ten things to know before you go to
Boston I'm Chris this is yellow
productions I do travel guides that are
fun informative entertaining this video
it's part of my series of things to know
about great cities in the world where I
tell you everything you need to know to
visit including how to get in how to get
out what to eat what to do and even
where to stay but in this video I'm
talking all about Boston so first let's
start with some general information
about Boston Boston is the capital of
the u.s. state of Massachusetts it is in
New England which is the northeast of
the United States the nickname of Boston
is Beantown because the early residents
of Boston really love to eat baked beans
baked in molasses but by the way nobody
here actually calls it Beantown anymore
visiting Boston is like visiting a
history class in person Boston is the
cradle of much of the United States's
history including playing a significant
role in the American Revolution it has
the first public library in the United
States and the first lighthouse Boston
is a city of neighborhoods was
twenty-three distinct neighborhoods so
there's lots of different character
around the city you'll find a ton of
parks public green space is 17% of
Boston you are never more than a half
mile from a park it's a very compact
city so compact that actually 13% of the
citizens here commute to work by foot
giving Boston the highest percentage of
pedestrian commuters in major cities in
the United States the second thing to
know is about the top attractions in
Boston and Boston's biggest attraction
it's the Freedom Trail it is a two and a
half mile trail through Boston that goes
through 16 of Boston's major historical
sites there's a red brick line that you
can follow along and it'll bring you to
Fanueil Hall the Paul Revere house and
the Old North Church if you're coming to
Boston and you're gonna do one thing
take a walk along the Freedom Trail if
you take the Freedom Trail to the end
it'll take you to the north end the home
of Boston's Little Italy district make
sure to get a cannoli from Mike's pastry
or modern pastry get lunch or get dinner
the Italian food here is really good the
next big attractions where I'm standing
it's Boston Common it is the United
States of America's first public park it
was founded in 1634 it's a big grassy
open space
there's a big parking garage underneath
it so if you're looking for someplace to
park because you're driving into the
city you can park in here and oh by the
way if you're looking for something eat
and I'm going to talk about food later
but because I'm standing right by
there's an Earl of Sandwich in this
little kiosk right here which is one of
my favorite sandwiches anywhere check
out the Earl's club it's a really good
hot sandwich and right next to Boston
Common is the Boston Public Garden this
was the United States first Botanic
Garden founded in 1837 and while Boston
Common is better for a picnic or
lounging around the Boston Public Garden
is better for a stroll or a jog
pretty neat garden has got a lake in the
middle of it
and it's got this iconic bridge right
here if you're a presidential history
buff you'll want to check out the JFK
Presidential Library all about the life
of the 35th US president it's a little
bit off the beaten path but if you like
presidential libraries you should
definitely check out this one Beacon
Hill which is just on the other side of
Boston's public garden just behind me is
known as Boston's most beautiful
neighborhood known for its charming
narrow cobblestone streets federal-style
rowhouses and gas-lit street lamps to
get there if you're in Boston come and
walk through the public guard and cross
that bridge that I showed you earlier
and just go down Beacon Street in about
a quarter of a mile
you'll be at Beacon Hill sports fans
will want to make a pilgrimage to Fenway
Park home to the Boston Red Sox built in
1912
it's the oldest major league baseball
stadium still in use today and back to
the Freedom Trail I'm gonna be doing
each scene in this video at a different
spot along the Freedom Trail so if
you're kind of looking to follow along
start here in Boston comment at the
Visitor Center actually if you go into
Google Maps and you just type in Freedom
Trail you will find it and if you're
looking for the walk well you can just
follow the tourist hordes that way if
you don't want to do it by yourself
you can join walking tours there's often
neatly dressed people that'll stand out
around here that'll be happy to guide
you on a walking tour for a few bucks
but Chris where's that red brick line
you were talking about it's right here
it starts at the Visitor Center then you
can follow it right along this way can I
follow it backwards oh this will
probably be dangerous
and the third thing to know for Boston
is about food Boston is a foodie city
and there's a lot of great food in
Boston where should you go to get great
food well it's touristy but it's a mecca
for food its Quincy Market its Boston's
like original food hall it has 35
different vendors and some people might
say it's an expensive food court which
it is and it can get really busy but
it's a great option if you're doing the
Freedom Trail because it's kind of along
the way and you can stop in and get a
lot of tasty treats but what should you
definitely eat when you're in Boston
well you should definitely eat the
seafood the seafood in Boston is amazing
and what do I have here I have a lobster
roll and I have a Boston chowder on New
England clam chowder which is a white
chowder we'll look at that in a moment
but Lobster is particularly famous in
Boston and the New England area and
lobster rolls often come in two
varieties this is a cold lobster roll
I'm gonna show you a hot lobster roll
for the next meal
but the cold lobster roll it's on kind
of what looks like a hot dog bun it's
chilled lobster meat mayonnaise and it's
also got some lettuce down in there so
