What to see in Boston?

[BSF]

I've never been to Boston, nor has Eeralai, and obviously our kids haven't either. So earlier this year, we decided we would take a family vacation up into the New England area of the country.

After planning and looking around for places to stay and all that, we ended up with reservations in the Cape Cod area. It sounds so upper crust - "Why yes, we are vacationing up in Cape Cod this season." But really, we were able to get a reasonably good deal on a place to stay for a week, for a family of five. So we took it!

Cape Cod looks neat. We don't have much in the way of beaches out here in New Mexico. Sand? Oh yes, we have that. We just don't have a lot of ocean to go with it, so no beaches. So we are planning to do a couple of things in Cape Cod.

But we wanted to check out the Boston area, see? I know there is a lot to do in Boston. Lots and lots of touristy things. And that is cool! But it isn't all that we want to see.

We have talked about New England in a very broad sense, and Boston in a much more focused way, as places that might be interesting to live. It is harder and harder for me to find jobs that stretch my skills and help me learn and move upwards in Albuquerque. Albuquerque isn't a bad town, but it isn't the type of place that companies are looking to move their corporate infrastructures to. Albuquerque is a tier 2 city, not a tier 1 city. In a broad sense, I define this as a place which has decent infrastructure, but not such a strong infrastructure as to appeal to global companies.

Flights in and out of Albuquerque? Yeah, we have them. Just not on the same schedule as bigger markets.

Network bandwidth? Yeah, we have it. For the telcos that are marketing in a tier 2 market, they even make investments into the infrastructure sometimes. But not as often, or as rapidly, as the tier 1 markets.

I could go on, but the short version is that if I want to grow my career options, I need to expand the areas that I look for jobs. So that is what I am doing. If we get to have a family vacation in a place where we may eventually want to live, that is great! And if we determine that we might not want to live there, but had a blast visiting, then that is a good vacation.

So my question to the people who have lived, or are living, in the Boston area, what do you recommend for checking everything out? Aside from the touristy stuff, I mean. Any advice on how I can take the family through and get a feel for the real pulse of life up there?

We will be in Massachusetts around May 25 and will have a week up there. Some of that time will be on the beaches of Cape Cod. Some of it will be driving around checking out places like the Boston metropolitan area.

Thanks for your input!

 

[Umbran]

So my question to the people who have lived, or are living, in the Boston area, what do you recommend for checking everything out? Aside from the touristy stuff, I mean. Any advice on how I can take the family through and get a feel for the real pulse of life up there?

We will be in Massachusetts around May 25 and will have a week up there. Some of that time will be on the beaches of Cape Cod. Some of it will be driving around checking out places like the Boston metropolitan area.

I don't think it is possible to get a "feel for the real pulse of life" of a place in the amount of time you've alloted, or even with the method you have (a vacation). The pulse of a place is about so many things you don't see on vacation - workday commutes, schools, PTA meetings and seeing friends on the weekends...

Boston, like most cities, isn't really a single place, with a single pulse of life. It is an extended area - there are neighborhoods, urban areas and suburbs each with their own flavor and character. Brookline isn't like Malden. Cambridge isn't like Newton. And none of those places is like Stoneham...

I love living in Boston, but trying to get the feel of it in a couple days like that is akin to trying to get the feel for a paperback by reading the blurb on the back cover.

 

[Lifesupport]

I am from Australia and lived in Boston for a couple of years back during the dot com boom and I really had a blast.

Cape Cod is great. Plenty of things to do and see. I am not sure that I would recommend the Atlantic, but that is probably because I am used to warm Aussie beaches and water.

As for things to do in Boston. Just follow the freedom trail for tourist stuff.

Take a look at places like Quincy as places to live. Close enough to the T for it not to be a pain to get around. But far enough out of the city for a family to be able to find somewhere nice to live.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

Well, one thing you can do to get a feel for the "real" Boston is to drive up from the Cape to arrive in the city around 8:30am on a weekday morning. That will give you a nice feel for the traffic around the city. Of course I would only recommend this if you are a good driver not given to panic.

Another aspect to keep in mind about Boston is the weather. It certainly is very different from NM. Hot and humid in the summer; cold and damp with snow and ice in the winter. The time you will be visiting is probably one of the better periods of the year, weather-wise. You will probably have warm temperatures with humidity not too high.

One more suggestion, pick up a Sunday Boston Globe and take a look at the real estate listings. Costs are pretty high around the area. Sure the pay is probably better than in a "tier 2" city like Albuquerque, but from what I've experienced, it isn't usually so much better as to be a direct offset to the cost of living difference.

Oh, and as for Network Bandwidth thing - it very much depends upon where you live - not everyone has the same access. The town I am in has Cable internet that is nice and fast, but notoriously unreliable, or DSL that is considerably slower (max 1.5 MB), but at least has been reliable. FioS isn't available yet and probably won't be for a few years, although it is available in all the surrounding towns.

Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy living in the Boston area, and my wife and I hope to remain here for many, many years, but while there are some advantages to the area, it certainly isn't all wonderful.

On the touristy side I recommend eating at Durgin Park in the Faneuil Hall Marketplace. Get some Boston baked beans and some Clam Chowder (pronounced chowdah).

Enjoy your visit.

 

[Merkuri]

Take the duck boat tour. You get a nice tour of the city and get to drive down into the Charles River.

And one of my favorite things to do in Boston is Medieval Manor. Awayfarer and I and a group of friends go about once a year. It's not one of the things most people think of when they think of Boston, but it's a lot of fun for people who like medieval-type things. It's a dinner theater where you eat with your hands and pretend you're in a medieval court being entertained by fools and served by wenches. The jokes and songs can get a little "adult" so I wouldn't recommend this for young kids. You also get a pitcher of beer (or jug of lemonade or wine, your choice) per person, and if you manage to drink that much (which I think we've only done once) extra pitchers are only $2.

