If you come in early on Friday or want to do a little sight seeing on Saturday morning before the wedding, here are some suggestions.
BOSTON
Take a Duck Tour of the city aboard an authentic, renovated World War II amphibious landing vehicle. The tour lasts about an hour and 20 minutes and takes you past Boston land marks like the State House, Bunker Hill and the Boston Garden, Boston Common and Copley Square, the Big Dig, Government Center, Newbury Street, Quincy Market, the Prudential Tower, and more. At the end of the tour the duck boat actually hits the water and takes you on a mini cruise down the Charles River. It’s a great way to see a lot of Boston in a short amount of time but the tours do sell out so it’s a good idea to book one on-line up to 5 days before you come.
For those who like to walk, the Freedom Trail is another great way to see historic Boston landmarks. The Freedom Trail is a 2.5 mile red brick or red painted line that travels through Beacon Hill, downtown Boston, the North End and Charlestown. The sites included on the trail are: The State House, Park Street Church, King’s Chapel, Old South Meeting House, The Old State House/The Bostonian Society, Faneuil Hall, The Paul Revere House, Old North Church, USS Constitution, USS Constitution Museum, Bunker Hill Monument
Other suggestions:
Shopping on Charles St. and Newbury St. with a detour through the Boston Public Garden
Take the red line “T “ inbound (3 stops from Harvard Square or 2 stops from Central Square) to the Charles/MGH stop. Exit the T, cross the street and turn right to go down to the riverbank and walk along the Esplanade. Or exit and continue straight down Charles Street to check out Beacon Hill’s cute shops and restaurants. There is a great breakfast/lunch spot called The Paramount on Charles Street (make sure you follow the restaurant policy of waiting to get your table until after you have passed through the food line or you will be scolded by locals). Also worth checking out on Charles Street are, The Upper Crust (gourmet pizza), Wish (clothing boutique) and the Flat of the Hill (preppy gifts and accessories). If you’re thirsty you can stop at Erin’s favorite dive bar, The Beacon Hill Pub or get a beer and a sandwich at The Sevens. Continue down Charles Street until you come to the Boston Common. Cross the street and head to your right across the beautiful Boston Public Garden where you can check out the famous swan boats. Walk across the bridge and exit the park onto Newbury Street. Stroll down Newbury Street and check out its famous art galleries, fancy shops and out door cafes.
If you want to take a walking tour of Beacon hill, here is a helpful link: http://www.beaconhillonline.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?cid=21
Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market and the North End
Take the red line “T” inbound (4 stops from Harvard Square or 3 stops from Central Square) to Park Street and switch to the green line. Take the green line 1 stop to Government Center. When you exit the T, turn right and (keeping the enormous concrete Boston City Hall on your left) head down the stairs towards Faneuil Hall, and Quincy Market. If you get hungry and you’re looking for some excellent clam chowder, check out the famous Union Oyster House. Then head over to the North End (Boston’s little Italy) and down Hanover Street to see Old North Church and Paul Revere’s house. Stop for a canoli at Mike’s Pastry or some great Italian food at Giacomo’s.
CAMBRIDGE
If you prefer to stay around Cambridge, here are some things to see and do in and around Harvard Square:
Stop by the Harvard University Events & Information Center in the arcade of the Holyoke building at 1350 Mass. Ave. (right in the middle of Harvard Square next to the Au Bon Pain). They have maps and guide books and on Saturday you can take a free guided tour of Harvard, which leaves the Events & Information Center at 2 pm.
You might also want to visit some of Harvard’s museums:
Harvard Musuem of Natural History at 26 Oxford Street.
Peabody Museum of Archeology and Ethnology located at 11 Divinity Ave.
Or Harvard's Art Museums, the Busch-Reisinger Museum, the Fogg Art Museum, and the Arthur M. Sackler Museum their addresses are on their web site.
General Museum Information
Hours: Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sunday 1-5 p.m.
Admission rates: Adults $6.50, Senior Citizens $5, Students $5
Free admission: Saturdays, 10 a.m.-noon, and every day after 4:30 p.m. Free with a Harvard ID and to children under 18.
Information: (617) 495-9400
Web Page Address: www.artmuseums.harvard.edu
Harvard has an excellent web site (http://www.news.harvard.edu/guide/) with additional information on things to do at Harvard as well as history about the university and the area.
For the shoppers:
The Harvard Coop – Harvard University Book store where you can load up on books as well as T-shirts, mugs and all things Harvard
Jasmine Sola - clothing boutique (and Jasmine Shoes)
The Tannery -shoes and jeans
For the younger folks:
Bead Works – stop by and make a bead necklace or bracelet
Hidden Sweets – for hidden sweets
Where to eat in Harvard Square:
Breakfast/Brunch:
The Greenhouse Café – Good classic diner-type food but it’s pretty popular so you may have to wait in line.
Henrietta’s Table in the Charles Hotel – Excellent but pricey brunch complete with pastries, various types of seafood and an omelet station.
Starbucks – there is one in the Garage Mall and another one on Church Street
Lunch/Dinner:
Grafton Street Pub – restaurant and pub fare
Mr. Bartley’s Burgers – college student dive with excellent burgers
Cambride One – gourmet pizza
The Border Café – Mexican cuisine and margaritas
Veggie Planet – great for vegetarians and lovers of healthy and organic type foods
Pho Pasteur – inexpensive and yummy Vietnamese food
John Harvard’s – restaurant and brew pub
Grendel’s Den – local college hangout, sandwiches, beers and great happy hour menu
The Red House – gourmet, fancy pants lunch and dinner
Legal Sea Foods – behind the Charles Hotel, excellent Sea Food (the official clam chowder of The White House comes from Legal Seafoods)
Darwins – gourmet sandwiches
Dessert:
Finale – fancy cakes and pastries
Herrel’s Ice Cream – famous for their “smoosh-ins”
Toscanini – famous for their mini sundae
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