Boston (Ma) - Fleeting stay, must see and do?

[xsquared]

I've got 3 full days in Boston, staying in Cambridge, with the marathon on Monday. Arriving Friday night, flying home on Tuesday evening.

Obviously, there's lots to see and do and I have shortlisted things for the itinerary to:
Isabella Gardner Museum - having watched the documentary about the heist,
Museum of Fine Arts - I really want to see Cate Blanchett's John Galliano dress she wore in the late 90s
Duck Tour - maybe on the Sunday so that there isn't so much walking before race day
Freedom Trail
I'm not really into baseball but will I really be depriving myself of the Boston experience by not seeing a Red and White Sox game?

I will need to go to the expo, which is mandatory for picking up my race bib etc. I don't think I will have time to see everything, so just trying to guage what to give a miss. It's going to be an expensive trip so are the things I have mentioned actually worth seeing or would you recommend something else?

We liked the duck tour. Also Mikes pastries (prob one for after the race!) we ate at Carmelinas and that was lovely.

Thank you @Fluffycloudsfloatinginthesky .

Do taxis from the airport take card? Just wondering how much cash I should allocate for spending, but hoping to use my phone most of the time.

There's a free bus from Logan Airport to the city centre.

Marathon day itself is a public holiday so most things like museums etc.. are closed.

I would take cash as well as your card/phone, contactless payment in the USA are not as widely adopted as in many other countries.

Boston and Cambridge are very easy and nice cities to walk around, lots of very attractive buildings, there is also a really great energy on marathon weekend. I liked the harbour areas and the Institute of Contemporary Arts. The Tea Party museum is a bit of a let down but it is interesting to see the location.

Oh also allow plenty of time for the expo - it seems to be about 90% queueing and being shouted at. Unlike sensible cities that hold their expos in a large edge of town conference centres, Boston's is in a city centre building so it is extremely cramped and crowded.

Also if you have spectators with you the city cenre is very locked down on race day, so they will have to navigate lots of police check points and bag searches. We found Boston Common a good place to meet post race as it is easy to find and there is lots of space to spread out (and it isn't in the lockdown area).

Do the guided walk of the freedom trail- so much better than doing it yourself. And the Omni Parker Hotel for original Boston Cream Pie.

Breakfast at Cafe Bonjour is a bit of an institution, even though it doesn't look like anything special. And the Tea Party experience at the harbour is ace- thought it would be a bit cheesy but really enjoyed it

Whale watching in Boston was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. We saw two humpback whales, including a baby. I know this isn't guaranteed but it was lovely being out in the water anyway.

Whale watching and have a look at the upside down seals outside the aquarium. The aquarium itself is also great.
Baseball is really boring. The 7th innings stretch is literally that. You stand up and stretch your back. If you do decide to go then sit in the bleachers. You can have a laugh. Ice hockey and basketball are more fun to watch.

Bear in mind that if you're running the marathon you might not be feeling much like anything energetic the day after! The Duck Tour would be good that day as you can just sit and watch the sights go by. Boston is a lovely city, the two art museums are fabulous, the old bit around Faneuil Hall, Quincy Market, etc is really nice for a wander and I would definitely make time for those. IMO baseball is dull as ditch water and I wouldn't be wasting my time or money on going to it. And unless you're really interested in whales and don't suffer from seasickness I wouldn't go bloody whale watching!

Yep the area around Faneuil Hall is nice - we went to a really good food market there the day after the race. It helped that the weather was good so everyone was sitting outside eating and drinking.

There are bus tours around the city if your legs aren't up to to much walking, but we thought they were very expensive ao didn't do one.

If you are staying in Cambridge, a wander around Harvard is worth it, it's very pretty.

We staying in Somerville - which is getting a bit trendy I think. We had brunch here on the day before marathon day - https://theneighborhoodrestaurant.com/ it was brilliant - really friendly and down to earth. I have also never seen so much food in my life!

Thanks all. Some very good ideas to help me plan my visit.

Probably 10 years since I was in Boston, and we had one of those city passes, and tried to do ALL on it but a few things we loved and hated:
Hated: the duck tours, Salem witch place, both ridiculously touristy and fake, kids might like it I suppose.
Loved: House of the 7 gables (a redeeming feature of Salem, which we got the local train to) we went on a guided walk in Boston, and although there was plenty of brit bashing, it was quite good, anything in the harbour on a boat was nice enough, The harvard tour in cambridge, refreshingly un-american and run by students, they did not allow you to tip. Some of the historic buildings are nice.

Sorry I missed the tour at Fenway Park, that was quite good despite not being into sport. Not sure what I thought of Boston overall, having been to 14 US destinations, and the only conclusion I can come to is "it was nice enough"...no issues particularly, will I go back?, probably not.

I live in New England and can’t remember the last time I used cash. Applepay works everywhere except Walmart, and they take cards.