OT: Looking for suggestions for our trip to Boston

Crazy Patriot Guy said:

So a few of us will be in Boston for the season opener against the Texans, and we're going to catch the Saturday game between the Astros and Red Sox as well. We'll be getting into town the Wednesday before, so we have a few days to check out some sites. We're curious about the places we need to see while in town, and also restaurants that y'all would recommend. It's three guys going so it doesn't have to be family entertainment. Two of us had fathers in the Navy so anything military related is always a plus. Thanks in advance.

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Quincy Market in Faneuil Hall (Food overdose) and the North End (Little Italy) which is right down the street. I'm a local and LOVE both places!! I always have family in from out of town and they enjoy it quite a bit. It's all in walking distance from other great stuff to see (T.D. Bank North Celtics, Boston Commons & Public Gardens, Newbury Street, The State House which has real gold on top by the way).

https://faneuilhallmarketplace.com/

North End (Boston) - 2018 All You Need to Know Before You Go (with Photos) - TripAdvisor

RI Patriots fan said:

Then next time you travel you might try opening your eyes or taking off your Bahhston rose colored glasses because there is no way that Boston can even remotely rival NYC. NYC is a true world class city. Boston is a quaint town compared to NYC.

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For one year after college I worked in Manhattan and thoroughly enjoyed it before returning to Massachusetts. As a single guy, the nightlife, theatre and overall entertainment were terrific. But, for history, ambience and overall appeal, I prefer Boston. I met loads of NY snobs while living there who were short-sighted and inexperienced enough to think the world ended at the Connecticut and New Jersey borders. In many ways they were like hillbillies who love their home states because they've never been elsewhere. I've also always been fascinated by the fact that Boston and New England colleges and universities are overrun by NY/NJ natives who claim to come from God's country, but, in their hearts, know they were educated in God's country. But, I'll respectfully defer to you, Marco Polo, when it comes to world travel.

RI Patriots fan said:

Then next time you travel you might try opening your eyes or taking off your Bahhston rose colored glasses because there is no way that Boston can even remotely rival NYC. NYC is a true world class city. Boston is a quaint town compared to NYC.

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I disagree but to each his own I guess.

I've lived in and have traveled to numerous places ranging from Zaragoza to Taipei and from NY to Los Angeles. For a few years I lived in Bergen county NJ and would go to NY about once a month or so. While there's lots to do and see in NY it comes with a price. NY is a stressful city with a half a million people walking around everywhere all the time. Standing in lines, ordering food, waiting an hour or two to cross the GW bridge etc etc.. blah.

Boston is much less stressful and has plenty to offer. Good food, street entertainment, historical sites, theater, etc etc...

And although you're correct that NY is one of the most popular cities globally people I've dealt with overseas knew about Boston. In fact people would say , " So you're from Boston?". Haha. " No , I'm from Massachusetts and have never lived in Boston ".

So yes people overseas and nationally choose to visit NY over Boston but they are the same people who choose to see the bearded lady at the county fair.

And who in the hell would eat that disgusting slop new yorkers call chowder??

So yeah, you can keep NY, the stress and that sh!t chowder and I'll keep the much cleaner, less stressful Boston and it's homemade clam chowdah.

RI Patriots fan said:

LMAO.....you need to travel way more than you do. There is no way that Boston is America's greatest city. I've traveled all over the USA for work and I can think of 3 cities off the top of my head that are better than Boston....NYC (sorry, it isn't close), DC, and Chicago. Only people from Massachusetts think Boston is America's greatest city. Ask people outside of Mass, and they might not even mention Boston in their top 10. Heck, if they live outside this country, they might not even know that Boston exists. But I guarantee you that they know about NYC.

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Little City syndrome you have there eh? The history alone here in Boston puts the place on the map.

https://www.ucityguides.com/cities/top-10-best-cities-in-america.html

Crazy Patriot Guy said:

Thanks to everyone for all the feedback so far. Keep it coming.

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NE - Massachusetts has the best subs and pizza. Most places are Mom and Pop so they have to be very good to stay in business. Word travels fast in Mass if you put out a bad product.

MrTibbs said:

Little City syndrome you have there eh? The history alone here in Boston puts the place on the map.

https://www.ucityguides.com/cities/top-10-best-cities-in-america.html

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This article lists NYC as the number 1 city and Boston as number 9. Thanks for providing evidence to prove my point.

Triumph said:

NE - Massachusetts has the best subs and pizza. Most places are Mom and Pop so they have to be very good to stay in business. Word travels fast in Mass if you put out a bad product.

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Yup, virtually every city and town has a couple of locally owned pizza and sub joints, some Greek, some Italian and virtually all excellent as evidenced by the fact they've been open for decades. Papa John's, Domino's and other national chains aren't prevalent. Papa Gino's
does well, but they originated locally.

