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Calling all Bostonians


goldendesign

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So I have been volunteered to do the Global AI conference at the world trade center from Monday December 5 to Wednesday.

Since we've never been to Boston, the end of November is the end of my treatment, and WoGolden and mines wedding anniversary it seemed like a good idea to extend the trip a bit.

So we will fly in morning of Saturday the 3rd and stay until late Wednesday. 

I want to stay close enough to the trade center since I'll be there working a few days but am open for suggestions on where to stay. Also suggestions on what to see and where to eat. 

Thanks in advance!

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One person made these food recommendations.  Not sure how close they are to the seaport area, so you'll want to check. 


Troquet - French food
http://www.troquetboston.com/

Langham Hotel Chocolate Bar - The actual quality/taste of the desserts is just average, but it's still fun to see such a wide range of desserts
http://www.langhamhotels.com/en/the-langham/boston/dining/chocolate-bar/

Neptune Oyster - good for oysters obviously, but absolute BEST fried clams. Really good lobster roll too
http://www.neptuneoyster.com/

Giacomo's - for Italian in the North End. Don't know if they've changed their policy over the years, but it used to be cash only.
https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaur...iacomo_s_Restaurant-Boston_Massachusetts.html

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1 minute ago, sheep_herder said:

I was wondering what you would have to offer on the Boston scene.:whistle:

Been there twice, both times to photograph the Jordan Marsh Turkey Trot.  Lived the city.  Did the Freedom trail walk,  went to the Golden Bullfinch or whatever the place where Cheers was filmed.  

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I know very little of the city.  I've never liked going out to eat.  I've done very few activities there.  I like the Museum of Science, The Aquarium, and The Museum of Fine Art, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.  The Harvard Museum of Natural History is pretty cool too.  Fenway Park is a bust at this time of the year, they do a lot of tours, that might be neat.  The Celtics and Bruins will likely be playing at that time, but tickets are ridiculous.  Never done The Freedom Trail, heard it's good, but likely cold and slushy at that time.  The Duck Boats are fun, but plenty of places have those, and I don't think they run in the winter.  The Charles is really pretty, but very inaccessible if you aren't local - no where to park.

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Another friend sent me this response:

Quote

Seconding the Langham chocolate buffet as well as Neptune.

All the hotels in the Seaport area are newish, so I don’t know which one I’d pick as romantic. I guess water view? I’ll do some research and see which of them have the best options for local transit. The Seaport area is tricky as a lot of the public transit is above ground... something I’m not fond of in the winter. The pricier hotels take some of that pain away by providing shuttle service to the Trade Center.

 ETA:  Input from another friend:

Quote

North end for italian food and cannellis!
Museum of Fine Arts and Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum are both great.
JFK Library.
Walking tour - of freedom walk - if still going on and if not too cold.

 

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On 11/21/2018 at 4:52 PM, goldendesign said:

So I have been volunteered to do the Global AI conference at the world trade center from Monday December 5 to Wednesday.

Since we've never been to Boston, the end of November is the end of my treatment, and WoGolden and mines wedding anniversary it seemed like a good idea to extend the trip a bit.

So we will fly in morning of Saturday the 3rd and stay until late Wednesday. 

I want to stay close enough to the trade center since I'll be there working a few days but am open for suggestions on where to stay. Also suggestions on what to see and where to eat. 

Thanks in advance!

Wait, whut? My calendar say December 5 is a Wednesday this year. I'm flying up to Boston next week. Leaving on Wednesday, 11/28. Work related conference Thursday/Friday. Renting a Jeep Friday afternoon and driving down to Pembroke to visit my cousin. Fly home Sunday, 12/2. 

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20 hours ago, Old#7 said:
On 11/21/2018 at 4:52 PM, goldendesign said:

Wait, whut? My calendar say December 5 is a Wednesday this year

A typo on my part. The conference is from Monday-Wednesday, ending December 5th.

 

I've also been selected to be a part of one of the panels on AI for Big Data, my specific focus right now, and will take part in another as a SME for the "Monetization of Data". As much as this is exciting in the fact I'm becoming recognized in my field trying to talk with these people when I look like hammered dog shit is going to be interesting.

 

 

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1 hour ago, goldendesign said:

A typo on my part. The conference is from Monday-Wednesday, ending December 5th.

 

I've also been selected to be a part of one of the panels on AI for Big Data, my specific focus right now, and will take part in another as a SME for the "Monetization of Data". As much as this is exciting in the fact I'm becoming recognized in my field trying to talk with these people when I look like hammered dog shit is going to be interesting.

 

 

Wow - you really hit the ground running in your new field!

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On 11/22/2018 at 5:39 PM, Square Wheels said:

I know very little of the city.  I've never liked going out to eat.  I've done very few activities there.  I like the Museum of Science, The Aquarium, and The Museum of Fine Art, and the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.  The Harvard Museum of Natural History is pretty cool too.  Fenway Park is a bust at this time of the year, they do a lot of tours, that might be neat.  The Celtics and Bruins will likely be playing at that time, but tickets are ridiculous.  Never done The Freedom Trail, heard it's good, but likely cold and slushy at that time.  The Duck Boats are fun, but plenty of places have those, and I don't think they run in the winter.  The Charles is really pretty, but very inaccessible if you aren't local - no where to park.

