Heading to Boston, a little help?

[Marine Corps Air]

bd,

I hope that you and your son have as great a time there as my wife and I did in July. After the events there of April 15th we decided that we wanted to celebrate this past July 4th with the Bostonians, and we sure weren't disappointed. To me, the Bostonians represent many, if not all, of the attributes that have made our Nation great. They have earned the distinction of being "Boston Strong", many times over!

My recommendations:

1. Avoid I-95-NYC -the New Jersey Turnpike at all costs. Take I-81 up through the Shenandoah Valley towards Scranton, PA then take I-84 east towards Boston;

2. I agree - the clam chowdah and lobstah are outstanding
3. The Bull & Finch Pub (Cheers) 84 Beacon Street
4. The Fenway Park Tour
5. The guided Old Town Trolley Car tours of Boston
6. Plymouth, and Gloucester MA
7. Faneuil Marketplace and the street performers there.

 

[Texas Star]

God go with you. I wouldn't go to MA for a date with my favorite Victoria's Secret model and coupons for free lobster rolls and clam chowder.

Some of those Yankee states are foreign countries as far as I'm concerned. Any state that says it disagrees with decisions of the US Supreme Court and which so ruthlessly suppresses gun owners ought to be drummed out of the USA. They seem quite serious about that minimum one year sentence if you're caught with an unlicensed gun.

Apart from the late Robert B. Parker's crime novels, I avoid Boston and that whole area.

 

[Sebago Son]

Legal is overpriced and over rated. I'm not sure I'd eat there for free.

Faneuil Hall is touristy, as you'd expect. Which doesn't meant that it's not a good place to go. It just means that you should expect to pay tourist prices.

I'm afraid I have to agree with my friend Gary about Legal's... not worth wasting the dining opportunity on them. Kinda like a TGIFridays' but with scrod.

The only thing I like about Faneuil Hall is Senior Frog's and it's been years since I've been there. Might be gone by now for all I know. That and the colledge girls are all wearing too much clothing this time of year...

Kowloon's is worth the hike north of town, and I'm told that Durgin Park still has the best Strawberry Shortcake on the planet. My folks went there on their honeymoon 63 years ago. Speaking of north of town, if you like steak, don't miss the Hilltop Steakhouse. Anthony's Pier 4 on Northern Ave is a landmark with a nice view of the harbor, nit real snooty, but kinda pricey. Skip the Crabhouse and the Sushi Joint on Northern Ave in the Pier 4 parking lot. I got sick as hell after eating there one night.

 

[GaryS]

*
The OP shows a badge on his profile. As long as he is current (or retired with the LEOSA ID and qual), he's good to go.

As Pilgrim said. It's likely that the OP will be accorded that courtesy, but there is no guarantee. Just as NY and NJ don't comply with the passing through parts of FOPA.

 

[BTHG]

I'd hit Tia's at Long Wharf (same building as Mariott) for seafood. It's only a block or so from Legal Seafood but better IMO. Right on the water near the aquarium.

Another great place is The Four's restaurant and sports bar on canal street close to Boston garden. Sports Illustrated called it the best sports bar in America. It's got a lot of personality/history. Try to go there whenever I can...

 

[GaryS]

RIGHT next to Framingham is Natick ..There you will find Jordan's Furniture on Route 9.

Certainly not for their overpriced, low quality furniture!

 

[Fr1957]

You can spend a good deal of time in and around Boston itself, with Lexington and Concord not far if you enjoy history. If you have the time Cape Cod is good for sights and seafood. Gloucester, Rockport and Salem are north of Boston and interesting places to visit. If time allows you can continue north to Newburyport, Portsmouth New Hampshire and the Maine coast. The weather is unpredictable, but if don't mind that there is a lot to see and do. If you do enjoy the trip come back in the spring, summer or fall, ideal time here. Enjoy your trip.

 

[Texas Star]

How bad are their knife laws?

 

[GaryS]

I've combined a number of quotes into one reply so as to reduce the amount of clutter. As you read my replies, keep in mind that I worked in and for the City of Boston for 35 years. And yes, I did carry a badge.

bd,

I hope that you and your son have as great a time there as my wife and I did in July. After the events there of April 15th we decided that we wanted to celebrate this past July 4th with the Bostonians, and we sure weren't disappointed. To me, the Bostonians represent many, if not all, of the attributes that have made our Nation great. They have earned the distinction of being "Boston Strong", many times over!

