BOSTON HOLIDAYS
The Spirit of America
Boston, Ma
The best thing about Boston? Go any time of year and it’s absolutely beautiful. In summer, enjoy the harbour and the buzzing riverside. Beautiful walks, easy bike rides and a glut of concerts and festivals commemorating all things historical. Autumn (or fall) is just as stunning, with trees and boulevards transforming into a rich rainbow of scarlet, bronze and gold. And because it is a city of neighbourhoods, Boston doesn’t feel overwhelming. One of the USA’s best shopping cities, there are international chains, local boutiques and quirky design stores that appeal to the eclectic shopper.
With a thriving arts scene, world famous academical institutions and an unwavering passion for sport, there is always plenty to see and do. Walk the Freedom Trail. Check out the Redcoats marching on Patriot’s Day. Be a culture vulture at Symphony Hall, the Museum of Fine Arts or chill out with a local New England beer in a laid back jazz joint. And if that all sounds too exhausting for one trip, you can simply park yourself in Boston Public Garden or Copley Square and indulge in some prime people watching. Whatever mood you’re in, Boston never disappoints.
The city of Boston has for a long time been considered one of the best places to go if a shopping holiday is what you are looking for. You can indulge yourself with some top quality retail therapy by visiting some of the city’s world class shopping malls such as the luxury two level Copley Place on Huntington Avenue, the 40 stores of the Prudential Center on Boylston Street and the beehive of activity that is the Faneuil Hall Marketplace. Don’t forget to check out the many local boutiques and quirky design stores that appeal to the eclectic shopper too!
As a city located beside a large body of water, Boston’s style cuisine is heavily based around seafood. The local bars and restaurants cook a mean bowl of New England-style clam chowder and lobster rolls are a staple. For those of you who are not overly fond of seafood, Boston is also a meat-lover’s paradise, with practically every kind of meat under the sun crammed into a delicious sandwich (hybrid-style burgers, which contain a mixture of several meats, are a local delicacy). There’s also a thriving Asian cuisine market and a multitude of Italian-style pizzerias to choose from in the Little Italy District.
If you have the time, be sure to go on one of the city’s renowned brewery tours and learn all about the fine craftsmanship that goes into making the types of Boston lager which have become famous all around the world.
The most famous TV show ever to come out of Boston has got to be Cheers. Fans of the show can visit the iconic Cheers bar (real name: The Bull & Finch Pub), where everybody knows your name, and reenact your favourite one-liners from the likes of Ted Danson and Kelsey Grammer. Other famous TV shows set and filmed in Boston include courtroom comedy Ally McBeal, sci-fi thriller Fringe and school-based drama Boston Public.
Boston has a long history of film production too, which goes all the way back to 1903. Some of the more famous movies to be filmed here include Martin Scorsese’s The Departed, Ben Affleck’s Gone Baby, Gone and Clint Eastwood’s Mystic River. You can check out the eye-catching locales from these films and more on the Boston TV and Movie Sites Walking Tour.
If there’s one thing that the people of Boston get passionate about, it’s their local sports teams. Nicknamed ‘Title Town, USA”, Boston boasts having a team which has won the main title in all four of America’s major sports leagues (the NBA, NFL, HHL and MLB). Probably the most famous of Boston’s Sports teams are the Red Sox, who play their baseball matches in the 37,000+ seater Fenway Park. If you’re looking for a big day out full of fun and a unique atmosphere, then look no further!
The Boston Celtics basketball team and the Bruins hockey team, who share the TD Garden stadium, are also well worth checking out if you can secure tickets for a game, while the New England Patriots are the region’s American football team and a national institution, boasting some of the NFL’s very best players on their roster. Soccer has also taken off in the city in recent years, with New England Revolution enjoying some success in the MLS. Their home, the Gillette Stadium, which can hold over 68,000 spectators, is considered one of America’s best, and well worth taking a look at, even if there’s no game on.