apologies

Brenda I went and read the thread you posted and thought how nice it was most people had tons of good ideas and advise, not sure why you were so sensitve that you felt you had to post a seperate thread to apoligize because one person only redirected you to another forum( and they are right, tripadvisor.com Boston forums will be alot more help, you should look it up) and one person asked why you posted ( not best response but hey , you can ignore things can't you ?) . There is no need to apoligize, take some of the good tips offered, and yes, check out some specific other forums for even more ideas and tips. Good luck and enjoy Boston.

Brenda, Don't worry about offending people here. The ones you may have offended offend others.

Just posted on your thanks message. If people are offended too bad for them, small minded, don't worry, most of us are more than happy to help. Now all I have to do is get my brain off the chorus of the poor guy riding the T in Boston. It is almost as bad as the ride in Disney, It's A Small World. Have a great trip.

Well said, Monte! I really didn't see a whole lot of "helpful" advice except from SC Elaine and a couple others who actually live in Boston or Massachusetts. The rest seemed like a (polite) brush off for Brenda to trot on over to TripAdvisor, Fodors, etc. when there's really no need for someone to answer the question that way if you don't have anything else real to offer her in the way of advice or if her simple question offends someone's delicate Euro-centric sensibilities. I've seen questions on here in the past from people asking for advice and getting recommendations for everything from New York City to China to Australia to South America. Some of Rick Steves' readers actually do live, travel or work in places he doesn't personally cover in his guidebooks.

I agree with the others. This is a Europe forum, yes, but a lot of people on here are also experts with regard to travel in the U.S. I recently asked questions on here about Charleston, Savannah, and St. Augustine because I knew the posters would give me good advice. Another time I asked a question about visiting Canada. Don't feel bad, Brenda. People who do good travel research ask questions everywhere!

I totally disagree( that advice to try other forums was a brush off) , I think the tripadvisor.com forums are great as they ave city specific and while you may get 4 or 5 replies here, on there you may get twice as many easily. I do not consider it a brush off at all but darn good advice. I have been on this forum for years, and like it very much, but I also like ta and fodars and while I do not use Thorntree I also recommend it for certain things, and will continue to do so, and one does not have to be a slave to one forum to get all the research and info you need.

Brenda, I wouldn't be too concerned about the replies on your other Thread, and there's certainly no need to apologize. I had a quick look and many of the replies seemed to be offering helpful advice, while some were suggesting other websites where you might find more detailed information. I didn't reply as I don't have any knowledge of Boston. IMO, the HelpLine group has become kind of a "community" so is always willing to offer help to others in the group, even if it's on a topic not related to travels in Europe. There are some very well travelled people in this forum! Cheers!

No problem suz I still wonder why some posters react so badly to the idea that other forums can be helpful, and seem to think all a poster may need is the Rick Steves site.. I find it rather narrow minded and I also find it very judgemental that they prefer to see it as a "brush off" rather then someone genuiely trying to help.

Thank you, Pat! In replying to Brenda's original post, I went to the trouble to find, format, and post the link to the TripAdvisor Boston forum, not as a brush-off or to "chide" anyone. I did that - without any words of criticism, please note - because that's an active, info-rich site where Boston-related questions will draw more helpful answers than a question posted here. I didn't offer any advice about Boston since I'm not blessed with much knowledge of that city. Brenda, I hope that you are getting your questions answered - wherever you look - and that you enjoy your trip to Boston.