Weekend in Boston

I'm getting ready to pick up a load in New Haven headed for Boston. I can't deliver until Monday, which means I have a whole weekend in Boston with nothing to do. Normally when I'm in that area I don't have that much time on my hands, but now it looks like I'll have Saturday and Sunday.

Ok, I know we have at least one person living there, so all suggestions are welcome. The only thing I have definitely planned is a visit to the Constitution, after that all bets are off. There aren't any Sox tickets available, unless I go through a broker or scalper, and I don't know if that option would be within my budget. I am open to any other suggestions, places I can idle without being hassled, nice parks without paranoid parents, public picnic areas with grills, historic sites that might be of interest, etc. Post here or shoot me a PM. Thanks in advance.

Well if you want to see a game you could stop in RI on the way up. Pawtucket is hosting Buffalo this weekend and the Pawsox site is showing GA tickets available both Saturday and sunday. Goddard Park in East Greenwich/ Warwick RI has lots of grilling sites.

The Freedom Trail through downtown Boston is an interesting walk. IIRC, it starts at Boston Common (gorgeous downtown park) and ends at the Constitution.

http://www.thefreedomtrail.org/

The Museum of Science, Computer Museum, and Museum of Fine Arts are awesome.

So, a weekend in New England, huh.

Just make sure the time there takes you away; to long, rocky beaches and you by the bay.

As much as I enjoy being a tourist in Boston, I get white knuckles just thinking about driving a rig in that town. I have no clue where you can idle without being hassled. Ask the truckers, but I imagine somewhere in the Western suburbs.

While it's considered very "touristy," I recommend that the newcomers start their trip with a "duck" tour. The reason being: you'll get to see most of the sites quite quickly and then you can make a mental note of the ones that interest you and then go back.

The duck boats leave from either the Prudential tower or the museum of science. A limited number of tickets can be sold in advance over the internet:
http://www.bostonducktours.com/

Also if it's going to be nice, you might consider taking a ferry boat ride to the harbor islands: http://www.bostonislands.org/

If you like Italian food, there's an inordinate number of great restaurants in the North End (if you walk the freedom trail, it's the neighborhood near Paul Revere's house).

Enjoy.

Well, I just checked online and the Sox have some SRO tickets available for this afternoon's game. I'm about an hour out of Boston right now, so I'm going to head there and see if I can grab a ticket for today's game. Then I plan on at least touring the Constitution before the game. I still have tomorrow as well to see a few other things.

Since I drive a large van and not a truck, I'm not too worried about getting around to places, but being able to idle is a big thing. The northeast is notorious for having all kinds of restrictions on diesel idling, but people who pass those restrictions have never had to spend a weekend in a vehicle and try to stay comfortable. There are a couple small truck stops in town, so I'll try my luck there.

I went to college in Boston about 20 (yikes) years ago so this is 20 year old knowledge but I would try and park somewhere and take the T everywhere else. There are a lot of one-way streets, especially around Fenway/Kenmore square and street parking (again, as I recall) is for residents, metered or in garages.

The Christian Science park is cool if you can go and see the "globe room." It's free and a good 10 minute distraction. That's near the corner of Mass ave and Huntington. Symphony hall is also right there, not sure if they still have tours but they did when I was in school.

I used to like walking on the Esplanade which is the park next to the Charles. Harvard square in Cambridge is also cool. I second the North End for some of the best Italian food there is.

Surprised no one has mentioned Lexinton & Concord (the Old North Bridge in Concord) where the first shots of the American Revloution were fired. I've been to these places and I think they're pretty cool places to visit.

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Originally Posted by MWM

Surprised no one has mentioned Lexinton & Concord (the Old North Bridge in Concord) where the first shots of the American Revloution were fired. I've been to these places and I think they're pretty cool places to visit.

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That's on the agenda. Right now I'm trying to find a place to park a large van near Fenway. Garages are out of the question with something this big.

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Originally Posted by OldRightHander

That's on the agenda. Right now I'm trying to find a place to park a large van near Fenway. Garages are out of the question with something this big.

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Good luck. I had a small car when I was there during the playoffs and we had a hard time finding a place to park it near Fenway that wasn't outrageously expensive.

I found a parking spot two miles from the park, the parking lot of Trader Joe's. I just got back to the van. Next on my agenda is finding a truck stop with showers. And believe me, I do need a shower after sitting in a hot ballpark and then walking two miles back to the van. I'm going through my directory trying to find one and I'm not having any luck. The thought of being here until Monday without taking a shower doesn't thrill me too much.

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Originally Posted by OldRightHander

That's on the agenda. Right now I'm trying to find a place to park a large van near Fenway. Garages are out of the question with something this big.

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Looking for parking near Fenway park? It might be easier to find little green men.

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Originally Posted by cincinnati chili

Looking for parking near Fenway park? It might be easier to find little green men.

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There were plenty of green men. Darn green t shirts with Beat LA on them were everywhere. Still looking for a truck stop. The closest one I found so far is in Rhode Island. Hopefully there's one closer.

Well, I found a truck stop with showers. I had to drive 50 miles up into New Hampshire. Down south there are truck stops at darn near every exit but up here they're so sparse and half of them aren't full service. I can't stand skipping showers. I'm probably going to head back down to Boston tomorrow to do the touristy stuff anyway and then spend the night where I'm delivering so I can just wake up and deliver Monday morning. Then it's off to Portland, ME for another delivery later Monday morning. I need to get back home soon. I'm getting kind of homesick.