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Do you mean in Boston, or anywhere? Because it's not illegal here, or people don't steal them. Frankly, I'm not sure why you said you shouldn't be playing it in public.
It's because everyones a thief! You should be always watching your back and always have your taser and pepper spray with in arms length.
<Qs23> I just need to get my dicks in a row
<prox> i work for dicks
#paforums_pax, all about the dicks.
But if you come over to the Pour House they have 20 oz drafts for $5.50.
Also, FWIW I find Fire and ice to be very enjoyable. I'm not going in there expecting 5 star gourmet food, I know exactly what I'm getting - all I can eat, grilled food of my choosing for $17.
This area of Boston isn't the ghetto. The whole area is well lit, populated, and safe. There aren't any more drunks or druggies on Boylston St than there are on most college campuses in America. People don't hate tourists here, and most will help if you ask for directions. Some of the shit circulating on here is pretty ridiculous.
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It really is special walking out there and seeing the green
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/agree
You will all enjoy your time in Boston!! It's a city - so don't be dumb - and you'll be fine.
I'd love to do a 5 star place but most PAXers aren't foodies and are looking to conserve their funds- which makes total sense. If you're only getting one plate you're probably not going to enjoy Fire & ice after your first visit. If you eat more than one plate you're getting a pretty good deal and will love the place.
First, to get there, get off the T at Haymarket(Green Line, some Green Line trains only go as far as Government Center. Get off at Gov. Center and transfer to a North Station or Lechmere train going the same direction.)
The North End is the historically Italian part of Boston. I'm not a native of Boston, but when I've been in the North End, I've noticed that the restaurants on Hanover St., which is the main avenue through the North End, tend to be more expensive, with dinner meals costing $23-$28 per plate, while the streets that branch off of Hanover and those that run parallel to Hanover, because they are less accessable charge less, closer to $11-$15. I've found that getting to the North end and choosing a restaurant early 4-4:30 will prevent having to wait an hour to and hour and a half (usually outside since there's no space to stand around inside).
I would recommend holding off on ordering dessert at the restaurant, and instead hit up Mike's Pastry or Modern Pastry on Hanover street. Both offer a wide selection of Cannoli's and other sweets. Mike's is more famous and offer's a wider selection, but my girlfriend and I have pretty much decided that Modern Pastry produces a tastier cannoli.
Restaurants we have eaten at and enjoyed:
Artu
Al Dente
Saraceno
Honestly, everywhere always looks tasty, the trick is finding somewhere that is within budget, has something you like on the menu, and isn't currently covered up with people.
Also, I haven't seen anyone mention Quincy Market, which is sortof like an open air mall food court. For fast and inexpensive (for boston) meals it might not be bad. There are a lot of different types of food to choose from. Going here might be a good way to get away from PAX crowds, but still eat quickly. This is close to the Gov. Center and Haymarket stop.
http://www.faneuilhallmarketplace.com/
Oh, and Annas Taqueria is a local 'tex-mex' style chain with a similar format to chipotle or qdoba, but arguably tastier and more authentic. There are several around Boston that might be near somewhere you are going to be: http://www.annastaqueria.com/ Looks like the nearest one to Hynes is near Mass General Hospital (MGH)
Argh. Got off topic. Hope some of this helps.
but I don't know what this means. Or to put that another way, I worry that I lack a set of basic city-survival instincts and reactions that other, experienced big-city-dwellers feel are common sense. (OK in reality I don't think I do, but others might. Imagine an attendee coming from a small town where it's normal to leave your front door unlocked.)
It's nobody's responsibility to necessarily provide this extra help, but I think it'd be helpful to get a trimmed down, unobjectionable set of big-city safety guidelines that won't be insulting to attendees or to Boston residents and won't trigger a huge debate.
Keep in mind as well, after a while PAX tends to temporarily warp your perception of social norms. After three days, until you see "normal people" counterexamples and your mind readjusts EVERYONE is a gamer until proven otherwise.
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Also: how do locals pronounce "Boylston"? I'm guessing if I pronounce it "boilztun" I'd be wrong?
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I mean, I don't think it's anything above and beyond common sense. Don't go places alone at night (or even in general, because it sucks to get lost by yourself) if you can avoid it, keep track of your valuables/electronics, don't get wasted by yourself in strange places.
People here are friendly enough. Few people are legitimately going out of their way to screw random strangers over, and there isn't any kind of overt tourist-hating that I'm aware of. Just act like a rational human being and you'll be fine.
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People make cities sound like this big, scary and alien experience, but it's really not. It's just a tad bigger and more confusing. "Don't be dumb and you'll be fine" is pretty much all the "survival" advice you'll need. What you should concentrate on is finding advice to more effectively enjoy your time over there, like, what restaurants to go to, what transportation method is the best, etc.
I grew up North of Boston and went to College there. Now I live right outside it and have worked downtown and currently work in the Seaport area.
