twohyphens.net: Things to do around Boston

Things to do in Boston

The Boston Metro area is a fantastic area to explore; we love it a lot & hope that while you're here, you'll be able to see why. Below, we've listed some of our favorite foods & activities in a few neighborhoods (it might be a bit heavy of the foods, we like food), and then below that, we've appended some links for good information about the city (public transit, landmarks & tourist sites).

Cambridge & Somerville

Also known as "Camberville," at least among our group of friends, Cambridge & Somerville make up a large part of the area we roam on a daily basis, from our apartment, to Ry's office. Much like the rest of the Boston area, it seems to be organized by "squares," which are micro-neighborhoods, often with a distinct feel. Our preferences for food & activities have been organized according to square here:

Kendall Square & Inman Square:

Cambridge Brewing Company:: 1 Kendall Square, Building 100 Cambridge, MA (617-494-1994)
Cambridge Brewing Company (usually just "CBC") is the quintessential brew pub: their food incorporates their delicious beer & the whole place is a temple to brewing, from the patio complete with hops plants, to the indoor seating with views into the fermentation tanks. Meg recommends their vegetarian chili & great pumpkin ale.
Emma's Pizza: 40 Hampshire Street Cambridge, MA(617-864-8534)
Emma's Pizza does the best version of a New York thin-crust pizza we've found outside of NYC. The space is teeny, with just a few tables, and it's decorated with artist-decorated pizza peels all over the walls, but the takeout line moves very quickly. Their salads are almost as good as their pizzas, so bring a crowd & split your food!
MIT museum: 265 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA (617-253-4444)
The MIT Museum is a fun place, like a children's museum for grown-ups -- full of nifty exhibits on technology, science, and the history thereof. For you maritime buffs, there's also a whole section dedicated to oceanography & ship design!
Museum of Science: Science Park Boston, MA (617-723-2500)
Like a bigger, flashier version of the MIT museum, the Museum of Science is a completely fascinating place with live monkeys, IMAX, a planetarium, kids' playgrounds, and rotating exhibits covering all sorts of sciences. (While technically this is in neither Cambridge or Somerville, it's a very short walk from Kendall Square, so we've put it here.)
Punjabi Dhaba: 225 Hampshire Street (617-547-8272)
Punjabi Dhaba is an amazing place to eat -- from the plentiful, delicious food served on enormous, compartmentalized metal trays, to the bhangra & bollywood playing on tvs & stereos, to the crowds that wait in line for the delicious food speaking a cacophony of languages -- and it's cheap and open late, to boot!
Dali: 415 Washington Street (617-661-3254)
Dali is an amazing tapas joint: romantic, unusual, and completely delicious; we don't go often, but that's more for budgetary reasons than anything else, we often crave their Gambas as Ajillo (Garlic Shrimp) and Queso Rebozado con Miel (Fried Cheese with Sweet Onions & Honey).
East Coast Grill: 1271 Cambridge Street (617-491-6568)
This tasty, Latin-flavored seafood & BBQ restaurant has a hopping brunch (with a fix-your-own bloody mary bar!), delicious dinner, and eccentric decor. They also host a yearly dinner for hotheads called, rightly, "Hell Night," which Ry has refused to attend every year, despite Meg's pleas.
Christina's: 1255 Cambridge Street (617-492-7021)
Who could resist a combination exotic spice shop & homemade ice cream parlor? Not us, that's for sure, we LOVE this funny little two-room establishment, which carries hundreds of spices, sauces, and teas, and makes utterly delicious and unusual ice cream flavors (Meg is partial to the cucumber-buttermilk ice cream she had there last summer). If you visit no other stores during your visit, make room for Christina's!
Kendall Square Cinema: The Kendall Square Cinema shows an amazing variety of films from foreign, to independent, to documentaries, to classics, to all the big blockbusters, making it an excellent place to catch a flick.
Flat Top Johnny's: With a decent beer selection, a clean & hip space full of pool tables & all their fixings, Flat Top Johnny's is the most attractive, friendly, and, well, enjoyable pool hall to which we've ever been (we must admit, though, the list wasn't that long). Much fun, and an excellent way to kill time before or after movies or dinner in the area.
Fun shops to visit in the area include: Christina's Spice Shop (see above for description), Lorem Ipsum (an excellent independent bookstore), The Garment District (the most amazing thrift, vintage, and clothing-by-the-pound store), Petsi Pies (delicious baked goods), etc.

