Boston 2008

[Bethany]

Cody and I are considering going to Boston for the Marathon. (Cody runs, I cheer). We are curious if anyone else is thinking of going. We would also like to know (from those of you who have been before) what would you recommend for hotels, sights, dining etc. Any "tips" that you want tos hare from what you learned and wished you would have known before going? Let us know!

[AndyBrowning]

We stayed at the Marriott Copley that is about 1 block away from the finish line.  It was nice to be right in the middle of things.  Also, there was a grocery store across the street from the hotel which was convenient.  We booked through marathontours.com and got a decent price on the room.  I think that most of the rooms allocated to marathontours.com are filled but it is worth checking out.  If you do decide to go, you will need to book a room soon because the women's Olympic trials are the Sunday before the marathon so it may be extra crowded.

Of course, a Red Sox game is a must.  The game that we bought tickets for was rained out and that is probably the one thing that I missed the most.  If you are able to walk the Freedom trail, you will be able to hit all the major tourist attractions.  I'm not sure how much walking Cody will want to do before the marathon, though.  We went on the Boston Duck Tours which I wasn't all that impressed with.  We missed out on a lot of the stuff that we really wanted to do because of the bad weather this year.

As far as eating, I would recommend Legal Seafood and the Union Oyster House. 

It is definitely a great trip and a well deserved reward for Cody's hard work and you putting up with a marathoner's lifestyle.

[Sean Sundwall]

I'm thinking about it. Alot of it depends on how I feel after the Trials. I am also yet to fulfill the goal of winning a marathon which I may elect to attempt this spring which would mean no Boston.

My wife and I stayed at the Courtyard Boston-South Boston 63 R Boston Street, Boston , MA 02125. It was nice. It was a very easy subway ride in to the city. Everything is Boston is ridiculously expensive. If you want to get away from the city into some more charming parts of the suburbs, consider the starting line in or Natick or Framingham.

[jtshad]

In 2006, my wife and I stayed at the DoubleTree Hotel - Downtown.  It was priced very resonably (book early online...easy cancellation policy just in case as well), walking distance to the Commons and the finishline, easy access to the subway, lots of shops and restaurants all around.

As far as things to do, you have to walk the Freedom Trail (we walked the day after the marathon and it wasn't too bad), eat some great Italian food in the North End (some great eateries and bakeries), Legal Seafood is very good as well.

You should go if you have the chance, it is an experience like none other.  The town really turns out for the runners and treats you all extremely well.

Oh yeah, I would recommend going to the pasta dinner the night before...the food was good, the had a circus set up for entertainment and gave away tons of free stuff as you were leaving.  The expo is big and very crowded but you can get some cool stuff.

[Logan Fielding]

You have to go too a Red Sox game.  The fans are truly die hard.  Katey and I went last year and enjoyed every minute of it.  We didn't like baseball much back then but we love watching baseball now!  The actually race isn't half bad either.  All of the fans really give you the support you need throughout the entire race.  Running the Boston Marathon is a goal everyone should have.  It is worth every penny!  Katey and I are considering going back soon.  It was one of the funnest trips we've ever been on.

[MikL]

Bethany- Clyde and I have been the last two years and it was so much fun. Both times we have stayed away from the city because there weren't any rooms left in the city and they all seemed to be pretty pricey anyway. We stayed at the Hilton and then Hampton Inn. Both had little buses that would take you to the nearest subway/train (the T) station, so it would take 20 minutes or so to get into "town" but it never really was a problem. Staying downtown would be optimal though.
As far as things to do while you are there...I definitely agree with everyone else- you have to go to a Red Sox game. The fans are the best! All the sightseeing is fun too (I just made Clyde do it because heck, we were in Boston! who cares if you have to run a marathon tomorrow!), the Freedom Trail, I liked the Harvard campus, and we ate at Faneuil Hall about every day. The shopping is good too! This last year we did a Duck Tour and that was a good way to see everything.
The race is a lot of fun too. The first year I went out as far as the T would go and so Clyde was able to see me (and even stopped for a kiss!) and that was fun. But there is no way to make it back to the finish in time (it's absolutely CRAZY at the finish). This year Ally and I just camped out at the finish line. It was horrible weather, so that worked best. It was fun to watch everyone finish, but Clyde didn't see us at all. Anyway...enough of my rambling! Boston is way fun though! Enjoy!

[Sasha Pachev]

We need to find a blogger in Boston with a big house that he is willing to share with guests. Any ideas?
One way to do is to pull off a 1-2-3-4-5 blog finish with everybody wearing their uniform, this would help us establish some presence in Boston. We are actually not that far away from that at the rate we are going. Last year the top blogger finished the year with 2:25. This year we've had 2 bloggers get standard A, one standard B, and another 3 under 2:26. Starting in November we will actually have official blog uniform, as some of you already know, and when we do 1-2-3, our candle will not be covered with a bushel like it was last year.