Boston's own mayor-for-life, Tom "Mumbles" Menino, prides himself on the fact that his city is a pedestrian paradise. He's right--it is. Although a cynic may point out that Boston is also a driver's third circle of hell. Out west, people had time to design cities. Boston just sort of happened, and when they ran out of room, they filled in the ocean with trash and built luxury condos on top (true story).

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.

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.

Copley Square was named for the great Boston painter John Singleton Copley who was born in Boston in 1737. In the 1870's the square was an awkward piece of leftover land in the Back Bay area south of Boylston Street. The area was never given any serious design attention until landscape architects Sasaki, Dawson and DeMay's stepped in. The trio later won a national competition for Copley Square's design that was executed in 1969. Today, the square bustles with the energy of tourists and residents who live in elegant, beautifully restored brownstone homes.

About 35 miles north of Boston is the planned city of Lowell, built around the Merrimack River and its canals. Because it was designed for industrial production and hosted a large amount of textile mills, which have since been converted into museums, apartments and office space, it attracted many immigrants. Most people came straight off the boat and right into the factories, in turn creating many different kinds of neighborhoods throughout town. Because of its beginnings, Lowell has a deep and rich history and begs to be explored.