Davis Square:

Blue Shirt Cafe: 424 Highland Avenue Somerville, MA (617-629-7641)
Either loved or hated by locals, Blue Shirt is a friendly little wrap and juice bar, they make excellent smoothies, and a wide variety of vegetarian & vegan sandwiches, and excellent breakfast burritos. Not exactly a high class eating establishment, Blue Shirt has only a few tables (hand-painted), brightly colored walls, and no bathrooms.
Dave's Fresh Pasta: 81 Holland Street Somerville, MA (617-623-0867)
A fun little gourmet shop in Davis Square, Dave's Fresh Pasta makes a wide variety of homemade pastas & sauces, as well as other prepared foods & sandwiches, and a few varieties of beer/wine.
Pemberton Farms: 2225 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA (617-491-2244)
Only a block from our house, this little shop is part gourmet food store and part garden center. We end up treating it like a corner store, running in for a chocolate bar, onion, tub of yogurt, or soy sausage, but when we lived farther away, shopping there was a rare treat -- we'd go buy up their local and organic produce, get fancy sandwiches or baked goods, and browse their aisles for fun.
Verna's Donuts: 2344 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA (617-354-4110)
Verna's is a North Cambridge institution, and with several closing scares in the last few years, we've finally begun to let ourselves eat their delectable donuts. Their honey-dipped donuts are a specialty & are out of this world, and their coffee is on par with the offerings at Massachusetts' home-grown & over-grown Dunkin' Donuts. Should you need a quick breakfast during your stay in MA, this is the place to grab it. Watch out for the crowds of old-time regulars, who sit around the shop blocking the door & chatting with everyone who walks in -- you may feel like you've stepped back into another era!
Somerville Theater: The Somerville is a beautifully kept up old theater that shows second-run movies & live music (plus, you can have have liquor while you watch!), yay!
Fun shops to visit in the area include: Magpie (all sorts of local & hand-crafted things), Modern Homebrew Emporium (our source for all our beer-brewing supplies, though they also stock wine, soda, and cheese-making supplies!), Cibeline (gorgeous locally-designed clothing), McIntyre & Moore (the best used academic bookshop in the city), etc.

Porter Square:

Christopher's: 1920 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA (617-876-9180)
Christopher's is the closest to a neighborhood pub we have. They make decent food in a range of styles (homemade ravioli, chimichangas, burgers, fish n chips, good salads, etc.) at a great price, and have a wide selection of beers on tap. The place is homey, dimly lit, with a fireplace in use when the weather allows, and while the wraparound bar has sports TVs in every corner, the general hubbub of conversation and eating keeps it from being too bar-ish. Meg recommends their buffalo tofu appetizer (she even has a whole song for it!) and Ry loves their English Burger. If you're looking to catch some late-night music, be sure to check out Toad's lineup, a small (like 25 ppl small) live music venue attached to Christopher's.
Cambridge Common: 1667 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA (617-547-1228)
Cambridge Common is like Christopher's little brother -- the food's a bit more traditional, the beer list a bit longer, the atmosphere a bit more bar-like. Owned by the same people, Cambridge Common places a bigger emphasis on local brews & offers a much bigger draft list, and their food is traditional pub food (from meatloaf to sliders). Downstairs, the Lizard Lounge has a louder, bigger live music scene (including open mic night, if any of you are itching to perform in Boston).
Sugar & Spice: 1933 Massachudsetts Avenue Cambridge, MA (617-868-4200)
Our favorite take-out place, Sugar & Spice is actually a fabulous place at which to eat out, too. From their milkshake-like bubble teas, to their bright & funky decor, we love their somtum (green papaya salad), and their unusual tapioca pudding (with corn!).
Porter Exchange: 1815 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA
Porter Exchange boasts an amazing Japanese and Korean food court, with two sushi places, a bevy of noodle shops, and even an Asian bakery & grocery. It's quick, cheap, and unlike anything else in Camberville.
Simon's Cafe: 1736 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA (617-497-7766)
Simon's is primarily a coffee shop, something Meg usually has issues with, but the teeny spot is just perfect for working with her laptop. Check out their latte art and their delicious baked goods (the zucchini chocolate chip tea bread, especially!).
Di Mio Pizza: 1782 Massachusetts Avenue Cambridge, MA (617-492-1111)
By the far, the best delivery pizza in town, Di Mio makes excellent thin crust pizza with fantastic gourmet toppings, they're also super-friendly & really accommodating.
Fun shops to visit in the area include: Abodeon (vintage & modern designer housewares), joie de vivre (the best gift store ever),Rosie's (best brownies in the area!), Porter Exchange (fun little shops, including an excellent grocer for Japanese items), SparkCraft (locally owned craft store & school), etc.

