#9 Newbury Street

Newbury Street,
Boston MA 02125

Travel Time: MBTA Green B Line to Hynes Convention center. OR 20 min walk from NEU

Cost: Whatever you decided to spend

Newbury Street is the Boston mecca of shopping. This is where everyone who is anyone owns a store down here. There is everything from the funky, like LF and Urban Outfitters, to the Athletic at NikeTown, and the high end of Gucci and Chanel. (Forever21 is coming soon! I wish I was there for that). This street has got it all.

One of the other attractions of Newbury Street, is the European like cafe's and restaurants, complete with outdoor patios for some of the best people watching Boston has to offer. These restaurants have some great menus, and are a tad on the pricey side, but if youre there for the afternoon not a bad place to stop in the middle of some heavy duty shopping. I love PAZZO or Piattini (yes, they are both Italian....shocker). Another great place is Charleys or Cafeteria for some good American style food. They also have some great stops to get a cup of coffe or an ice cream cone on those hot days. My favorites have to be JP Licks and The Wired Puppy (viva la gormet coffee shop, move over starbucks!)

Newbury is a place to see and be seen on. Its an experience for those shoppers out there. And a place I love to visit, just for walks on a sunny day.


Don't Forget to Check Out Their Website: http://www.newbury-st.com/

#27 The Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA)

The Institute of Contemporary Art

100 Northern AvenueBoston, MA 02210

Travel Time: MBTA Red L

ine to South Station, and a 10 Min walk, OR Silver Line to WTC

Cost: FREE (on Thursdays from 5-9) or $10 for students

So every Thursday, all year round, Target hosts"Target Free Thursdays" and this is the best option if you want to see the exhibits. I really believe that

this is not worth the $10 admission price, and was extremelyglad to not have paid anything. The Gallery is located on the 4th floor, which is the only place you are allowed without paying admission. Also, you are allowed to walk in and straight up to the 4th floor, without any tickets or waiting in line, unless of course you are waiting for the elevator. This is nice and provides a flowy and relaxed environment.

There were two main exhibits Charles Ledray and Dr. Lakra. You are not permitted to take photos inside the exhibits. These both were interesting in very different ways. Charles' exhibit was miniaturized clothing, and pottery. It was really amazing handiwork. Dr. Lakra, had various paintings, and prints with attractive pin up girls completely covered in tattoo's these were really cool and intriguing. Both exhibits will be around through 2011. My favorite portion of the exhibits was the one wall with about 20 Shep

ard Fairey prints. These are part of the permanent collection of the ICA. There was also a very interesting piece in the lobby by Francesca DiMattio.

The artwork is there for you to experience yourself, despite viewing it with hundreds of others.

The galleries are laid out in a very natural and organic way, and in between there is a viewing space, to watch the boats out in the harbor. This portion I really enjoyed, and it made me appreciate the architecture of the building as well. The 4th floor is also home to the MediaTech Lab, which is a great room, with stadium seating an

d iMacs where you can virtually interact with the exhibits and learn more. This room is protruding from the building at such an angle, where when you look out you see the bottom of the ocean. I am doing a terrible job at describing, but it is amazing, so take the time to experience it while there.

Outside facing the harbor there is a cafe, as well as bleachers and an outdoor bar. This is a local hang out for those that work in the area. There was live music playing, and it was a great location to relax, people watch, and watch the boats sail around.

Overall this is a great place to go, for free!

Don't Forget to Check Out Their Website at: http://www.icaboston.org/

#44 Lulu's Sweet Shop

Lulu's Sweet Shoppe
57 Salem Street
Boston MA 02113

Travel Time: 10-15 min T ride (Green or Orange to Haymarket)

Cost: $2.25 for a regular sized cupcake (no minis on selection

So this is located in the North End, right down the block from La Famiglia Gorgio's, and may even be seen as my continuation of the North End blog. But you know me and my cupcakes, I gotta try 'em all.

