Make the Most of your Boston College Tour
In the minds of many Americans, Boston is synonymous with academia. The Boston area remains the country’s most active hotbed of University activity; a visit to the city is tantamount to an efficient college tour. Herein, we list some of Boston’s best campus-adjacent attractions and restaurants, guaranteed to help visitors survey their choice schools’ neighborhoods and enjoy their college-seeking downtime.
Boston College
Located in: Chestnut Hill, Newton.
Chestnut Hill Reservoir
This national landmark boasts one of the city’s best jogging trails, but it’s just as well-suited to a scenic walk. The view of the Boston College campus is iconic; the spires of Gasson Hall are clearly visible over the trees that surround the reservoir. While it used to function as Boston’s main water supply, it’s now purely recreational and offers such seasonal amusements as a skating rink and a swimming pool.
Oishii Sushi
Chestnut Hill’s favorite Japanese eatery presents as ordinary and cramped, but its patrons swear it offers the best sushi in the Boston area. That’s no easy feat in a city that prides itself on seafood. Aficionados will enjoy their more creative fusions, while everyone can benefit from a helping of blowtorch-seared tuna.
Located in: Boston, between the Fenway-Kenmore, Allston, and Brookline neighborhoods.
The Museum of Fine Arts
The MFA’s holdings total over 450,000, making it one of the largest museums in the country. Popular permanent exhibitions include ancient Egyptian artifacts, French Impressionist paintings, Japanese pottery, and eighteenth and nineteenth century American paintings. Additionally, it’s all housed in one of the city’s most recognizable edifices, an immense neoclassical building with columns and a rotunda. The building and its contents are must-sees for any art lover.
Great Bay
This place is the Back Bay’s source for all manner of seafood, from classic fried snacks to modern sushi-like arrangements. Additionally, its Island Bar offers such spirited creations as “Pomegranate Peer Pressure,” a vodka nip, and “Hemingway Didn’t Drink Here,” concocted with rum and grapefruit sorbet. Though its menu caters pretty exclusively to pescatarians, land lovers can indulge in a steak or a pork chop.
Located in: Cambridge
The Peabody Museum and the Harvard Museum of Natural History
The Peabody is one of the world’s most prominent curators of anthropological material; its holdings incorporate casts of ancient monuments, exhibits devoted to North America’s indigenous populations, and an array of artifacts from the Pacific Islands. Also housed in the same facility is Harvard’s famous Museum of Natural History, which displays fossilized creatures, mounted dinosaurs and mammals, meteorites, and the incredibly beautiful collection of Blaschka Glass Flowers.
Café Pamplona
This campus-adjacent classic is one of Cambridge’s most storied eateries; Pamplona is a tribute to its late owner’s memories of her native Spain. Wait staff dress in a sleek uniform and provide entertaining conversation, lending the café a uniquely conscientious atmosphere. Its menu centers around specialty coffees and intricate desserts, though grilled Cuban sandwiches and flavorful soups are also popular with Harvard regulars.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Located in: Cambridge
List Visual Arts Center
The LVAC is the city’s most famous modern art museum, specializing in installation art and multimedia presentations. The institution, housed in an iconic I.M. Pei facility, serves as MIT’s foremost champion of funding for the arts. Permanent collections center on more traditional forms of artistic expression and include paintings by Pablo Picasso, while exhibitions like the constant Media Test Wall screen experimental projects to eager passers-by.
Hungry Mother
A Cambridge favorite, Hungry Mother garners accolades for its down home, family dinner atmosphere and its innovative whiskey cocktails. The menu runs the gamut of Southern fare and includes generous plates of $4 appetizers. Indulge in fried oysters, mushroom gnocchi, pork shoulder, and brown sugar ice cream, and enjoy the campy atmosphere and free logo buttons.
Northeastern University
Located in: Boston, Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood
Fenway Park
Fenway Park may be an obvious choice of a landmark, but its hallowed grounds are one of the most enduring and legendary icons in all of sports. It is, in fact, the oldest stadium in major league baseball. Fans should plan their college visits around game attendance, but everyone can enjoy the park’s historic splendors. A knowledgeable staff offers regular, inexpensive tours of the stadium that focus on landmarks, Red Sox lore, and preservation.
Sorellina
This Back Bay establishment is a local favorite for fancy meals, offering updated iterations of regional Italian classics and a sizeable list of complimentary wines. Entrees tend to be budget-breaking, but diners are eager to sing their praises in spite of the cost. One specialty that won’t break the bank is a plate of Truffle Oil French Fries, perfect for a light meal or a late evening snack.
Tufts University
Located in: Medford/Somerville
New England Aquarium
Boston’s waterfront preservation society operates a series of permanent exhibitions, an IMAX theatre, and an adjacent whale watch. Its main draw is its atrium, which contains a massive cylindrical tank designed to approximate a Caribbean coral reef. The tank houses a slew of species, including sharks, turtles, and colorful reef-dwelling fish, and its base perimeter is home to a few varieties of penguin. Younger visitors will especially enjoy the “Edge of the Sea” tide pool, a touch tank dedicated to New England coastal life.
Tu y Yo
Authentic Mexican cuisine is hard to come by in New England, but Tu y Yo’s fresh fare comes surprisingly close to the real thing. Adventurous diners can sample such delicacies as grasshoppers and frog legs, while others might want to stick to tacos and the infamously delicious sangria. Most patrons say the drink is deceptively strong, so it might serve as an enticement to try some odder menu staples.
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Categories: Travel Info