let's dive into this
[Music]
so there's a lot of lobster meat in it
sometimes you need get lobster roll
they're too heavy on the Mayo lots of
big chunks of lobster in here the roll
is really good its buttery and the
lettuce I wouldn't even know it's there
and wash this all down with the lemonade
this was $26 from the wicked lobster
company which is also the same as the
Boston chowder company so let me dive
into this New England chowder the
[Music]
chowder is really good its creamy its
flavorful and it's got that clam taste
it's got potatoes it's got lots of great
ingredients in it honestly I like the
chowder better than the lobster roll
because I'm not a huge lobster fan but I
do think you do have to get the lobster
rolls when you're here to pro tips if
you're coming to eat at Quincy Market
first comment off hours if you're coming
for lunch try to get here before 11:30
or after 2:00 and there's seating
upstairs walk up the stairs and find the
seating up here it'll be way less
crowded than the seating downstairs now
my seems slightly less than excited
about that cold lobster I was just
eating well it's because last night I
had an amazing hot lobster roll a Yankee
lobster fish market this is down in the
Seaport District so it's a little bit
off the beaten tourist path but they
specialize in lobster rolls at this
place and the hot lobster roll was $26
it came with french fries but it was
Lobster and butter and
roll and it was truly delicious so a
lobster roll cost more at Yangtze
Lobster but it was actually quite
amazing so if you find yourself in the
Seaport District check out Yankee
lobster so at this point you must be
thinking to yourself isn't there
something else other to eat than lobster
rolls and clam chowder in Boston yes
there's a ton of other things to eat
other than lobster rolls and clam
chowder seafood in general is really
great you'll find a lot of seafood
restaurants with more than just Lobster
the Italian food is amazing I mentioned
the end of the Freedom Trail the north
end great place for Italian food but
you'll find great Italian food around
the city in addition to Italian food
boston is known for Italian pastries in
particular cannolis there are two places
that are famous for cannolis modern
pastry and Mike's pastry so I got the
cannoli here from modern pastry they
kind of wrap it up nice in this box and
put this little string around it to make
it so I guess you don't like eat it too
much as you're going home so I got to
destroy this and get to the cannoli and
here we go the traditional one is $3.75
they make it as you order it so the
shells are separate and the ricotta
separate they have a whole bunch of
different flavors and variety I just
like the traditional which is regular
ricotta powdered sugar in this let's
dive in
mmm-hmm it's really good ma'am you
didn't know this was ricotta cheese you
wouldn't know was cheese it's really
amazing ever since I had these in Boston
like ten years ago
from Mike's pastry the other one I've
been looking for cannolis that are just
as good and I cannot find them mmm
except maybe in Italy nope hmm even if
you don't like cannolis I suggest you
give one of these a try it really might
change your mind you should know about
Dunkin Donuts Boston runs on Dunkin
Donuts why is that because Dunkin Donuts
was actually started here in Boston and
yes it seems like there's a Dunkin
Donuts on almost every street corner
Dunkin Donuts in addition to being known
for their doughnuts is also really well
known for their coffee one thing you
won't find in Boston is happy hour happy
hour is illegal in Boston there's
actually a law that prohibits
restaurants and bars from selling timed
deals on alcoholic drinks so if you do
come after work what you'll find you'll
find deals on food but you'll never find
a time deal on alcoholic beverages the
fourth thing to know is about getting
into Boston chances are if you're flying
into Boston you'll be coming into Boston
Logan Airport where is it we can
probably hear the plane above me right
now that's the financial district of
Boston and just across the harbor right
here Boston Logan Airport it's just
right there it's three short miles from
the financial district of Boston which
makes it really easy and convenient to
fly into and get into the city so how do
you get into the city from there well
you got a few major options you can take
the subway there's the blue line you
have to take a little shuttle bus to
take the blue line there's also this
thing called the Silver Line which is
like a hybrid bus subway you can take
that to South Station the main station
Boston and then go from there the best
part about taking the Silver Line it's
free for passengers arriving at the
airport if you're taking uber lyft or
taxi
it'll cost you about $30 to get from the
airport into the city even though it's
not very far there's
and also taxis in Boston they're
notoriously expensive if you want to do
something more unique you can take the
MBTA Harbor Express
it's a ferry that'll take you across the
harbor to downtown Boston in just seven
minutes it's really convenient if you're
staying in the Seaport District or the
financial district another great way to
get into Boston is to take the Amtrak
train you can take Amtrak from New York
City it'll get you to Boston in just
four hours you could also take Amtrak
from Portland Maine also four hours to
Boston if you're driving from New York
City takes a little longer it takes five
hours the fifth thing you know is about
getting around Boston and navigating
Boston is kind of like navigating a maze
if you don't have some kind of map
you're gonna have no hope because none
of the streets here run straight and so
if you are trying to drive in Boston it
is a nightmare don't do it don't drive
in Boston none of the streets are
straight they're all one ways and they
always seem to be one way in the way
that isn't the way that you want to go
