Eric Baetscher (Fcb981) / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
| # | Name | At a glance |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | North End bakeries, before nine | Mike's Pastry and Modern Pastry both get slammed by afternoon.… |
| 2 | Haymarket, on a Friday morning | A real, loud outdoor produce and fish market open only Friday and… |
| 3 | Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, right at opening | Arrive as the doors open on a weekday, or come back for Thursday's… |
| 4 | The Mapparium | A three story, walk through stained glass globe frozen at 1935's… |
| 5 | The Boston Public Library courtyard, on a weekday | A free Renaissance style cloister with a fountain, and Sargent… |
| 6 | Castle Island, at sunset | A walking loop around a real fort in South Boston, with a fried clam… |
| 7 | Acorn Street, before seven | The most photographed street in America is a private residential… |
| 8 | Fenway Park, without a game ticket | A non game day tour gives full field access, or arrive when the… |
| 9 | SoWa Open Market, on a Sunday | A South End market of over a hundred vendors, art, and food trucks,… |
| 10 | Climbing the Bunker Hill Monument | Most visitors photograph it from outside and never climb the two… |
-
01
North End bakeries, before nine #
Mike's Pastry and Modern Pastry both get slammed by afternoon. Before nine on a weekday gets fresh pastry and an empty sidewalk instead of a line out the door.
-
02
Haymarket, on a Friday morning #
A real, loud outdoor produce and fish market open only Friday and Saturday, distinct from the tidier indoor Boston Public Market. Friday morning is freshest, Saturday close is cheapest.
-
03
Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, right at opening #
Arrive as the doors open on a weekday, or come back for Thursday's extended evening hours, for a genuinely different, quieter light in the courtyard.
-
04
The Mapparium #
A three story, walk through stained glass globe frozen at 1935's political borders, inside the Christian Science Plaza. A real twenty minute stop most first timers never hear about.
-
05
The Boston Public Library courtyard, on a weekday #
A free Renaissance style cloister with a fountain, and Sargent murals inside Bates Hall, both nearly empty on a weekday mid morning, unlike the weekend.
-
06
Castle Island, at sunset #
A walking loop around a real fort in South Boston, with a fried clam stand that has stood at the entrance since 1951. Go for the sunset, not midday.
-
07
Acorn Street, before seven #
The most photographed street in America is a private residential block. Before seven on a weekday it is calm and soft lit, after nine it is a crowd scrum.
-
08
Fenway Park, without a game ticket #
A non game day tour gives full field access, or arrive when the gates open ahead of a game and walk the pregame scene on Jersey Street for free.
-
09
SoWa Open Market, on a Sunday #
A South End market of over a hundred vendors, art, and food trucks, running only on Sundays through the fall. Check the season's closing date.
-
10
Climbing the Bunker Hill Monument #
Most visitors photograph it from outside and never climb the two hundred ninety four steps inside, free, with no elevator. Go early, since only a small group is allowed on the stairway at a time.
Eight people to follow before you go to Boston
- 1Niki Griswold. Boston Globe reporter covering City Hall, the Mayor's office, and city politics, useful for what is actually happening in city government during a visit.
- 2Devra First. The Boston Globe's restaurant critic and food writer, the most established single voice on where to eat in the city right now.
- 3@bostonfoodies. A crowdsourced Boston food account running since 2014, built from diners' own submitted photos rather than one person's taste alone.
- 4@twotastebuddiez. A Boston food account posting daily restaurant photos, profiled by a local university's own news outlet as a real, growing account.
- 5@MBTA. The transit system's own account for real time service alerts, checked before a shuttle bus ruins a plan.
- 6City of Boston Archives (@cityofbostonarchives). The city's own archivist runs this account, posting from a collection of thousands of historic Boston photographs.
- 7Boston Red Sox. The team's official account, useful if a home game lines up with a visit.
- 8The Sinclair. A Cambridge venue booking touring acts alongside local and regional ones, worth a check before going.