Harvard Square & Central Square:

The Harvard Museums: Crowded in the imposing, and sometimes intimidating, Harvard campus is a set of museums open to the public -- with foci ranging from cultural, to contemporary art, to natural history -- with some amazing exhibits, and much smaller crowds than their major Boston counterparts. In particular, Meg recommends going to the exhibit of glass flowers at the museum of natural history -- these amazingly precise, lifelike replicas were made by hand starting more than one hundred years ago, and are completely unique & awe-inspiring. the major Boston museums, usually.
Brattle Theater: The Brattle Theater is an experience, they show the most amazing selection of films (from a Muppet movie triple feature, to fantastically profound documentaries, and everything in between), and they're an amazing organization as well, sponsoring local film festivals, hosting director talks, and so on. Plus, going to see a movie there is wonderful, we love sitting in the balcony, which just feels decadent for movie-viewing.
Dado Tea: Meg's favorite tea shop in the Boston area, Dado stocks house-made blends, high quality Korean teas, and a few teas from other sources, they have excellent teaware for consuming their beverages in the shop, the staff is incredibly knowledgeable & friendly, and they're a locally-owned company with only two branches. They make a limited number of foods, focusing on high quality ingredients & "crunchy" fare, but their lunch specials are cheap, nutritious, and filling, yay!
Mt. Auburn Cemetary: While it may sound like a bit of a downer nestled between museums, shops, and eateries, Mt Auburn is anything but... Mt. Auburn is a historic & still-operating cemetery, one of the first landscaped & planned cemetery-parks in the nation. The graves here stretch back for hundreds of years, and houses some major & minor celebrities, from R. Buckminster Fuller to Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and the park is an amazing sanctuary for native flora and fauna. This is an amazing place to learn about, and a beautiful place to visit, just don't picnic - they don't take kindly to it!
Hi Rise Bakery: We're drooling just writing their name, Hi Rise Bakery offers some of the best sandwiches on fresh-baked bread that we've ever had, and their baked goods to go are also good. The can't miss dish here is definitely their "sin sandiwch" which is many kinds of chocolate grilled on delicious bread, oozing & gooshing everywhere as you eat. There isn't a person in the world who wouldn't crack a smile eating this sandwich (unless they were either souless or hated chocolate).
Formaggio Kitchen: One of the most unique shops in the country, Formaggio Kitchen is a foodie's paradise with its own cheese cellar in the basement. There's an amazing world-traveling person behind their stock (hi Robert!) which allows Formaggio to sell cheeses unavailable in the rest of the country. Their lineup of perfect picnic fare includes house-cured meats, a fine selection of produce, desserts, beverages, and condiments, as well as an assortment of fresh-baked breads & pastries, spices, prepared foods, and more. The place is teeny, but they manage to fit more delicacies in that single shop than all the mega-marts in the city combined.
Darwin's Ltd.: Darwin's is the sandwich shop in the Harvard Square area, all the sandwiches are locally-inspired & -named, and my word! are they good. They're not great for space to eat, but the full-service shop attached has enough supplies that it's worth a take-out run, or planning on picnicking with their food.
Red House: The Red House does not make fancy food, what it does is make traditional foods very, very well. From their amazing lobster risotto, to local game, eating at The Red House is like someone's grandmother's holiday meal, The service is friendly & very accommodating, and the small dining rooms each feel like crowded sitting or living rooms.
Sandrine's: Sandrine's is an amazingly posh & delicious Alsatian bistro on a little side street in Harvard Square. Ry took Meg there a few years ago for her birthday, and Meg still looks fondly at it whenever she walks by. The food managed to be exquisite & delicious, but completely unpretentious & easy to eat, the service was beyond impeccable, and even with every table full, the restaurant seemed hushed & intimate.
Fun shops to visit in the area include: Harvard Square florist (in nice weather, their flowers tumble out all over the sidewalk & it smells lovely), Lush (handmade good-for-you bath products from a growing company), Rodney's (an amazing multi-level used bookstore), Harvest (a fantastic co-op & grocery store), Museum of Useful Things (it's a store of practical, well-designed, strange things), Blank Ink (a very hip gift shop), Tealuxe (a huge selection of teas, loose or steeped), Burdick's (really fantastic local chocolates -- try their hot chocolate!), Cardullo's (an excellent import/fine foods grocer), etc.