So we stopped in and got a Red Velvet cupcake to share, and then I brought home a Peanut Butter Cup, Red Velvet and a S'Mores. I absolutely loved the Red Velvet, may have been a tad dry, but it was the end of the day after all. The Peanut Butter Cup was amazing, mainly it had to do with my love for that combination, and even after a day it was still delicious.

Now this is also a sweet shoppe, and they had a great selection of candy, for relatively low prices. So just be prepared for the over all sugar rush that is associated with this store. Overall, if you are in the neighborhood and tired of cannoli's, this is a great alternative, and perfect ending to any meal.

They don't have a website, apparently they closed and just recently re-opened.

#18 The North End

The North End

Between 1-93 and the Harbor, and Causeway St and Atlantic Ave.

Travel: MBTA Orange or Green Line T to Haymarket.

Cost: Whatever you spend!

Famous streets: Salem St and Hanover St. (aka most touristy) Salem St is Pictured.

So the North End is also known as Boston's Little Italy, and is actually one of the oldest neighborhoods. This neighborhood has got it all, history, shopping, and most of all Food! The restaurants in this area are mostly Italian (shocking!) and they all vary in price range and menu as well. One of my favorite places is La Famiglia Gorgio, this is a family owned restuarant thats portion size encourages sharing between family and friends. This is a great date night location, hint hint.

The North End is home to some great local botiques that have a real interesting selection of clothing. There is one jewelry store that my mother absolutely loves right on the corner of Salem St. Depending on where you go, but most stores are reasonably priced, and can provide some real interesting conversation pieces.

This North End also has some great stops for pre or post dinner snacks, with the most famous being Mikes Pastry's. They have some nationwide famous Cannolis, definitely worth the mayhem and wait that always comes from the tourists. This is also home to some of the best gelato in town, instead of course ice cream.

The North End has a lot of Italy in a very condense area, making it quite a delicious experience.

Don't Forget To Check Out Their Website: http://www.northendboston.com/

#24 The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

280 The Fenway,

Boston MA 02115

Travel Time: 10-20 min walk from NEU Campus, or MBTA E Green line to the MFA stop.

Cost: $5.00 for Students

Free if you're under 18

$10.00 for Adults

This museum is open Tuesday-Sunday from 11am to 5pm.

This is one of the more stricter museums I've been to in terms of packages, bags, cameras and the like. While most museums will allow non-flash photography, no camera's were permitted inside the museum. Additionally, any large purses and backpacks were asked to be checked in the coat check, and not permitted to be carried around the museum. There are security in every room, and every entrance. There are also certain rooms with a limited capacity, where you will have to wait to take a gander around. I think this in part has to do with the famous Museum heist, (which you can read about here: http://archives.cnn.com/2002/LAW/11/26/ctv.traces.museum.heist/index.html).

This museum is three floors, which incircle an indoor courtyard, one of the first built in Boston way back when. This courtyard is gorgeous, amazing and extremely peaceful. Even with the many tourists and visitors walking around, there is a certain quite when looking out into the courtyard. Unfortunately no-one is allowed into it. Also, on each floor there are windows open with balconies where you can gaze down into the courtyard. This is the focal point of this museum and collection, and probably my favorite part of this visit.

One of the really interesting things about this place is the fact that nothing (well almost nothing) has been touched since Isabella's death, as per her will. All the paintings, furniture and the like are arranged as she wanted the public to see them . With this in mind, these collections, each of the three floors, were the most eclectic and interesting exhibits. I want to get to know this woman who put this together, and most of all I left with the question, of why each thing was put in the room. Why certain pieces were together. It had to be one of the most eclectic collections ever.

The fact that nothing has been touched also leaves room for some remorse because there are quite a few empty frames, from that heist, where the thieves stole the paintings out of the frames. My favorite painting was located in the back left corner of the first floor, and it is El Jaleo, 1882 by John S. Sargent. It had such vibrant movement and color.

