June 2012
2 posts
Finding the Perfect Study Haven
Maybe you’re curling up with a good read, sneaking in a few extra hours at the virtual office or just looking for a quiet place to recover from your last dives of Boston tour. Whatever the case, you don’t need a library card to sneak in some learning. As the home of many prestigious colleges and universities, Boston and the surrounding ‘hoods are chock full of study havens. All you have to do is...
Looney for Tunes
As home to institutions like Berklee that serve as an incubator to some of the country’s finest musical talent, Boston has a love affair with music. Where to catch some of the best local, up-and-coming and established musical acts while you’re in Beantown? Read on for everything from insight into area venues to where you can catch concerts on the ultra-cheap.
Jordan Hall
Down the street from the...
May 2012
10 posts
The Breakfast Club
Take a peek at some of the best places in town to nab the most important meal of the day.
Diesel Cafe, Davis Square
This Somerville gem serves coffee to hipsters all day, but is a great stop for breakfast junkies looking to hunker down with their laptops and linger till lunch. Go big with a bagel and lox plate and plunk down in one of the back booths for undisturbed study sessions. The...
The Dives of Boston, Part 2
Like potato chips, knitting needles and socks, when it comes to posts about dive bars, one is never enough.
The Tam, Downtown
Steps from the Boylston and Chinatown T stops and the Theater District, this conveniently located dive bar gives you games aplenty and tallboys to spare. Bag big game, courtesy of Big Buck Hunter, while you sip dirt-cheap kegger favorites. If you’re feeling bold, pop some...
BBQ in Beantown
From Memorial Day to Labor Day, you can be found tending the outdoor grill in a “Kiss the Chef” apron, a spatula glued to one hand and a bottle of lighter fluid to the other. And when you’re not firing up the grill? All thoughts revolve around delicious, tender, mouthwatering…
Whoa, sorry. Got distracted.
Barbecue addicts, we at HipHost understand your plight. Fortunately, Boston has plenty of...
Boston On the Big (and Small) Screen
Move over, Tinseltown—Boston’s caught the eye of a number of filmmakers and TV producers. Pictures like The Departed earned Academy Awards for their Boston-based stories, while long-running TV favorites like Cheers and Ally McBeal find the Hub makes a perfect setting. Read on to scout out some filming sites that feature prominently in Hollywood classics—and discover how you can explore them with...
Fenway: Beyond the Game
Even in a city like Boston, not everyone is a sports nut (but in a city like Boston, you’re less likely to admit that within earshot of another living soul). But whether you’re a baseball nut, a fair-weather fan or don’t know a foul ball from a field goal, there’s plenty to do around the Fens. From discgolf on a HipHost tour to dancing and hotdogs, read on for what to do nearby the country’s...
Exploring Boston’s Sweet Side
It’s a common complaint that folks who put a premium on friendliness and honey-sweet charm sometimes feel put out when in the Hub. There’s a grouchiness that takes over during the freezing winter months; a gruff indifference toward the squeaky (or borderline screaming) rails on the green line; and, in some places, a whole lot of cursing (and we’re not just talking “wicked pissah”). Think, Good...
The Dives of Boston
Mixologists have been all the rage on the bar scene of late, crafting complicated concoctions using everything from floral liqueurs and small-batch bourbons to homemade berry infusions and to fresh sprigs of herbs.
Well, you can forget all that. Today we’re talking about dive bars.
While there’s some variety among dives—some offer darts, others are known for a solid jukebox—you know the basics....
Neighborhood Spotlight: Davis Square
Just two stops from the bustle of Harvard, Davis Square is an eclectic neighborhood home to artists, musicians, families and Tufts University students with a charm all its own. Davis Square offers a very livable slice of Somerville and is a great place to explore if you’re in the area.
Shopping
Vintage is the name of the game in Davis, with shops ranging from Goodwill-thrift to gently used,...
Boston's "Pho" Real
When you dig into the Boston food scene, you’re sure to unearth a variety of treasures, from pizza in the North End to dim sum in Chinatown. One of the city’s tastiest international dishes is pho, a classic Vietnamese noodle soup that’s a bona fide triple threat: healthy, hearty and easy on the wallet. Whether you’re a resident Bostonian or just passing through town, treat yourself to a piping...
