blog: boston places

blog post with places I find neat, maybe also add them to places? or use places infrastructure to generate a new page?? hmm........

Draft

the usual touristy stuff is likely to be great, but if you're into neat architecture, weird art, quiet spaces, cheap but good food, I have got a great list for you

Places you can spend a lot of time at

Isabella Stewart Gardner museum -- eccentric collection of objects, many totally unlabeled, with a really fascinating history. worth a couple hours, not a typical museum experience at all. I hear the cafeteria is very good but haven't eaten there myself

Glass flowers collection at the Harvard Museum of Natural History -- maybe the most detailed work ever made by human hands? neat history, extremely impressive, other Harvard museums nearby

Old North Church -- historical site with Revolutionary War significance, that's all cool, it gets pretty busy with tourists this time of year, blah blah blah, that's not my point. if you're in the North End between 11a and 1p on a Saturday you'll be able to hear the ringers practicing in the tower, on the oldest full-circle ringing bells on the continent, dating back to 1744. Paul Revere rang the very same ones!

Mount Auburn Cemetery -- Washington Tower in the middle of the cemetery is open to the public - you can climb up and get great views of the surrounding area (and a geodetic marker, if that's your thing!). it's the oldest landscaped cemetery in the US too, you could spend a couple hours just walking around. prettiest in the fall. very quiet, no guided tours, free

Places that are worth checking out if you're in the area

Class of 1959 Chapel -- on the Harvard Business School campus, I think the opening hours are 9-5 weekdays. really really weird building with a beautiful koi pond. nice and quiet usually

Central branch of the Boston Public Library in Copley Square -- in the McKim building, lots and lots of art inside, a really pretty main reading room, etc. great courtyard between the two buildings; tied for my favorite courtyard with the Gardner

Christian Science plaza -- very strange open space. there's not really much to do... but if you're in Back Bay take a look just to see how weird it is.

Food to eat

these tend toward cozy and maybe aren't anything special! I'm not really a foodie :)

Kelly's in Ball Square, Somerville is a diner in an authentic Worcester lunch car. if you are a diner nerd it is a great experience. the pancakes are to die for, or at least were when I lived in Somerville - great breakfast spot though it can get a little loud on weekends

Dirty Water Dough on Newbury St has very unusual but pretty good pizza -- they make their dough with beer instead of water. when I go to the library in Copley Sq to work this is my usual lunch spot!

Courthouse Seafood near Lechmere is cozy and a great value for the price - I hear you can find better (and much pricier) seafood near the aquarium in Boston but I've never been

Start by locating the site's existing blog posts, places pages, and the places infrastructure mentioned in the issue. Clarify whether this should be a blog post, entries in the places section, or a generated page; done means the selected Boston recommendations are published in the agreed location.