This museum is a great stop after the overwhelming galleries of the MFA, and over all you only need an 1 hour to an 1 1/2 hours here.

Don't Forget to Check Out Their Website: http://www.gardnermuseum.org/

#42 SoWa

SoWa (South End Open Market)

460 Harrison Ave,

Boston MA

Travel Time: 20-30 min walk from NEU/Mass Ave MBTA Orange Line T, OR 15 min walk from Orange Tufts Medical Center Stop.

Cost: whatever you buy!

Note: Open SUNDAYS from 10am-4pm

I had no idea what to except when going to the SoWa Open Market, and I have to say I was plesantly surprised. It was a longer walk than I had anticipated and the crowd was getting restless, but the first section we went too, with the food truck and tents calmed the crowd and created a great first impression.
We were able to sample different things, from ice coffee (amazing), to hummus, to even a crazy hot pinapple hot sauce.

We walked through to the other side, and found all the indie artists, as well as a few farm stands, which got me really excited, I love fresh produced. SoWa is home to many different photographers, artists, jewelery makers, even a soap maker or two. There was a booth with not bean bag chairs. And a couple of other interesting tents here. I really enjoyed walking around and looking. I must confess to not purchasing anything, mainly due to my constricted budget, but did mean there was nothing I wanted.

SoWa is also home to various events as well as the Sunday market. The two following weeks after I went to SoWa, there was the Food Truck Fest, and then an Ice Cream Competition. Both of which I would have loved to take part in, alas the busy schedule of Boston Blogging.

Overall this is a great thing to do on a Sunday in the South End! Would love to go back!

(All photos from the SoWa website, mainly because I brought my camera without the memory card! )

Don't Forget to Check Out Their Website at: http://www.southendopenmarket.com/

#17 The Sam Adams Brewery

The Sam Adam Brewery Tour

30 Germania Street, Boston 02130

Travel Time: 10 min MBTA Orange Line to Stony Brook, 5 min walk to the brewery

Cost: Free, however they do ask for a donation for one of their local charities.

Tours Start at 10:00am and go to approximately 3:00pm, and they are every 45 min, and last for about an hour. I say approximately to 3:00pm because we were able to hop on the 3:20pm tour, aka they are liars, although I would say that these tours dont go past 4pm.

We arrived to wait in line at about 1:30pm, I would not suggest this if you want to do anything else! Get there early and plan to wait! I know drinking beer ea

rlier than 12 sounds odd, but think of it as a Keggs and Eggs morning breakfast! It was also hot out and waiting in line was brutal, and after about a good half an hour wait we were allowed on the 3:20pm tour. NOTE: They do check ID's if you want to participate in the tasting portion at the end of the tour.

With about an hour and a half to kill we took the free party bus to Doyle's. This guy is loud, obnoxious and unmissable. If you are waiting in line you will see him. The bus ride was something else, he gave you a brief history of Sam Adams, and everything else in between. I must say they have got to pay this guy well betwee

n the brewery and Doyles.

Anyway, Doyle's is the first pub in Boston that sold the Sam Adams Brew, and they have a sweet deal, if you order any Sam's at Doyle's you can keep the Sam Adams Perfect Beer Glass. (so in reality your paying $4.50 for a glass). Doyle's has great pub food, and its about a 5-10 min party bus ride, if you have the time, go!

We got back to the brewery just in time to make our tour. The inside of the brewery is super small, and not what I expected at all. But this location is really just used for research and development, so they do not need such a large facility as if they were bottling. Also, there was no A/C so if its hot out, its hot in the brewery.

We started out in a corner of the brewery, in a built stage. Our tour guide went on a very long explanation of how to make beer and the main 4 ingredients! (here is your cheat sheet for future reference: water, yeast, barley, hops). He passed around different samples of what each one looks like, minus water. And then we moved to the brewing section of the brewery, and we were able to see and hear all about the fancy machineries and processes of how to make Sam Adam

s. Note: Please do not be that person, the drunk obnoxious, loud, insulting, and has to comment on every other word that the tour guide says, person. You will elongate your tour and infuriate everyone around you, with very ugly results.

