Boston FAQ
Questions about Boston? Read a guide prepared by our users about one of the oldest cities in the United States.
Things to do
- 101 things to do before graduating BU
- The Weekly Dig
- The Phoenix
- The Globe ("The Glob")
- The Boston Herald
- The Daily Free Press (BU student paper)
- The Metro
- The Improper Bostonian - look for their “Newcomers Issue” every September.
- Unofficial /r/Boston Event Calendar
- Cheap Thrills BostonPosts and updates are made daily and anything listed is under $10.
- Boston Events Insider
- http://events.thephoenix.com/boston/picks/ Local newspaper, the Phoenix pick of events
- http://www.boston.com/thingstodo/ Boston.com's list of events
- http://cheapthrillsboston.blogspot.com/ Blog all about finding things to do in Boston
- http://www.reddit.com/r/BostonSocialClub a reddit dedicated to social events in Boston.
Boston vs not-Boston
These are the neighborhoods of Boston:
- Allston/Brighton
- Back Bay
- Bay Village
- Beacon Hill
- Charlestown
- Chinatown/Leather District
- Dorchester
- Downtown/Financial District
- East Boston
- Fenway/Kenmore
- Hyde Park
- Jamaica Plain
- Mattapan
- Mission Hill
- North End
- Roslindale
- Roxbury
- South Boston
- South End
- West End
- West Roxbury
For reference/arguments, here are all the MBTA subway and trolley stations not in Boston:
- Wellington (Medford)
- Malden, Oak Grove (Malden)
- Beachmont, Revere Beach, Wonderland (Revere)
- North Quincy, Wollaston, Quincy Center, Quincy Adams (Quincy)
- Braintree
- Milton, Central Avenue, Valley Road, Capen Street (Milton)
- Hawes Street, Kent Street, St. Paul Street, Coolidge Corner, Summit Avenue, Brandon Hall, Fairbanks, Washington Square, Tappan Street, Dean Road, Englewood Avenue, Cleveland Circle, Brookline Village, Brookline Hills and Beaconsfield (Brookline)
- Chestnut Hill
- Newton Center, Newton Highlands, Eliot, Waban, Woodland, Riverside (Newton)
- Kendall, Central, Harvard, Porter, Alewife (Cambridge)
- Davis (Somerville)
This information is useful, because we have our monthly meetings in Boston and non-Boston alternately.
Getting to Boston
BU Students use some of what can be read HERE before arriving.
Air
- Logan (access to city via Silverline BRT or Blue Line Subway)
Bus
- Chinatown buses
- Concord Coach (Maine)
- Bolt Bus (WiFi?)
- Greyhound (WiFi?)
Train
- South Station
- North Station
- Amtrak
Getting around
MBTA
- Subway (Red, Blue, Orange)
- Tram/Trolley (Green Line)
- Bus Rapid Transit (Silver Line)
- Buses
Taxis
- Boston Cab Co. (Hybrids, Credit Cards, Reservations, Vans)
- Fares
- Credit cards
Where to stay
Hotels
Hostels
Apartments / Permanent residence
Other
Where to go
- Sundays throughout the summer Memorial Drive is closed to vehicular traffic so you can enjoy the Charles' river front. Whether you enjoy biking, roller-blading, running, or just going out for a leisurely stroll, it's a free fun time in the sun.
Art
- The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, http://www.gardnermuseum.com , is one of the most unique museum experiences you'll find
- Boston Museum of Fine Art http://www.mfa.org
- Harvard Fogg Art Museum
Music
- Great Scott http://www.greatscottboston.com/
- House of Blues http://www.houseofblues.com/venues/clubvenues/boston/
- Lizard Lounge http://www.lizardloungeclub.com/main.html
- Middle East, http://www.mideastclub.com/ check listings, up is 200cap and down is 575. upstairs is pretty small, but def one of the better rooms that size in town. downstairs is smelly and loud. Throwed series upstairs.
- The Paradise, http://www.thedise.com/ mid-capacity size indie/alternative concert venue
- Orpheum Theatre http://www.orpheum-theater.com/orpheum_theater_boston.php
- Scullers Jazz Club http://www.scullersjazz.com/
- Symphony Hall http://www.bso.org
- Toad http://www.toadcambridge.com/
- TT The Bear's http://www.ttthebears.com/
- Goodlife - Bassic and other weeklys
- Rise is only afterhours joint in town, till 6am, no booze
- Phoenix Landing Thursdays DnB/Techno
- Enormous Room
- Wonder Bar Music Ecology weekly on Tuesdays
- The Western Front hip hop, dubstep, reggae, etc
- Middlesex Lounge is a small joint with indie/electro weeklys and monthlys
- Royale the old roxy. awesome and gorgeous
- Precint - Somerville
- Bull McCabes? - Somerville
- Church is prob the best 20ish capacity room in town, sound, vube, bar, etc..
- BOA Pavillion is pretty big capacity so it only huge shows but gorgeous of course.
