Five Coffee Houses For Serious Coffee Drinkers
Whether you prefer drip, latte or espresso; there are tons of chain coffee shops in Boston where you can get your daily fix. What follow is a list of Boston coffee houses with a little more- coffee prepared with care and an interesting atmosphere.
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Located on Beacon Hill, Café Vanille is a great place to recaffeinate after a day of sightseeing downtown. The best coffee at Café Vanille is their regular drip- no matter the time of day, it is always fresh and steaming hot . Café Vanille croissants are really among the best in Boston- perfectly small just like in Europe. The almond croissant is delectable!
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I read that at L’Aroma they can make a heart in the foam of your latte. So, in the interest of journalistic truth I just had to see for myself. I ordered a triple and the heart was perfect- the latte itself was wonderful too. L’Aroma is on the upper part of Newbury Street, close to the Public Garden; its outdoor seating area is a great people -watching spot.
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Established in the 1920’s , this is the first Italian café in Boston and it still oozes tons of authentic old-world charm. Espresso or cappuccino? You are in the North End. You can’t go wrong with either choice here!
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In the true spirit of independent coffee shops, Uptown Espresso has a friendly staff and a cozy atmosphere- the walls even feature the work of neighborhood artists. The mochas and lattes are especially well-made. There is a sunny conservatory space in the back and free Wi-Fi throughout the cafe that encourages lingering.
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A long-time Cambridge hang-out, Café Algiers pretty much defines bohemian coffeehouse. Order the (very strong) Arabic coffee and you will get your own pot. The Mint Moroccan coffee is the Café Algiers specialty- long before specialty coffee drinks were all the rage everywhere else. The second floor is the place to go if you want to wile away the afternoon with good friends- or a good book.
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Shop Til You Drop: 10 Newbury Street Stores
Newbury Street is Boston at its most chic, most expensive and most elegant. The eight blocks of Newbury Street are lined with nineteenth-century brownstones that house cool sidewalk cafes, high-end boutiques, hip art galleries, and fabulous beauty salons. The more eclectic and independent shops are generally located on the lower end of Newbury near Mass Ave; the designer boutiques like Chanel, Burberry, and Valentino are at the upper end of Newbury Street, close to the Public Garden. If you can afford to shop them- lucky you! What follows is a list of lesser-known Newbury Street shops- perfect for a fun afternoon of browsing.
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Colorful, and creative acrylic jewelry made in Israel and Bulgaria.Very inexpensive.
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Because you have been very good. Fill a bag of your favorite candies from the bins. Sugar Heaven also has the latest candy novelties and even a nice selection of hard-to-find imported candies like Nielson Jersey Milk.
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Many a well-dressed Boston woman’s secret. Designer consignment (in perfect condition!) and brand-new boutique goods cheap.
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High-fashion organic clothing for women made from organic cotton, bamboo and soybean blends, silk or hemp. You can be stylish and be green!
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Although the address is Berkeley Street; make no mistake, Louis is a Newbury Street store- its most used entrance is the Newbury Street side. Louis stocks men’s , women’s and even home accessories that are totally current, a little edgy, yet still classic. (Note: It is pronounced "Lou-ees")
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Italian fashions for men and women. Dolce & Gabbana is big here. Lots of always-right black too.
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New England -based retailer of sophisticated, high-quality, hand-crafted pottery and glassware.
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Fun, flirty fashions for young fashionista types.
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Hand-painted needlepoint canvases and beautifully dyed yarns including hard-to-find silk and cashmere. Located next to the Taj hotel, those “in the know” about knitting and needlepoint will search this store out.
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Everything necessary to stock the urban kitchen. Quirky stuff too, like the very essential mango splitter.
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100th Lilac Sunday Celebration May 11th
Stroll among the landscaped grounds of the Arnold Arboretum this week and you will be overwhelmed by the sweet fragrance of hundreds of lilac bushes in full bloom.
Traditionally held on Mother's Day, visitors from around the world come to the Arnold Arboretum just to celebrate "Lilac Sunday".
Located in Boston's Jamaica Plain neighborhood, the Arnold Arboretum is a Harvard University research institutions. The Arboretum has 265+ acres of forest, meadows, and landscaped grounds that feature thousands of rare and lovely wooded plants including perennial shrubs, roses, bonsai, hemlocks, and conifers.
Lilac Sunday is the one day of the year that picnicking is allowed on the grounds of the Arboretum. You can bring your own- or there is food available to purchase on-site. Throughout the day there will be tours of the lilac collection by the Arboretum's extremely knowledgeable docents. For kids, there are plenty of activities including storytelling, crafts, and games. There will even be dancing among the flowers! Morris Dancing (a kind of English folk dance) performances are always a Lilac Sunday highlight.
Every season is special at the Arboretum; it is truly one of the city's hidden gems. Note too, that the Arnold Arboretum is also one of the few Boston attractions that is always free!
Take the "T" (Orange line to Forest Hills) as there isn't any parking in the Arboretum proper and parking immediately outside the Arboretum is extremely limited.
Arnold Arboretum
125 Arborway
617-524-1718
Web Site
The Boston Pops
The Boston Pops are a beloved Boston institution. Every spring the orchestra floor seats at Symphony Hall are replaced by tiny tables and (almost!) impossibly small seats. It's a party atmosphere as concert- goers are served light refreshments -Pops Punch is a hall favorite- while listening to "America's Orchestra".
