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Things to do In Boston and New York (plus Washington DC and Philadelphia)
Alistair Hutton
DrEdinburghRegistered User regular
DrEdinburghRegistered User regular
So, my wife and I are going on holiday to the east coast of America at the end of May/beginning of June we'll have several days in Boston and several more in New York plus a full day each in Washington DC and Philadelphia. I thought given that PAX east happens in Boston forumers here would be well versed in the ways of the city.
For Washington we were planning on just taking in all the big monuments, you know, like the tourists that we are. There's also a bunch of obvious things to see and do in New York but are there any gems, odd museums or hidden away parks that forumers would recommend? For Boston and Philly we are more at a loss - what are the good tourist attractions that people have been to in Boston? I've got a dodgy knee so ultra-extreme-whitewater-invert-rock-climbing type activities are unfortunately out. I can walk around fine, I just can't do sports like activity on it.
For Washington we were planning on just taking in all the big monuments, you know, like the tourists that we are. There's also a bunch of obvious things to see and do in New York but are there any gems, odd museums or hidden away parks that forumers would recommend? For Boston and Philly we are more at a loss - what are the good tourist attractions that people have been to in Boston? I've got a dodgy knee so ultra-extreme-whitewater-invert-rock-climbing type activities are unfortunately out. I can walk around fine, I just can't do sports like activity on it.
I have a thoughtful and infrequently updated blog about games http://whatithinkaboutwhenithinkaboutgames.wordpress.com/
I made a game, it has penguins in it. It's pay what you like on Gumroad.
Currently Ebaying Nothing at all but I might do in the future.
I made a game, it has penguins in it. It's pay what you like on Gumroad.
Currently Ebaying Nothing at all but I might do in the future.
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All I really know in Philly is Independence Hall + the Liberty Bell + the Rocky steps at the art museum.
- Go to the Museums of Science and Fine Arts. They're actually awesome, especially Science. I mean you're in freakin Boston, of course the museum about science is going to be awesome.
- Tour the campuses of whatever universities, the huge ones being Harvard, MIT, BU, and BC. They're like mini cities in the city but none of them are downtown. The campus of Harvard is pretty cool, although it would be weird going to school in what is essentially a museum. Lots of history there though; my favorite was finding this guy's name in the cathedral.
- The Boston Common, basically the Central Park of the city.
- Get something to eat on Hanover Street. If you're a tourist, get a canoli from Mike's. If you're a tourist but don't want to wait in line, get one from Vittoria's. (Cash only.)
- The U.S.S. Constitution, but I'm not sure if it's open to the public or what.
Edit: And don't pronounce canoli like "CAN-OH-LEE". It's "CON-OOHL", the "i" is silent.
Let 'em eat fucking pineapples!
but i can recommend food, if you have any particular desires
where are you coming from btw?
Coming over from Britian to tour our former colonial possessions.
Foodwise my wife is vegetarian so restaurants and cafes with good vege options is a must, not necessarily completely vegetarian or vegan, just so that she has an optin of what to eat, or at least so the only options is guaranteed to be god damn delicious. Japanese food is popular with us, as is basically anything pan-Asain. We'd Never say no to Pizza or indeed a recommendation for a good italian, despite living in Glasgow for years which is littered with great Italian-cafes/coffee shops I've never never been to a really good Italian resteraunt.
I made a game, it has penguins in it. It's pay what you like on Gumroad.
Currently Ebaying Nothing at all but I might do in the future.
Hahahahahahahahahahaha
::gasp::
hahahahahahahahahahaha
Walk the mall, hit up the Air & Space museum and the natural history museum (or art museum of your choice) then walk around the tidal basin. Walk through the FDR memorial, which is on the tidal basin, view the MLK memorial, then walk through the Vietnam memorial and up along the reflecting pool to the WWII memorial.
It'll be a full day and your feet will hurt, but it's a pretty plain loop and you'll see many things.
Agreed. I have never done the Segway tour myself, but I can absolutely say that the monument walk is long and exhausting. Alternatively, you could bike it. There's a service here called "Capital Bikeshare" that has tons of stations around the city. Never used it before, but I've heard good things.
If you're interested in a tour of the Capitol: I don't know if they've changed it since they opened the new visitor center, but when I went you got a ticket to come back at a specific time to go on the tour. If they still do it that way, go get your ticket first thing. Then you can go do whatever on the mall before the tour starts.
On the mall itself, there are not many options for food. Probably the best place to go for lunch and stay in the area is the cafe in the Museum of the American Indian. They actually have genuinely good food there! Try the fry bread... Absolutely terrible for you, but delicious.
Entriech's NYC thread will be very helpful for you. I also recommended some good Italian and Japanese restaurants in his thread. Quick recap:
For Italian, for a while I liked to point people to Frank's Restaurant in East Village. If you make it out to Brooklyn and are craving Italian, then you MUST go to Noodle Pudding. Go early, since they don't take reservations. Before you even browse through the menu, ask your waiter if the "Trust Me Menu" is available. If it is, then trust them with your stomach and wallet.