I would just like to warn people about the weather. Look it up and plan. Some times looking at the weather in NY or Jersey helps show you what will be hitting Boston later. (those clouds move right up the coast)
March is also funky. We may have some warmer temperatures or it might still be really cold. We have had snow in April. Bring an umbrella even if it says it will be sunny. Bring a jacket even if it says it's going to be 80F. Things like that.
-I'm a Massachusetts driver. If you're coming from New York/New Jersey, or Eastern PA, you'll probably be OK. But if you are from the south/midwest, watch out for these things:
1) Directionals (called blinkers here) are optional the majority of the time. Expect people to never use them
2) No one actually goes the speed limit, ever (well, maybe if it's snowing). If you're traveling on the Mass Pike, 10mph over is very acceptable for the middle lane. Don't go in the left lane unless you want to go above that, you WILL be passed/tailgated by someone going 80+, I guarantee it.
3) That being said, driving in Boston is more a question of navigation than anything else. I've driven in NYC, and while I'd say that's a much worse city to drive in, (it's more aggressive) it's really easy to find the streets you need to be on. If you're going to drive into Boston, have a few maps handy, DO NOT rely only on GPS. Also, have a few parking locations handy, in case you get lost trying to find the first one.
4) NYC people: You can turn right on red here, and people will use it every chance that they get. Although if you're coming from NYC, I'd suggest taking the Bolt Bus/Megabus, as it's super cheap and will take you to South Station
5) The construction stuff is a bit of a myth, but even without the detours, Boston is a messy labyrinth of streets.
Essentially, if you're driving, expect the other drivers to be totally inept or huge dicks. That way, you're prepared for whatever shit they might pull. I think in general that Bostonians are reserved and nice people, but those traits don't carry over to motor vehicle operation.
If you want to drive the majority of the way, but not in the city, you could drive into a commuter rail stop or a T stop. From personal experience, the Riverside stop on the Green Line has a lot of parking, but I'm actually not sure if you have to pay for it. Hynes is on the Green Line though, so it would be relatively convenient.
As for public transit, it's pretty solid for the size of the city, but it's still far from perfect. If you're out and about and the T stops running (12:30, IIRC), you better have money for a taxi.
T (Subway): Don't be worried about navigating it, it's color coded and SO SIMPLE. You could probably just stay on the Green Line if you didn't want to explore too much, but at the very least you should hit up Cambridge (Red Line). Others can provide much better food/tourist destinations than I can.
Bus: Honestly, I've never used the bus
Commuter Rail: The commuter rail is convenient if you are staying with friends that live a fair bit outside of Boston, but its last train leaves an hour earlier than the T, so I'd recommend it only if you plan to get to bed early/do stuff outside of Boston. It's also much more expensive, and the trains are a lot less frequent.
Walking: Boston isn't a massive city; if the weather is nice you could spend the day walking around. Oh, and count the number of Dunkin Donuts stores that you see. It's pretty remarkable.
What else? I'd say that if you like good music, indie rock juggernauts Spoon and Deerhunter will be playing on the 27th at the House of Blues. The location is right next to Fenway Park, a relatively short T ride away from PAX. Hopefully I'll be there. Also, Beach House is playing the next day at the Paradise.
The purple is the Prudential Mall, which is safely indoors
Yeah everything on that map in color can be accessed without going outside, as can the Lord and Taylor department store and the Back Bay train Station (right border of the map on page 20 with a green and orange T symbol, indicating stops on the orange and green lines as well as Amtrak and commuter rail service) and the Prudential Green Line T stop (E branch).
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Don't take this as a definite because I'm not 100%, but I believe the footbridge is open until around midnight. Restaurants in both Copley Place and The Pru are open until about 11:30 or midnight I believe and if I remember correctly you are free to walk through the mall. Even if this isn't the case though, the area is generally very well lit and heavily populated. There's plenty of traffic, both cars and feet.
That is a general problem with Boston in that it's not a 24 hour city.
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Keep in mind though that the restaurants do not operate on the same hours and so the mall itself is still accessible past those times, just not any stores. The only way to know for sure when they lock the doors might be to call them up and ask.
Yeah this should be noted. Bars close at 2, subway stops running between midnight and 1. After that the only places to get alcohol are illegal "tea rooms" and you don't know enough to find one
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After spending some time in NYC recently I hate how Boston closes at 2.
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I've been waiting for something like this to come to New England, so if any of you have any questions about the area, don't be bashful. I've lived all my life in Massachusetts, know the area relatively well (if I don't know about it, I know someone who does), and almost forgot...I'm going to PAX!
FYI: for all of those who are semi-enthusiastic about PAX, or bringing along someone who wants to do more than just see PAX, there's the Museum of Science, Museum of Fine Arts, and I assure you that for those of you that are picky eaters...you will NOT go hungry.
Anything else you want to know, post in the thread and I'll get to you as soon as I humanly can.
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