I never had the chance to hang out in Boston before. Maybe it was the Yankee fan in me, but I never seemed to make it out there to one of America’s greatest cities. Boston is one of those places that you visit and think to yourself, “I could live here.” All baseball aside, Boston is a very small town, one where everyone knows each other. Beautiful architecture, parks, historical places and friendly people (with very funny accents) are everywhere. Boston is so close to the airport that it really doesn’t make much sense to rent a car unless you plan on driving out of the city soon after you arrive. It took us more time to get to our rental car than it did to drive it into downtown Boston.

Where to Stay

A friend recommended that we stay at the Beacon Hill Hotel and Bistro. I was a little skeptical at first because when I mentioned we were staying in Beacon Hill to a couple of people they made funny faces and comments about snooty people. Well, they don’t know what they are talking about. The people in Beacon Hill were some of the friendliest I have ever met and I didn’t encounter one snooty or snotty person in our time there.

We arrived early Thrusday morning “fresh” off of the red eye from San Francisco (don’t fly on American’s red eye from SFO to BOS) and Beson and staff were more than accomodating. We burned an hour or two looking at some of the local schools for Danielle (who is a college counselor) and then checked into the hotel. I failed to mention that we dropped our bags off at the hotel at around 8am…no problemo. When we arrived back to the hotel around 11am, Benson had put our bags in the room and checked us in…what a pleasure. We then had a great little meal in their top notch bistro right before our mid-day nap. After a nap and a shower, we headed down to the bar for one of our favorite past times…eating wine and cheese. If you like wine, like we do (sorry, I am a dork), then the Beacon Hill Bistro is a great place to dine or have a glass when in Boston. This place is built for people who enjoy wine, cocktails and food, so be sure to eat there at the very least if you are in Beacon Hill for a night or two.

For the wine dorks, there is a great wine store a couple of doors down from the hotel. Walk into the market, hang a hard left, walk through the doorway and down the stairs.

Where to Eat in Boston

We took a cab to the South End of Boston and met up with some friends at Stella. It was a beautiful night and the temperature was about 70 degrees. Stella has a very large outdoor eating area in the front and resembles a large outdoor cafe that you would find in New York City. We braved the masses, moved inside to the hostess and were seated immediately. We had a great table in the back room next to one of the large windows looking out over the patio. We had great food and great service. The wait staff wasn’t really super pro on the wine, but they had some great selections on their list aside from the crappy Pinot Grigio (which is typically crappy to begin with). The food was excellent, just wanted to make sure I said that again.

Our last stop that night was No. 9 Park, which is located a few blocks from the Beacon Hill Hotel and Bistro. The four of us stubled out of the cab and into No. 9, where we were greeted with open arms and smiling faces…at least that is what I remember. Sounding like some super snotty place, No. 9 Park is a very nice restaurant with a great bar and bar keepers. If you like to have custom made cocktails, this is the place to go. I didn’t know I liked custom made cocktails until I sat down at No. 9 Park. I don’t remember the name of what we were drinking, but it was akin to a spicy Margarita made with fresh squeezed lime juice. Awesome, I will take 2. Oh, and they have Chimay red and blue. Sold.

Fenway

I almost forgot to mention the must-do item. Fenway. We were fortunate enough to get tickets to the Oriole’s game on Sunday…Fenway is a must for anyone who enjoys sports, listening to people with funny accents or who loves to visit historical places. It is a magical place to see a baseball game and there is not a bad seat in the house.

tags: boston, drink, fenway, food, where to eat, where to stay