By the way, both of these require tickets or reservations, so call ahead.

 

[BSF]

I don't think it is possible to get a "feel for the real pulse of life" of a place in the amount of time you've alloted, or even with the method you have (a vacation). The pulse of a place is about so many things you don't see on vacation - workday commutes, schools, PTA meetings and seeing friends on the weekends...

Boston, like most cities, isn't really a single place, with a single pulse of life. It is an extended area - there are neighborhoods, urban areas and suburbs each with their own flavor and character. Brookline isn't like Malden. Cambridge isn't like Newton. And none of those places is like Stoneham...

I love living in Boston, but trying to get the feel of it in a couple days like that is akin to trying to get the feel for a paperback by reading the blurb on the back cover.

You are certainly correct on this!

But I am not relying solely on a rubber band trip through the area to help me determine if I like it. I have a close friend that lived up there for a year while doing contract work. I have another friend that lives just a little further north, in the Manchester area, who teaches down in Boston once a week.

I have heard good things. But as Thornir Alekeg brings up, it is a lot different from New Mexico. Fortunately, both of these friends grew up here in NM as well, so I even have some of that perspective to work with.

The cost of living is much different than NM! I know what my target salaries would need to be for the family to retain the same general lifestyle we appreciate now.

So I know a lot about what it might look like from the outside, evaluating from a distance. I've done a bit of research over the past year or so. But in the end, what does that all really tell me? I know that with the right job offer, Boston looks like a place that might be fun to live in/near/around.

But I know very little about the people. If I were to just base it on people I have become familiar with on EN World, than Boston must be a great place! But then, there are very few people I have become familiar with on EN World that aren't great people.

I do know that when I have traveled, for work or for recreation, throughout my life, you get a much different perspective of the people once you get off the tourist path. The people that interact with tourists all day long do not always give you a strong feel for what the rest of the area is like.

That's mostly what I am looking for.

 

[BSF]

Well, one thing you can do to get a feel for the "real" Boston is to drive up from the Cape to arrive in the city around 8:30am on a weekday morning. That will give you a nice feel for the traffic around the city. Of course I would only recommend this if you are a good driver not given to panic.

<snip>

Oh, and as for Network Bandwidth thing - it very much depends upon where you live - not everyone has the same access. The town I am in has Cable internet that is nice and fast, but notoriously unreliable, or DSL that is considerably slower (max 1.5 MB), but at least has been reliable. FioS isn't available yet and probably won't be for a few years, although it is available in all the surrounding towns.

Traffic is a nuisance. I already expect bad traffic. Actually, I have never heard any stories about Boston traffic that were good! I've driven in DC, LA, San Fran, Atlanta, D/FW, and Houston. None of those is particularly appealing, to be honest. But I tend to keep my head well.

Regarding the network bandwidth, I'm not really referring to consumer bandwidth. Without tier 1 network services, many corporations won't invest their corporate/IT infrastructures in an area. It makes sense, but what it means is that the growth that Albuquerque appreciates is rarely in areas that complement my job strengths/skills. That is why I need to expand my career opportunities beyond Albuquerque.

That being said, consumer internet is a consideration once you start looking for a place to live! So thanks for the heads up there.

 

[Graybeard]

While you are on Cape Cod, go on a whale watch if you have time. They usually leave from Hyannis or Provincetown. A walk along the National Seashore is always nice. The New England Aquarium is a nice place for the kids.

 

[Thornir Alekeg]

But I know very little about the people. If I were to just base it on people I have become familiar with on EN World, than Boston must be a great place! But then, there are very few people I have become familiar with on EN World that aren't great people.

I do know that when I have traveled, for work or for recreation, throughout my life, you get a much different perspective of the people once you get off the tourist path. The people that interact with tourists all day long do not always give you a strong feel for what the rest of the area is like.

That's mostly what I am looking for.

Well, as with any large city, there are all kinds of people around here. As a total generalization I would characterize the people of Boston as, "Leave me alone and I'll do the same for you." People aren't overly friendly, but they aren't mean either. If you are the type of person who likes to walk down the street making eye contact with strangers and saying hello or nodding to them as you pass, you will quickly notice that just isn't the norm around here. Ride the T, you will get a good sense of that as people just keep to themselves and the people they are with.

In the workplace I've worked with many fantastic, intelligent people and a decent share of less intelligent boors as well, probably little different from anywhere else.

 

[Tiberius]

Oooooh boy, you're going to be going to the Cape over Memorial Day weekend. On the up side, most everything will be available as it is the "unofficial start of summer". On the downside, the place will be crawling with people. Fair warning: the water will be chilly, but less so if you're on the Southern side facing Nantucket Sound. Some of the beaches also require permits, but this varies by town. Finding a large public beach wouldn't be a problem in any event. Traffic will be a problem, but will lessen after Monday.

Be aware that a trip from the Cape to the Boston area will take 1-2.5 hours (one way), depending on traffic and starting/ending locations. There is a bus that operates between Boston, Hyannis, and Provincetown (http://www.p-b.com/), and there may be others, but it sounds like you're more interested in having the freedom to drive around wherever you'd like. Which reminds me: when driving around, don't expect street signs. They've become larger and more frequent as the years have passed, but many roads (especially ones that are not main roads) are not terribly well-marked.

The area is swimming in history, if that's your thing. As mentioned whale watches can be interesting, especially as I would imagine that few large aquatic mammals frequent the New Mexico area. There are a number of rail trails around if you're interested in bicycling or walking. Whereabouts are you staying? That information would help us tailor our suggestions.