Past Conferences
IRACDA 2009
speakers
agenda
There are lots of places to eat and things to do within walking distance of the hotel. If you want to explore other parts of Boston, the subway is the easiest way to get around. For ideas, check out our Sackler Graduate School’s Campus and Community website, the Courtyard Marriott’s Visitor Guide, and the Best of Boston 2009 website. YELP is also a great site for user reviews and recommendations of Boston’s top restaurants, shopping, nightlife, entertainment, services and more.
Here are some our favorite places to eat and drink and some ideas of fun things to do in and around Boston.
Food and Libation
Bars and Lounges
Jacob Wirth’s: (German/Bar Cuisine. Large beer selection)
Rock Bottom: (Bar Cuisine. Onsite brewing)
Boston Beer Works: (Bar Cuisine. Onsite brewing)
Beantown Pub: (As the joke goes… “Enjoy a cold Sam Adams across the street from a cold Samuel Adams)
Drink: If you can appreciate a great cocktail, then this is the place for you. Step up to the bar and let one of the highly skilled technicians take you on a “spirit-filled” journey. On the Boston waterfront, 348 Congress St (617) 695-1806.
Lunch (Quick and Inexpensive)
Food for Thought – café on 4th floor of the Sackler Building
Jaharis Café – located on the 1st floor of the Jaharis Building, not open weekends.
75 Café, 75 Kneeland Street, Greek and American hot meals and sandwiches.
California Pizza Kitchen 37 Stuart Street, Boston, (617) 720-0999
Ray’s Sub Shop - open for take-out lunch during the week and just down the street from our meeting site
Lunch and Dinner
Asian:
There are MANY different eateries in Chinatown. Food ranging from Dim Sum (many small Chinese dishes) to Pho (Vietnamese soup) can be found a short walk from the hotel and from Tufts University. A few recommendations are below:
Chinese:
Ho Yuen Bakery, 54 Beach St – best coconut rolls and other Chinese pastries
New Shanghai, 21 Hudson St (between Beach St & Kneeland St)
East Ocean City, 27 Beach Street
Peach Farm, 4 Tyler Street
French:
Les Zygomates, 129 South St (between East St & Beach St), about 6 blocks from the hotel. The name roughly translates to "the muscles in the face that make you smile". It is located in Boston's Historic Leather District and offers traditional French Bistro fare, a stylish wine bar, and jazz music.
Japanese:
o ya, 9 East Street, Boston
Malaysian:
Penang, 685 Washington Street, Boston, (617) 451-6373
Thai:
Vietnamese:
Italian:
The North End neighborhood is known for its numerous Italian restaurants. Here are a few establishments that we recommend.
Piccolo Nido – 257 North Street, (between Fleet St & Lewis St), (617) 742-4272, a find off of the main drag of Hanover Street
Mamma Maria – 3 North Square, (617) 523-0077, awesome, but expensive
For wonderful coffee and Italian pastries, try Modern Pastry, Mike’s Pastry, and Café Vittoria
Closer to Tufts:
Sorriso Trattoria, 107 South St., 617/259-1560, about 7 blocks from the hotel. Serves sophisticated country Italian cuisine, including brick-oven pizza.
Pizza:
Figs – Beacon Hill (Specialty pizza)
The Upper Crust Pizzaeria - multiple locations around the city (review)
Seafood:
The Barking Crab - Eat at a real New England Crab Shack while enjoying views of Boston Harbor. Located at Fort Point Landing, 88 Sleeper Street, Boston, a 20 min walk from Tufts.
Legal Seafood – (If it isn’t fresh, it isn’t Legal.) Waterfront on Long Wharf near the Aquarium and Downtown Boston a few blocks from the hotel.
No Name - 15 Fish Pier Street West, (between Northern Ave & Trilling Way), (617) 338-7539. Take the Silver Line from South Station. No Name opened in 1917 as a diner for fishermen who, fresh from their shifts on the boats catching fish, came back to shore to eat. This couldn't be more of a hole-in-the-wall if it tried. However, it has good seafood and some of the freshest lobster you will ever taste
Out of the Blue – Great seafood in Somerville near the Davis Square stop on the Red Line.
Steak:
K O Prime Steakhouse – 90 Tremont St, (between Beacon St & Bosworth St), (617) 772-0202. A modern, creative interpretation of a traditional steakhouse. Said to be one of the best steakhouses in Boston.
Things to do and see in and around Boston:
Arnold Arboretum Take the MBTA Orange Line to its southern end - Forest Hills.
The Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University is located in the Jamaica Plain and Roslindale sections of Boston, Massachusetts. It was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted and is the second largest "link" in the Emerald Necklace. It is a lovely place to walk, and will be full of flowers and blooming shrubs in early June.
Beer Tasting :
Sam Adams Brewery, 30 Germania Street, Boston, (617) 368-5080, Stony Brook Station on the Orange Line. Tour the Samuel Adams Brewery in Boston for a look at the history of beer-making in Boston and sample Sam Adams' unique microbrews.
