boston area greeks?
 

Hey all,

I'm basically new to the Boston area and I'm planning on having friends up for 4th of July weekend. I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions as far as clubs/ bars that I could take my sorority sisters when they get here. We will have one under 21 sister with us that I would like to take out to a club but she clearly wont come bar hopping with us.

Any help would be great. Thanks!

it depends on the kind of scene you're into but one of my favorite places in the city is The Middle East. If you like rock/alt. music it's awesome. The Avalon is cool too, but that's more of a dance type of place. I know MSN has a really good listing of clubs/bars/nightlife. If you Citysearch Boston, MA and look at the Cityguide for Bars & Nightlife, there's about 12 sub-categories to look through. Most with their own websites.

Have fun! Boston is a GREAT city! :)

If they're going to be up for the 4th of July, hit the Esplanade for the fireworks. My advice: Forget the Hatch Shell, you won't get a decent seat unless you're there when they open it (which is like 5am or something) and you won't be able to see the fireworks. Pick out a spot on the Esplanade, bring a boom box for the concert, a blanket, sandwiches and something to drink (alcohol is verboten), and watch the show.

As for bars/clubs:

- The Sunset: 110 beers on tap. Good if you like beer; they don't serve hard liquor though. They'll admit people under 21.

- John Harvard's Brew House in Harvard Sq. They serve their own beer, which is good stuff :) On weekends, though, they're usually 21+.

- Cambridge Brewing Company in Kendall Sq. They also serve their own beer. They never card.

- The Red Hat, near Government Center. Mixed drinks by the pitcher :) I especially recommend the mudslides... but don't eat the food.

- Near Fenway Park is a street with a ton of clubs. Some are 21+, others are 21+ some nights and 18+ or 19+ on other nights (call ahead). (ETA: That's where Avalon is. Last I checked, it was strictly 21+.)

Have fun :)

That sounds FABULOUS!! How much do the pitchers normally go for? I went to Fire and Ice the other weekend and the 21 dollar bowl sized drinks with only 7 shots worth of alcohol was a huge rip off, I would like to keep it cheap this time...still hurting money-wise from that dinner party.

OOH- I just remembered: A local radio station is sponsoring a FREE, all-ages Third Eye Blind Concert @ Station Park in Providence on the evening of July 3rd. Providence isn't all that far from Boston ( depending in the route you take and if you can handle mass-hole drivers: around 90mins). If you or anyone else wants details, PM me!

There are two Sunset's now, this one on Brighton and the Sunset Cantina on Comm Ave which I haven't had a chance to go to yet. And I believe that the one on Brighton now serves some hard liquor..

All the places mentioned are great (Sunset is a personal favorite of mine - the beer is unreal). Like aephi said, the Hatch Shell is too packed, and with how hot it's going to be, it's not as enjoyable. See if you can find a spot on one of the bridges (Mass. Ave bridge or the other) or on the Cambridge side - you get the same view with less people.

You could also try for drinks and stuff:

Cactus Club: Great margaritas

Boston Beer Works: All beers brewed in building, has some really good beers that you won't get to try anywhere else.

The Place and The Rack: I group them because they're two of the most fun bars in Boston. It's a bit of a haul to get to the fireworks from there, but if you want to go out to a fun bar with a young crowd, these are the places. You might even see some of the Celtics, Patriots, or other local celebrities having a drink there.

The clubs on Landsdowne Street are your best bet if she's under 21 - like aephi said, they're strict, but it's possible they're having 18+ nights...the other clubs in Boston are much more strict and don't let the under 21 crowd in.

I'll post more as I think of them - but Boston is a great city and a hell of a lot of fun, you and your friends should have an awesome time.

Collin

HBADPi, I'm blanking on the cost of the pitchers, but they're not too pricey. They don't always contain a lot of alcohol; depends on the bartender. You'd be able to walk there after the fireworks; my friends and I did that more than once :) Fire and Ice is a great place to eat, but you're right, their alcohol prices are pretty steep...

mu_agd, where on Comm Ave? Does the Sunset Cantina have the same beer selection? I also seem to recall that there's a pool hall next door to the original Sunset that's run by the same people. They only have about 80 beers on tap... "only"... lol

For the fireworks, the trouble with the bridges and the Cambridge side is that it's not as comfortable... concrete sidewalks, vs. grass on the Esplanade. The Esplanade does get pretty packed pretty quickly, though, if the weather is at all nice.

The Sunset Cantina is at about 900 Commonwealth Ave.. A little past the Shaw's going towards BU. They don't have as big a beer selection, but they supposedly have a huge tequila selection. The place next to Sunset Grill & Tap is Big City, I haven't been there yet either. There are so many bars right around my apt, in this area, and of course I always go to the same two or three.

They do have a good tequila selection - but the beer selection, although good, is nowhere near what's at the original Sunset.

However, the food is still really good, and they have a Midnight Buffet that's awesome. It's a good place to have a few drinks if you're in the area and don't want to hike it all the way down to the original Sunset; but if you want the best, go to the original.

Edited to add: The original Sunset serves some hard liquor now - I know people have ordered Long Islands there, but their drink selection is limited - it's still a bar mainly for beer lovers.

it's not that far away!!

Haha...true, I'm not sure why I said that.

Plus, it's around a group of other good bars, like White Horse Tavern and The Kells. It's worth the walk, I'd only go to the Cantina in times of EXTREME laziness.

i've never been to either of those.. i usually end up at tonic or our house, which i don't even really like so i don't know why i go there, since they are the closest to me... i guess that goes back to the extreme laziness that you mentioned!

Wow, would you believe that I am in Providence at this very moment, and didn't know anything about the WBRU Free Concert Series lineup? Thanks! :D

In Boston, I am a big fan of a bar on Newbury Street called Daisy Buchanan's.

Thanks for all your help guys!

Heres another question. I've been looking at costs to get a party van/limo and didnt realize how much that would run. I'm trying to keep this as cheap as possible so it seems my best bet is getting a hotel room for a night so that way no one has to worry about being DD back to my place.

Any thoughts on what would be a good area of Boston to look at hotels so that we could walk to a bunch of different places??