Author Topic: Looking to visit Boston maybe next month or February, any tips/places to visit?  (Read 12156 times)

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Offline Monkhouse

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Going to be traveling alone, (I prefer it that way anyways,) to visit Boston for maybe 3-5 days.

Also if anyone has any amazing ideas for where is a good place to stay that is in the center of everything, I'm planning on seeing at least a game or two for the Celtics. But I would also love to be able to travel and sight see. I currently don't drive due to a mistake I made 3 years ago. So my only option for transportation is public or uber/lyft.

Questions for you Bostonians:
1) How much is a good amount to save? Was thinking of $800-$1,000 total, but that's including the Air B n B + transportation costs too.
2) Looking for some recommendations, restaurants, and places to visit that isn't super touristy.
3) Best spot to stay at that's near TD garden.

Thanks a lot guys! Would love to maybe make a meet up/host something for all my fellow Celticsstrong members if people are interested!
« Last Edit: December 20, 2019, 11:44:19 AM by Monkhouse »
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Offline nickagneta

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Just going by what you are saying here, and don't know where you are traveling from but $800-1000 for 3-5 days to travel to and stay in the immediate Boston area and see a game seems mighty low.

Online W8ting2McHale

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Yeah, that seems a bit low for a budget.

I flew in from the west coast two summers ago to catch some Red Sox games at Fenway. I stayed at a brownstone in the Back Bay and walked to Fenway. The rest of the time I wandered around Beacon Hill and the North End. It was summer so the weather was nicer than in February, so I walked, no Uber or Lyft. Celtics tix are a lot more expensive than Red Sox tickets.

I didn’t do much in the way of tourism other than going to an art museum and finding the row of brass ducks in the park. Oh, and sitting next to the statue of Red in Faneuil Hall. I stopped at a couple of Irish pubs along the way and ate in local pizza and espresso shops when I needed to. I don’t know the names of any of them, I just found them wandering around the neighborhoods.

I spent almost $2000 for that trip and other than accommodations I was going as cheap as possible. 2 Red Sox games. 3 nights stay in Back Bay was almost $800 with tax. Plane ticket was $600 round trip. You might find someplace cheaper to stay further out, but then you have traffic to deal with. February might be lower rates than summer, but Boston might not be affected by seasonal rates like other cities.

Offline Ogaju

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there is this Hamburger joint in Harvard Square we loved it when we visited Boston a couple of years ago.

Online Roy H.

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Just going by what you are saying here, and don't know where you are traveling from but $800-1000 for 3-5 days to travel to and stay in the immediate Boston area and see a game seems mighty low.

Yeah, it’s easy to blow that on a weekend trip.  Overall, if you plan on eating / drinking out, Boston is a fairly expensive town.

I have always found that staying near Copley is pretty convenient. You can catch public transit to anywhere in the city, and there are good bars, restaurants, and shopping in the area.  It’s right on the green line, making it easy to catch a train to North station and TD Garden.



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Offline PAOBoston

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Budget seems a bit on the lighter side for 5 days. Decent for 3 days depending on your tastes.

I’d recommend Seaport/Fort Point area. Tons of places to eat and drink there now. It really depends on why your interests are really.

Offline Monkhouse

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I see, well then I'm probably going to have to save some more.

I didn't anticipate it being past $1,000 total, I was probably going to spend more time walking around Boston versus actually going out.

I was thinking of one game or maybe two, then use up remaining money left on either going out to eat, exploring the city, or stopping by a bar or two.

Are drinks/alcohol/food expensive in Boston? I would assume with the plethora of seafood choices available, it won't be cheap.

Is there any other recommendations/places I should stop by?

TP to all who replied.
"I bomb atomically, Socrates' philosophies and hypotheses
Can't define how I be dropping these mockeries."

Is the glass half-full or half-empty?
It's based on your perspective, quite simply
We're the same and we're not; know what I'm saying? Listen
Son, I ain't better than you, I just think different

Online bdm860

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I see, well then I'm probably going to have to save some more.

I didn't anticipate it being past $1,000 total, I was probably going to spend more time walking around Boston versus actually going out.

I was thinking of one game or maybe two, then use up remaining money left on either going out to eat, exploring the city, or stopping by a bar or two.

Are drinks/alcohol/food expensive in Boston? I would assume with the plethora of seafood choices available, it won't be cheap.

Is there any other recommendations/places I should stop by?

TP to all who replied.

Depends on where you're coming from, but I think it can be done for $800 if you want a budget vacation.  Obviously sky's the limit if you want to splurge.


Your profile says nothern VA, so I'm guessing you're flying out of DC?  If so, DC to Boston is super cheap. $150 for the flight. 

Airbnb could be <$50 per night if you stay outside the city or $100 per night if you stay downtown.  So let's say anywhere from $120 to $500.