Thank you. I retired just a year ago and so didn't get to respond to the Marathon attack. Considering that I had spent 15 years training and drilling for that type of response, it stung. Enough of that, this isn't that kind of thread.

My recommendations:
[/QUOTE]
1. Avoid I-95-NYC -the New Jersey Turnpike at all costs. Take I-81 up through the Shenandoah Valley towards Scranton, PA then take I-84 east towards Boston;

Absolutely avoid NYC and NJ if you can. I've never crossed the Hudson as far north as Newburgh, but if you do, it will save you some time and probably aggravation. Traffic on I-95 through NYC can be jammed at any time of the day or night. All of the tunnels and bridges are potential choke points. My son lived in NJ for seven years and we made a lot of trips back and forth. Your next best route, if you have to go through NJ, is to take the Garden State Parkway north into New York State and the cross the Tappen Zee Bridge. That route will bring you through CT, but stay off of I-95 there too. The best route is the Merritt Parkway. Speaking of which, how big is the truck? Commercial trucks are not allowed on most "Parkways" in the northeast.

2. I agree - the clam chowdah and lobstah are outstanding

This is prime Lobster season. Although summer is when most of it is consumed, now is when the best stuff is caught. Maine Lobstermen are out all year round, no matter what the weather. Sebago Son knows a lot more about that than I do. At least I'd guess so. Nothing like heading out to sea in 0 degree weather.

3. The Bull & Finch Pub (Cheers) 84 Beacon Street[/
QUOTE]

Trap de la Tourists!

4. The Fenway Park Tour

Fun if you like baseball. They might be doing tours this time of year, but check first.

5. The guided Old Town Trolley Car tours of Boston

Duck Tours are probably more fun, but I don't know if they are doing this time of year.

6. Plymouth, and Gloucester MA

Not much going on at this time of year. Unless you're looking for Heroin fresh off the boat. The rumor is that Gloucester imports a lot of that.

BTW, it's pronounced "Glostah", not" Glou Chester". Same for Worchester. It's pronounced Wostah.

7. Faneuil Marketplace and the street performers there."

Maybe, it depends on the weather and time of day. It's fun if they're out there.

Thanx to all for the responses. I will be cataloging them during the road trip up there. Hopefully the weather will be kind. I am not new to cold and snow, but, I don't like it as much as I used to. My son, on the other hand, doesn't like to be cold. His business trip, his truck, and he's driving so there. We'll see.

Please do. My daughter is planning a move to Austin when she finished grad school. If her boyfriend can't come up to drive the rental truck, then Dad gets to do it. I've looked at some routes, but haven't given it a ton of thought yet. Even if you're not coming from that area, what you discover will help me. Oh, it's much easier driving to the south (or Texas) with guns than coming up this way with guns. Once you are out of the northeast, most states are more receptive to out of staters exercising their 2A rights.

God go with you. I wouldn't go to MA for a date with my favorite Victoria's Secret model and coupons for free lobster rolls and clam chowder.

My wife is my favorite VS model. However, I won't be sharing ANY stories about that.

Some of those Yankee states are foreign countries as far as I'm concerned. Any state that says it disagrees with decisions of the US Supreme Court and which so ruthlessly suppresses gun owners ought to be drummed out of the USA. They seem quite serious about that minimum one year sentence if you're caught with an unlicensed gun.

I can't say a thing to contradict this. Except that charges and convictions are very rare under that law. Usually they'll charge you with the maximum crime they can did up. Remember that even the possession of spent shell casings is a felony in this state.

Apart from the late Robert B. Parker's crime novels, I avoid Boston and that whole area.

Over rated. The late George V. Higgins and the alive Dennis LeHane are better.

 

[ladder13]

They hand out diapers at the NY border for wusses.

 

[Fr1957]

Any spring loaded, or double edged knife is classified as illegal. My city, Lowell MA has a local ordinance restricting any other knife with more than a 2 1/2 inch blade. Pocket folders with one edge are ok.

 

[Sebago Son]

New England Weather...

The weather is unpredictable....