and also if you haven't heard Boston is
famous for this thing called the Big Dig
it's like the most expensive highway
project in any city in the US and it has
all these tunnels that go underneath
Boston super hard to navigate you know
Google Maps doesn't get GPS down there
and so it's just hard don't drive in
Boston I warned you now if you are crazy
enough to drive you'll find very limited
street parking in Boston where you will
find parking in parking garages parking
will be about fifty dollars a day and
expect to hear car horns a lot if you
thought step on that gas as soon as the
light turns green people will be honking
at you you can also take the subway to
get around the subway in Boston is the
United States's first subway built in
1897 and yes it smells feels and sounds
just like it it is not the smoothest
subway actually it's quite bumpy but
that's part of the charm rides are 275
or ride the subway lines are color-coded
there's four main lines the red line
green line blue line and orange line you
can buy a 7-day tea pass or you can buy
a reloadable Charlie card fares are two
dollars and seventy five cents each but
you get a fifty cent discount if you buy
the Charlie card but I will say it's
often faster to walk than wait for a
train if you're going around down
can't take the bus there's plenty of
buses that run around downtown Boston
and there's a particularly interesting
one known as the Silver Line which is
kind of a bus subway hybrid that's the
one that I mentioned you can take from
the airport into the city there's a lot
of water in Boston so consider fair use
and water taxis as an option for getting
around and you'll find uber and lyft to
be plentiful in the city taxis at the
major hotels though the best way to get
around is with your own two feet by
walking with downtown Boston being just
2 square miles most of the tourist
attractions are packed into a very small
area so walking will be your best friend
though I will find out the streets and
sidewalks have a lot of cobblestones and
bricks so ladies be aware if you're
wearing high heels
the six thing that knows when to go
summer is peak tourist season that's
June July in August that's when it's the
busiest it's also one of the most
popular locals will recommend coming in
fall September and October there's less
people here the leaves are starting to
change color
that's the quintessential Boston season
now you could come in winter December
January February the hotels will be a
lot cheaper because nobody will be here
for good reason it is really super cold
winter is coming actually winter comes
to Boston it's a significant winter
every year I warned you spring is also
another very pleasant season
temperature-wise though spring does
bring a lot of rain the biggest holidays
in Boston number one is st. Patrick's
Day the second not a holiday but a big
day the Boston Marathon and then every
year in December 16th they reenact the
Boston Tea Party the 7th thing you know
is about the language and now you might
be thinking Chris don't they speak
English in Boston well they do but
there's a really thick Boston accent and
there's a really interesting New England
slang in this region so the Boston
accent not everybody has it but when you
hear it you'll definitely know it so now
let me talk about some of the slang so
that you know it
means the first one wicked pissah if you
hear something's wicked pissah that
means it's really good
you saw me eat it that wicked lobster
that means it was good lobster and
actually at that restaurant they took
off the arse at the end and ended them
with a v' the Boston accent and slang
typically really doesn't pronounce the
arse so
lobster becomes lobster chowder becomes
chowder now some more unique words if
you're looking for a liquor store that
might be called a
if you're looking for a sandwich they
call it a grinder and if you're looking
to eat dinner well that might be supper
Oh and then Dunkin Donuts that I
mentioned the short for that is just
dunks the eighth thing to know is about
Wi-Fi the city of Boston has a
metropolitan Wi-Fi network called wicked
Wi-Fi I mentioned wicked means good so
this is like really good Wi-Fi and if
you just walk it around the city you'll
see signs that say we could Wi-Fi just
look for the SSID wicked free Wi-Fi
the nice thing to know is about hotels
Boston has a lot of hotels but it's an
old city so many of them are old and
historic what's that mean if I mean that
air-conditioning and elevators might not
be stay
in your hotel of choice so of
air-conditioning and elevators are
important to you well make sure to check
that before you book particularly in an
air B&B and the 10 thing to know is
about universities Boston is a college
town more than 20 colleges call Boston
home and the most famous ones Harvard
and MIT they're actually not technically
in Boston they're across the river in
Cambridge this river and hold the river
that's over there but it is worthwhile
checking out Harvard and MIT I've been
to both not on this trip but on previous
trips and I went to MIT to the bookstore
to get a t-shirt that says MIT why so I
can wear it around and then when people
ask me Chris did you go to MIT I can say
I absolutely did to the bookstore to get
this t-shirt but the great thing about
all these students here it makes for a
lot of cheap eats and a lot of nightlife
and a lot of kind of twenty-something
friendly activities so if you find
yourself in that age group or just
someone who liked chibis which I am then
you will enjoy Boston because there's
over a hundred and forty thousand
students that call Boston home well
another thing you might want to know is
I've got more things to know videos if
you're planning to go to New York City
where you're planning to go to
Washington DC you might enjoy checking
out my videos on those you'll find links
description as well I won't say goodbye
because I'll see you in one of those
videos