# United States & Canada Vacations Forums > General Discussion >  >   hubby and i are headed to boston april 16-21 to support my stepson's first running of the boston marathon.  he works for john hancock, a sponsor of the marathon, and qualified to participate through

## GramChop

hubby and i are headed to boston april 16-21 to support my stepson's first running of the boston marathon.  he works for john hancock, a sponsor of the marathon, and qualified to participate through work.  

we're staying at a lovely b&b, the boston yacht haven, near the north end and would love to have some input about the best places to eat/ things to do/ must-see locations, etc.

....looking forward to some fun stuff from you guys!!!!

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## MIke R

Union Oyster House
Artus in the North End.....

just did both paces last night..Artus has been a regular stop for me for a very long time.....have a cannoli and espresso at Cafe Vittoria in the North End...have a pizza in the original Pizzeria Regina in the North End...or go to the East Boston and get some killer pizza and lamb kabobs cooked on an open fire at Santarpios....seafood at Legal Seafood at the Park Plaza Hotel...the No Name Seafood restaurant is right by where you are staying and is very good too....other great Italian joints in the North End are Giacomos and Piccola Venezia

oh and go to Harvard Square and get a burger at Mr Bartleys Burger Cottage...to DIE for


you want company???..I may be able to slip down there for a drink

you flying into Logan or Manchester?

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## griemersma

The Boston Marathon is a goal for all of us marathoners!  Good luck to your son-in-law and it should be a great race.

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## JohnC

Missy
Welcome (coming) to Boston. Lots of options, especially in North End. Search on yelp or chowhound for great info also www.phantomgourmet.com.
As for what to do, depends on weather. Could be dreary and cold or nice.
Do the freedom trail (Paul Revere House, Constitution).
Will you have a car?
If not, museums (Museum of Fine Arts, Museum of Science, Harvard museums, Gardner Museum) are good and all reachable on the T.
Go to Harvard Square to poke around and have dinner.
Walk down Newbury Street (shopping will remind you of St Barts).
Go to Copley Plaza area-shopping, Boston Public Library, Christian Science Church.
The Duck Tours should be running. A "must do".

If you have a car, Lexington (where I live) and Concord are worth a visit. Salem, Gloucester, Rockport on the North Shore.

The Marathon is fun to watch and a big (as you know) event. Lots of vantage points. Sometimes finish line is not best place (who care who "wins" anyway. It is the effort and participation that are lauded by spectators. 
There will be a Red Sox game in the morning to coincide with the race (Fenway is not far from Prudential where race ends). 

Have fun.

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## GramChop

we're flying into logan on thursday (16th) at 3:47p.  we leave tuesday (21st) at 3:30p.  i'll pm you to get your # and we would LOVE to share a cocktail or two with you, mikeR!

thanks for all the great suggestions, guys!  we've been to boston once before and ate at legal seafood, union oyster house, the barking crab and some great italian place in the north end, don't remember the name.  

great restaurant website, john...thanks!  that will definitely help!

we plan to hit fenway for a game just not sure which day yet.

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## MIke R

if you have the time...take a ride to the Cape......Gods country....about an hour and forty from Boston to the very end of the Cape in P Town.....if you decide to  do that I can give you a lot of help there....

well telling you I could meet you on the 16th, truly shows how I am not wired for vacation countdowns and any future beyond today....LOL...when I told Wendi we might be going to Boston to meet you guys for a drink she said  "uh....we will be in Jersey that day..we leave for St Barts that weekend'.....

oops....sorry.....maybe next time

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## GramChop

not to worry, mikeR...there will be another time!

i vaguely remember somebody telling us about taking a ferry to martha's vineyard or something like that.  do you know anything about that?

when you say "take a ride to the cape".  do you mean in a car?  or a boat?  i am completely ignorant to that area of the country...sorry!

we would LOVE to do something like that!

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## MIke R

car ride to Cape......no ferry to the Vineyard from Boston..the ferrys all run from the Cape or New Bedford or Rhode Island...there is a fast ferry to P Town from Boston which is probably a good idea as well..gets there in a little over an hour... http://www.provincetownfastferry.com/

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## GramChop

cool....i see us in a convertible in our very near future!

ok...so now the questions begin:  how to get there?  what to do when there?  

if you've got some great informative websites, pass them my way!

