• The Chandler Inn is offering a special summer savings rate (thru August 31) that can run as low as $126/night + taxes for a standard room (where available). The package also includes a breakfast coupon that can be used at nearby Berkeley Perk, Billy’s or the Fritz Bar (Saturday and Sunday only). A 56-room hotel in the trendy South End (just minutes from top attractions and neighborhoods), it offers a convenient location, friendly service and more amenities than you might expect for the price.
• Save on lunch and dinner at the city’s top restaurants during Summer Restaurant Weeks (August 5 to10 and 12 to 17). Restaurants in Boston, Cambridge, the suburbs and beyond are offering 3-course lunches ($20.07) and/or dinners ($33.07). OpenTable.com lists participating restaurants by name, neighborhood, cuisine and price and you can also book online. (Reservations, where available, are recommended.)
• Instead of shelling out for a sightseeing cruise, take to the water via the MBTA’s F4 Inner Harbor ferry ride. At $1.70 a ride, you can ply the waters between Long Wharf and the Charlestown Navy Yard for less than the cost of a cup of coffee. There are dozens of daily scheduled departures from early morning through the evening.
• Get 50 percent of theater tickets: The two BosTix booths (Copley Square and Faneuil Hall Marketplace) offer exclusive half-price, in-person, day-of-show tickets to local productions and touring shows. Tickets go on sale at 10am. Be sure to bring cash: They don’t accept credit cards. You can also order tickets in advance online.
• Print out Faneuil Hall Marketplace’s Visitor Coupon Pass Web page. Redeem at the information booth in Quincy Market for Passport of Savings discounts on restaurants, shops, attractions and more.
• The Boston Entertainment Book can help you shave costs with its discounts and coupons (up to 50 percent off and 2-for-1 offers). In addition to savings at local restaurants, retail shops and attractions, there are travel discounts for hotels and rental cars. Bonus: Registered purchasers receive regular emails that list new offers and discounts.
• Upscale Dining for Less: If you want to sample the inspired, “two-sided” New American menu creations of David Kinkead and Simon Restrepo, Sibling Rivalry’s “dueling” chefs, at less than full price, book a table for Monday nights. The restaurant offers two different three-course, prix-fixe menus for $35 in what it calls the “Monday Night Fight Night.” As is the case with the regular menu, these menus feature the same ingredients. The twist is each chef’s unique interpretation of a dish. Want to watch the chefs in action? Dine at the bar, which overlooks the kitchen. Reservations recommended. …”Steak Frites Friday” at Pigalle, a top-rated classic French bistro on Charles Street, features a three-course, prix-fixe dinner for $35;reservations recommended.
• Last chance for clothing bargains: If you’re a shopaholic or bargain-hunter, head to Downtown Crossing and the original Filene’s Basement. You’ll need patience and persistence to weed through the floors of discounted men’s, women’s and children’s apparel and home furnishings items. But you’ll be rewarded with truly exceptional savings. The store is set to undergo extensive renovations and will be closed after fall, 2007, with the re-opening scheduled for 2009.
• Museum hoppers should note the “Two Days and Two Museums” discount: You’ll get $2 off the admission price to either the Museum of Fine Arts or the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum when you present the ticket from one venue you’ve visited, when you purchase admission to the other. The caveat: The offer is only good within two days of the visits. …Wear any Red Sox paraphernalia to the Gardner Museum and you’ll get $2 off the price of admission. (Ms. Gardner was a passionate Sox fan!)
• The Boston City Pass offers admission discounts on six top attractions as well as special discounts for other venues. Buy online or at any of the participating CityPass attractions.
• Quaff your thirst at local Happy Hours: Instead of double-digit drinks, how about $1 beer on tap, $6 pitchers of beer and free or discounted food? Gridskipper.com maps out its take of the city’s best Happy Hour spots, including Red Sky and the popular Pour House (Its nightly specials include half-price burgers and sandwiches and a free buffet.).
• Cheap Eats: Zon’s (Jamaica Plain) offers $1 oysters (served in the half shell with a mignonette sauce) on Thursday and Friday nights, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. … b. good (Back Bay and Harvard Square locations) serves up cheap (burgers for $5.95 or less) and healthy takes on fast food including lean beef burgers (plus turkey and veggie versions), sandwiches, salads and air-baked French fries. …If you’ve got a large group or a hungry family to feed and don’t want to blow your budget, join the lines at Anna’s Taqueria (five locations including Somerville, Cambridge and Brookline). The Tex-Mex chain is known for its fast service, no-frills approach and cheap, fresh and tasty burritos and tacos. …Check out other suggestions for budget-conscious dining throughout Boston.
• Boston may be a walking city, but there are times when public transportation is your best bet, to save both time and money. The MBTA’s Boston Visitor Pass offers unlimited rides on all local busses, subways and the inner harbor ferry service. Available in one or seven-day passes, they can be purchased at fare vending machines in all subway stations and bus terminals and at retail sales vendors.
• Admission to over 70 of the best attractions, activities and tours is included with the Go Boston Card. There are also retail shop and restaurant savings and discounts (from 10 percent to 25 percent). The card works best for those who plan to visit multiple attractions and/or those who plan multiple visits over several days.
© Cheapflights Ltd Marlene R. Fedin
