Boston - The Athens of America
Walking around Boston, it'd be easy to imagine you're in a European Renaissnace city. Old stone churches with ivy creeping up towards stained glass windows, uneven cobblestone streets bordered with quaint shops and cafes, and crooked, weathered gravestones oddly at home with the activity of Boston Commons. Walk along Charles Street in Beacon Hill at dusk and enjoy the cozy glow of the lanterns that have relatively recently been upgraded from gas lamps that remained lit all day.
Formed as a town by Puritans in 1630, Boston is one of our oldest citiest with an interesting history filled with pious colonists, American revolutionaries, Brahmins, brewers, witches, and more. You can follow The Freedom Trail, an easily walkable trail around Boston, and spend an entire day exploring the history at each location with stops like Paul Revere's House, Old North Church, and Faneuil Hall. At the end of the day, you'll feel very in touch with the roots of our country.
I was visiting for a conference, and even being booked during the days, I was able to see a good bit of Boston in the evenings. Here are my best tips!
What to See & Do
1. Short on time like I was? Start with a hop-on, hop-off bus tour. This gives you a good overview of the history of city and its neighborhoods
2. Now that you have an overview, do the Freedom Trail to get more in-depth. You can also go on the tour with a guide, it's $12 for adults and $10 for students/seniors.
3. Walk, shop, & dine in Beacon Hill. It's a quaint historic neighborh
ood with cute (expensive) shops. Be advised-even the second hand shop here is ridiculously expensive.
4. Head to Copley Square. This small square is jam-packed with history, from churches with their own unique style to the public library
5. Take a tour of the public library (look here for tours, times change). I'm a librarian, and I'm telling you that this is the most beautiful palace of a library I've ever seen, not to mention it is the oldest publicly supported free municipal library in THE WORLD. Have lunch here at the Map Room Cafe or restaurant, and if it's warm out, take it out to the courtyard.
6. Consider using Boston as your hub airport. Boston Logan Interntional Airport has insanely cheap flights to other countries.
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