Boston

2,027 Views | 18 Replies | Last: 3 yr ago by tmaggies
DTP02
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AG
My family is planning to head to Maine in late July, and will be getting tested before leaving TX in order to comply with Maine's travel restrictions, which require a negative test taken within 3 days of arriving in order to avoid a 14-day self-quarantine.

We were hoping to combine with some time in Boston as well on the back half of the trip. The Mass COVID19 site says they have a 14 day quarantine as well, and I don't see a test exemption although you are exempt if you are coming from Maine (maybe a technicality we can take advantage of, although we will only have been in Maine for 7 days before heading back down to Boston) .

My question is regarding the enforcement of the quarantine. The language on the Mass COVID19 site uses language like "strongly urged" to self-quarantine, which makes me think the policy is on the honor system and not actually enforced.

Does anyone know if hotels in Boston will "enforce" a self-quarantine or refuse to allow guests from TX? If we fly into Logan will we have trouble renting a car?

And if anyone wants to throw in some Boston recommendations in case we can actually enjoy some time in Boston, please do. I haven't been since I was a kid and we know nothing about it.
Matsui
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AG
My mom lives in Rhode Island and they have a similar policy. It is all on the honor system.
Matsui
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AG
There are no checkpoints there are no documents to sign. It is all suggestions.
94DallasAG
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My wife and I were there last year fall (I had a conference up that way). We had 4 full days and were at it from sunup to sundown every day with so much to see. One day we took a boat up to Salem which was awesome considering it was the week before Halloween. With kids I'd recommend a Duck Boat tour. Fenway is a must. Either a tour or game. Look up the GoBoston pass. It saved us a whole bunch of money with an the things we did.
ToddyHill
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Quote:

And if anyone wants to throw in some Boston recommendations in case we can actually enjoy some time in Boston, please do. I haven't been since I was a kid and we know nothing about it.
I love Boston! Mrs. Toddy is from the Boston area, and we love that area. My strong suggestion....go to the Faniual Hall Marketplace for lunch. Find a Lobster Roll or a bowl of Chowda. Then go walk the Freedom Trail. Check out Paul Revere's house and the Old North Church. So much history there.

If you are really adventurous, drive down to Hyannis, paaak your car, and take the Hi Speed Ferry to Nantucket. The Whaling Museum there is a must!

Back to Boston...the Boston Aquarium is very cool as well. It's in downtown...and older aquarium compared to the likes of Atlanta, but a great experience.
lunchbox
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ToddyHill said:

Quote:

And if anyone wants to throw in some Boston recommendations in case we can actually enjoy some time in Boston, please do. I haven't been since I was a kid and we know nothing about it.
I love Boston! Mrs. Toddy is from the Boston area, and we love that area. My strong suggestion....go to the Faniual Hall Marketplace for lunch. Find a Lobster Roll or a bowl of Chowda. Then go walk the Freedom Trail. Check out Paul Revere's house and the Old North Church. So much history there.

If you are really adventurous, drive down to Hyannis, paaak your car, and take the Hi Speed Ferry to Nantucket. The Whaling Museum there is a must!

Back to Boston...the Boston Aquarium is very cool as well. It's in downtown...and older aquarium compared to the likes of Atlanta, but a great experience.


I second the aquarium. I think we've been there 3x (vacationed in Boston and the surrounding area 6x) and everyone loves it.

You get in/out privileges so go in the morning then walk 15 mins to the north end for lunch (we like Paulie's or the original Regina Pizzeria) and then go back in the afternoon. Mike's Pastry for dessert will be a lot less crowded during the day than at night.
ATM9000
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AG
Matsui said:

My mom lives in Rhode Island and they have a similar policy. It is all on the honor system.

... for now. Seriously, if you are traveling right now, local government policies and such have been pretty volatile so you should be planning at your own risk.

What I will say is there's no city in the US that I enjoy more in the summertime than Boston.
DTP02
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AG
ATM9000 said:

Matsui said:

My mom lives in Rhode Island and they have a similar policy. It is all on the honor system.

... for now. Seriously, if you are traveling right now, local government policies and such have been pretty volatile so you should be planning at your own risk.

What I will say is there's no city in the US that I enjoy more in the summertime than Boston.


