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Ninety-two restaurants. One-third of a square mile. Most people familiar with Boston at all know that the tiny neighborhood of the North End is a Mecca of culinary indulgence and overwhelmingly Italian.
Boston, one of the places where the American cradle of liberty was hewn, is a super choice for passing the 4th of July. That’s where the day moved, to Boston, but it began in Manhattan. I left one friend’s upper West Side flat and got on the Bolt Bus, $20 to Boston with on-board wifi internet and a plug for a laptop: sleek, clean and quick. Dropped me at Boston’s South Station and my friend, Nancy, picked me up.
Some might say that a city is only as cool as its coffee shops. If that’s the case, Boston is one cool city with a coffee-house culture as varied as the neighborhoods that make up the historic metropolis.
Nestled among the financial district, North End, and Boston Harbor, Faneuil Hall sits in cobblestone among some of the oldest and twistiest tangles of streets in Boston. An inevitable part of a visit to this city includes a stop at this tourist hub filled with restaurants, shops and souvenirs galore. Aside from the bustle of tourists, the area has a decidedly British feel. Not far from the waterfront, this is where you will find that lobster you’ve been waiting for as well as other traditional New England fare.
My editor called. "Research and compose a perfect, relaxing day in Boston," she said. I’m not that good at relaxing. It’s not that I am a stress-ball or severely Type A or anything like that. It’s just that, like most people I know, I have a lot more things to do on any given day than I can possibly complete and relaxing seems like a self-indulgence that just doesn’t ever bubble up to the top of my to-do list. Relax for a whole day? Well, in the name of research, I’ll try.
The towering buildings and crowded sidewalks of Boston become a distant memory as the drive to Waterville Valley, New Hampshire takes you deeper and deeper into the countryside, through woods, and finally into the mountains. White Mountain National Forest is one of the closest and most convenient cross country ski destinations to Boston and worthy of an early morning departure for a full day of snowy fun.
The towering buildings and crowded sidewalks of Boston become a distant memory as the drive to Waterville Valley, New Hampshire takes you deeper and deeper into the countryside, through woods, and finally into the mountains. White Mountain National Forest is one of the closest and most convenient ski destinations to Boston and worthy of an early morning departure for a full day of snowy fun.
On a warm summer night, the winding streets of Old Town Marblehead are a haven for peace and quiet. Life slows its treadmill pace and is conducive to just being. Flower boxes attached to vintage clapboard homes overflow with geraniums and trailing vines, and the rosy glow of Maxfield Parrish sunsets invite daydreaming.
In a town as steeped in antiquity as Plymouth, Massachusetts, one should not be surprised to find a fair share of legends and old spirits lurking about. Native Americans lived on this land for thousands of years before the Pilgrims’ arrival, and centuries of their respective descendants as well as new settlers to the area have left behind a trove of stories – some sad, some scandalous, some scary – of hauntings, hexes and history.