By Jill Campbell
For seniors awaiting graduation, April 30 will bring the end of a college career and the beginning of “real life.” But Northeastern’s commencement ceremony will also bring to Boston hundreds of parents and family members eager to celebrate with their graduates.
“I’m taking my family to the Freedom Trail,” said communications major Kelly Martin, who is from Omaha, Neb, “and that Saturday night my family and my roommates’ families are all going out to dinner, probably to Boston Beer Works. There’s something for everyone there.”
The Boston restaurant scene truly does offer something for everyone. Families can literally warm their hearts at Bonfire Restaurant in the Boston Park Plaza Hotel, groove to live jazz and soul food at Bob the Chef’s on Columbus Avenue or sample New England’s finest fruits of the sea at Legal Seafoods.
“I’m probably going to go someplace around Faneuil Hall,” said finance major Ryan Gavin. “I’d like to go to Ned Devine’s.”
Irish pubs and restaurants such as Ned Devine’s are prevalent in Beantown. M.J. O’Connor’s in the Theatre District, the Purple Shamrock across from Faneuil Hall and The Last Hurrah in the Financial District are just a few of the bunch. Just as abundant are Japanese and Thai restaurants and, especially in the North End, Italian establishments.
“If I were graduating, I’d make my parents take me to the Cheesecake Factory,” said sophomore psychology major Natalie Lane. “It’s amazing. And if you don’t want the long wait, just get take-out cheesecake.”
The Cheesecake Factory has a full menu, in addition to over 30 flavors of cheesecake. But if it’s just dessert that families are after, Finale, the popular “desserterie” located near the Boston Park Plaza Hotel, is another possible destination to put a sweet ending on graduation day.
“My family and I will probably go to Faneuil Hall and Downtown Crossing, places like that,” said economics major Cody Thompson, whose relatives will come all the way from Texas for the ceremony.
To give their families a little lesson in Boston’s rich history, seniors can take them to famous sites like Faneuil Hall, the Freedom Trail and Fenway Park. For a broader view of the city, families can go on bus or walking tours, or hop into an amphibious vehicle for a famous Boston Duck Tour. Take avid shoppers for a stroll through Downtown Crossing or Quincy Market, or get cultured at the Museum of Fine Arts and the Museum of Science.
If the families of NU grads need places to stay, plenty of hotels are located close to Northeastern and to the FleetCenter, where commencement ceremonies will take place. Many hotels, including the Colonnade, the Copley Square Hotel, the Hilton Boston Back Bay and the Sheraton Boston, offer special NU commencement rates. A complete list of discounted hotels can be found at the commencement Web site, www.commence-ment.neu.edu. Online travel services like Travelocity, Hotwire and Expedia often have deals to make airfare and hotels more affordable, especially when both are booked at once.
“We’ll probably just go out to eat after graduation,” said psychology major Finessa Slater, who is from North Branford, Conn., “and then my family’s going to help me move out.”
Susan Brown, associate director of orientation and parent programs, cites the rush to move out as a major reason her department does not organize any activities for graduation weekend.
“Everyone is so busy at that time,” Brown said, “because they’re graduating, and then they have to be out of residence halls the next day. It’s really about the ceremony. I think the most important part is that the families go to the ceremony and watch their brothers and sisters and children graduate.”
