Boston & DC travel
 

I will be in DC for 7 days in May, then driving to Boston for 5 days (2 will be spent attending a conference), then to New Haven for 5 days (at least 1 of which Ill take the train to NYC).

Ive never been to DC or Boston, and I dont know where to go. I will arm myself with eyeglass, trenchcoat, lipstick, cash, and most importantly, a map. I dont know the character of any of the areas Im looking at though or their relationship to other neighborhoods because Ive never been to DC.

In Boston I have an apt Im staying at, but I dont have accomodations yet for DC. Ive posted for short-term apt. I would like to do the must-sees in both cities, as well have fun in a safe, non-elitist way which might include something useful/memorable, unique churches, architecturally pleasing buildings, parks that are pleasant, schools that are interesting, good brewski bars, and so forth. And then there is the nighttime!?

I can Google entrance fees, times, and those sorts of things at the Smithsonian and so forth, but its the kinds of places that jive with my character, the flavor of the the various neighborhoods, the closeness of things that interest me.

Any ideas? And hey! Thanks.

i live about a half hour north of boston. pm me with details about your stay here if you like and perhaps i can arrange to be a tour guide. or part of a collective that functions as an amorphous tour-guide-like formation. or i can be someone who you meet up with in a publick house. or i can be a viking who paddles a kayak. or if you want to get outta boston, i can show you around cape ann. or none of the above. or all of the above. i'm flexible.

i could also rattle off things-to-bump-into-or-look-at-or-listen-to-while-in-boston options, but i dont really know what you're into.
so parameters please.
list to follow.

Smithsonian museums are generally open 9-5 or so, but a few are extending hours in the warmer weather. Anything Smithsonian has free entry, though the Air & Space Museum in Chantilly has a fee for parking.

I haven't spent much time in DC other than on the National Mall, and I live about an hour away. I fail at life.

For Boston:
Kenmore Square has a lot of clubs/bars in the area. Boston College, Boston University and Northeastern University are in that area as well as Fenway Park.
The parks downtown (Boston Common and Public Gardens) I never found to be terribly interesting but are nice to walk through that time of year.
The typical touristy things are the Freedom Trail (walking tour) Fanuil Hall/Quincy Market (outdoor mall) and the Duck Tours (land/water tour).
There is a new contemporary art museum on the waterfront, not far from the aquarium.
Most of the neighborhoods have been gentrified but the North End is still mostly Italian, South Boston is mostly Irish, and Back Bay/Beacon Hill is money. There is a small Chinatown area as well. Parts of Roxbury and Mattapan are the seedier areas.
Harvard Square, across the river in Cambridge, can be an interesting place to walk around and people watch.

the only thing in boston that is a must..is to watch the red sox play if they are in town :D

The free museums in DC are great. There are a few museums you have to pay to get into, such as the Crime and Punishment museum. IMHO, they aren't really worth the price of admission. Sadly, there are no architecturally pleasing buildings here. As far as neighborhoods, Dupont Circle is fun but a bit pricey. If you like vodka, check out Russia House during happy hour (or otherwise). Their food is good, but pricey. Adams Morgan is a bit more hip; here, I'd recommend Asylum. On Saturdays, they have cheap PBR. U St is probably a must these days. Here, stop by Busboys and Poets; the drinks are pricey but the food is reasonable. Ben's Chili Bowl is supposed to be good, but it's almost always very busy. Ben's Next Door just opened, and has very good soul food, but gets busy so get there early! Axis Bar, more or less across the street, is one of our favorite bars in the district. Tabaq has arguably the best brunch. The two places with the best beer selection are RFDs, in Chinatown, and Brickskeller, near Dupont. Brickskeller has the better selection on draft generally, but RFDs has a larger food selection. Finally, I'd also check out Wonderland Ballroom in Columbia Heights.

I'll also see if my fiancee has anything to add. Good luck!

Dupont Circle is a nice area has nightlife and interesting shops.

Adams Morgan area has good food and lots of restaurants and bars.

man it's been so long since I've been there I can't even recommend restaurants with confidence.

You can get your picture taken with Crompsin while you're in DC. He's been known to wander around there on Saturdays and Sundays.

I visited DC for the first time last summer and had a lot of fun without having much of a plan. We went to all the standard monuments, free museums, etc., but at night just kind of wandered around until we found something that looked interesting/delicious.

I would recommend getting an unlimited 7-day Metro card (I think they have those) and just ride around for a bit. We learned our way around the city in a day or two without even having a map!

My fiancee says to be sure to recommend the National Building Museum. It's more interesting than it sounds, and it's in one of the few cute buildings here. For ugly buildings, check out the FBI headquarters and the Third Church of Christ, scientist. Both are "excellent examples of the architectural style known as brutalism." Rasika does good trendy Indian food. Coco Sala has lots of chocolatey stuff; she hasn't been herself, but she's heard lots of good things.

I can't wait, especially if you look like your av.....

I'll be there in September.

For Boston, as touristy as the Duck Tours are, they give a nice overall perspective of the city and surrounding area, so that actually may be a good place to start, and hey, if you hate it, it's not that long! Lots of good museums, like the Museum of Science, and the Gardner museum. North End is full of good (italian) places to eat, and is conveniently close to the shopping in the fanuiel hall area. Which reminds me that the aquarium is also pretty good and close to that area. You could always go on one of the harbor cruises, or rent a car and go down to the Cape...

My favorite thing to do in DC at night is just walk around, I find it a really romantic city for some reason, must be all the classical architecture. (or is it all the pimps and hos once you get outside the federal area?) Oh, then go to Glow (if you are into that kind of thing, I wont need to convince you).