5 Reasons To Do It With a Local
No, this isn’t one of those slogans about why you should seek a partner working in a certain industry—you know, like the t-shirts? We think Boston is a rad city on its own, but getting the local perspective can be a vacation-changing experience. Read on to discover why.
1. Because getting lost isn’t fun
When you’re exploring a new city, you’re turning your head every minute to see what’s around...
April 2012
7 posts
The “Other” 18 Holes
Traveling somewhere new provides a great opportunity to shimmy out of those stuffy work duds and really cut loose. Too often, though, you end up with regrettable photos of you in a mai tai-stained Hawaiian shirt, getting tipsy at da club. When your travel days are packed to the gills with booze and junk food, you come home from vacation needing a vacation.
It’s time to break the cycle. If you’re...
A One-of-a-Kind Guide to the Midnight Ride
From the Freedom Trail that weaves throughout the city to the Charlestown docks that play home to the USS Constitution, Boston is known for its history. Attracting buffs practically since the original tea party shook up the harbor, the Hub offers many ways to watch—in the words of so many textbooks—“history come to life.”
Okay, so let’s say history isn’t your end-all be-all. Maybe you can’t...
Go Together Like Beer and Chocolate
Wine and cheese is so last season. The latest alcohol-enhanced flavor combo making an impression on our palates? Beer and chocolate. That’s right, the beloved beverage of frat boys and sports enthusiasts teams up—rather beautifully, in fact—with everyone’s favorite dessert. And Boston is the perfect place to experience this match made in heaven.
The emergence of craft beer has been huge for New...
Party Like It’s Tea Time
Boston has a storied relationship with tea, from the historic party with the rebellious streak to the controversial political crew. Luckily, Boston’s modern tea scene isn’t just drama (or ladies with white gloves and petit cucumber sandwiches). In many ways, tea fits the style of the city: a little traditional, a little caffeinated, lots of variety.
So how should you experience the best of the...
Getting Around Boston
If ever a city made you grateful for GPS (or your knowledgeable host and tour guide), it would have to be Boston. Newcomers are often puzzled by, and sometimes despondent over, the lack of street signs and zig-zagging side streets, and even locals find themselves turning to Google Maps when navigating their way around town.
When should I avoid public transportation? Is it too far to walk? Where...
Neighborhood Breakdown: Brighton
Ask untutored locals (certainly not your streetwise HipHosts), and they might agree that Brighton has a bit of an identity crisis—namely, that it’s lacking one altogether. Vaguely recognized by Bostonians as that strange area wedged between the dorm daze of Allston on the east side and Newton’s tonier homes toward the west, Brighton’s population consists of both college students and families,...
Why You'll Love Captain Jimbo's Grub & Pub Crawl
As Boston is most commonly regarded as a city scarily obsessed with its local sports teams, it’s equally as known for its eclectic array of eateries. Whether its lobster from Legal Sea Foods, a steak from Abe & Louie’s, fried clams and roast beef from Kelly’s, or a pint and a burger from a local pub, we know how to please the palate and cure the common grumbles. And what better way to...
November 2011
1 post
6 tags
Be a Tourist in your own City
Are you a Boston Blogger looking for something fun to do? Great- let us fill your social calendar…for free!
Have you ever wanted to discover a different neighborhood, try a new restaurant or do something completely outrageous without ever leaving Boston? Congratulations, now you can through our “Be a Tourist in your own City” blogger program.
What is a HipHost...
September 2011
1 post
2 tags
HipHost is off and running (literally!)
A big day here at HipHost! Since starting to publish the first tours on our site last week, we had the very first ever socially-hosted tour happen here in Boston today. The HipHost of the day was none other than Boston’s very own startup evangelist Cort Johnson! (Doesn’t he look cool with his big smile and slick shades?)
Yesterday Cort signed on to be a HipHost and listed a 1 hour...
August 2011
3 posts
Welcome to HipHost!
Thanks for stopping by our new site. We’ve been working hard all summer to build an online marketplace where anyone can buy or sell local tours and activities. Our goal is to help people to discover new places through the eyes of local folks who like organizing fun things to do.
Over the years, I’ve traveled quite a bit with my family and we always have a much different experience when visiting...
