by Kerstan Szczepanski, Exhibit City News
EAT
If you get hungry at a convention at BCEC, you don’t have to go far to grab some grub. Levy Restaurants runs the onsite concessions. Wicked Good Market has a variety of options from burritos and salads to authentic Boston North End pizza. Sam Adam’s Pub has brews to go with your lobster rolls and fish and chips. Outtakes Quick Cuisine has packaged snacks and sundries located throughout. The North Lobby is the place for local craft beer and handcrafted cocktails.
To get something fancy away from the center, Eddie Merlot’s Boston has prime aged beef and seafood. Located at the corner of Congress and D Streets, the menu options will dazzle you. Carpaccio or calamari appetizers, the Sixty South Salmon, red king crab, filet mignon, prime bourbon ribeye, a 20-oz chateaubriand for two, or—if you dare—Eddie’s Prime Cheeseburger.
SLEEP
There are a number of hotels near the BCEC. The Dagny Boston, the Seaport Hotel Boston, and the delightfully redundant, Bostonian Boston, are close. But just a three-minute walk from the convention center is the Omni Boston Hotel at the Seaport (450 Summer Street). Built in 2021, the Omni is pet friendly with parking, laundry facilities, pool, spa, free WiFi, a snack bar, a deli,a concierge, and 24/7 front desk assistance. The hotel has over 1000 rooms spread over 22 floors, valet, and self-parking ($47 and $57 respectively), and five restaurants (two open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner). There are many amenities offered less than a quarter mile from the BCEC.
PLAY
Boston Tea Party Ships & Museum (306 Congress St) on Griffin’s Wharf recreates the mother of all parties by storming Brig Beaver and Eleanor and hurling tea into the same waters as the original protest. Tour the authentic recreations of the merchant vessels of that time that were emptied of their cargo that night 240 years ago. Visit Abigail’s Tea Room to taste five of the teas thrown overboard or have one of their other drinks like lemonade, iced tea, and hot or cold apple cider. Feeling peckish? Try their assorted scones, cookies, muffins, and pies. An interesting time in American history, in one of America’s oldest cities.
This story originally appeared in the Q1 2024 issue of Exhibit City News, p. 78. For original layout, visit https://issuu.com/exhibitcitynews/docs/ecn_q1_2024.