The Other Side of the River

Jamaica Plain:

Cha Fahn Tea House: Not too far from the Arboretum near the bottom of Centre Street, there's a tiny & amazing tea house. Elaborate carved wooden furniture, delicious tea-infused & -inspired food, and an amazing tea list make Cha Fahn a must-visit, if you're in the area.
Arnold Arboretum: Run by Harvard, the Arnold Arboretum is an amazing place for a stroll, full of gardens & trees that are awash in color & interest in every season, and full of more wildlife than most of the rest of Boston combined. The Arboretum has a number of marked walks, and plenty of places to sit and relax, as well.
Oriental de Cuba: Speedy, fresh Cuban food at an unbeatable price. Order at the counter (standing long enough to debate between the amazing fruit drinks & two different kinds of plantains) and grab a seat. The tables are well-cleaned & the space is nice (it burned down not too long ago & was rebuilt by the owners & regulars, the place is full of love), and, as we said, the food is excellent.
Ten Tables: As the name implies, Ten Tables is a teeny, tiny storefront restaurant with -- you guessed it! -- very little seating or space. They make local, seasonal, sustainable food, with an emphasis on wine and food pairings. We're not wine drinkers, but we love this place anyway. Because of the layout, diners can watch the chefs cook, and the staff numbers somewhere around 4 on any given night. Going to the bathroom involves a steep climb into their pantry, which is worth a trip by itself, just to see where the pastry chef works, and to see all the ingredients & cookbooks with which the magic is made.
Milky Way Lounge & Lanes: You know you're in a hip neighborhood when there's a bowling alley as wildly bizarre as the Milky Way -- but how can you say no to excellent drinks, food, music, and candlepin bowling?
Fun shops to visit include: Pluto (an amazing selection of random gift-type tchotkes, but the store is an experience!), Fat Ram's Pumpkin Tattoo (amazing art up on the walls, friends of ours wait up to a year for an appointment with Fat Ram), Boing (a very hands-on kind of toy store), etc.

Brookline:

Publick House: This place has an amazing stock of rare & imported beers, delicious pub food, and a cozy atmosphere. We love it more than most places we've found, friends of ours refer to it as simply "The Bar," because there really is no comparison. It does get a bit zoo-like, so get there early if you want the comfy armchairs in front of the fireplace.
Zaftig's: Somewhere in between a New York Diner & a New York Delicatessen, there's Zaftigs (zaftig means "plump" in Yiddish, we're told), an excellent place for smoked salmon, potato pancakes, omelets, enormous sandwich classics, and homestyle comfort food with a Jewish-American twist (though their bagels aren't up to Meg's NYC-set standards). This is, hands-down, the best place for breakfast-all-day in Boston.
Sunset Grill & Tap: Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Sunset is another beer place, this one has the biggest beer list in the area, and a menu so long it might take you a week just to read it. Something for everyone, right?
Coolidge Corner Theater: The Coolidge Corner Theater is a pretty amazing independent theater that shows everything from art films, to amateur porn nights, to special sing-along events with classic movies. They stake their claim on their gorgeous interiors & community focus, and have yet to suffer, as far as we know.
Fun Shops to visit include: Brookline Booksmith (an excellent multistory independent bookstore), all the teeny craft galleries (too many to list, just stroll), etc.

Fort Point/South Boston/ Waterfront

Boston Institute of Contemporary Art: Just this year, the ICA re-opened in a shiny, new building, designed by Diller Scofidio & Renfro, an amazing group of architects, to great acclaim. It's also conveniently near our wedding venue & the downtown hotel, the Westin on the Boston Waterfront, making this an excellent attraction for those of you who really want to explore the Fort Point neighborhood.
Boston Children's Museum: While we haven't been, we hear wonderful things about the Children's museum, from huge climbing-sculptures, to incredible city-focused exhibits, to the huge Hood Milk bottle out front, the Boston Children's Museum is a Boston institution that is supposed to be just stellar. Some day, we'll have an excuse to go, but we've yet to work up the nerve to go in without a child.
Boston Public Market: There are a number of farmer's markets all over the Boston-area, but the Boston Public Market project (Wednesdays and Thursdays) is perhaps the most interesting, as they are trying to build a community & year-round presence to link food growers & producers with consumers, artists, chefs, and more. They're an amazing group & they put up an amazing market.
Boston HarborWalk: A beautiful, car-free path along the water, the HarborWalk boasts parks, playgrounds, benches, public art & amazing views.
Fun shops to visit include: All the lighting shops, from Artemide to Willow & Birch (Fort point is an art-centered neighborhood, so there are lots of interior design, theatrical, and artistic shops in the area), to artist's lofts & studios (like 300 Summer, etc.), etc.