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## MIke R

take Rt 93 south out of Boston to Rt 3...Rt 3 will go over the Sagamore Bridge which puts you on the Cape......where you go and what you do depends on what you want to see and do.....the Cape is a big place..you have to narrow your wish list for me to tell you what and where etc...its just the start of the season there so it will be far from highs season mode.....I say go straight to P Town..its the crown jewel of the Cape..best beaches...best shopping...terrific restaurants...its considered the northern sister town to Key West....keep in mind weather that week can range from 70's and sunny  to 40's and fog for all of Massachusetts

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## andynap

QUOTE:" hour and forty from Boston to the very end of the Cape in P Town"

On what mode of transport? It seems that the local police in every town from Sandwich to P-Town is out every time I make the trip. 1 1/2 from Boston? No way.

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## GramChop

in your best "guesstimation", andy, how long a drive should we expect?

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## GramChop

mike:  i'm going to do a little googling to narrow my wish list and i'll let you know what i find.  thanks for the directions.

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## andynap

I would say add 30 minutes or more to Mike's estimate depending on whether the local yokels are out. The speed limit on the stretch of Rt 6 from Eastham to P-Town is 30 and 2 lanes for a lot of the trip.

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## GramChop

i just got directions on mapquest.  they say it's 2 hours 18 minutes.

what's on your "must see/do" list for that area?  we're probably only going to spend the day.  is there more going on during the week or weekend?  monday is the marathon so we've got friday, saturday or sunday.

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## MIke R

I've done the NH to P town trip about 1 million times and its an honest hour and 40-50 minutes from Boston ( once you get on the highway ) to P Town...with *no* traffic going 9 over the speed limit....I don't care what map quest says..broken down its 40-50 minutes to the bridge from Boston...then one hour ( 53 miles ) from the bridge to P Town..and the speed limit isn't 30 from Eastham out anymore...its 40 to 45..and its up to 65 on Rt 3 now

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## GramChop

cool....less time on the road = more time enjoying the sights!

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## julianne

Missy,
Congratulations to your stepson on qualifying for the Boston Marathon. For a runner, it is the ultimate experience. I cherish my Boston certificate more than any trophy. Make sure you all agree on a designated meeting place after he finishes. It is a crazy scene! Even though they usually have some family meeting spots, it's better to choose a location slightly away from the finish line. Since he works for Hancock, they may have a special place for their employees. 

As for places to watch, you could stake out a place early and stay there or you could plan to watch him come through a few towns along the way. The latter might be difficult since you aren't familiar with the area. At any rate, it will be an unforgetable experience for him (and you as well). The crowds in Boston are wonderful--real fans of running and proud of the Boston Marathon's place in the sport. I'll cross my fingers that your stepson has cool, dry weather for his Boston adventure and that you have a great time on race day and before.
Julia

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## GramChop

thanks, julia!  he is slowly checking off his "bucket list" and running a marathon is on the list!

we're planning on staking out one place on the route and staying there until he passes!  we have pom-poms, mardi gras beads, signs and noise makers to cheer him on!

hancock does, indeed, have a central meeting location for their runners/families so we will meet up with him there post-race.

thanks for the crossed fingers for weather!!!

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## GramChop

i'm home from my whirlwind boston massacre!  what a trip.  once i upload my photographs, i will post a report.

my step-son did run the boston marathon and he finished with an extremely respectable 4 hour 19 minute time!

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## amyb

I am smiling knowing you are back on the forum. A

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## fins85258

Anyone who can knockdown 10 minute miles for 4 1/2 hours straight is more than respectable, it's commendable. It may be half speed compared to the winner but it's still 26 miles of pounding.

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## GramChop

thanks, fins!  i passed on your words to my stepson and he says 'thanks'.

don't tell anyone, but he inspired me to start training.  there's a 1/2 marathon here in new orleans in february that i'm going to run.  i actually ran my first consistent mile yesterday...now 12.1 more to go!

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## phil62

Good for you, Gramchop. You go girl!! A

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## GramChop

i thought i would just let that slip by unnoticed, but you've got THE eye, amy!  i'm training slowly and steadily on my own now, but will hook up with a running team in august.  who knows, maybe i will complete a full marathon by the time i'm 50!

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