Once the whole speech is over, you finally get what you came there for, the tasting! You are brought into another room, with a bar, tables, and not enough chairs for everyone, and given a free 5oz sampling glass to hear your tour guide talk even more. However, this was the more interesting part of the tour, and I may have even learned a thing or two.

First it is how to taste the beer, and some stories and blah blah blah. Then you get the original Sam Adams beer, this was really interesting and after this

tasting I really appreciated and enjoyed Sam's, which I guess is the whole point. The 2nd beer is the Sam's Seasonal, which in this case is the Sam's Summer, and one of my favorite beers, so I clearly enjoyed that. The third beer was the coolest beer, and I say that because it is the beer that supports the Sam Adams Brewing the American Dream. Which is an operation started by the Boston Beer Co, to give about $250,000 in micro-loans every year to small food/drink companies. It was a called a Boston Brick Red, which unfortunately is only available in the Northeast Region, but for every purchase of the Brick Red, additional funds are donated by Sam Adams. So if you ever see that beer on tap, I would suggest ordering a pint.

With all this being said, the tour took close to an hour to complete, thanks to that person, but I would do it again in a heartbeat! If you're over 21, make sure you do this!!!

Don't Forget to Check Out Their Website: http://www.samueladams.com/share-passion/tours.aspx

#21 Harpoon Brewery

The Harpoon Brewery

306 Northern Avenue
Boston, MA 02210

Travel Time : 30min Mbta Orange to Downtown crossing, Change to Red, to South Station, Change to Silver Line, too Harbor Street.

Cost: $5.00

Tour Times: From 11 to 5pm (6) every half an hour, the tour is half an hour, with a half an hour tasting at the end.

So to get to Harpoon it is an extreme trek through Boston, but I feel its totally worth it. This tour begins in the brewery with an explanation of how to make beer, the yeast and water and all that jazz. I did learn a new vocabulary word, wort, which is the liquid good stuff produced during the primary stages of brewing. This tour had two guides, that were extremely informative, and a lot of fun.

After the explanation of how to make beer, while we were at the top level of the brewery looking down at all the tanks, we were actually brought down onto the main floor. Now this is a craft brewery that actually brews and bottles in the facility so everything was on and brewing away. We were given the 5 oz tasting glasses at the beginning of the tour, and halfway through we were allowed to taste a beer that was almost done, but not quite there yet. This was still in the process and I believe they said it was still unfiltered, which explained the murky looking amber color. It also tasted a tad different, and was not something I really enjoyed, but was definitely a cool and different experience.

We then went on to the bottle and storage facility. I find these things interesting mainly because I love different packaging and labels. Thats me in the warehouse, with floor to ceiling full packages of beer. It quite possibly was the most amount of beer I've seen in my life. And that was the end of the tour, it was quick informative and fun, the way a tour should be especially with the promise of beer at the end.

So the tasting room was cool, it had a bar vibe to it (and a full gift shop of course) and it had every single Harpoon brew on tap, this included the UFO and even seasonal. You were allowed to try as many and as much as you wanted within the half an hour time frame. In the beginning they explained the different types of beer they had on tap, and then it was free game. And when that half an hour was up, they rang a bell, said last call and you were allowed one more 5oz sample. I was able to try the cider, the dark, the traditional IPA, the raspberry, which is my favorite beer, at least for now, and an interesting combination of the darkest and the cider which they labeled a snake bite, and was really quite good.

I did end up taking a 6 pack of raspberry home, mainly because it was cheaper there than at the local liquor store. But they do offer the growler, a big jug for relatively cheap, with a bottle deposit, which you can fill up with anything on tap.

I have to say, I can not wait to go back! This is a must do!