Do NOT go to the new Grimaldi's... either one of them. Just.. don't. Lombardi's is good, as is Di Fara (go before the old man quits making pizza!).
If your love for Italian is not limited to lunch and dinner, then you must swing by Veniero's for cheesecake, cannoli, and everything in between.
I highly recommend Kenka on St. Mark's. Arrive at 6 sharp, otherwise you'll be waiting for up to 45 minutes to an hour for seating. It's a Japanese beer hall/grill type of place. Everybody I've taken there have gone in asking "What the hell is this place?" (naughty posters on the walls, almost exclusively Asian clientele, everybody jabbering over each other, crazy menus), and walked out asking "Why the hell do we not have something like this back home?"
Something more intimate and quiet? Hasaki on 9th.
Want something more "foodie"? Then Ippudo for ramen (and a 1-hour wait).
<stereotype>If you're craving a taste of home, there's the Chip Shop for all your fish and chips needs.</stereotype>
Of all the recommendations I've ever followed, I'm sorry to say that the cafe at the Museum of the American Indian... did not live up. It's novel, but the food quality itself is not impressive. It's DC, you don't HAVE to limit yourself to the mall area. When my gf and I went to DC, we would spend the regular hours at the mall, and take the metro to places with better dining for lunch and dinner. A few recommendations:
Old Ebbitt Grill. Close to the White House. Good dinner for not bad prices. Make reservations.
Occidental Grill and Seafood. A few blocks from Old Ebbitt. Good dinner for higher prices.
Ethiopic Restaurant. Close-ish to Union Station. DC has a LARGE Ethiopian population, so from what I've heard the Ethiopian food is pretty authentic. We went to this place, and after you get over the initial shock of having to eat with only your hands, it's quite good and quite fun. A lot of the stuff on the menu is vegetarian-safe. Bonus if you can get good enough at it to feed each other.
Cava Mezze. I believe their tapas is actually what people go for, but my bf and I found their other foods to be quite nice for a quick bite to eat.
What constitutes Boston's "South End"? The internet is giving me conflicting advice on the matter.
I made a game, it has penguins in it. It's pay what you like on Gumroad.
Currently Ebaying Nothing at all but I might do in the future.
I made a game, it has penguins in it. It's pay what you like on Gumroad.
Currently Ebaying Nothing at all but I might do in the future.
For food I really like Pi Pizzeria. My wife's vegetarian and likes them quite a bit. It's not mind blowing but it is good at a decent price with a really nice beer selection too.
Lincoln's Waffle Shop is a great hole in the wall American food place. It's not quite as vegetarian friendly but it's nice for a quick snack. Only downside is during peak hours it becomes PACKED. Like I'm pretty sure they're violating fire codes or something.
though Ganso in downtown brooklyn was really good also
but Cocoron in the LES has amazing soba which would be good for vegetarian also (though both those ramen spots have veg options)
Parm has real good italian sammiches
It's a solid day trip to go there, see it, and drive back to the DC/NoVA area but it is just something else you may want to check out.
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Alas we won't have a car in any of the cities so limited to public transport and shoe leather.
I made a game, it has penguins in it. It's pay what you like on Gumroad.
Currently Ebaying Nothing at all but I might do in the future.
There are some tour groups/buses that go from DC to Monticello:
http://www.monticello.org/site/visit/transportation-to-monticello-washington-dc
Still a hike, but it's not impossible if you're in town long enough to make it worthwhile and it interests you.
Basically the area between Mass Ave, Columbus and E Berkeley St. near the back bay. Beautiful old streets/cafe's and some solid places to eat. Great to walk around in, but note there are no subways that go there (closest is probably the Prudential stop)
edit: If you do end up at the common, you might swing by chinatown. The bahn mi at https://plus.google.com/101370778768566941962/about?gl=US&hl=en-US is cheap and tasty. There's also a lot of baked goods there. There are a number of good and cheap restaurants there.
it is incredibly spicy authentic sichuan cuisine. best meal of my life, entrees <20 bucks
Lincon's Waffle Shop was everything you'd said it would be and more. Nom, nom, nom. heading back there again.
I made a game, it has penguins in it. It's pay what you like on Gumroad.
Currently Ebaying Nothing at all but I might do in the future.
Ethiopic Restaurant was an awesome suggestion, thanks.
I made a game, it has penguins in it. It's pay what you like on Gumroad.
Currently Ebaying Nothing at all but I might do in the future.
I made a game, it has penguins in it. It's pay what you like on Gumroad.
Currently Ebaying Nothing at all but I might do in the future.
Also THIS PLACE They have this awesome cupcake & beer pairings. They also make savory cupcakes, which when paired with the selected beers is life changing