A College Student's Cliff's Notes to Downtown
Get to know your new home in downtown Boston. Try new restaurants, get a touch of American history, and find new places to shop.
BREAKFAST WITH A SIDE OF HISTORY
Grab breakfast at the Thinking Cup Coffee Shop at 165 Tremont Street, the first coffee shop in Downtown Boston to serve Stumptown Coffee, named “Best Coffee in the World” by Food & Wine Magazine. You may also want to bring some beans back to your dorm.
After breakfast, start exploring Downtown Boston. Walk along Tremont Street to check out the start of the Freedom Trail. The red-brick path will take you past the Old State House, on Court Street, site of the legendary "Boston Massacre" of 1770. The path also winds past Old South Meeting House, on the corner of Washington and Milk Streets, where the scheme for the Boston Tea Party was hatched in 1773.
HUNGRY AGAIN?
After you’ve worked up an appetite on the Freedom Trail, stay in the neighborhood for lunch. If you’re in the mood for comfort food, grab a burger at Stoddard’s, on Temple Place, or a grilled cheese at Uno Due Go (52 Summer Street). For dessert, check out one of Downtown’s three sumptuous bakeries, such as Sweet (11 School Street). Their cupcakes are baked fresh daily, and are so delicious, you may want to bring some back to campus!
SHOPPING
There’s something for everyone here . . . Need things for your dorm or apartment? Try Macy’s back-to-school section. Looking for new duds? Need to grab new kicks? Check out DSW. Writers, the Bromfield Pen Shop has been in the same location for 50 years and sells all kinds of pens, Swiss army knives, and other cool items. Bibliophiles, the Brattle Book Shop, on West Street, carries 250,000 books, maps, prints, postcards, and ephemeral items in all subjects.
ENTERTAINMENT & NIGHTLIFE
To catch the latest flick, AMC Loews Boston Common has 19 screens. The Orpheum Theatre stages great rock concerts.
After your show, the Weekly Dig give props to The Good Life, at 28 Kingston Street, as the best dance venue in the city. And JM Curley, on Temple Place, "gets it done." Named after Depression-era Boston Mayor James Michael Curley (who was elected to office while he was in prison!), JM Curley offers bar food and unique drinks.
Listings in this Itinerary
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Thinking Cup Coffee
165 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02111
(617) 482-5555Categories: Dining, Coffee Shops, Casual Dining & Takeout
Fronting on the Boston Common, the award-winning Thinking Cup Coffee serves some of the world's premier coffees, including the world-famous Stumptown Coffee blend
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Old State House
206 Washington St, Boston, MA 02109
(617) 720-1713Categories: History, Arts & Culture, Historic & Cultural Attractions, Architecture
The center of colonial civic life, a mercantile warehouse, site for political debate--all roads led to Old State House in early Boston
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Old South Meeting House
310 Washington St, Boston, MA 02108
(617) 482-6439Categories: History, Arts & Culture, Historic & Cultural Attractions, Architecture
The famed National Historic Landmark where a revolution began--and the original "Boston Tea Party" was initiated
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Macy's
450 Washington St, Boston, MA 02111
(617) 357-3000Categories: Shopping, Clothing, Apparel & Footwear, Books, Cards & Gifts
One of Downtown's anchor retail tenants, Macy's is a vibrant center for shopping, weekly events, and seasonal celebrations
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DSW
385 Washington St, Boston, MA 02108
(617) 556-0052Categories: Shopping, Clothing, Apparel & Footwear
Featuring "designer shoes at warehouse prices," the Downtown DSW, located inside the Diamond & Jewelers Building, is an emporium of great footwear options
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Bromfield Pen Shop
5 Bromfield St, Boston, MA 02108
(617) 482-9053Categories: Shopping, Specialty Stores, Books, Cards & Gifts
Family owned and operated over a half-century, Bromfield Pen Shop is Downtown's one-stop pen shop, offering repairs, engravings, and a select variety of pen-related accessories
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Brattle Book Shop
9 West St., Boston, MA 02111
(617) 542-0210Categories: Shopping, Books, Cards & Gifts
A bibliophile's dream, Downtown's Brattle Book Shop, owned and operated by the Gloss family since 1949, stocks over a quarter-million rare, vintage, and specialty titles
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AMC Loews Boston Common
175 Tremont St, Boston, MA 02111
(617) 423-5801Categories: Nightlife, Theaters, History, Arts & Culture, Theaters
Downtown's only cinema, the AMC Loews Boston Common features an IMAX screen, 19 separate screens, and numerous other amenities
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Orpheum Theatre
1 Hamilton Pl, Boston, MA 02108
(617) 482-0106Categories: History, Arts & Culture, Theaters, Nightlife, Theaters
Originally the Boston Music Hall, the Orpheum is a legendary rock & pop concert venue in the heart of Downtown
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Good Life
28 Kingston St, Boston, MA 02111
(617) 451-2622Categories: Dining, Fine Dining, Pubs & Nightspots, Nightlife, Nightclubs, Bars & Restaurants
Transforming each evening from a popular after-work rendezvous to a sizzling late-night club scene, The Good Life is one of Downtown's most dynamic nightlife destinations
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JM Curley
21 Temple Pl, Boston, MA 02111
(617) 357-0888Categories: Dining, Pubs & Nightspots, Nightlife, Nightclubs, Bars & Restaurants , Casual Dining & Takeout, American
Named after Boston's most colorful (and notorious) mayor, James "The Rascal King" Michael Curley, JM Curley brings a cool, hip vibe to the Ladder District