A tour to Boston

Quando se tem amigos assim, pra que é que se precisa de Lonely Planets?!
Talvez agora entendam porque é que eu viajo tanto sem planear coisa alguma. Tenho sempre um amigo em cada sítio disposto a mostrar-me o melhor da cidade. É claro que há sempre pay-back time, mas neste caso, é mais ao contrário.
Há uns bons 12 anos atrás levei a K. até Braga e mostrei-lhe tudo desde Braga até Caminha. Foram 4 dias de loucos porque os meus Pais não falam puto de inglês, e ela, apesar de estar em Portugal pra aprender Português, pouco ou nada falava. Quando a pus no autocarro de volta a Coimbra a minha cabeça latejava de tanta tradução.
Entretanto ela voltou a Braga, já eu estava em Espanha de Erasmus, e ficou em casa dos meus Pais. Não faço a mínima como é que se entenderam, só sei que até hoje dizemos “Vou dar uma volta nO Braga!”
Logo, quando se dá, recebe-se, e desta vez parece que em triplo!

Tá tudo em inglês, mas quando forem a Boston podem usar este itinerário fabuloso que a minha amiga Americana me mandou.

Neighborhoods

Here’s a rundown of walking tours to do in different sections of Boston & Cambridge.

Harvard Square, Cambridge – I think it would be a mistake to come to Boston & not visit Harvard Square. I’ll admit, it’s one of my favorite places in the WORLD! Harvard Square stems from the incredibly famous Harvard University Campus – which is all around the area. You can walk into “Harvard Yard” – see the freshman yard and dormitories, statue of John Harvard & the library (all from the outside, they don’t let you in the library!). Around the university is a good sized area known as Harvard Square. Harvard Square is known for its street performers, bookstores & news stores, cafes and funkiness. Walking into the Harvard Coop, which is the Harvard University bookstore, is awesome to check out their great book section. If you walk out of the Square, you will be at the Charles River, where there is a walking path, you can see some of Boston, and you may catch rowers on the river. The Charles in a bit dirty, but really famous. It’s the waterway that separates Boston and Cambridge. The cafes & casual restaurants are really, really great. Harvard Square was a haven for the hippie movement of the 1960s in the USA & you’ll still see a little of that alive in 2010.

Back Bay, Boston – The Back Bay is sort of the center of Boston these days. It used to be an actual Bay of water; it got filled in & planned in the 19th Century. It’s a grid style so everything is more orderly than the rest of our port city. The tallest buildings in Boston – the John Hancock & Prudential towers, are here (laughable compared to tall in NYC, but we love them!). You can go to the observatory at the Prudential Tower for a great view of Boston. The Back Bay has our most famous street – Newbury Street, which is the equivalent of our 5th Avenue. Newbury Street on one end has funky record stores & casual stuff, but if you start at the beginning it’s very exclusive & expensive. It runs for about 10 blocks. In the center of the Back Bay is Copley Square – home of our beautiful Boston Public Library, Trinity Church (where the Christmas carol “Oh Little Town of Bethelem” was written) and the blue glass John Hancock Building. Lots of really good casual restaurants. Another fun thing to do – Copley Square is connected to the Prudential Building through hotels & malls. So, you can start at one hotel entrance, go through the Copley Mall (beautiful indoor waterfall), then walk through the Marriott hotel, which has an indoor walkway to the Prudential Mall. The Prudential Mall attaches to the Prudential Building. You could also start at the Boston Common (our beautiful park – get off at the “Arlington” stop at the green line) to walk through the park w/ blooming flowers in April & then walk up through the Back Bay.

Beacon Hill/Quincy Market/North End, Boston – You could do a walking tour & attach these areas together easily. Beacon Hill is THE most prestigious neighborhood in Boston & at the top of this hill is the Massachusetts State House. Our state house is the only one in the USA with a gold dome top, so it’s unique & worth seeing. You should definitely walk on Beacon Hill, or I feel you will NOT understand our city. It has beautiful brick brownstones & is home to famous politicians, writers, lawyers, etc. For example, Senator John Kerry who ran for President 6 years ago lives on Beacon Hill – actually, in the best part of the hill – I know where! At the bottom of Beacon Hill is pretty Charles Street with little shops, antique stores, restaurants & cafes, etc. Near Charles Street is the Boston Common Park, which I mentioned above, so you could walk the Boston Common toward Beacon Hill too. Walk down through the city & you can visit our oldest graveyard – where some of the Founding Fathers of the USA are buried. Then a quick jaunt will get you to Quincy Market, which has been part of our city since like the 18th Century. It was redone in the 1960s & it has 3 long buildings. Two have lots of stores & the middle building has all food kiosks. There’s also lots of tourist stuff you can buy here & some unique & fun stuff too. Walk away from Quincy Market toward the waterfront & there’s a cute carousel & you can see the water from a pretty park. Then walk up the street to the North End. The North End is the edge of the city surrounded by water & it’s famous for being “Italian.” I lived here in college & my landlords were from Italy. There’s great Italian food, cafes & bakeries, etc. Also, lots of our history is here – the Old North Church (Paul Revere), the birthplace of Rose Kennedy (matriarch & mother to the Kennedy brothers), and Paul Revere’s House, which you can tour.

These 3 are what I believe to be the key areas to walk & see.

Museums & Libraries- We have lots of amazing museums, and some are uniquely different from what you have in NYC. You should try to visit at least one – here’s the rundown.

Museum of Fine Arts – We have a beautiful fine arts museum in Boston with art from around the world. BUT, if you visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, I would suggest skipping ours (sadly, but yes) because they are pretty similar.

