Going to Boston

[Silver Moon]

The New England Aquarium is quite nice, actually....not sure why that other poster was so down on it, unless it's the steep admission price.!

It is very expensive these days, but that is because they have been in rather poor financial trouble for a while (a relative of one of my player's works there).

And keep in mind that the bar which inspired Cheers is not called "Cheers" -- it's the Bull and Finch

Well the last time I was by there the Cheers sign overshadowed the original Bull and Finch. I remember going to that bar after sporting events and concerts at the original Boston Garden, when it was ONLY known as the Bull and Finch.

The subway and the sightseeing trolley are your best bets for transport.

I once did a subway tour of Boston that was pretty neat. Our guide was a retired Subway conductor with lots of interesting stories to tell. I think they've actually stopped doing those a long time ago, but it sure was fun.


BTW, you didn't say exactly when you would be in Boston this summer, but you will want to avoid making it July 26th to 29th, as that's when the National Democratic Convention will be in town.

 

[AGGEMAM]

Removed.

Megamania, please PM me on Randomlings board. Or mail me.

 

[Hypersmurf]

There's also a very cool museum of pranks at MIT, I believe.

Can you elaborate on that at all?

That sounds cool.

-Hyp.

 

[Eridanis]

I already have August 1 2004 penciled onto my calendar - that's when the Museum of Science in Boston is opening the Lord of the Rings Exhibition. Hopefully, I'll get to go before GenCon later that month.

www.mos.org/lotr

 

[Cthulhu's Librarian]

It's not in Boston, but when I was there about 2 years ago, we took the train up to Salem for a day, and had a great time. It's an easy trip, not too expensive, and a great escape from the city if you want a relaxing day of historical goodness. Not just the witch trials that everyone thinks of, but the historical aspects of the city as a port town were fascinating. The House of the Seven Gables is one of the most fascinating historical houses I have ever been in, and I've seen quite a few over the years.

As for Boston proper, I'm an aquarium nut, and I think the New England Aquarium is great. Not as big as some, but it is certainly worth spending 1/2 a day visiting. I also enjoyed visiting Harvard and walking around Cambridge (although, to be fair, my brother was living there at the time, so I may have been a little biased). I'll second the Science Museum, and definitly use the subway. Not as great as NYC

, but a damn fine train system.

 

[KidCthulhu]

Can you elaborate on that at all?
That sounds cool.
-Hyp.

MIT has a long standing tradition of Hacking, which in MIT-speak is not computer breaking and entering, but pranks and unauthorized campus exploration. Steam tunnel ventures are hacking, as is the grand campus tradition of putting things on and around the rotunda building. This building overlooks a main drive going by, and so pranks played here get good publicity. Some good recent rotunda hacks include assembling a scale model of a campus police car, complete with dummy cop and bag of donuts, on top of the building, and wrapping a wide band of gold fabric, like a ring, around the edge of the rotunda. This hack happened just before the opening of Fellowship, and written on the fabric (but not in letters of fire) was the black speech of Mordor, "Ash Naz" etc. It was very cool.

Go here http://hacks.mit.edu/ for more information on the museum and its hours, but it's a very cool tradition and very cool that the school embraces it, rather than censuring it. Generally, as long as the prank does no harm, and causes no property damage, there's no foul called. I did some low level hacking when I was in college, with friends who went to MIT. Nothing like breaking and entering to spice up an evening of studying.

 

[der_kluge]

When I was in Cheers when I went to Boston ('96, I believe?) there was a postal worker that came in to deliver the mail, and I swear to god he looked just like Cliff Clavin. I can only believe that the Cliff character was cast to look just like that guy.

And they do have a wooden indian at the entrance, but the similarity really stops there.

I've also heard the restaurant (The Bull & Finch) is really crappy, and overpriced for tourists. Don't eat there.