You really ought to see the Aquarium, and then learn about the guy that started it. The Museum of Science is cool,  but perhaps best if you have a kid in tow. The exception being the Imax theater, *if* they have something you want to watch. I love Natural History museums.

More often than not, we wind up at Il Panini in the North End, and order lobster ravioli with lobster sauce. Love it.

Filenes Basement is sometimes what we used to call in the 1960s a trip. IM(rarely)HO, you've got to take the wife there, at least the once.

https://www.filenesbasement.com/

Belmont Bike Works is sometimes referred to as mecca by bike fanatics. It's where I go to find really hard to find stuff.

Cambridge is my fave area in Boston. There's a really creative ice cream place there, forget the name, it's not hard to find, they serve, or at least used to, burnt ice cream. Don't let that put you off, they were one of the first of those new wave experimental ice cream joints. 

  Cambridge has  a crazy mix of good restaurants, book stores, and unusual places like a tea parlor. It's a college town, so most of the restaurants aren't expensive. Mr Barteleys is a family style restaurant with a bunch of great long tables, and homestyle food. I like the ambience. You'll prob want something fancier, and the food is definitely things like burgers and shepherds pie, but it appeals to me.

Boston has a couple Portuguese restaurants, which is worth a try. I'd pass on the Tibetan food, and their BBQ places.

Chinatown is pretty cool. I like to get some good ginseng when I'm there, there are a lot of good restaurants, from large to tiny, but my info is badly out of date. Fortunately google can help there.

 

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10 hours ago, RalphWaldoMooseworth said:

you really hit the ground running in your new field

I can't take too much credit, the company I work for is very cutting edge in these concepts and I happen to have a certain knack, must be all the years in high end retail sales, for being passionate and dynamic while speaking. Traits that are usually lacking in people whose skill set is data science. Making me an easy choice for some of these panels.

Now if only I can work out a way to profit from this other than a salary.... I might be a tech motivation speaker? Needs fine tuning.

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More info from a friend:

In a nutshell, the Seaport is basically a pop up brand new city. You would not recognize it from 2014 - It's full of restaurants and gathering places, but everything is brand spanking shiny glass new - not old Boston

Some generic activities that are quintessential Boston:

Museums:
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (would require a cab ride since it's in the Fenway - there is public transportation but that would probably be too daunting for visitors)
Museum of Fine Arts (MFA)
Museum of Science
I am not a fan of the ICA in the Seaport (very thin collection, quality highly variable) but the building is right on the water and has spectacular views

Outdoors if the weather is nice (and yes, it can be perfectly pleasant in December here):
Stroll through the Public Garden / Boston Common, which includes skating on the Frog Pond (to watch or actually participate)
Can be combined with some stops on the Freedom Trail
Or a jaunt onto Charles Street in Beacon Hill for colonial Boston, boutique shopping and/or pizza at Figs
Or continuing to Copley Plaza to see the Boston Public Library and/or Trinity Church
In which case they could stop into L.A.Burdick's chocolate on Clarendon Street for hot chocolate

Sightseeing (literally): hire a taxi / uber to drive the loop of Soldiers Field Road / Memorial Drive between downtown and the Mass Pike Allston / Cambridge exit. Beautiful views of Boston skyline from the Mem Drive side. (Too bad that harbor tours don't run in the winter.)

Dining:
For a special meal - all very expensive:
Ostra - seafood - amazing
Sorellina - Italian with truly outstanding attentive yet invisible service
No. 9 Park - more intimate Italian / French
Oya - sushi on a Marimoto level (but not for someone who thinks sushi is a spicy tuna roll)

All would require an advance reservation.

Two places that are little bit different - both in Cambridge:
The Helmund - Afghani cuisine
Oleana - middle eastern - great wine list

I would not recommend the North End for dining - too touristy (including suburban tourists) and in general the food is not sophisticated or done particularly week - but the neighborhood is nice for a walk around.
 

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Some more recommendations from my friend for more moderately priced restaurants than the info in the preceding post:

Amelia's Trattoria - Italian in East Cambridge by MIT (The Helmund is also in this area, and Oleana is close by)
Metropolis Cafe - Mediterranean bistro in the South End, which is very old Boston and cute to walk around
B&G Oysters - casual but cozy space also in the South End
Toro - Spanish tapas also in the South End
La Voille - French Bistro on Newbury Street in the Back Bay - very traditional but usually reliable quality

 

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A few more suggestions from a different friend: 

My brother and sister-in-law occasionally go to the Top of the Hub for special occasions. It's a restaurant on top of the Prudential building, which is one of the tallest buildings in Boston. The view is pretty incredible! Lunch might be a better bet than dinner, just to best enjoy the view.

If they want to try a restaurant in the Italian North End, they could consider Mamma Maria. My husband and I went there a couple years ago and enjoyed it. It is an Italian restaurant, but classy (not red-sauce style). It's not one of the hipper or newer places in Boston, but like I said, we enjoyed it.

I'm sure there are lots of new and trendy restaurants as well, but I'm not up on any of that, as I live in the burbs. :)

If they stay near the Seaport area, they could visit the Institute of Contemporary Art.

 

Someone else recommended Legal Test Kitchen and the Sam Adams Brewery Tour.

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