- Rock On Concert Cruises
Shopping
- Newbury street is home to some Boston's best local shops. Artwork, fashion, accessories, as well as patio dining make it one of the best places to spend a lazy summer afternoon.
- Downtown Crossing is a centrally located shopping mecca in the heart of Boston. While the storefronts boast mostly national flair, you'll find the local flavor lies out in the street. With the crossroads blocked to traffic, street vendors of all sorts come out to join the occasional band or DJ on Summer Street.
Sports
- Fenway Park is the oldest baseball stadium currently in use. Located near the Kenmore t-stop, this little piece of sports history is surrounded by a bevy of shops and bars. While quite expensive, watching a game at Fenway and hitting the bars afterwords is the essential Boston experience.
- Be sure to check out many of the local sports bars as well, including the Baseball Tavern, Cas'k Flagon, and the Fours, which was named the #1 Sports Bar in America by Sports Illustrated, located right next to the TD Garden, home to the Celtics and Bruins.
Where to eat
- The Falafel King in Downtown Crossing is definitely a place to hit up. The best falafel in Boston, it has a convenient location and a large variety of vegetarian and vegan options. You should definitely try the falafel; they'll give you a free piece the moment you walk up to the counter.
- Supreme Pizza on Massachusetts Ave (near the Boylston intersection and Berklee College of Music) has great cheap pizza, soda, wraps, etc. A great cheap meal if you're visiting the Fenway area.
- The Friendly Toast in Kendall Square is great for brunch. Naturally, it's always crowded.
- Central Kitchen, Central Square Cambridge - Gastropub American cuisine
Downtown
- Falafel King on Winter Street (near Park Street)
- Cafe de Boston on Franklin Street (near Devonshire and Federal)
- Boston Kebab House on Kilby Street (near Milk St)
- Herreras Mexican on Temple Place
- Clover Food Truck at Gov Center Plaza or South Station
- De Guru Indian on Devonshire Street
- Sultan's Kitchen on State Street
Anothertran's list of places to take visitors to eat (good for locals too)
Brunch:
http://www.tridentbookscafe.com/ casual cafe in a bookstore (Back Bay)
http://sonsieboston.com/ fancy with great people watching (Back Bay)
http://www.unionrestaurant.com/ fancy (South End)
http://flourbakery.com/ casual bakery (South End)
http://www.paramountboston.com/ casual diner (Beacon Hill)
Tapas:
http://www.toro-restaurant.com/ delicious but spendy (South End)
Seafood:
http://www.atlanticfishco.com/ slightly fancy, good seafood (Back Bay)
http://www.barkingcrab.com/ casual, great ambiance, awesome lobster/crab legs/misc seafood, spendy, live music (South Boston)
http://www.legalseafoods.com/ popular chain in boston but still delicious (Various locations)
http://www.yelp.com/biz/the-boston-sail-loft-boston best clam chowder ever. cheap-ish seafood. good night life. semi-dressy (North End)
http://marliave.com/home/ Good food but come for the $1 oysters every day 4-6pm and 9-10pm. Good cocktails also (Downtown)
Asian:
http://www.kazeshabushabu.com/ Japanese Hot Pot, cheap drinks (Chinatown)
http://www.yelp.com/biz/taiwan-cafe-boston Super cheap greasy delicious taiwanese food (Chinatown)
http://yasuboston.com/ Good Korean (Brookline)
http://www.seiyoboston.com/ Delicious and affordable Sushi (South End)
http://chauchowcity.net/ Best Dim Sum (Chinatown)
http://www.yelp.com/biz/xinh-xinh-boston Great Vietnamese (Chinatown)
http://phopasteurboston.net/ PHO (Chinatown)
Indian:
http://www.shantiboston.com/ great indian (Dorchester)
French:
http://www.lespalier.com/ super fancy super spendy (Downtown)
Italian:
http://giacomosblog-boston.blogspot.com/ Most amazing Italian food ever. cannot be missed (North End or Back Bay)
http://www.rialto-restaurant.com/home/ fancy and spendy (Cambridge)
Jazz Club:
http://www.beehiveboston.com/ Great ambiance, live jazz, great food (South End)
Hamburgers:
http://www.uburgerboston.com/ delicious fastfood-ish burgers (Fenway or Back Bay)
http://www.mrbartley.com/ great mom+pop burgers named after political figures (Cambridge)
Sandwiches:
http://www.yelp.com/biz/wan-convenience-store-roxbury-crossing amazing sandwiches, straight from the ghetto (Roxbury)
http://www.samlagrassas.com/ deli style sandwiches (Downtown)
http://www.parishcafe.com/ awesome sandwiches created by a variety of local chefs (Downtown)
Dessert:
http://www.mikespastry.com/ Great italian bakery (North End)
http://www.finaledesserts.com/ Fancy desserts (Various)
http://www.burdickchocolate.com/ Chocolate (Cambridge)