If you have not been to the “Seaport” District of Boston, where the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (BCEC) is located, since the last Boston IMS event in 2009, you will be surprised. During the past decade, the area has seen a building boom completely transforming the area—and the development continues unabated, with cranes dotting the skyline. With all the commercial and residential buildings have come the requisite new restaurants and bars. As Boston is our home, the Microwave Journal team put together these recommendations we hope you enjoy.
Local Tip #1: Eats
Dine your way from The Barking Crab down Seaport Blvd. to Legal Seafoods Harborside for fun outdoor dining and rooftop views of the harbor.
Order the Seafood Tower, which includes oysters, clams, shrimp and lobster. Follow this with a fish dish or signature burger—with the oyster on top optional—and you will have a superb dining experience. Oh, don’t forget the side of cornbread.
A New England staple, “Legals” is overpriced but consistently good. The clam chowda is award winning, and the views of the harbor are fantastic, especially from the top deck.
One of the last remaining holdovers from when the area was mostly fish warehouses, this historic establishment opened in 1917, getting its moniker when the original owner, Nick Contos, was asked by the local fishermen what he called the place. Nick would answer, “No name, come eat!” This place cooks fish right off the boat. Be prepared to stand in line, but if you want an original Boston experience, the wait is well worth it.
Offering high-end dining for that big client dinner or lunch meeting, this restaurant has a variety of dishes, from caviar to prime beef to lobster spaghetti. And the desserts are awesome.
A North End iconic Italian restaurant, now on the waterfront with harbor views and great food to match.
Stop here for a more casual and rustic option for Italian food, conveniently located on Seaport Blvd.
A good watering hole to catch the NBA or NHL playoffs, Tony C’s has huge TVs, a good beer selection and a nice location on the harbor walk.
This is a funky neighborhood joint located on West Broadway in South Boston, specializing in tacos, raw bar and tequila. “Southie” is the new “hip” part of town, with several excellent restaurants and bars. The food is great and the margaritas even better.
37 Seaport restaurants for every occasion: From seafood stands to fine dining, the burgeoning Seaport/Fort Point area has it all. Find more information here: www.boston.com/food/food/2018/05/04/best-restaurants-seaport-fort-point
Local Tip #2: Sweets
Looking to satisfy your sweet tooth? Take part in the great cannoli challenge, seeking the best cannoli in Boston. Vote for Maria’s Pastry, Mikes Pastry or Modern Pastry—all in the North End—but don’t try to eat three in a row!
Local Tip #3: Coffee
George Howell Coffee at the Godfrey Hotel, 505 Washington Street, or the Boston Public Market, 100 Hanover Street at Haymarket Station. Howell pioneered specialty coffee in Boston, beginning in 1974 before coffee was trendy, and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Specialty Coffee Association of America. In 2004, he created the Terroir Coffee brand, specializing in single estate coffees.
Local Tip #4: Breweries
Make your way to the Cisco Beer Garden during Microwave Week, conveniently located in the Seaport at 65 Northern Avenue. This outdoor venue is back for its second season and features craft beer and wine from its Nantucket brewery along with food trucks offering raw bar, lobster rolls, tacos and other tasty treats. It’s open Tuesday – Friday from 4:00pm to 11:00pm so drop by at some point during your busy evenings and you’re sure to run in to many familiar faces. An outdoor beer garden on a nice summer night in Boston is about as good as it gets.
Across the street from Row 34, this small gastro pub chain serves local beer and some interesting grub.
This well-known local craft brewer happens to be based in the Seaport. They have a nice tasting room, serving pretzels with dipping sauces. If you are a beer lover, you will love this place, a taste of Oktoberfest in Boston.
Another New England classic. Take the Orange line to the Stony Brook stop to tour their brewery and try some samples.
Located at Jeffries Point near Logan airport, this brewery specializes in hard cider tasting like freshly pressed apple juice. It was founded in 2011 by several graduates of Bates College in Maine, allowing the new graduates to avoid finding “real” jobs. Stop by to help them continue living the dream.
Local Tip #5: Recreation
Across the street from the BCEC, visit Lawn on D for lounging in the sun, fun lawn games and live music.
Head to the Bleacher Bar on Lansdowne St. to catch a view of the Red Sox. The bar sits unobtrusively below the famous Green Monster outfield wall.
Get your steps in and a colonial history lesson at the same time by walking the Freedom Trail.
Do Boston by land and by sea on a duck boat ride with Boston Duck Tours, leaving from either the Prudential (Pru) or the Museum of Science.
Looking for a little adventure and have some time? Head on down to Long Wharf (1 Central Wharf) and take a Boston Harbor Cruise. One favorite is riding the Codzilla, a speed adventure great for both kids and adults.
Stroll the Boston Harborwalk or take a water taxi. The Harborwalk encompasses shoreline, beaches and wharves as it wriggles around the edges of the city, helping to reinforce Boston’s credentials as a walkable metropolis.
Don't forget to stroll the Public Garden and Boston Common and ride in the iconic Swan Boats, which first made their appearance in 1877.
Local Tip #6: Museums
If a family-friendly activity floats your boat, indulge in some American revolutionary behavior at a museum that’s on Fort Point Channel. The Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum offers hour-long group tours led by actors dressed in 18th-century garb.
Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art opened in December 2006 in a prime Seaport spot, with views of the harbor and financial district skyline, and was the first new art institution built in the city in nearly 100 years.
The Fort Point Arts Community and Grand Circle Gallery has an artistic heritage, one that continues through the numerous galleries in the area.
See the Maparium, a famous, three-story, stained-glass globe in the Mary Baker Eddy Library. Mary Baker Eddy founded the Christian Science Monitor newspaper in 1908, and the map was created to be a symbol of the global outreach of newspaper, which had the the mission “to injure no man, but to bless all mankind.”
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is rich in history and arguably better than the Museum of Fine Arts. The museum is in the home of Isabella Stewart Gardner, who Gardner began collecting art seriously in 1891, using a large inheritance from her father. The museum’s collection reflects European, Asian, and American art and includes paintings, sculpture, tapestries and decorative arts.
Helpful Links for Boston Tourist Sites:
If you’re not already exhausted by our recommendations, feel free to add to the list:
https://travel.usnews.com/Boston_MA/Things_To_Do/
www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g60745-Activities-Boston_Massachusetts.html
We hope you enjoy your time in Boston!