The Boston Pops 123 rd season runs from May 7th- July 2nd. Boston Pops programming features light classical music, show and film tunes, and even rock music. Pops is, after all, short for popular music!
Film Night with composer/conductor John Williams is a much -anticipated series and will include the premiere of the music from the upcoming movie, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Boston Pops conductor Keith Lockhart leads a season-long tribute to the music of Leonard Bernstein with selections from West Side Story and Wonderful Town. Lockhart also conducts EdgeFest which showcases innovative popular music in the best Pops tradition. This year, Natalie Merchant (of 10,000 Maniacs) and Amanda Palmer (of the Dresden Dolls) will each perform their own two-concert series backed by the Boston Pops Orchestra. Clearly, these are not your parent's Pops!
Symphony Hall
269 Huntington Ave.
617-266-1492
Web Site
View from the Top: The Skywalk Observatory
For an older American city, Boston has a beautifully uncluttered skyline. And the sights from the Prudential Tower's 50th floor Skywalk Observatory, the highest public observation deck in New England, are nothing short of amazing.
Built in 1965, the Pru -as it is known to locals- was the tallest building in Boston until the completion of the nearby John Hancock Tower in 1976. (The John Hancock building comes in at 788 feet, the Pru is just a touch shorter at 759 feet.)
The Skywalk's dedicated elevator will whoosh you directly to the Observatory. Here, there are exhibits on Boston's history and a multi-media movie presentation about the Boston immigrant experience. But the high point of your visit will be the 360-degree view of the Boston skyline. Admission to the Skywalk includes an audio wand that describes the city's historic sites from the perspective of a Boston "native". Young visitors will enjoy the children's version of the tour.
From the Skywalk's floor to ceiling windows look east- you can easily see the gold dome of the Massachusetts State House, the Zakim Bridge, and across the harbor, Logan Airport. Look carefully and you can even make out the spire of Old North Church and the obelisk that is the Bunker Hill Monument. The view from the south -facing windows is totally different. Here you will see row upon row of townhouses neatly arranged around gated- park ovals. Boston's South End is the largest intact Victorian row -house neighborhood in the United States. Looking to the west, visitors have a bird's eye view of Fenway Park. It is easy to see why John Updike once referred to Fenway Park as "a little lyrical bandbox of a ballpark." The most prominent feature from the north windows has got to be MIT's Great Dome - (the site of many infamous MIT hacks) just across the Charles River in Cambridge.
A visit to the Prudential Tower Skywalk Observatory during one of your first days in Boston is a great way to get an overview of the city. The Skywalk Observatory is open 7 days a week; summer hours are 10 a.m.-10 p.m., but is occasionally closed for private events, so it is always best to call ahead.
Skywalk Observatory
800 Boylston ST.
617-859-0648
Web Site
A Single Block Of Five Cheap Ethnic Eats
What's your mood? Italian, Japanese, Thai, Mexican or Greek? Located almost equi-distant between the Museum of Fine Arts and Fenway Park, Peterborough Street is mostly a quiet residential thoroughfare lined with attached brick town homes. But towards the end of the street, there is a string of fun, casual ethnic eateries. And now that it is spring, each of these restaurants has put out tables for dining al fresco.
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Nice Italian trattoria food and brick-oven pizza. The owner is Iranian, so the menu features some Persian specials on the menu as well.
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For a sushi bar, Umi is fairly inexpensive-maki dishes are from $13-$17. But this is sushi after all, which makes this the most expensive choice on the block.
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If you crave Thai food, this is the place. Rice plates are cooked fresh to order. Speedy service too.
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A favorite haunt of several current Red Sox players, this taqueria serves more than just burritos. The daily specials are inspired- and the fish tacos are especially good.
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Gyros and kebabs of course, but you can never go wrong with a plate of mousaka- eggplant and beef in a tomato and béchamel sauce. Greek comfort food!
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An Absolute Must See-The Freedom Trail
Boston does not confine its history to museums. The red painted line of the Freedom Trail - the 2 ½ mile walking route that connects 16 Revolutionary War sites- seems to be everywhere in downtown Boston.
One of the very best-and free-ways to explore the Freedom Trail is to take one of the 90-minute walking tours led by a Boston National Park Ranger.
These tour guides really know their history! They also make the tours fun- and pepper their talks with little known nuggets of historical fact like "Paul Revere always rode on a borrowed horse" or "Old South Meeting House had a seating capacity of 2000- it was the stadium of its day".
The tours are extremely well -researched and usually concentrate on a theme such as "The Foundations of Independence". Rangers typically lead the group to the Old South Meeting House, the Old State House, Faneuil Hall, the Paul Revere House and the Old North Church. Rangers do not take the group inside any of the Freedom Trail sites, but visitors often choose to back- track and explore the Paul Revere House on their own at the end of the tour.
Tours leave daily (weather permitting) from the Boston National Historic Park Visitor Center (near the Old State House). Check the tour schedule on-line and arrive early. Rangers pass out stickers 30 minutes before tour time and tours are limited to just 30 participants.