Harpoon Brewery, 306 Northern Ave, Ste 2 (at C St) Boston, (617) 574-9551, take the Silver Line from the South Station Red Line stop
Blue Man Group - Stunning. Energetic. Funny. Amazing. Be sure to sit in the first couple of rows. In the Boston Theater District a few blocks from the hotel. 74 Warrenton St (between S Charles St & Melrose St, (617) 426-6912.
Boston Common and Boston Gardens (Free, Swan Boats extra)
Located only a couple of blocks from the hotel, these two parks form the northern terminus of the Emerald Necklace, a long string of parks designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. While the Common is primarily unstructured open space, the Public Garden contains a lake and a large series of formal plantings that are maintained by the city and others and vary from season to season. During the warmer seasons, the four-acre (16,000 m²) pond is usually the home of one or more swans and is always the site of the Swan Boats, a famous Boston tourist attraction. For a small fee, tourists can sit on a boat ornamented with a white swan at the rear. The boat is then pedaled around the lake by a tour guide sitting within the swan.
Boston Duck Tours (~$40 per person)
You've never toured Boston in anything that comes close to Boston Duck Tours. The fun begins as soon as you board your "DUCK", a W.W.II style amphibious landing vehicle. You'll cruise by all the places that make Boston the birthplace of freedom and a city of firsts, from the golden-domed State House to Bunker Hill and the TD Banknorth Garden, Boston Common and Copley Square to the Big Dig, Government Center to fashionable Newbury Street, Quincy Market to the Prudential Tower, and more. And, as the best of Boston unfolds before your eyes, your ConDUCKtor will be giving you lots of little known facts and interesting insights about our unique and wonderful city. And just when you think you've seen it all, there's more. It's time for "Splashdown" as your ConDUCKtor splashes your DUCK right into the Charles River for a breathtaking view of the Boston and Cambridge skylines, the kind of view you just won't get anywhere else
Boston Harbor Islands National Park - Take a brief ferry ride from Long Wharf, Boston (the Aquarium Stop on the Blue Line) to visit several lovely islands with old forts. Also stop at Spectacle Island, which used to be Boston’s garbage dump and was then enlarged by fill from the Big Dig and turned into a park. The view of the Boston skyline from the water is spectacular
Boston Harborwalk - The HarborWalk winds along the water through the city's waterfront neighborhoods and downtown district, stretching from Chelsea Creek to the Neponset River, through East Boston, Charlestown, North End, Downtown, South Boston and Dorchester.
Boston Trolley Tours – Great way to get oriented in the city. Get on and off as much as you like all day.
Charles River Esplanade – A great walk along both sides of the Charles River, which separates Boston from Cambridge. The section from the Longfellow Bridge to the Massachusetts Ave. bridge offers great views of the Boston skyline
Faneuil Hall (Free)
It's the seat of American history and the site of one of America's most famous shopping and dining experiences, Faneuil Hall Marketplace. For over 250 years, the marketplace has played an integral role in the life of Boston's residents. So if you are ready to see, taste, and touch a true Boston experience, come to the historic and exciting Faneuil Hall Marketplace. In, and around, Faneuil Hall are many different eateries including bars, Tex Mex and fastfood. To get to Faneuil hall, take the Orange Line North (Oak Grove direction) and exit at Haymarket. Make a left out of the station and you’re there
Freedom Trail (Free, guided tours extra)
The Freedom Trail is a 2.5 mile red-brick walking trail that leads you to 16 nationally significant historic sites, every one an authentic American treasure. Preserved and dedicated by the citizens of Boston in 1958, when the wrecking ball threatened, the Freedom Trail today is a unique collection of museums, churches, meeting houses, burying grounds, parks, a ship, and historic markers that tell the story of the American Revolution and beyond. The Freedom Trail begins in the Boston Commons (approximately 5 blocks from the hotel).
John Adams National Historical Park (@ Quincy Center T-Stop, Red Line)
The Adams National Historical Park tells the story of four generations of the Adams family (from 1720 to 1927). The park has two main sites: the Birthplaces of 2nd U.S. President John Adams and 6th U.S. President John Quincy Adams, and Peacefield including the “Old House,” home to four generations of the Adams family, and the Stone Library which contains more than 14,000 historic volumes.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum – take the Red Line to the UMass/JFK stop. The exhibits are very moving, and the Library is located next to the dramatic harborside campus of one of TEACRS’ partners, the University of Massachusets, Boston
Museum of Science ($20/adult) - Visit the MOS website for detailed information. The MOS also has an Omni Theater.
Museum of Fine Arts ($20/adult) - Visit the MFA website for information on special events and exhibits. Exhibitions scheduled during the conference include: The Secrets of Tomb 10A: Egypt 2000 BC; Harry Callahan: American Photographer; Albrecht Dürer: Virtuoso Printmaker; African and Oceanic Art in Focus; The Way of the Gods: Shinto Shrines and Their Art; and Café and Cabaret:.Toulouse-Lautrec's Paris.
