Living near the Freedom Trail, I meet my beloved Frommer's Boston readers all the time. After I assure them that I'm not trying to pick their pockets or enlist them in a cult (why so suspicious, readers?), they usually make one of two comments. They want to know where they can find a public bathroom, or they want to praise the book's suggested itineraries.
Read on for strategies that can help you organize your time. These itineraries include sightseeing destinations, snack and meal suggestions, and shopping pointers. Two tips: Wear comfortable shoes, and don't ignore the breaks built into each itinerary, which can help you feel more like a relaxed insider and less like a crazed participant in a scavenger hunt.
Suggested Evening Itineraries
If you're traveling as a family, you might be getting your evening itineraries out of the TV listings. If not -- or if you had the foresight to book a sitter -- here are some suggestions.
Dinner in the North End, and coffee and dessert at a caffè. Afterward, a show at the Comedy Connection at Faneuil Hall or the Improv Asylum, and a drink at the Cheers bar in Quincy Market.
Dinner at Legal Sea Foods in the Prudential Center, followed (or preceded) by a visit to the 50th-floor Prudential Center Skywalk or a drink in the lounge at Top of the Hub, on the 52nd floor. If heights aren't your thing, consider bowling a few frames at Kings or a drink at the Oak Bar in the Fairmont Copley Plaza hotel.
Summer only: Assemble a picnic and head to the Hatch Shell for music or a movie, or to Boston Common for a play or concert.
Winter only: A Boston Symphony Orchestra or Boston Ballet performance, then late supper at Brasserie Jo or dessert at Finale.
Dinner at Sel de la Terre or the State Street Legal Sea Foods, then a stroll along the harbor. Hit the North End or the food court at Faneuil Hall Marketplace for dessert.
Dinner at Bob's Southern Bistro, then music at Wally's Café or a Huntington Theatre Company performance.
Dinner at L'Espalier, a stroll on Newbury Street, and a nightcap at the Bristol in the Four Seasons Hotel.
Shopping at the Coop or the Harvard Book Store, then dinner at Mr. Bartley's Burger Cottage. Contemplate Harvard Yard from the Widener Library steps, and finish up with ice cream at Toscanini's, Herrell's, or Lizzy's or a show at Club Passim.
Dinner at Oleana or the East Coast Grill, followed by music at Scullers Jazz Club, the Regattabar, or Ryles Jazz Club.
Dinner at Baraka Café, ice cream at Toscanini's, and music at the Middle East or T. T. the Bear's Place.
A movie at the Kendall Square Cinema before or after dinner at the Blue Room, then music at the Cantab Lounge.
Dinner at Redbones or Tu y Yo Mexican Fonda, and a show at Johnny D's or the Somerville Theater.
