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no_tori_ous OP t1_j5fi61t wrote

Reply to comment by AutoModerator in Bringing my mom to Boston for the first time late March; she just turned 65 and it’s her dream to see a hockey game! I’ve never been to Boston in winter; any suggestions for what we can do to show her the best time? Interests in comments by no_tori_ous

I’ve been googling but there’s so much info, I’d rather here right from the source. Who knows their city better than you guys right. We’re in town for three days; basically staying smack between TD garden and Quincy market. first day I’m hoping to make a reservation at tavern on the park (I think that’s the name, the one right beside td garden) and then the game.

The next day is wide open , but she’s always wanted to go to Quincy market so I’m thinking after grabbing coffee we’ll have lunch there.

She’s a senior so walking for long periods would be hard for her, but we’re going to take lots of breaks and if need be use public transport. (Basically why I picked the hotel I did, it’s close to the two things she wants to do most)

She basically really loves coffee and people watching, a bit of shopping (not high end) and easy pub food. I don’t think she’d be able to walk the freedom trail but maybe there’s some transport tours running late March?

Appreciate all info. We’re driving from Canada and can’t wait ; my husband and I have been a few times and we just love Boston!

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treeboi t1_j5fpdjz wrote

Quincy market's a tourist trap, but I suppose it's an iconic, historical tourist trap. If you want a much better food hall, go to High Street Place, probably the best food hall in metro Boston right now - all the café's there serves great food, beer & wine, as each café specializes & can serve their own alcohol.

Additionally, she'll love the Boston Public Library, when entered from the eastern Trinity Church entrance, as the eastern half might as well be a museum & movie set with its own internal courtyard. Plus it's right next to the Prudential Center & Copley Place malls.

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no_tori_ous OP t1_j5g438a wrote

She LOVES touristy things, lol. She is 100% an excited “taking a picture with an iPad” mom. When we went to LA her favorite part was the walk of fame, which couldn’t have been any more cringy tourist. So I’m actually GLAD to hear this haha. She’ll love it. Thanks so much! We’ll add that food Hall to the list as well because traveling and food is big on my list.

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IKnowYouTried t1_j5gdnef wrote

Based on that (and despite what others have said) I think she'll very much like Quincy Market / Faneuil Hall.

I'll probably get downvoted for this but there's quite a few hop-on-hop-off trolley busses in the city. Not cheap and v. touristy but if she has problems walking she'll be able to see a lot of the main touristy things while sitting.

Late March you might get lucky with decent weather too although it's a bit of a crapshoot that time of year.

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JSchecter11 t1_j5hgo6j wrote

Please god take her on a duckboard tour! They should be back on in late March

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ketofauxtato t1_j5j7l29 wrote

Yes if they’re running again at that time, a duckboat tour is a great idea!

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Dontleave t1_j5g45cf wrote

Better yet go to Quincy Market and Faneuil Hall to get the history then go to the Sam Adams tap room for beer and bites

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nearlyashley t1_j5g6juj wrote

And then walk down to Beantown Pub, across the street from Sam Adam’s Grave - where you’ll be drinking a cold Sam Adams across the street from a cold Sam Adams.

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aray25 t1_j5h3d8g wrote

Though if you want to avail yourselves of the elevator, you should go in the other entrance, since the front entrance requires a bunch of stairs to get to.

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ak716 t1_j5fmnwq wrote

There is an adorable little coffee shop in the North End, directly across from the Old North Church. Caffe Lil Italy, if I recall correctly. That might be fun for her, and Old North itself is stunning.

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no_tori_ous OP t1_j5g454v wrote

Great! Thank you, adding this to the list. We both love a good coffee shop

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savory_thing t1_j5h02jz wrote

Don’t underestimate the amount of walking and standing that riding the T will include. Consider getting an Uber/Lyft/Taxi for those times when you’re not next to a T stop and/or your destination isn’t near a T stop.

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irishgypsy1960 t1_j5jjgqv wrote

The sightseeing trolley does run year round. It starts one block from Quincy market, just outside aquarium station. Have a great trip.

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AceyAceyAcey t1_j5fivbv wrote

Uber or Lyft may be easier than public transit. Look ahead for which train stations have escalators or elevators, as not all do.

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no_tori_ous OP t1_j5g49yo wrote

I’ll have to do some research on this. This sounds wild but we don’t have Uber or Lyft or trains or anything like that in our neck of the woods so I want to be confident I can use them before I rely on them.

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CommCommuter t1_j5gz5eg wrote

Acey brings up a good point about accessibility at stations, and there will definitely be journeys where Uber/Lyft are the right choice, but going to recommend taking transit as much as you're able!

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AceyAceyAcey t1_j5ky53x wrote

Transit is definitely fun and one of my favorite ways to get to know a city, and Boston’s transit is pretty decent (even with the many recent problems). It’s also got some of the better signage I’ve seen. I was in Seattle last week and took the train from the airport to downtown and back, and nearly got lost both ways even just trying to find the station!

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ketofauxtato t1_j5j7oy4 wrote

Don’t plan on driving around! You’ll have a really bad time.

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aray25 t1_j5h6mi6 wrote

Boylston, Bowdoin, and Symphony (EDIT: and Valley Road way out on the Mattapan Line) are the only stations that require you to walk up a large number of steps. Hynes Convention Center has an escalator, and the other Green Line stops that are marked inaccessible are ground-level stops where you need to take a step up into the train but otherwise there's no steps.

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AceyAceyAcey t1_j5hv9fv wrote

For some people escalators can be hard — have you never gotten vertigo going up or down the Porter escalators? For people who are slightly unsteady on their feet, that can be magnified. Plus stepping on and off requires timing and that can be challenging for elderly people. If OP’s mother is unsteady, they may do better with elevators (fixed typo).

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aray25 t1_j5i0j0p wrote

Yes, that's why I made the distinction, so OP and their mother can make an informed decision.

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AceyAceyAcey t1_j5i8mct wrote

Ah, gotcha. Tone didn’t come through so I thought you were saying I was wrong to mention accessibility, since so many people downvoted me.

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irishgypsy1960 t1_j5jkkus wrote

I think your comment was extremely helpful, as someone who uses the subway and avoids stations with only stairs. I went to symphony hall twice since living here (3 months now). The second time I got off at the next nearest stop instead of the stairs at symphony. Some people, I think, just enjoy downvoting, and are emboldened to join in once someone has gone first lol! OP, the mbta has a chart I’ve seen which lists all stations and if and how they are accessible.

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