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.

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.