Don't Forget to Check Out Their Website: http://www.harpoonbrewery.com/

#40 The South Street Diner

The South Street Diner

178 Kneeland Street

Boston, MA 02111-2733

Travel Time: 20 MBTA Orange Line to Downtown Crossing, to change to the Red Line. Get off at South Station. 5 min walk from South Station.

Cost: BLT with Sweet Potato Fries and Water: $8.00

So, I am from Long Island home of the always open diners, hell home of the Diner, and moving to Boston was a shock to me in more ways than one. That shocked included the fact that there are no Diners, anywhere in this city, and needless to say they are NOT open to 4am.

BUT I have found the exception, The South Street Diner, this is a true old fashion diner, small and tiny, but with the awesome breakfast all day menu. The only thing lacking about the menu is the extensive options that are commonplace on the Island. South Street does have this one though, it is open 24 HOURS! yup, somewhere in this city is actually open after the bars close and you want your greasy fix.

This diner has been featured in numerous movies and things of that nature, is a favorite location of the local stars, but despite all that still serves great food. I devoured my BLT and fries quickly, which is a feat for me. The staff is great, local, and really friendly. And another plus they serve beer, at least until 2am, with PBR Tall Boys for only $2.50.

Finding this diner made my day, and I need to come back here....ASAP!

Don't Forget to Check Out Their Website at:

http://southstreetdiner.com/

#30 The Bunker Hill Monument

The Bunker Hill Monument

Monument Square,

Charlestown, MA 02129

open daily from 9 A.M. to 5 p.m. Last climb at 4:30 PM. Summer (July - August) open, 9:00 a.m. to 6 p.m. Last climb at 5:30 PM

Travel Time: 10 min walk from the USS Constitution, following the Freedom Trail! or It is about a 20-30 min MBTA Orange Line T ride to Community College, and then a 10-15 min walk to Monument Square.

Cost: Free!

As you can probably tell from the picture, tho

se red lattice looking structures means that the monument is under construction, and therefore not open for the public to climb, until summer 2011. I am striking out on a few the historical things that make Boston such a great city. But thats ok, going to the monument was enough to at least cross it off the list.

This place is really cool, and a great place to hang out on a sunny day, many locals where lounging in the park, on the green, a few were even picnicking. Which is such a great idea.

I would suggest visiting both this monument and the USS Constitution in the same day, as I did, that way your not making the same long trek twice, and basically going to stare at a mini Washington Monument. This is a really cool piece of American history though, with that being said, and the site of the battle of "Bunker" Hill (this is actually Breeds Hill, but they call it the Bunker Hill memorial anyway, go figure).

Don't Forget to Check Out Their Website at: http://www.nps.gov/bost/historyculture/bhm.htm

#13 The USS Constitution

The USS Constitution

22 1st Avenue
Charlestown, MA 02129

(Charlestown Navy Yard)

Travel Time: 20 min MBTA Orange Line T to Community College Stop. 15 min walk to the Navy Yard.

Cost: Free! to get on the boat, and that is even with a guided tour. To go into the museum is by donation only, suggested donation is $4.00-$5.00.

The Tours leave every half an hour, guided by the ships navy members, or you can have access to the top deck only every 10 min or so.

So we decided to stick around and check out the whole boat on a guided t

our of the USS Constitution. While we waited for our tour to leave, there was a very young navy officer, who was chatting and taking any and all questions (such as how old he was. which by the way is 19!) He was informing us about the Ship, not a boat! and About the navy in general. After about 15 min of waiting another officer came to give us a tour of the first three levels of this ship.

This ship is also under construction so there were other levels and sections of the ship that were off limits, but you really didn't need to see them in order to get the feel of how old this ship is, and what an amazing thing that it is still floating, and with almost all its original materials. The USS Constitution, is still a war ship, and would be ready to sail at a moments notice if need be, so they kept reminding us.

