The Travel Thread - 2022 edition

Thought it was a shuttle bus from the airport to the subway, then you get the train from there? The State Street station on the Blue Line is about two blocks from our hotel.

 

That

That's right. The subway isn't at the airport. If you are staying that close to the Blue Line, it's less of a hassle and you already are paying for T passes so it makes sense.

I don't think there is work scheduled for the Blue Line, but check it out. The Green Line might be the most trouble.

 

Just got back from the Boston trip, and it was great. Y'all have a fine city up there.
We mostly walked around, which is what we do — by my estimates we logged between 15 and 20 miles on foot last week — so we had the weird experience of seeing a lot of the city without actually seeing a lot of the attractions. Saw the Paul Revere house and Old North Church from the outside, the USS Constitution from outside the fence, etc. We kept passing by the Old North Church at about 4:45 p.m. so we never made it in. Still had a blast, though.
The city was easier to navigate than I thought it would be. The T was easy to hop on and off, and our hotel was right in the middle of three major stations that covered four of the five lines. Figuring out the elevators in the stations felt like playing a video game, though. Go down to go up and over, now down a tunnel and to two other elevators to get to the street. Had a couple of issues with malfunctioning gates as well, which was annoying. Other than that, it was good. Didn't have to rent a car, which I was glad for. Car horns seemed to be the soundtrack for Boston, and as easy as it was to navigate by foot and train I can see how it would be a nightmare to drive around.

We never felt unsafe (although we did stay downtown, stuck mostly to the touristy areas and didn't stay out too late). There were people out and about all evening, which was good to see from both a vibe and safety standpoint. We went to Chicago about 10 years ago and Michigan Avenue had tumbleweeds blowing in the streets at 9 p.m. Boston was active until at least 11 or 12 most nights, seemingly no matter where we wandered downtown. It seems like you have to make an effort to get to the sketchy areas, which as a tourist is ... nice, I suppose?
Our only somewhat scary moment was when we were first getting off the train downtown and there was a crackhead camped right next to the elevator to the street. Thankfully he quickly passed out on a nearby stairwell and wasn't a factor.

Only two negatives were hotel prices and lobster rolls. Our hotel was $325 a night and was by far the cheapest I could find anywhere downtown. Most were creeping up on $500 a night. Thankfully, we somehow wound up at the perfect nexus of price point, location and quality.
As for lobster rolls, I ordered one at a restaurant that had it at "market price," which should have been a flashing neon warning sign. Wound up paying $65 for two fairly mediocre lobster salad sandwiches on buns the size of dinner rolls. Fuck a buncha lobster rolls. Overrated crap.

So, anyway, 10/10 for Boston. Good trip, would recommend and would go again.

 

Best lobster roll I had was from a place on the side of Route 1 between Biddeford and Portland. Was about $18 and was awesome. Had a pretty decent one in Newport, R.I., but it was closer to $35.

Weirdly, a lot of my knowledge of Boston's landmarks came from playing Fallout 4. Recognized so many of those places from the video game, lol.

 

Need St Louis suggestions for a 3-day weekend coming up soon. A Cardinals game, the Arch and … what else? This is my first time there with my own wheels.

 

Walking tour of East St. Louis.

Trust me on this.

 

Avoid the Arch. It’s expensive, and the views from the top pretty much suck. Plus, it’s packed and hot as hell up there.

Zoo is very good and free. City Museum is great for kids (not free). Forest Park. The Hill. Soulard.

Plenty of brew pubs, and the A-B tour is fun.

 

I hear a lot of the locals are eager to provide you with ventilation on a hot summer day.

 

It’s been a few years (late 2000s) but I second the advice on the Arch. I’m not normally a claustrophobic person, but those elevators are rough. And yeah, the view from the top wasn’t great, especially for the price.

Our kids were grade school age back then, so they really enjoyed the zoo. And the Fitz’s Root Beer restaurant in the Delmar area also was fun.

 

Don't avoid the Arch. It is a significant piece of our history and an amazing achievement. I've always enjoyed walking around the area near it, too. Yes, the little elevators are hot, and it's touristy and crowded, but it's a once-in-a-lifetime thing.

The best Italian in the city isn't on the Hill -- it's Trattoria Marcella, just south of the Hill. But the Hill is a cool place. Anthonino's is the best there, then probably Gian-Tony's.

Second Shift Brewing is a great little spot we've visited several times in while passing through. Really great beer. I'm sure there are lots of other and potentially better breweries there, but that's been our favorite.

 

On the plus side, the airport bars offer 12-ounce beers in the $17 range. As the server said, if they could figure a way to charge for the air passengers breathe, they would.

 

Since it didn’t not get brought up here, let me provide this advice for St. Louis (besides being extra clothes to sweat through):

Inside Forest Park (which I should have spent more time in before now) there is an gem of an outdoor amphitheater called The Muny that stages nighttime musicals in the summer. And because it was built over a century ago in an age of noblesse oblige, it has 1500 tickets on the top rows set aside for free.

No kidding. Don’t need a voucher or anything. Just walk right in and as long as you don’t walk past the first horizontal railing you’re good to go. Oh, and the parking right across the street is free too. I tell you, I feel like I’m pulling a bank heist.

I am honestly close to tearing up a little before this production of Dreamgirls. Imagine an America where we started giving a damn a little bit about access to art and culture. Cities have their problems and St. Louis more than most, but they don’t get enough credit for some of the incredible things they pull off.