New England Aquarium – Take the T to the Aquarium Stop on the Blue Line or walk along the harbor to get there (20-30 minutes). It also has an Omni Theater.
Newbury Street:
Great food and excellent shopping are the main events on this bustling street. The end of Newbury is located near the Public Garden. Make Commonwealth Ave. be one leg of your walk and take in the historic Boston brownstones.
The North End:
Boston's North End is the city's oldest residential community, where people have lived continuously since it was settled in the 1630s. Though small (⅓ mi), the neighborhood has approximately 100 eating establishments, and a variety of tourist attractions. It is known as the city's Little Italy for its Italian-American population. The North End was home to some of Boston's wealthiest residents and later to the first community of black people created by freed and escaped slaves. In the early 19th century, the Irish began to migrate to the North End in huge numbers and dominated the neighborhood. The North End then became one of the centers of Jewish life in Boston; Hebrew inscriptions can still be found on several buildings. On January 15, 1919, the North End was the site of the Boston Molasses Disaster. The Skinny House, reported by the Boston Globe as having the "uncontested distinction of being the narrowest house in Boston," stands near the top of Copp's Hill within sight of Old North Church and Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge.In the early 20th century, the North End became the center of the Italian community of Boston. It is still largely residential and well-known for its small, authentic Italian restaurants and for the first Italian cafe, Caffe Vittoria.
Michele's Topor's wonderful North End Market Tour will introduce you to the many colorful Italian markets and shops of "Little Italy." (This is one of Claire’s favorite things to do with visitors.) And if it's the hidden secrets of the North End that pique your interest, take the celebrated (and humorous) North End Secret Tour. You'll visit over 40 unique sites where pivotal events shaped both the neighborhood and the life of the Nation - from Colonial times to the present day. You might be surprised to know, for example, that the North End was the site of Boston's first windmill, the nation's first grammar school, and America's first childrens' playground.
June 6 - 7, 2009:
Santa Maria Di Anzano 104th Feast Celebration & Procession
Hanover & Prince Streets
Rose Kennedy Greenway – Boston’s newest park! When Boston's Big Dig project plunged previously elevated roadways underground, the city found itself rich in prime urban land. Community and political leaders seized the opportunity to enhance Boston's city life by providing additional parks and gardens to connect some of its oldest, most diverse and vibrant neighborhoods. The Greenway is a series of four parks within a curvilinear corridor of land extending approximately one mile through downtown Boston. Each park has unique architectural features, historic landmarks and a wonderful variety of plants and trees. To experience the entire Greenway on foot without retracing your steps, start at either Chinatown Park in the south or at the North End Parks and travel the one mile distance. If you have time, follow the North End/Downtown portion of the Boston Harborwalk back to your starting point
Whale Watch – Run by the New England Aquarium, see humpbacks, minke, and dolphins. Bring a jacket.
If you have extra time, and a car .....
Day-tripping
Old Sturbridge Village – about an hour drive from Boston. Old Sturbridge Village is a living museum located in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, which re-creates life in rural New England during the 1790s through 1830s. It is the largest living museum in New England, covering more than 200 acres (80 hectares).
Cape Ann, MA - About an hour drive north of Boston. Highlights: Rockport, the beaches of Glouchester (featured in The Perfect Storm), Halibut Point State Park’s rocky coast and tide pools
Historic Newburyport, MA - About an hour drive north of Boston. Located on the south bank of the Merrimack River at the mouth of the Atlantic Ocean, the area was settled in the 1630’s. In the 1970’s the city launched an extraordinary urban renewal project that transformed Newburyport’s decaying downtown and waterfront buildings into picturesque brick and cobblestone retail center that it is today. The downtown was restored, an attractive waterfront park and boardwalk were constructed and today the city is a handsome thriving New England port.
North Shore Beaches. About an hour drive north of Boston. Check out Crane’s Beach and the Parker River National Wildlife Refuge on Plum Island. Swimming is cold, but the walks along these undeveloped beaches are beautiful.
New England:
Cape Cod and the islands of Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. The nicest part of the Cape, with stunning beaches in the National Seashores, is towards the tip, including the towns of Wellfleet, Truro, and Provincetown. The islands can be reached by ferry, and bikes can be rented once you are there. It’s also possible to take a ferry from Boston to Provincetown and rent bikes to explore the town, beaches, and dunes
The White Mountains of New Hampshire. Great hikes to rocky ridges and waterfalls. Mount Washington is the highest peak in the Northeastern United States at 6288 ft, and if you don’t want to hike it, you can drive all the way up.
Acadia National Park, Maine. Classic, rocky seacoast. Wonderful hiking. Also biking along the carriage roads
Maine Coast, especially from Portland to Bar Harbor. The seacoast villages are still quaint, the scenery beautiful, and the lobster couldn’t be fresher. Check out Reid State Park and Popham State Park. And outlet shopping in Kittery!
The Green Mountains of Vermont. Hiking, biking. Charming and scenic. Home to Ben and Jerry’s ice cream and Cabot’s cheddar. Check out beautiful Burlington, home of the University of Vermont, on Lake Champlain.
