What to do in Boston for a day if it's raining

Parent Cafe
1

<p>Am going to see D1 this weekend, arriving tomorrow afternoon and staying through Monday afternoon. She has to work on Friday and Monday, so I will be on my own (this is only my third trip to Boston and the other two were very brief). However, Friday is looking to be a rainy day, which means I won’t want to spend much time outside (I was thinking about doing the Freedom Trail originally).</p>

<p>I won’t have a car, although she lives close to the T (in Allston). What are some options for Friday? Shopping’s not an option because we will be doing that either Friday after work, Saturday or Sunday (her birthday was last weekend, so shopping IS in order!). Also, we’re going to do a whale-watching tour either Saturday or Sunday and she wants to go to the aquarium the same day, so I don’t want to do that. </p>

<p>We’re also going to see The Town one of those nights.</p>

<p>Any suggestions for indoor stuff?</p>

2

<p>I was going to suggest the aquarium, but I guess you’ve got that covered.</p>

3

<p>megpmom - which is why I mentioned it! I knew it would be about first on everyone’s list. D would not like it if I went without her!</p>

4

<p>BTW - I should have mentioned, I’m not opposed to renting a car and driving somewhere if someone has a suggestion that’s not accessible by public transportation. I have driven in the Boston area, and do know what I’d be up against!</p>

5

<p>go to ICA:
[ICA</a> Home | Visit](<a href=“http://www.icaboston.org/visit/]ICA”>Visit – ICA Boston)
and see this exhibit:
[ICA</a> Home | Charles LeDray: workworkworkworkwork](<a href=“http://www.icaboston.org/exhibitions/exhibit/ledray/]ICA”>http://www.icaboston.org/exhibitions/exhibit/ledray/)</p>

6

<p>Museum of Fine Arts</p>

<p>[Museum</a> of Fine Arts, Boston: Home](<a href=“http://www.mfa.org/index.asp]Museum”>http://www.mfa.org/index.asp)</p>

7

<p>If you don’t want to do a museum type thing…and I know you said no shopping but I’d consider taking the T to Fanueil Hall because one whole building are many eating “stands” of all types of good food (not junky) and lots of pushcart vendors of gifty items, as well as two buildings of shops (some unique, some not). It is the kind of thing that even though you are not shopping for something specific, it is fun to look around at the wares and also have a bit of an eating orgy as a single person without going to a sit down restaurant. All three buildings are also historic.</p>

8

<p>I haven’t been there, but my D, a college student in the Boston area, went to the Museum of Science last year and enjoyed it. We purchased a Zoo for Two membership at our home zoo for $40 which allows her to go with a friend to Boston’s Museum of Science for free (plus lots of other reciprocal sites).</p>

9

<p>I hadn’t heard of the ICA before just now (is it relatively new in Boston?) but if it is on the waterfront, you could combine going to that and also going to Faneuil Hall.</p>

10

<p>Should have also mentioned that D’s office is on Commonwealth, less than two blocks from Boston Common, and I might try meeting her for lunch on Friday if I’m in the area (meaning, I haven’t rented a car and gone further). As long as it’s not pouring, I could do most of those by walking.</p>

11

<p>What about a trolley tour, if I just get on, and ride it all the way through and not get off if it’s raining?</p>

12

<p>What about the JFK library? I am not a presidential library person, but did love going to JFK’s.</p>

<p>[Home</a> - John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum](<a href=“http://www.jfklibrary.org/]Home”>http://www.jfklibrary.org/)</p>

13

<p>teriwtt, I just looked at the trolley tour and that sounds like a good idea because if it is raining a lot, you can just stay on it and get a nice tour of the main sites and areas of Boston and if the weather is not horrible, decide to get off at certain stops.</p>

14

<p>A lovely gem of a museum is the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. It’s styled after an Italian palazzo with a stunning interior courtyard. Much of the home is unchanged since the 1920s with a significant collection of art, furniture, and sculpture. It’s in a very convenient location near Fenway Park and the Museum of Fine Arts.</p>

<p>[ISGM</a> The Museum: Introduction](<a href=“http://www.gardnermuseum.org/the_museum/introduction.asp]ISGM”>http://www.gardnermuseum.org/the_museum/introduction.asp)</p>

15

<p>Duck boat tour - I’m pretty sure they are covered so they should be fine in the rain.</p>

<p>[Boston</a> Duck Tours - The Official Website & Online Tickets](<a href=“http://www.bostonducktours.com/]Boston”>http://www.bostonducktours.com/)</p>

16

<p>^^^AH, that’s what I was thinking of before she mentioned the Trolley Tour and glad you mentioned it and gave a link.</p>

17

<p>Top of the Hub at the Prudential Center. There are a ton of upscale shops at the ground level if you want to wander around.</p>

<p>Maparium at the Christian Science Monitor. You may have to walk a bit to get there from the T.</p>

18

<p>How about Harvard Square for lunch and a visit to the Peabody Museum?</p>

<p>[Peabody</a> Museum](<a href=“http://www.peabody.harvard.edu/]Peabody”>http://www.peabody.harvard.edu/)</p>

<p>I believe the rock and mineral exhibit is in the same complex of buildings:</p>

<p>[Mineralogical</a> Museum at Harvard University](<a href=“http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~geomus/]Mineralogical”>http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~geomus/)</p>

<p>Also want to put in a plug for the Rumble on the River on Sunday, if you’d like to see some rowing:</p>

<p>

</p>

<p>Community Rowing is a short cab ride from Harvard Square.</p>

<p>It will be very New Englandy.</p>

19

<p>another unique exhibit:
[The</a> Glass Flowers Collection-Harvard Museum of Natural History](<a href=“http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu/on_exhibit/the_glass_flowers.html]The”>Glass Flowers: The Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models of Plants | Harvard Museum of Natural History)</p>

20

<p>^^^^ (The Glass Flowers are in the Peabody Museum that I referenced.)</p>