks - coffee/chocolate shop
Border Cafe - mexican food
Alden and Harlow - higher end, farm to table
Tatte Bakery, very popular option
Sweetgreen
If you didn't make it to the North End for cannoli's you get a second chance at Mike's Pastry
Harvard Art Museums

Downtown Crossing / Chinatown:

Transit:

Park Street, GREEN Light Rail /RED Subway Line
Downtown Crossing, ORANGE Subway Line

Ogawa Cafe
Boston Ballet
Caffe Nero (two locations)
Brattle Street Book shop
Chinatown - Gourmet Dumpling House
Shopping: there's a Macy's, DSW, TJ Maxx, Marshall's, so it's great for shopping, but be careful in this area as it's still not the safest neighborhood!

Other things to do:

Fenway Park

Museum of Fine Arts

Lia Cirio photographed at the Museum of Fine Arts

Brett Fukuda photographed at the Museum of Fine Arts, Japanese Garden

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum - has a beautiful courtyard
Union Square donuts
BBQ International - for indian food - it's a hole in the wall but very good
Charlestown/ Bunker Hill Monument - you can climb up the steps of the monument for a view of the city
Charlestown: is also the site to visit the USS Constitution ship https://www.nps.gov/bost/planyourvisit/hours.htm
Charlestown, you can take the water taxi to downtown Boston from Charlestown
Quincy Market/Fanueil Hall - very touristy and extremely busy
Duck Tour - this will give you a nice overview of the history and sites in Boston - departs from the Museum of Science http://www.bostonducktours.com
Freedom trail - it goes around the city, great for a walking tour

Outside of Boston:

Provincetown- the tip of Cape Cod is a fun place to explore.

Ferry Martha’s Vineyard and or Nantucket

Rockport MA (north of Boston) has the best lobster rolls in my opinion- from Roy Moore’s. There’s both a small take away and also a full dining restaurant.