I visited your awesome city in February of this year. Despite the Boston stereotypes, I found the people very outgoing and friendly. I'm from Portland where I wanted to explore the NE USA since I love train travel and walkable cities. During my travels in Boston, I carefully chose to stay in an Airbnb room near MIT since hotel prices can be absurdly expensive and I wanted to be ethical. From there, I walked across the Longfellow Bridge to Back Bay and made my way to Beacon Hill where I checked out Quincy Market, Newbury Street and Seaport.
I hoped to escape the dark and dreary PNW weather in exchange for colder but much more sunnier weather. Little did I know that this winter would be a difficult one. It snowed on my first day Temperatures hovered around 22°F (-6°C), but the lack of wind and dry sunny weather made it feel similar to a dreary 40°F (4°C) day back home.
The old-world British architecture and layout made the city feel very vibrant and inviting, even in the difficult winter months. I was impressed seeing so many people outside and enjoying the vibrant ambiance on Newbury Street. Thank you Boston!
I've got bad news for ya kehd, short term rentals like Airbnb are a huge problem for housing. A hotel would have been preferable. The ones outside the city are obviously cheaper, and the trains are reliable enough to get you into the city.
And Newbury street is mostly just overpriced luxury brands. You want a real experience, go to a local vendors' market
I booked the Airbnb room (not an entire unit, screw that) in an owned-occupied house back in December, and this was before one of the founders joined DOGE. I wished I stayed in a hotel though since they weren't super expensive ($180 a night with taxes). I stayed in a hotel in NYC though.