Travel around town, you can get a weekly subway pass for $21.25 or pay $2.75 per trip.   So you can probably get around town for anywhere from $20 to $150 (if we do a few subway rides and maybe 4-6 Ubers including getting from/to airport in Boston, hopefully you have somebody to drop you off/pick you up in DC for further savings).

For the C's, if you're okay just being in the building and don't care where you sit or who they're playing, you can do that for <$50 per game against a sucky team if your okay waiting to buy tickets.  I currently count 21 listings that will sell a single ticket for less than $50 (including fees) for tonight's game against Detroit on StubHub.  On the flip side, if you want decent seats, against a good opponent, and want to make sure you  have a ticket secured before your trip, then maybe you're looking at $200+.  Looking at the schedule, I see a few of pockets of home games against crappy teams that if you schedule your trip around, you could get 2 C's games in for very cheap if you buy day of (1/11 Pels and 1/13 Bulls and 1/15 Pistons, or 2/5 Magic and 2/7 Hawks.  On the cheap side you could budget $75 per game (including money for food/drink).

Then there's meals.  I don't drink and can survive eating cheap, but if you want some drinks/nicer meals, it can add up.  Mix-and-match cheap breakfast/lunch + nice dinner/drinks.  You can do <$10-$50+ per meal.  Personally, I'd budget $25 per * 9 to 15 meals.  Let's say $200-$400.

Then there's activities.  You can do all free/cheap stuff (Freedom Trail, Quincy Market, Harvard Square, some museums etc.) or you can do stuff that costs money (duck tours, other museums).  Realistically this could be $0-$50 per activity.  All depends on what you want to do.

My budget trip summary:
$150 - flight
$120 - 3 nights non-downtown AirBnB
$150 - travel around town
$150 - 2 C's games against crappy opponents (including food/drinks)
$200 - for meals
$80 - activities

That's $850.  Might be tight, but it's doable.  Eat cheap, walk or ride the subway everywhere, only go to 1 C's game, and do nothing else but free activities and it can get even cheaper.

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Offline nickagneta

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Pray for good weather. February and walking around downtown Boston usually don't mix well. It is the coldest and snowiest time of the year.

Downtown, lunch and dinner plus 3-4 beers a day could go $75-100 a day.

Even bad tickets to the game will run about $100. Food and drinks inside are ridiculously expensive.

As for places to go

Fanuel Hall Marketplace, Seaport area, Newbury St. are all great places to find a good place to eat and drink. If it's really cold, the Museum of Science is a great take for a few hours. Head to the top of the Prudential on a good weather day to take in Boston from up high. Copley Place is nice for shopping but can be expensive but a nice place to buy some Boston touristy stuff. An MBTA ride to Harvard Square would find you a bunch of places to hang with a younger crowd and there is some great food places there.


Offline Monkhouse

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Pray for good weather. February and walking around downtown Boston usually don't mix well. It is the coldest and snowiest time of the year.

Downtown, lunch and dinner plus 3-4 beers a day could go $75-100 a day.

Even bad tickets to the game will run about $100. Food and drinks inside are ridiculously expensive.

As for places to go

Fanuel Hall Marketplace, Seaport area, Newbury St. are all great places to find a good place to eat and drink. If it's really cold, the Museum of Science is a great take for a few hours. Head to the top of the Prudential on a good weather day to take in Boston from up high. Copley Place is nice for shopping but can be expensive but a nice place to buy some Boston touristy stuff. An MBTA ride to Harvard Square would find you a bunch of places to hang with a younger crowd and there is some great food places there.


I see, well then I'm probably going to have to save some more.

I didn't anticipate it being past $1,000 total, I was probably going to spend more time walking around Boston versus actually going out.

I was thinking of one game or maybe two, then use up remaining money left on either going out to eat, exploring the city, or stopping by a bar or two.

Are drinks/alcohol/food expensive in Boston? I would assume with the plethora of seafood choices available, it won't be cheap.

Is there any other recommendations/places I should stop by?

TP to all who replied.

Depends on where you're coming from, but I think it can be done for $800 if you want a budget vacation.  Obviously sky's the limit if you want to splurge.


Your profile says nothern VA, so I'm guessing you're flying out of DC?  If so, DC to Boston is super cheap. $150 for the flight. 

Airbnb could be <$50 per night if you stay outside the city or $100 per night if you stay downtown.  So let's say anywhere from $120 to $500.

Travel around town, you can get a weekly subway pass for $21.25 or pay $2.75 per trip.   So you can probably get around town for anywhere from $20 to $150 (if we do a few subway rides and maybe 4-6 Ubers including getting from/to airport in Boston, hopefully you have somebody to drop you off/pick you up in DC for further savings).

