Hi all, We will be staying in the Back Bay area of Boston in July. What are the "must sees"? We are planning to take in a Sox game. What about the waterfront? Any suggestions? Restaurants? Thanks.

The North End has plenty of Italian from which to choose; I like Pagliuca's Ristorante at 14 Parmenter Street off Hanover Street. Small and family oriented, kinda old fashioned, not upscale - but there's plenty of others that are. Mike's or Modern Pastry are "musts" for dessert, though. A walk around this area will make your decision more difficult - there's so many eating establishments.


The No Name Restaurant, out on the Fish Pier in the harbor, is great for casual seafood and plenty of it.

Great views of downtown (at night) in the Bay Tower Room on State Street for continental dining - expensive, but you're paying for the view. Not far to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market, where all the tiny shops, produce vendors, seafood vendors, boutiques, casual restaurants and other shopping are housed to two parallel buildings surrounded by cobbled walkways, park like settings and pubs, etc.. Colorful might describe this part of town best.

Ruth's Chris Steakhouse on School Street, if you're looking for beef - another area that's a short walk over to Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market areas.

Union Oyster House (claims to be the oldest restaurant in the US) has terrific selections on Union Street...again, not inexpensive, but steeped in history and old charm surroundings. This is also close to the Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall area.

The Boston Harbor Walk is beautiful. Do you have an iPod? You can download free audio tours here.

Also, if you have good weather, I think one of the absolute best things to do in Boston is to visit the Harbor islands. The islands are part of the national park system. Catch the ferry from Long Wharf, and get spectacular water views of the Boston skyline as you sail out to Georges Island. You can then get inexpensive water taxi service to other islands in the group.

This page from the National Park Service website gives you more info about each of the islands.

- Roz

Boston is very walkable, and if the weather ever improves, your location in Back Bay is a great one.

Fig's on Charles street is good for fancy pizza, salads and pasta.

Newbury street is great for window shopping and there are many sidewalk restaurants and cafes (just walk through the Public Gardens and take a right). Just pick one that looks good and crowded and enjoy.

If you are along the waterfront, you can even walk from the North End over a bridge to the USS Constitution in the Charlestown Navy Yards.

They have a lot of concerts and plays in Boston Common in the summer. There should be banners with schedules if you want to play it by ear, or I'm sure there's a parks and recreation Web site.

The subway is also not too hard to figure out if you want to venture out to Cambridge or even further afield.

Enjoy!

quote:

if the weather ever improves

Let's hope that the forecast for the Fourth is right, and that things will soon get better. I feel like I'm about to turn into a mushroom. We have had almost nothing but clouds and rain here for a month. I can't believe that I am shivering in a fleece jacket on the 2nd of July!

By the way, I have found some pretty good restaurant recommendations on this website:
Hidden Boston.

- Roz

If you have a bad day of weather, another option is the JFK Library/Museum. I really enjoyed my visit there last summer.

We just returned from Boston and had a great lunch in Quincy Market at Kingfish Hall restaurant; the lobster rolls and homemade potato chips were wonderful!