Saturday, October 26, 2013

Boston

Boston waterfront

I expected to love Boston. This is, of course, a dangerous way to approach a city. It is far better to expect little and be pleasantly surprised.

As those opening lines may hint, I didn't love Boston. Neither of us did. I almost hesitate to write this - some of you, I am sure, will be in the Boston loving crowd! - but we can't all love the same things. There was nothing actually wrong with the city, and I am glad that we visited, but I don't have much of a desire to return.

In fairness to Boston, our impressions may have been sullied by our accommodation location, which was on the edge of an industrial area to the south of the city. Boston accommodation is extraordinarily expensive, similar if not worse than New York, and we were in the challenging situation of needing accommodation at a reasonable price plus parking for a car. A Best Western delivered both, and the accommodation itself was great (not least because we were upgraded to a premium suite!) but the area was a little scary.

The 'living room' of our upgraded hotel suite.

With just two nights in Boston, our main focus was to walk The Freedom Trail. This 4km (2.5 mile) brick-lined walk traverses 16 historical sites, taking in the people and places central to Boston's role in the American Revolution. 

Massachusetts State House, near the start of The Freedom Trail.

I should confess that while we knew about The Freedom Trail, and planned to walk it, we weren't familiar with exactly what sites we'd be passing and we didn't obtain a map of the trail ahead of time. In my lofty Boston expectations, I was prepared for signs and information to accompany each site. In fact, the signage was scatty and sometimes non-existent. This seems at odds with the effort taken to maintain a brick trail right through the heart of the city, but perhaps it keeps the guidebook producers in business. We still gleaned lots of history, but our enjoyment might have been a little higher if we'd known more about what we were passing (or bought one of those guidebooks, or downloaded the smart phone app!). 

The site of the Boston Massacre of 1770.

We did, however, have a lovely day for walking the trail, with cool temperatures offset by blazing sunshine and clear blue skies. When you are walking for several hours with little shelter, the weather really makes a difference and I wouldn't like to do the walk in heavy rain.

Bunker Hill Monument.

By the time we reached the Bunker Hill Monument near the end of the trail, we were pleasantly tired. However, there is a cruel twist to the monument and its location at the end of a 3-ish hour walk (or at the start if you do the walk the other way - either would have problems). You can,  you see, walk up it. Once you know this, there is a sense of needing to make the climb in order to feel like you really did The Freedom Trail in full.


After walking for 3 hours, 294 steps seems like a lot. In fact, the American man ahead of us struggled to the extent that I seriously worried he might be inducing a heart attack. Fortunately, everyone made it to the top with full health, and the views across Boston offered some reward.

Boston from atop the Bunker Hill Monument.

Once we made it back to ground level, we concluded our walk at the USS Constitution at the Charlestown Navy Yard. From there, you can avoid retracing your steps (thank goodness!) by taking a boat back to the city centre, which is how I snapped the photo at the top of this post.

USS Constitution.

There were some things I liked in Boston. Before starting The Freedom Trail, we explored Beacon Hill, one of Boston's most prestigious historical neighbourhoods. It is a beautiful suburb and if I lived there, I am sure I'd like Boston very much.

Beacon Hill.

I also enjoyed seeing Robert Frost's old house in the Beacon Hill neighbourhood, all the more so for stumbling across it without knowing it would be there (you see -the reverse of dashed expectations).


The 'Make Way for Ducklings' family in the Boston Public Garden is endearing, and when we visited they were dressed in bibs to promote a fundraising walk for cancer.


I'd quite like similar statues in my front garden.


Last but not least, our lunch stop on The Freedom Trail was the Bread + Butter Cafe, which provided a casual mix of indoor and outdoor seating and the appeal of a varied and vegetarian-friendly menu.

Bread + Butter Cafe

I had a salad with baby spinach, quinoa and tofu, and it was delightful in the way that good food can be when cooked well and served simply. Mr Bite's tuna salad baguette was also well received.


So, Boston provided us with sunshine, some good views, lots of walking, and enjoyable food. It was worth visiting but it didn't capture my heart, at least on this visit.

Have you been to Boston? What are your thoughts on the city?

15 comments:

  1. I have never been to boston but I have been to places that don't enthuse me upon the first visit and then I love on a second visit - so much depends upon the experience - and I would probably do as you did with the freedom trail - at least you are fit enough to face a lot of steps at the end of the trail. Love the ducks - so cute

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    1. The experience does definitely make a difference - I think I would give Boston another chance if I happened to be in the area but it is tough to redeem a place sometimes! The ducks were really gorgeous :)

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  2. Ah, interesting! I was only in Boston a few days and really enjoyed it, but I can see how our experiences were very different. My accommodation was a 5 minutes walk from Whole Foods, which was still new to me, I did teh Freedom Walk guided tour where the guide was this hilarious young women dressed in full historical garb who sang operatic and ribald numbers as we walked through the streets, I explored gorgeous chocolate shops and was there for the Beacon Hill Art Walk... funny how much of an impact this all has! Like how I've never fallen for San Fran, despite everyone else seeming to adore it...

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    1. Funny! I imagine if I'd had your experience my reaction would have been very different. I didn't do any chocolate exploring and think I'd have loved a Beacon Hill Art Walk ;) I'll have to see my own take on San Fran if/when I ever make it there...but I did also fail to love Lisbon which most people seem to adore.

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  3. I haven't been to Boston but I do like that photo you have of the Beacon Hill area. The wavey architecture buildings look awesome.

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    1. Beacon Hill in general was pretty awesome :-)

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  4. I'm from New England and have spent a lot of time in Boston. There are parts of it that I wouldn't stay in or travel through on my own. I do love it there but only in the summer because I don't miss the snow. :)

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    1. I think we might have stayed in one of those parts you wouldn't travel through on your own ;) Luckily we didn't have to contend with snow though!

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  5. Well...I'm surprised you got some sunshine because I have friends from Sydney who moved to Boston for three years and they said the weather was terrible. It was either raining or snowing and it seemed there was no summer to speak of. It's a shame you didn't like the city but at least it was only for two days and the ducks are very cute xx

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    1. And at least I now know we got lucky with the weather!

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  6. So glad you were able to visit! I've lived here now for about 5+ years and there are some things I absolutely love about the city and some that are definitely more challenging to adjust to - one of them being driving and the cost of things- so I completely see your predicament about where you stayed and how it influenced the trip!

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    1. It is expensive, isn't it?! But I am sure if you live there, you discover the hidden spots that tourists don't know about and which perhaps cost less than the tourist-focused things.

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  7. That's a strange looking upgrade hehe. Sorry it wasn't all that you dreamed. . I definately believe that you shouldn't get too excited about places, even if that is half the fun! Great photos though and afterall, isn't it always about the food? :P

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    1. Yes, excitement is a double edged sword - it makes the experience more enjoyable in the lead up, but does allow for let downs! I've never had a hotel room with an attached 'lounge' before but it was very cool :-)

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  8. Very informative blog! Last week I just came back from the Boston 4 day tour and enjoyed there a lot. Massachusetts State House and Bunker Hill Monument are amazing attraction there. I think to go with bus boston washington dc is the best option to visit Boston attractions.

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