For the C's, if you're okay just being in the building and don't care where you sit or who they're playing, you can do that for <$50 per game against a sucky team if your okay waiting to buy tickets.  I currently count 21 listings that will sell a single ticket for less than $50 (including fees) for tonight's game against Detroit on StubHub.  On the flip side, if you want decent seats, against a good opponent, and want to make sure you  have a ticket secured before your trip, then maybe you're looking at $200+.  Looking at the schedule, I see a few of pockets of home games against crappy teams that if you schedule your trip around, you could get 2 C's games in for very cheap if you buy day of (1/11 Pels and 1/13 Bulls and 1/15 Pistons, or 2/5 Magic and 2/7 Hawks.  On the cheap side you could budget $75 per game (including money for food/drink).

Then there's meals.  I don't drink and can survive eating cheap, but if you want some drinks/nicer meals, it can add up.  Mix-and-match cheap breakfast/lunch + nice dinner/drinks.  You can do <$10-$50+ per meal.  Personally, I'd budget $25 per * 9 to 15 meals.  Let's say $200-$400.

Then there's activities.  You can do all free/cheap stuff (Freedom Trail, Quincy Market, Harvard Square, some museums etc.) or you can do stuff that costs money (duck tours, other museums).  Realistically this could be $0-$50 per activity.  All depends on what you want to do.

My budget trip summary:
$150 - flight
$120 - 3 nights non-downtown AirBnB
$150 - travel around town
$150 - 2 C's games against crappy opponents (including food/drinks)
$200 - for meals
$80 - activities

That's $850.  Might be tight, but it's doable.  Eat cheap, walk or ride the subway everywhere, only go to 1 C's game, and do nothing else but free activities and it can get even cheaper.

Thanks alot.

I may re-consider, and go around after the end of my school semester like April or May?

I'll read these all when I get a chance, thanks a lot.
"I bomb atomically, Socrates' philosophies and hypotheses
Can't define how I be dropping these mockeries."

Is the glass half-full or half-empty?
It's based on your perspective, quite simply
We're the same and we're not; know what I'm saying? Listen
Son, I ain't better than you, I just think different

Offline gpap

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I HATE winters in New England, so I'd maybe hold off 'til March or early April (the advantage of the season ending late.)

For one good seat to the Garden, you're probably looking anywhere from $100-$200 (and that's not including the REALLY nice seats.)

The concessions at the Garden are expensive (as you would expect.) I would say about $25-$30 for a beer and some food (steak sandwich, the carvery where they make roast beef sandwiches) Cheaper if you go with ball-park food like nachos or a hot dog.

For restaurants nearby, there's Tasty Burger right near the Garden which is more affordable. For a higher quality restaurant, I recommend either the Fours or Boston Sports Grille on Canal St. (the line gets long at the Fours, Sports Grille isn't as bad.) They're both about a 5 minute walk from the Garden

For dinner, expect to pay about $25-$30 (including tip and tax) per person. Hope this helps.

Offline gpap

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Pray for good weather. February and walking around downtown Boston usually don't mix well. It is the coldest and snowiest time of the year.

Downtown, lunch and dinner plus 3-4 beers a day could go $75-100 a day.

Even bad tickets to the game will run about $100. Food and drinks inside are ridiculously expensive.

As for places to go

Fanuel Hall Marketplace, Seaport area, Newbury St. are all great places to find a good place to eat and drink. If it's really cold, the Museum of Science is a great take for a few hours. Head to the top of the Prudential on a good weather day to take in Boston from up high. Copley Place is nice for shopping but can be expensive but a nice place to buy some Boston touristy stuff. An MBTA ride to Harvard Square would find you a bunch of places to hang with a younger crowd and there is some great food places there.

I keep telling myself every winter that eventually I'm going to move to a city with warmer winters and milder temperatures.

Offline Monkhouse

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Well I'm originally from NY, so while I know Boston can be extremely excruciatingly blistering cold, I'm usually very used to frigid climates.
"I bomb atomically, Socrates' philosophies and hypotheses
Can't define how I be dropping these mockeries."

Is the glass half-full or half-empty?
It's based on your perspective, quite simply
We're the same and we're not; know what I'm saying? Listen
Son, I ain't better than you, I just think different

Offline gpap

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Well I'm originally from NY, so while I know Boston can be extremely excruciatingly blistering cold, I'm usually very used to frigid climates.

Oh okay, so you know the drill.

Offline jambr380

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bdm did a really great breakdown for a budget vacation, but it can be even better.

The T runs directly from the airport via the silver and blue lines and those link up to all of the other lines in the city. You can travel all over Boston for the whole week for just that $21.25.

Food can be a lot cheaper if you are satisfied with counter service restaurants. There are great sandwiches, burritos, burgers, etc to be had for under $10. If you want seafood, head to Faneuil Hall and you'll be a lot happier than going to a place like Legal Seafood for the price.

As far as drinking goes - if you don't mind being a little trashy - you can always chug a couple of beers before going into the game and bring a nip or two in your pocket. Food and drinks at sports games is about the biggest scam going and will kill your budget if you're not careful. Better to use extra funds for museums and entertainment.