Be glad you aren't out there driving tonight...

 

[Fishslayer]

You're gonna be driving in Boston?

 

[Sebago Son]

You're gonna be driving in Boston?

He'll be fine... the tunnel roof doesn't ALWAYS fall in and when it does it RARELY kills anyone....

 

[Fr1957]

I would suggest that you take public transportation to get around Boston. The "T" has several subway lines that will get you around town. If you are staying in Framingham you can take Route 9 east toward Boston by vehicle, and I believe you can pick up the T around Wellesley or Brookline, suburbs of Boston. Driving and parking in Boston can be difficult.

 

[Doug M.]

From Texas, generally, I would cut up through OK to I44, take that to St. Louis, I70 to Columbus area, I71 toward Cleveland, I271 around to I90. As I271 starts to curve north and get closer to I90, you can run into the first traces of lake effect snow. It's heavy, it's wet, and you can get a ton pretty fast. If the weather is iffy, stay on I90. The Thruway has its own budget and plows (and tolls) and is likely to be pretty well taken care of. It should take most of 3' of snow in 24 hours before there is any risk of road closure. There are service areas along there which have some food etc, and gas. Prices last time I was across there were above market, but it is a major pain to get off the Thruway in a truck and get stuff in some town.

If it's nice, drop down on to what is now I86 just east of Erie, which used to be PA and NY 17 and will take you toward Binghamton (aka Bingo). Catch I88, which will take you back to I90 just west of Albany.

I80 through PA is not as well taken care of in iffy weather as the NY roads, unless things have changed a lot, and will end up taking longer, not to mention cutting through or too close to NYC. I70 all the way to the PA pike, and then I76 after the switch (still Pike, but it continues east and I70 cuts down to DC) is old road, and there would be a lot of going north in NJ and then through NYC. You would likely regret that.

FWIW, as far I have heard, although MA is not good to its own people about LEOSA, I have not heard of any issues for visitors from elsewhere, and I spend a lot of time on a forum where such info would be exchanged if there were issues. If there were, it would be on my NFE list with NJ. I used to have a non-resident carry license from MA, but I let it expire when I moved out here and quit trucking.

 

[labworm]

He'll be fine... the tunnel roof doesn't ALWAYS fall in and when it does it RARELY kills anyone....

Coming from the south into Boston.

Did you ever go through that tunnel, it is a bit frightening.

Mty your messages, want to send you something.

 

[Sebago Son]

This is prime Lobster season. Although summer is when most of it is consumed, now is when the best stuff is caught. Maine Lobstermen are out all year round, no matter what the weather. Sebago Son knows a lot more about that than I do. At least I'd guess so. Nothing like heading out to sea in 0 degree weather.

I went out with a partner of mine one year just before Christmas to catch the climbing market. Hauling 5 footers on 50 trap strings at the 60 fathom curve was enough to make me stack and dry my traps in October.

It's enough to make a fella turn to long lining.

Hardshelled (post shed) Lobsters are considered to be tastier than mid-summer Softshells and the dock price is usually 2 to 3 times better. To me, THAT was the "sweeter" part.

 

[KingBee]

Driving in Boston? Even the school busses are all dented and bent. The chowda and lobsta are great, but you have to try the clams, too. With the bellies.

 

[Squarebutt]

To clear up a few points, S&W no longer offers factory tours, and the retail store is closed. The Springfield Armory Museum is well worth a side trip, though. Check the website for hours. Colt is in the Hartford, CT area and Savage Arms is in Westfield MA. They may have factory tours.
Living 90 miles from Beantown, I don't have any restaurant recommendations, but I do know the Hilltop Steak House closed recently.
Some locales, including Boston, have a blade length limit on pocket knives, usually around 2 1/2".
Regarding firearms, I'd be more concerned about the laws in NY, NJ and CT before you even cross into MA. As others have said, don't risk it. However, in response to our friend in Texas who would lump all the northeast states together, we do have some lousy laws, but MA residents have been able to obtain concealed carry licenses for decades, long before Texas and many other states, and once we qualify for the license we can purchase and carry any legal pistol or revolver. Our state NRA-affiliated pistol and rifle organization is the Gun Owners' Action League (GOAL.org), and they're the best source for accurate info on our state laws.