The ship itself showed the harsh life of American Sailors way back when, the tight quarters, barely any sleep, food, or personal space, unless of course you were a captain or first mate. Now I get a tad sea sick, so once we hit the bottom layer I was beginning to feel it, however, up on the top of the deck, you felt nothing, It was as if the ship was sitting on land. It was totally strange. Fashion advice, if you are going here, please were backed shoes, my mom wore flip flops, and almost lost one getting of the gang way.

This was a fun and enjoyable time in the sun, and if you're spending some time here, something worth seeing!

Don't Forget to Check Out Their Website: http://www.ussconstitutionmuseum.org/

#5 The Museum of Science

The Museum of Science

1 Science Park, Boston, MA 02114

Travel Time: 20 min

MBTA Green Line

to Science park, and a 5 min walk.

Cost: $21.00 for an Adult ticket (includes Exhibit halls). However, if you want to see the Omni, thats an extra $9.00 and if you want to go to the 3-D movie or the Butterfly gardens thats another $5.00. There's no student discount here, unfortunately. But there are member discount and city pass discount for those tourists.

In general the MoS is a great way to spend an afternoon, there is a lot to see and do here, and I must say its not just for children. Both my parents and I enjoyed ourselves walking around and through all the exhibits. We were able to see the Whales and the MC Escher exhibit, they were both different and informative. The MC Escher exhibit brought me back to my middle school days when I was forced to sit at a computer and make tessellation's in the style of MC Escher for an hour everyday. I still have not been to the Omni here, and hopefully I will before I leave, but they were not playing anything worth while for me and my parents to see. (My cousins went this past week and saw a movie on the underwater dinosaurs, and apparently fell asleep, so pick a good movie, especially for that price! )

I thought the Whales exhibit was really something different. It was really cool to see the skeleton and try to wrap my

mind around the size of these creatures.

We also took the time to look at the eggs in the incubator, two had just hatched, and one was doing work. My mother sat down for about a half an hour to try and see the chick leave its shell. Note: These birds take forever to hatch, dont waste your time like that.

We saw the lightening show while there, and we had prime spots in the middle of the theatre. This overall was a tad disappointing, while informative about lightening and safety, as I'm sure the point is, it wasn't enough lightening sparks. I wanted a big grand finale, and it fell way short.

On our way out, around 3ish the Museum was beginning to get really crowded, so like most places I suggest an early arrival. You can spend a whole afternoon here, and not even noticed how many hours have really passed by.

Don't Forget to Check Out Their Website: http://www.mos.org/

#44 The Southend Buttery

The South End Buttery

314 Shawmut Avenue
Boston, MA 02118

Trip: 20 Min walk from the NEU Campus into the South End. However, the MBTA Silver Line does run through this area.

Cost: $3.00 for a Red Velvet Cupcake

$2.00 for an Iced Double Espresso

So, we went here to try the cupcakes, and of course in the policy of consistency, I went with the Red Velvet and cream cheese frosting. However, The South End Buttery has been voted the best Coffee Shop by numerous magazines and websites for the past 2 or so years, and about 3 years ago they had the best cupcakes in town.

With a tour detour from the main posting, this is a great Cafe`, and is crowded on a weekend morning, there was not an empty table inside or out. My espresso was delish, and fairly priced. I would always come back here for a morning coffee, if I did not live so far away. The only negative is if there is no space anywhere to sit, its hard to find anywhere around the block to sit and enjoy.

With all that being said, the cupcake: it was a moist cupcake, with the

proper coloring all around. The cream cheese frosting was sweet, it seemed like it might have been like a cream cheese butter cream? Im not sure, I don't know my baking terms like I should. But over all the combination of the icing and cake were very nice. A super sweet combination, and the cupcake itself was a tad large, two people can easily split it. And since we all had one to ourselves, no one had finished the poor sad cupcake.

Out of the three cupcake places in Boston, this has the #2 ranking.

Don't Forget to Check Out Their Website:

http://www.southendbuttery.com/site/