Other:

Museum of Fine Arts: Ahh, what to say about this fantastic institution? This is Boston's main art museum, with an extensive collection, beautiful space, and all the events you can imagine. They have an amazing gift shop, show fabulous films, sponsor live music, have a delicious cafe, run the Museum School for education, this is the creme de la creme.
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: The Gardner Museum is hands-down one of Meg's favorite places in Boston; gorgeous architecture, an amazing collection, and a sturdy dose of good, old New England pomposity go a long way toward making a visit feel like an adventure. This is like Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany's, only better. On Sundays, there's live music, they serve high tea, they have an amazing education department, and stunning exhibition designs. If you go to only one museum, go here.
Newbury Street: Boston has one great shopping triangle, the stretch of land between the Public Garden, Massachusetts Avenue Street, and Copley Square, this area includes Newbury Street, a shop & restaurant-lined street where fancy designer boutiques mingle with hipster vintage shops, the Prudential Mall, the Copley Square Mall, and Boylston Street, which is the border between the shopping & business districts of the neighborhood. If you need to shop while you're in town, this is the place to go.
North End: Not too far from Chinatown sits the North End, which includes the famous Hanover Street, a row of Italian & Italian-American restaurants. We wouldn't dare offer recommendations for restaurants in this neighborhood, as everyone we know has their personal favorite, and none we've tried have been bad. We will, however, tell you that in the war between Mike's Pastries & Modern Pastries, we think Mike's has a better selection, but Modern has beter cannolis. We'll also tell you that Bova's, a 24 hour bakery, is a Boston institution, and their pizzelle are amazing.
Chinatown: Boston's Chinatown is one of the largest on the east coast, and is home to a lot more than just Chinese restaurants, there are Korean bakeries, Vietnamese & Laotion soup & noodle shops, and all sorts of stores stocking spices, teas, fruits, and vegetables at amazing prices. Dim Sum brunch is a popular way to visit Boston's Chinatown, and there are several particularly famous places for it, some boasting several floors of seating & wild decor, like China Pearl, Chau Chow, and Grand China. You can also check out the local Asian supermarket chain, Super 88, for all sorts of fantastic foods & drinks.

Links

MBTA: Public transportation: not the easiest public transit system out there, but their website's "Trip Planner" function is pretty good for getting you where you need to go.
Freedom Trail: The Freedom Trail is an amazing way to experience the history of Boston, the winding trail covers large parts of downtown Boston with a cheerful red line, allowing visitors to stroll between some of the most scenic & historical sites the city has to offer. The downtown loop of the Freedom Trail encompasses a lot of the tourist-y areas, and marks off some amazing views & pieces of local history, and is a worthwhile way to spend an afternoon.
Boston Red Sox & Fenway Park: While neither of us are baseball fans, we understand that a lot of you are. Games haven't been announced for October yet, but you can always tour the park & visit all the sports-themes
New England Aquarium: While a bit on the pricey side for admission, The New England Aquarium has some amazing exhibits (4 kinds of penguins!), and a beautiful location. They support a lot of good programs for preservation/conservation, and education/research, and are a bit of an anchor for the downtown tourist & business area. Be sure to budget a few hours to be there, if you go, their live shows & IMAX movies are totally worth your time.
Duck Tours: hated by locals, loved by tourists, the Duck Tours are a wonderful way to see Boston, by land & by sea. While the scheme is a bit gimmicky, they do, apparently, give one of the most colorful & comprehensive tours of downtown Boston available. As an added bonus, they heckle pedestrians as they drive by, so whether or not you take one of these tours, you'll likely notice them!
Walden Pond: Only a few minutes from Boston lies Walden Pond, Thoreau's inspiration, home to swimming, fishing, hiking, and beautiful views. While it's a bit more built up and regulated than when Thoreau lived there (the ruin of his cottage is still visible & accessible), it's still an amazing place to commune with nature. In October, it should be a particularly good place to see some of New England's famed fall foliage.
Chowhound, Boston: Chowhound is one of Meg's favorite time-killers, it's a web forum of dedicated foodies discussion eating out, ordering in, and cooking in the most minute detail. If you have a specific need for food while you're here, this is the place to find it, be it "the most authentic bahn mi in Somerville," to "the best place to bring 12 screaming infants at 2am on a Sunday for ice cream sundaes."
Phantom Gourmet: New England's own culinary reviewer, the Phantom Gourmet is a funky website, TV show, radio show, and print guide to Boston's best eating, geared for the everyday eater (their tag is "for people who like food," think of them as Michelin for the rest of us). Their website isn't the best of their offerings, but we couldn't claim to recommend Boston food without sharing this Boston-based institution.
Not For Tourists, Boston: is a great online (& print!) way to investigate the city, find wonderful, unique things to do, places to eat, and ways to get around.