Isabel Stewart Gardner Museum (www.gardnermuseum.org) – O.k. Very unique to Boston. Mrs. Gardner was a collector of fine art & very eccentric. The tales state that she would walk her pet lion around the city at the turn of the century – early 1900s. The museum was her home & the outside of it is an Italian villa (very large one) that was shipped over in pieces from Italy. The art is very high quality, but it’s the indoor garden that makes this place so inspiring. Hours are 11-5.

Christian Science Center – I have never visited the inside of the Christian Science Center, but I should. It’s very famous not only for it’s religious headquarters, but the “Mapparium” which is a globe of the Earth that you walk through. It’s in the building dedicated to it’s founder, Mary Baker Eddy (www.marybakereddylibrary.org) and it’s open 10-4.

J.F.K. Library – (www.jfklibrary.org) The John F. Kennedy Library might be called “library”, but it’s more museum dedicated to J.F.K., his brothers, and the reign of their family in American politics. This is better than some stuff in Washington, D.C. If either of you are into the whole “Kennedy thing” and American politics, this is a great, great place. It’s best to get here via car (I could bring mine) & the hours are 9-5. Many important events in Boston & U.S. politics are held directly at the library, including part of Senator Kennedy’s funeral this past fall (which was broadcast throughout the U.S.A.).

Museum of Science – Great science museum overlooking the Charles River. I think it’s best for adults for the night offerings.

Nightlife:

If you want to see nightlife, I have 3 suggestions, but there’s definitely 100 other things I’m leaving out.

Lansdowne Street, Boston – I used to go to Lansdowne Street a lot, when I was like in college. I think it’s less fun if you are over 30, but it does have great nightclubs & the House of Blues, which gets great bands. Or you can end up near Lansdowne Street & eat & drink at the “Boston Beer Works” right around the corner & walk around. (take subway to Kenmore Square on the Green Line).

Museum of Science, Boston – The Museum of Science is technically in Boston, but it is very, very close to part of Cambridge too. It overlooks the Charles River & to the left is Boston & to the right is Cambridge. Great views from inside the building. I like coming here at night because they have “Laser Light Shows” (to music like U2 & Pink Floyd, etc.), a Planetarium, and a cool, round Omni Theater with interesting 1 hour visual movies. It’s a mellow evening, but very fun.

Inman Square, Cambridge – I really love Inman Square. It’s in-between Harvard Square & East Cambridge (where many, many Portuguese people live). It’s only an area of about 4 blocks, but within those blocks are good, ethnic restaurants, a great deli (The S&S), an amazing ice cream shop (Christina’s), consignment stores & a few music clubs – Ryles Jazz Club & the Lily Pad. If you are into jazz & Latin jazz, these spots are very, very cool.

Restaurants:

We have way too many great restaurants in Boston. Here, I’ve tried to list some nice sit down dinners that are not “crazy expensive” (maybe $13 – $25) & a few other suggestions.

Legal Sea Food – IF you like seafood, do NOT miss Legal’s! It’s a Boston institution & cannot be found in NYC. They are most famous for their clam chowder, which is served at the inauguration balls for U.S. presidents in Washington, D.C. Great appetizers like coconut shrimp & some with an Asian flair – it’s simply great food! They are located in about 4 locals in Boston & 2 locations in Cambridge.

75 Chestnut Street, Boston (www.75chestnut.com) – This little spot at the bottom of Beacon Hill is one of our favorite restaurants these days. It’s casual dining, but really, really great food & always something a little unique about the way it’s made or presented. It’s very trendy for the Beacon Hill crowd & people in their 20’s, 30’s and 40’s. Whenever I come here, I think I’m going to see someone who famous locally or just famous in general. It’s a small place with a fun bar that’s quite friendly. Or you can sit at a table. Really good “sobre mesas” too!

The North End Neighborhood – The Italian section of Boston is a great place to eat. Beware, however, of the places that look trendy & Greco, the food may not be as good. There’s too many restaurants to make note of, but I would suggest Asiago’s (off Hanover Street behind St. Stephen’s Church, I believe) or The Daily Catch on Hanover Street. The Daily Catch is a very, very small restaurant with amazing homemade dishes, many with pasta & seafood. For a cafe experience, I would suggest “Cafe Victoria” on Hanover Street.

Indian restaurants – Cambridge & Somerville – So many amazing Indian restaurants in Cambridge & Somerville. One of our favorites is “Diva” in Somerville, which would be “Davis Square” on the Red Line & then walk about 7 minutes.

Red Bones, Somerville – Red Bones is very fun & unique & southern. Basically, it’s a very hip rib restaurant with ribs, corn bread, lots of fried stuff, etc. Take the red line to “Davis Square.” (By the way, Somerville is very close to Cambridge.)

B. Goods – B. Goods is super healthy & yummy. They have healthy burgers & fries, unique & delicious salads & smoothies, etc. It’s a great lunch place & is located in both Harvard Square & the Back Bay in Boston.

Exclusive & unique:

One of my favorite spots in the entire city is The Mt. Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge (www.mountauburn.org). Yes, the cemetery! It’s equivalent for us to the cemetery where Oscar Wilde & Jim Morrison are buried in in Paris. It’s absolutely beautiful & a bird sanctuary & a great place for photos. Some incredibly famous Bostonians are buried here. BUT, on a good day, you get the MOST MAGNIFICENT VIEW OF BOSTON from its highest hill. Should you want to visit for like 30 minutes, I can bring my car. It’s really, really awesome!

Sofia, most of what I have listed here are Boston unique stuff that you will not find in the rest of the U.S.A. Hope it’s interesting to you & I so look forward to seeing you.