Tony2046 said:

I disagree but to each his own I guess.

I've lived in and have traveled to numerous places ranging from Zaragoza to Taipei and from NY to Los Angeles. For a few years I lived in Bergen county NJ and would go to NY about once a month or so. While there's lots to do and see in NY it comes with a price. NY is a stressful city with a half a million people walking around everywhere all the time. Standing in lines, ordering food, waiting an hour or two to cross the GW bridge etc etc.. blah.

Boston is much less stressful and has plenty to offer. Good food, street entertainment, historical sites, theater, etc etc...

And although you're correct that NY is one of the most popular cities globally people I've dealt with overseas knew about Boston. In fact people would say , " So you're from Boston?". Haha. " No , I'm from Massachusetts and have never lived in Boston ".

So yes people overseas and nationally choose to visit NY over Boston but they are the same people who choose to see the bearded lady at the county fair.

And who in the hell would eat that disgusting slop new yorkers call chowder??

So yeah, you can keep NY, the stress and that sh!t chowder and I'll keep the much cleaner, less stressful Boston and it's homemade clam chowdah.

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NY is stressful?!?!?!?! Because of traffic? Have you ever been on I-93 during rush hour or, God forbid, if a flake of snow makes it to the ground?

How about NYC being the most exciting city on the planet? How about NYC having more to do in one square mile than the entire city Boston? And history....NYC is full of history including world class landmarks like the, um...Statue of Liberty.

Listen, I appreciate your homerism but it's nothing more than cheerleading for the home team.

As for food....lol. Please, you're kidding when it comes to food. NYC is the epitome of world class dining and home to some of the best food of all varieties on the planet.

Jackson 2 said:

For one year after college I worked in Manhattan and thoroughly enjoyed it before returning to Massachusetts. As a single guy, the nightlife, theatre and overall entertainment were terrific. But, for history, ambience and overall appeal, I prefer Boston. I met loads of NY snobs while living there who were short-sighted and inexperienced enough to think the world ended at the Connecticut and New Jersey borders. In many ways they were like hillbillies who love their home states because they've never been elsewhere. I've also always been fascinated by the fact that Boston and New England colleges and universities are overrun by NY/NJ natives who claim to come from God's country, but, in their hearts, know they were educated in God's country. But, I'll respectfully defer to you, Marco Polo, when it comes to world travel.

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Well thank goodness there are no Boston snobs lol.

God's country????? You have been entertaining...thank you.

RI Patriots fan said:

LMAO.....you need to travel way more than you do. There is no way that Boston is America's greatest city. I've traveled all over the USA for work and I can think of 3 cities off the top of my head that are better than Boston....NYC (sorry, it isn't close), DC, and Chicago. Only people from Massachusetts think Boston is America's greatest city. Ask people outside of Mass, and they might not even mention Boston in their top 10. Heck, if they live outside this country, they might not even know that Boston exists. But I guarantee you that they know about NYC.

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You sound like you’re from RI.......

I’ve been to pretty much every major city in this country and Boston is right up there with the best of them though so many differences make them hard to compare I’ve lived in both coast and spent enough time in the middle to know I would never want to live there

IllegalContact said:

You sound like you’re from RI.......

I’ve been to pretty much every major city in this country and Boston is right up there with the best of them though so many differences make them hard to compare I’ve lived in both coast and spent enough time in the middle to know I would never want to live there

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RI Patriots fan.....yes, I'm from Rhode Island.

The point being made wasn't that Boston is "right up there". The poster in question stated that Boston was "arguably America's greatest city". Boston is not America's greatest city and no one outside of Mass would think otherwise.

RI Patriots fan said:

NY is stressful?!?!?!?! Because of traffic? Have you ever been on I-93 during rush hour or, God forbid, if a flake of snow makes it to the ground?

How about NYC being the most exciting city on the planet? How about NYC having more to do in one square mile than the entire city Boston? And history....NYC is full of history including world class landmarks like the, um...Statue of Liberty.

Listen, I appreciate your homerism but it's nothing more than cheerleading for the home team.

As for food....lol. Please, you're kidding when it comes to food. NYC is the epitome of world class dining and home to some of the best food of all varieties on the planet.

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Have you ever been to Boston? Sounds like you're comparing brochures or something.

I wasn't specifically talking about the traffic in NYC although getting hung up in one of the tunnels or spending an hour or two to get across the GW bridge sucks. I was more referring to the millions of stressed out people you have to wade through and stand in line behind the entire time you're there. "Fahgettahboutit"

Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the Empire state building. Check, check and check. Yeah that's a world class inventory right there. Yes sah.

Food? NYCer's get so full of themselves and their freaking food. "World class"??? hahaha. First, the food is good, except that God awful schlop you guys call clam chowder, but do you honestly think you cannot find the same food prepared just as well in Boston or any other major city?? Too funny.

