One of Dartmouth’s most cited drawbacks is its location. Even students who love New Hampshire’s rural, mountainous scenery feel the itch to run away to a city or to get away for the weekend. With travel comes fun, but also stress. What should you do? Where should you go? Who should you go with?
We here at Mirror hope to mitigate some of that anxiety by providing students with a tailored list of recommendations, hidden gems and must-sees for students planning their weekend trips — provided by students who grew up or spent a considerable amount of time in that city.
A mere three-hour coach ride away, Boston is one of the most frequented weekend destinations for Dartmouth students. So what better place to start?
Food:
After the three-hour Dartmouth Coach ride from Hanover to Boston, one undoubtedly arrives in the city ready to eat. But the good news is, a 10-minute walk southwest from Boston’s South Station where the coach drops off passengers, is a culturally rich world of restaurants, bakeries and more.
Chinatown boasts a wide selection of delicious yet affordable options. According to Yvonne Chen ’25, who currently lives in Brookline, Mass., a suburb 20 minutes outside of the city, you “can’t get” many of these options at Dartmouth.
“There are a lot of really cute bakeries, cafes, boba, dessert places, dimsum,” Chen said. “I’m always craving dimsum, especially when I’m at Dartmouth … I literally make pilgrimages down to Boston for some ethnic food.”
Nand Patel ’27, who currently lives in Woburn, Mass., a town 12 miles outside of Boston, also suggested visiting Chinatown, especially for its nightlife.
“There’s always something going on,” he said. “My friends and I go there a lot.”
Additionally, the Vietnamese restaurant Pho Pasteur in Chinatown came highly recommended by two area natives: Natalie Halsey ’25 of Jamaica Plain, a Boston suburb, and Chris Zhao ’25 of Quincy, Mass., in the South Shore.
If you find yourself not knowing what to order — you’re in luck. Halsey’s go-to items are the bun and the chicken pho, also known as pho ga, a large, tasty bowl of Vietnamese-style chicken noodle soup priced at just $12.
If you’re looking to explore outside the heart of Boston, head into Cambridge, Mass. for MEX Taqueria, a Mexican restaurant. Sahana Kumar ’27 of Bedford, Mass. described MEX as “fancy” and “really authentic.”
Whether you dine in Chinatown or Cambridge, a post-lunch sweet treat is crucial. Luckily, Boston’s North End neighborhood has plenty of options and provides visitors with the opportunity to weigh in on one of the city’s most heated debates: which pastry shop makes the best cannoli.
Two such venues — Mike’s Pastries, a “super old-fashioned” shop famous for its cannolis and Modern Pastry, a “more modern” establishment — have reportedly been “at war with each other” to claim the title of best cannoli, according to Chen. Zhao also mentioned Bova’s Bakery as another contender.
Parks:
Bellies full, visitors might find themselves looking to take an afternoon stroll through one of Boston’s gorgeous parks and engage in any number of unique activities.
Established in 1634, Boston Common is America’s oldest public park and one of the most well-known spots in the city. Outside the park’s rich history, its features and beauty are still underappreciated, according to Kumar, who said the park was “very underrated.”
“They have a nice duck pond — it’s very picturesque. There are a lot of willow trees and flowers,” Kumar said. “I love it there.”
Boston Common also offers $5 swan boat rides, consisting of “small passenger boats” with benches that float through the Public Garden lagoon, according to Zhao. When her friends visit Boston, Zhao said she “always makes sure” to take her friends aboard.
In addition to Boston Common, Back Bay Fens, located in the Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood, is another park worth exploring.
“It has a really beautiful rose garden, which is in bloom … around this [fall] time of year,” Zhao said.
If you decide to visit Back Bay Fens, Dara Casey ’25 of Melrose, Mass. recommended checking out the Emerald Necklace, which is a “really popular trail.”
Museums:
If the outdoors aren’t your thing, don’t worry — a classic Boston destination, the Museum of Fine Arts located in the Fenway neighborhood, is a perfect stop. The museum also grants free admission to students, faculty and staff of select universities — including Dartmouth — instead of charging visitors its usual $30 admission fee, according to Halsey.
“I think the first time I went [to the Museum of Fine Arts], I was like seven [years old],” Halsey said. “I’ve been going back almost every year since, so that’s pretty cool.”
For those looking for another, more unique museum near the Museum of Fine Arts, Chen said that the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, which features a “big beautiful greenhouse in the middle,” is the place to go.
Shopping:
For students looking to take advantage of the shopping that the city has to offer, Boston locals recommended several clothing stores at various price points.
Located on Newbury Street, Kumar’s favorite clothing store, Uniqlo, is her “go-to” spot for basics. If you don’t shop-till-you-drop at Uniqlo, Newbury Street has much more to offer. As one of Boston’s most well-known streets, it is packed to the brim with boutiques, coffee shops, attractive brownstones and restaurants.
Another recommendation is the Garment District — a popular vintage store in Cambridge, famous for its bright pink and purple exterior.
According to Casey, the Garment District is “the first place” she brings people when they visit. Casey added that the “comic book-y” and “very eclectic” store might be of particular interest to Dartmouth students because it sells “flair-related things,” such as old ski jackets.
If you’re interested in thrifting, one particular Goodwill on Beacon Street yields “amazing finds,” Halsey said. Although Goodwill stores are not exactly a rarity outside of Boston, this location has a variety of quality items because it is located next to Boston University and students often donate to the secondhand store when they graduate.
A trip to Boston allows for limitless novelty and a diversity of experiences, which may feel necessary for students nestled in a small town like Hanover.
“It can just be really refreshing to see people who are a super different age than you … living life at a really different place than Dartmouth … seeing people getting on and off the bus, seeing people on a call, running,” Chen said.
Zhao echoed that thought, adding that immersing oneself in the diversity of Boston helps “to break out of the Dartmouth bubble.”
“We do live in a very privileged space and not everyone has the resources and opportunities that we can find within Hanover [and] consider to be our norm,” Zhao said.
So the next time you find yourself searching for an adventure, feeling disconnected from the world or even just desperately craving a new cuisine not offered in the Upper Valley, hop on the coach and poke your head out of the Dartmouth bubble — if only for a weekend.
Additional recommendations:
Restaurants and Bars:
- Ba Le
- Barcelona
- Chilicates
- Santarpio’s Pizza
- Taqueria Jalisco
- Yvonne’s
Cafes and Sweets:
- The Bakey
- Black Sheep Bagels
- Cafe Weekend
- Evergreen Cafe
- Farmer’s Horse Cafe
- Flour Bakery + Cafe
- George Howell Coffee
- Surrell Bakery and Cafe
- Tradesman Coffee
- Thinking Cup
Music venues:
- The BeBop
- House of Blues
- MGM Music Hall at Fenway
- The Middle East Restaurant & Nightclub
Additional spots/activities:
- Castle Island + Sullivan’s
- Charles River
- Custom House Tour
- Duck trolley
- Freedom Trail
- Keytar Bear
- Revere Beach
- TD Garden
