Oh, remembered one other thing about the T. Government Center station is completely closed - I mention this because it's a main transfer point and when the YLFers were here last spring they had some issues with it. I don't think it'll be a huge issue for you, and google maps will definitely alert you to that. Also, I think there may be some shuttle bus replacement on the red line over the weekend (but I think it's only in the farther part of Cambridge, so unless you're going past Harvard Square, it shouldn't affect you.)
So, things to do. There are tons, but just for starters some things near where you will be staying:
-lots of historical sites, obviously. Freedom trail, etc.
-museums. The Boston MFA and the Isabella Stuart Gardner are both quite close to where you will be staying. The Gardner is fun and quite quirky - part of her will stipulated that things had to be kept how she had arranged them, so it's kind of like going to (a crazy rich) old art collector's home. They still display the empty frames where the paintings were cut out during the famous heist.
-Boston public garden and common. Probably not much in the way of flowers, etc, yet though. It's a nice walk.
-Another cool and interesting place to go is the Mapparium at the Christian Science church (also very close to Copley). It's basically a huge stained glass globe that you stand in the center of.
http://www.marybakereddylibrar...../mapparium
-shopping: you'll be very close to Newbury street, which is the main shopping street, with both boutiques and chains. There's also the Copley/Prudential mall (which is attached to several of the hotels in the are too) with mostly higher end chains and department stores.
A little further afield, there is Cambridge across the river (where I live), home to Harvard and MIT (both campuses are interesting to walk around), and a lot of good restaurants/food in general.
And since you mentioned Southeast asian and middle eastern food in particular:
Vietnamese: there's lots of pho shops, many quite good. The one I go to the most is Le's in Harvard Square (because I live there), but Xinh Xinh in Chinatown is also good. There is also a Vietnamese food truck called Bon Me that I think is often near Copley (locations on their site):
http://www.bonmetruck.com/
Thai: I'm a big fan of cheap hole-in-the-wall thai places, of which there are several good ones in Boston. I like Rod Dee (several locations in and around the city) and Pad Thai Cafe (which is near Copley). Those are both cafeteria-style where you order at a counter. I honestly think the food at these places is better than most of the fancier places around boston.
Middle Eastern: There's a lot of small falafel/schwarma places around. Most are decent. There are some interesting fancier options too, but these are not near where you will be staying: Oleana, in Cambridge (maybe more Mediterranean); The Helmand, in East Cambridge - you have to go all the way out on the green line, so maybe not too convenient, but this is an Afghani restaurant, which I haven't seen many of anywhere; Cafe Algiers in Harvard square (not the best food, but I love the atmosphere).
OK, this post is getting really long so I'll stop here.
Definitely PM me! I would definitely be able to grab lunch or something most weekdays, as I work a few T stops away from where you will be. Not sure what my weekend plans are like yet.