New Yorkers are a different breed. That's for sure.

Seriously though, have you ever been to Boston?

RI Patriots fan said:

Well thank goodness there are no Boston snobs lol.

God's country????? You have been entertaining...thank you.

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Glad I could help.

Wear a Yankee hat, and drive around in a car with DMV issued Jets plates n a massive Jets sticker on the back window.

I met a lot of outgoing Bostonians that way.

Tony2046 said:

Have you ever been to Boston? Sounds like you're comparing brochures or something.

I wasn't specifically talking about the traffic in NYC although getting hung up in one of the tunnels or spending an hour or two to get across the GW bridge sucks. I was more referring to the millions of stressed out people you have to wade through and stand in line behind the entire time you're there. "Fahgettahboutit"

Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and the Empire state building. Check, check and check. Yeah that's a world class inventory right there. Yes sah.

Food? NYCer's get so full of themselves and their freaking food. "World class"??? hahaha. First, the food is good, except that God awful schlop you guys call clam chowder, but do you honestly think you cannot find the same food prepared just as well in Boston or any other major city?? Too funny.

New Yorkers are a different breed. That's for sure.

Seriously though, have you ever been to Boston?

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Have I been to Boston? Um, like 2 days a week and I wish it was zero.

And historical sites in NYC.....have you been to NYC?

List of National Historic Landmarks in New York City - Wikipedia

And if people on the streets is stressful than I guess a city like Portland Maine is the "greatest city in America".

BTW, I am not a NYer nor have I ever lived there but I'm not delusional enough to think that any city in RI is "arguably the greatest city in America".

I'm a neutral party and like most people outside of "Beantown" we know that people from Mass overrate Boston. Boston is a decent city with great universities and important historical sites. It has good food (but not great) and it's a fun sports city. Outside of that, it's nothing special.
So when I hear this nonsense about Boston being "America's greatest city" I don't want visitors to the area to wonder why America sucks so bad because the best we have to offer is Boston. It just ain't true.

RI Patriots fan said:

Have I been to Boston? Um, like 2 days a week and I wish it was zero.

And historical sites in NYC.....have you been to NYC?

List of National Historic Landmarks in New York - Wikipedia

And if people on the streets is stressful than I guess a city like Portland Maine is the "greatest city in America".

BTW, I am not a NYer nor have I ever lived there but I'm not delusional enough to think that any city in RI is "arguably the greatest city in America".

I'm a neutral party and like most people outside of "Beantown" we know that people from Mass overrate Boston. Boston is a decent city with great universities and important historical sites. It has good food (but not great) and it's a fun sports city. Outside of that, it's nothing special.
So when I hear this nonsense about Boston being "America's greatest city" I don't want visitors to the area to wonder why America sucks so bad because the best we have to offer is Boston. It just ain't true.

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I'm a neutral party as well. I'm not from Mass or Boston. Your arguments sound more reputation based than realistic. "Everybody says NYC is the greatest and therefore it is". haha

It's not much different than those ridiculous "best pizza in the world" arguments. It's as if no NYC pizza maker could escape the confines of NYC and make a pizza elsewhere. haha There's great food in any city you visit including the smaller ones.

Comparing lists of historic sites?? Do we have to rate each one and then add up the points? Not sure how that's going to work.

I say I've been to NYC just as I say I've been to Taipei or Jakarta because it's a landmark city on every tourist map but I enjoyed being in Boston much much more.

Tony2046 said:

It's not much different than those ridiculous "best pizza in the world" arguments. It's as if no NYC pizza maker could escape the confines of NYC and make a pizza elsewhere.

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They can't.

Tony2046 said:

I'm a neutral party as well. I'm not from Mass or Boston. Your arguments sound more reputation based than realistic. "Everybody says NYC is the greatest and therefore it is". haha

It's not much different than those ridiculous "best pizza in the world" arguments. It's as if no NYC pizza maker could escape the confines of NYC and make a pizza elsewhere. haha There's great food in any city you visit including the smaller ones.

Comparing lists of historic sites?? Do we have to rate each one and then add up the points? Not sure how that's going to work.

I say I've been to NYC just as I say I've been to Taipei or Jakarta because it's a landmark city on every tourist map but I enjoyed being in Boston much much more.

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If you want to believe that Boston is the "greatest city in America" go for it. Is it possible to be right yet be in so vast a minority? Of course, it is possible. Although most of America and pretty much the entire planet would disagree with you, I'm sure you are right and the vast, vast, VAST majority of people are wrong.

So, I guess the best advise for people visiting Boston is to just change their plans and go to NYC instead? Good thing they checked in here for direction. RI people are so helpful.

Check out the "Happy Ending" massage parlor in Billerica if you are in the neighborhood.