What are your Boston highlights for a 3-4 day stay?
JimInBCS
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RedSox at Fenway (if playing)
Guided walking tour of downtown historical sites
Tour Sam Adams Brewery
Ferry boat ride to Salem (witch tour was a little cheesy, boat ride was cool)
Bar hopping downtown. Bars everywhere.
TheSheik
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AG
Fenway for a game and a tour - even if there is no game, do the tour
we had fun on the Duck Boat
JFK Library was great
we did UFO Brewery and loved it

We did Freedom trail from Boston common all the way to USS Constitution - guided tour might be nice but walking at our own pace with a guide book was more than adequate

an unexpected surprise was the Gardner Museum - we were planning on quick drive-by of an hour or two but got sucked in and stayed for several, and hated to leave - it is an unbelievable collection

skip the "Cheers" bar tour
lunchbox
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TheSheik said:

Fenway for a game and a tour - even if there is no game, do the tour
we had fun on the Duck Boat
JFK Library was great
we did UFO Brewery and loved it

We did Freedom trail from Boston common all the way to USS Constitution - guided tour might be nice but walking at our own pace with a guide book was more than adequate

an unexpected surprise was the Gardner Museum - we were planning on quick drive-by of an hour or two but got sucked in and stayed for several, and hated to leave - it is an unbelievable collection

skip the "Cheers" bar tour
Agree on skipping Cheers. I would also skip the observation desk of the Prudential center ("the Pru").

The wife and I liked doing a harbor cruise at sunset. When we did ours a cold front came through and we were the only ones on the boat. The captain let us come up to the wheelhouse and let us steer and told us stories, etc.
DTP02
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AG
So I have booked accommodations for the rest of the trip except for Boston.

From reading up, I think I'm going to really like the North End, but there really aren't many options at all for staying there.

What is another good location to stay for walking purposes?
jetch17
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AG
We stayed at the Hilton downtown near Faneuil Hall and it was perfect for hitting the streets on foot
ClassOf17
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Me and the wife went for the first time last winter and loved it. We toured Fenway, the Freedom Trail, Paul Reveree house, Salem (museum and witch house), Harvard and more. You have to try Mike's Pastry. There are a ton of good Italian restaurants as well (best pizza I've ever had). We stayed in an AirBnB downtown and it was great.

We are planning on going back this fall and spending time in Nantucket as well.
Federale01
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AG
Y'all realize that the majority of things you are recommending probably will not be open, right?
DTP02
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We ended up booking a 2 bedroom apartment in a nice high rise apartment building a few minutes walk south of Faneuil Hall (1 Devonshire). We were looking for a 2 BR w separate beds for the kids, and this was a fantastic value for Boston. Thanks to everyone for the suggestions.

I was wrong about this being the last piece of the puzzle for lodging, however.

We have an overnight planned on the way down from Bar Harbor to Boston which I had forgotten about. We are flying into Portland and will have stayed there already, so we are looking for a coastal town (ideally, doesn't have to be, but don't want to be too far out of way) somewhere that cuts the drive to Boston down considerably for the next day. I really like Camden but it's probably too close to Bar Harbor.
lunchbox
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First of all, the drive from Portland to Boston is only a couple of hours... 3-4 if you drive some of the scenic coastal roads and make some stops (which I recommend). On our very first trip to Boston, we thought we needed to get up early to drive to Portland to beat traffic. We left the hotel on the north side of the city at 6AM and were well inside the Maine state border by 7:15. We were so used to living in TX and it taking hours to get out of the state...

We've stayed in Ogunquit before...it is a great little coastal town. We stayed in the Beachmere Inn. When we went, it was Thanksgiving week and was the week after the Fall "hotel season" ended so we had the whole place to ourselves. It was really nice.

The Maine Diner in Wells (10-15 mins north of Ogunquit) has great breakfast and biscuits bigger than your head. http://mainediner.com/

When Pigs Fly Pizzeria (10-15 mins south of Ogunquit) has some good wood-fired pizza. https://whenpigsflypizzeria.com/

Edit - I re-read your post and realized you are going from Bar Harbor to Boston. That's a bit longer. I still recommend Ogunquit...
lunchbox
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How was the trip? Where did you end up staying in Maine?
I Play With Guns
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S
The Liberty is lovely!! <33
tmaggies
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AG
Not enforceable but I wouldn't travel to any democratic controlled urban area anyway with my family unfortunately.
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