Boston is known as the birthplace of the American Revolution with history galore! But it is also an epicenter of geekdom, home to over 50 colleges including Harvard and MIT! Boston is also home to over 2,000 start-ups and actively encourages innovation. Boston is also home to the Museum of Fine Arts. Amidst all this history and creativity, here are some places Geek Gals in Boston should check out!
Know Before You Go!
https://tenor.com/embed.jsBoston is a very walkable city, but if you’re strapped for time, the MTBA/subway is an easy way to zip around town. Go to any station and get a Charlie Card, load it with cash and you’re on your way! You can use the MTBA T app on your phone, or I use the Moovit app, which tracks trains in real time!
Check out these top five geeky places in Boston:
Newbury Comics
Faneuil Hall Marketplace, 1 N Market St #366, Boston, MA 02109
There are many different areas of Boston to explore. The Freedom Trail, which winds its way through most of downtown Boston, traces the events of the American Revolution. One stop on this trail is Faneuil Hall, once a colonial marketplace. Now, it houses shops, restaurants, street performers, and my favorite, Newbury Comics! Newbury Comics is a two-story geek paradise, carrying everything from Funko POPs and the latest manga to t-shirts plus an extensive vinyl section. The shop caters to just about every fandom from Pokemon and Rick and Morty with, of course Star Wars and Doctor Who. And I’m not even scratching the surface! Catchy T-shirts, fun stickers, graphic novels and of course, comics–you can find them all here!
Anime Zakka
297 Newbury St, Boston, MA 02115
Need some anime on your trip? And I mean, who doesn’t! Look no further than Anime Zakka. Located in Back Bay, on Newbury Street (one of Boston’s main shopping areas), this cute anime boutique has classic anime like Voltron, Megaman, Gundam, and Dragon Ball Z to new series like Aggretsuko. Socks, pins, T-shirts and models can all be found here. Thirsty? There’s an assortment of Japanese drinks including aloe juices, non-alcoholic ciders and fruit sodas. Looking to hang out with fellow geeks? There are model builds, casual play for Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh cards. hey also sponsor screenings of anime classics at the nearby Brattle Theater. Anime Zakka also participates in the Japan Festival, which celebrates Japanese culture in Boston and takes place in April. OH and they have a GIANT TOTORO!
Trident Booksellers
338 Newbury St, Boston, MA 02115
Down Newbury Street from Anime Zakka is one of Boston’s best bookstores. Trident Booksellers not only has an extensive selection of gifts, but also has a great souvenir section and a cafe! Well, I say cafe, but it’s actually a full-service restaurant, featuring yummy bowls, burgers, smoothies and an impressive selection of teas. Books are arranged by genre and also by Trident staff picks, up and coming authors and a fun section of books known as blind dates! A blind date book is wrapped in brown paper, and is labeled with a picture or blurb as to what the book is about! Try one and be surprised! Trident Booksellers also has zines, from local zines to art zines to titles published by Microcosm.
A4cade
292 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02139
Long day sight-seeing and getting your fill of American History? When you’re ready to chill out with some games and drinks, head up to Cambridge to A4cade, finding it is quite interesting! Located on Massachusetts Avenue, you go through Roxy’s Grilled Cheese Cafe to their kitchen. A doorman will check ID, only 21 and older at the A4cade, stamp your hand and away you go. Through the doors, you enter into a land of vintage pinball machines, video games, skeeball and two full bars! Belly up to the bar, get a cupful of tokens and a fun drink (my fave is the ay bay bay frose with rose, gin, lychee and hibiscus) and play the night away!
Harrison’s Comics & Pop Culture
252 Essex St, Salem, MA 01970
If you have some time, pop on up to Salem! It’s 30 minutes to travel via the commuter train from North Station in Boston. Then it’s a 5-minute walk to downtown Salem and one of my favorite places to wile away the time. Harrison’s Comics is always different each time I walk in! Featuring a new fandom in the front of the store every few weeks, Harrison’s has everything from Pokemon league meet-ups, comics, Star Wars, Star Trek, anime, manga, classic/vintage toys and everything in between!
Follow them on Facebook to see collector’s items featured for sale, like H. R. Giger sketches from Alien, My Little Pony retro plushies and trading cards for the new Lost in Space (which is really great, by the way). Harrison’s also has huge sales in their discount room to clear out merch and make room for new fandoms and new merch! They will also buy comics, toys and collector’s items, which is another reason for its rapidly changing inventory.
https://tenor.com/embed.jsSo, come on up to Boston, take a break from the history and the chowder and geek out for a bit! What are some of your favorite geek places in Boston and its surrounding cities?
Additionally, if you happen to find yourself in Nashville, check out our team member Julia’s Top 5 Places In Nashville geek guide!
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Featured image credit: Lena Rose/Unsplash
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