Thursday 23 August 2012

Boston - Cheers to a fabulous city

Our next stop was Boston. I was very excited to arrive in Boston and I loved the significant difference in accent. The city had a great energy about it and I fell in love with it almost immediately. Accommodation was quite pricey here so you definitely had to splurge to stay in and around the city centre.

Our first port of call was Boston Common. Absolutely beautiful! Although still chilly at this point, the sun was streaming through the trees and creating vivid reflections on the ground. A calm, tranquil oasis in the heart of a bustling city.





Boston Common consists of 50 acres and is the oldest city park in the United States. While we were there the Frogpond had become an ice-skating rink. a real winter wonderland! It was great to watch all of the skaters glide seamlessly around the ice.



Next, we met up with our group and costumed guide and embarked on the Freedom Trail. The Freedom Trail is a red brick path that leads through the city stopping at significant points of historical interest. It is 2.5 miles long and points of interest include the Old State House, Paul Revere House and the Old South Meeting House. I thoroughly recommend doing the Freedom Trail, with or without a guide to gain a real sense of the history of the city.

After the trail we headed into the Italian neighbourhood of the city, known as North End. This area was great to stroll around and we happened upon a fantastic little bakery where we indulged in cupcakes injected with ice cream - scrummy!

That evening we headed to the replica Cheers bar. I know, I know, very touristy thing to do and it is only a replica but we wanted the obligatory photograph underneath the Cheers sign and here it is!



Whilst in the city we also visited the New England Aquarium and I have to say this was the best aquarium I have ever visited. Truly superb. We literally spent hours there taking it all in. The main feature of the aquarium is the Giant Ocean Tank and is home to sharks, sea turtles and many more species. My favourite however was the penguin exhibit. I thoroughly recommend a visit to the aquarium while you are in Boston.



Now while in Boston I really wanted to try some New England Clam Chowder, so we headed over to Quincy Market, near Fanueil Hall in downtown Boston. I loved this place! It was full of food stalls and was very busy with tourists and locals popping in for lunch. We sat down to a steaming bread bowl of clam chowder which was delicious.



Now we love getting a birds eye view of a city and find that a panoramic view gives you an real insight into how a city is laid out. With this in mind, we decided to visit the SkyWalk Observatory at the top of the Prudential Tower. The Skywalk Observatory is the highest observatory open to the public in New England. It was a really clear day and the views were phenomenal.







In the evening we had a lovely meal in Chinatown as we said a fond farewell to this great city.



(We stayed at 40 Berkeley, 40 Berkeley Street www.40berkeley.com)


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