First go at a trip report, let me know your thoughts… I dont know how to link it to the WIKI but feel free too.
So we decided that we needed a quick two-day getaway and Boston seemed like the best option within driving distance that had a luxury hotel, minyanim and good food.
Off the bat I would definitely suggest Boston with or without kids, especially in the spring.
We arrived perfectly in time for the 1:30 mincha in downtown. Parking is an absolute pain, don’t expect to get any street parking so go straight to a garage. We used spot hero, which saved us about 30% of the usual rates.
We went to The Milk Street Cafe, which was very good and well priced. I got the pastrami sandwich and sweet chicken siracha soup that I liked (wife didn’t) my wife got a chicken salad, which she was, a big fan of. You MUST get the prepackaged brownie (pareve) it was delicious. Honestly, it is a bit odd to eat in a place that serves both meat and dairy. While we didn’t eat any dairy there (limited choices as most dairy was not cholov Yisroel) it did look delicious. They also have sushi bar and a bunch of prepackaged sandwiches. The biggest issue is that there is nowhere to park for a couple minutes to pick up as near as its on a side street in the middle of downtown. There did seem to be an option for curbside delivery though.
Next we went to Fineuli Mall. It seems like a must for tourists. There isn’t much to do there expect shopping but its quint and a nice place to get a picture. They had random stores as to my wife’s dismay there were absolutely no sales.
Since it was already 3:30 we decided to check in to the Ritz Carlton. It is in a great location that is across the street from Boston Commons, which is a beautiful park that is probably magnificent in the spring/summer but had about a foot of snow when were arrived. There is a movie theater a 30 second walk from the hotel, which was convenient at night. (PSA – do not not not not see A Wrinkle in Time – terrible). The hotel is not the luxurious Ritz that I have been to (Montreal probably is the winner) but it was clean and the beds were comfortable. We were upgraded to a Executive Suite which had 1 ½ bathrooms and a nice sitting area. The hotel staff was very friendly. My only real issue is that they charge you $15 a day (not per 24 hours) to use the gym. The reason why is they don’t have their own but connected to Equinox. The gym is incredibly beautiful which tons of equipment and a great pool which we didn’t use(for adults only). The men’s locker rooms (not sure about women’s) has an amazing wet and dry sauna then. It was worth $15 but I think its nuts that a hotel charges $600+ for a night and still tack on the extra charge.
We stopped by the frog pond (ice skating) in Boston commons (about $40 with skates for two adults) but since it snowed a foot the day before they were closed. This is even after we called and their answering service said that they were open. Not a huge deal as its about a five minute walk from the hotel.
We went to a “spa” called Happy Feet, which was in the heart of china town. Got a Groupon so it came to $38/person for a hour back/foot massage. They had men and women doing the massage. This place is crusty but has great reviews because you do get a pretty good deal for the money. They are little shades in between the chairs that you can roll up to see your significant other. There is no real privacy but the back massage is over clothes. If you want a massage but can’t afford hundreds of dollars in a hotel, it’s a good option.
We went to Taam China and ordered the crispy chicken which wasnt so great - way too much crispy and barely any actual chicken inside. The egg drop soup was bland but the wonton soup was actually quite tasty. There was no desserts that were worth trying.
On godaven.com there are two shuls in downtown (not in Brookline where most of the Jews live). There is no consistent shachris in downtown even though its advertised on GoDaven. I spoke to the Chabad rabbi and he said there will be no minyanim the days that were there. He instead told me about a minyan in the jewish day school that is about 7 minutes closer than the other shuls from downtown. The other minyan has a mincha every day at 1:30 and it is a two minute walk around from the Milk Street Cafe.
After davening I went and picked up food for breakfast before heading back to the hotel from Pure Cold Press. It was so good that we went back for lunch and breakfast the next day. This place is pretty reasonable prices.
Dont miss the cauliflower soup and make sure to get a fruit shake - the Superhero was fantastic. The cookies were good but expensive $4.50 for three small cookies - you can pass. The shakshuka was incredible and is a must try. I also got the avacado smash sandwich which was very good.
We went to the JFK library that was $14 a person (adults). I am a history buff so I enjoyed it. It’s in a beautiful area, where you can make a nice picnic on the water if the weather permits. It takes about about 1-2 hours to go through and there is opportunities for some fantastic pictures at the end.
Of course, no trip to Boston is complete without a Sam Adams tour. It takes about an hour (half of which is tasting different beers). The actually tour is pretty quick as it is only in one big room and you have to stand close to the guide as they don’t seem to use microphones. They go through the process and tell you a little about the companies origins. if you don’t like beer, don’t go as tasting it is the main point of the tour.
We went to Vittorio's, which was very good. It is slightly more expensive than Rami's and the other Israeli joints but I liked the slightly more upscale atmosphere. The owner is a great guy and you can tell he really cares about his establishment. He wanted to make sure we were happy. I would definitely advise.
Three doors down is really great little board game cafe. They have about a thousand or more games and a bunch of tables. Depending on the day it is either $5 or $10 a person. I was a great place and I discovered how many board games there are in the world that I never heard of.
I'll try to post some pics later.