Please Come to Boston   …for the springtime

by Karen Holly Berliner
August 2009

From its cobblestone streets to its breathtaking waterfront harbor, Boston is a city infused with magical charm and a rich American history. Explore historical sites and dine at top notch eateries, catch a ballgame at Fenway Park or kayak on the Charles River. Whatever you fancy, the choices for visitors are limitless.

I’m staying here with some friends and they’ve got lots of room…

There are just as many lovely places to stay at while visiting Boston as there are things to see and do. Being a landmark hotel located in the historical Back Bay area of Boston, The Colonnade Hotel caters to those who seek well-seasoned luxury in an authentic setting. Just recently having enjoyed a $20-million dollar facelift complete with redesigns from top to bottom, the Colonnade is home to Boston’s Brasserie Jo restaurant. An extensive selection of French fare specialties accompanied by an impressive list of wines to pair with, along with other eclectic options for any palate makes for a full dining experience. Enjoy the convenience of an express breakfast from Brasserie Jo served to your room as well. Just hang your door menu choices outside your lavish suite before 2am.

St. Botolph was reveled as the patron saint of travelers. In that spirit, The Inn at St. Botolph, also located in the Back Bay district, offers contemporary and sleek interiors, playfully sharing space with classic wing chairs in shades of cinnamon and blue. For more of an old school atmosphere, The Fairmont at Copley Plaza might suit you the best. Formally opened in 1912 via a gala reception presided over by Mayor John F. Fitzgerald (President Kennedy’s grandfather himself!), this palatial hotel showcases classical décor and architecture, complete with ornately gold gilded ceilings, dark wood paneling and marble wall hangings. Their signature restaurant The Oak Room at the Fairmont continues in fine Ivy League mode. For those romantics looking for a unique way to say, "I would marry you all over again," indulge in this hotel’s "most romantic martini always served with ice." This one of a kind Engaging Martini is a classic drink with a seriously unconventional twist, a brilliant one carat diamond, set in platinum is playfully served to go with, in addition to a deluxe bedroom suite complete with flowing champagne, flowers, chocolates and an elegant dinner for two at the Oakroom.

You can sell your paintings on the sidewalk…

Shopping, Sightseeing and Culture in Boston — Known as a walking friendly city, visitors can easily neighborhood hop by foot or bicycle on a nice day. Otherwise, every other mode of getting about town is at your disposal via this city’s easy to access public transportation systems. Urban AdvenTours is an eco-friendly Boston company providing bike rentals and guided bike tours. Michele Toper's Boston North End Market and Culinary Tours offers an extensive program of ever changing walking culinary tours for the true foodie. The Freedom Trail is another walking tour marked by an easy to follow red line that winds through old streets and alleyways, and literally follows the precise footsteps of colonial Boston to freedom and independence. The Charles River offers boating, and for landlubbers, miles of paths for cycling, jogging or just a leisurely stroll. Also nearby is the famous Boston Common and Public Gardens, the oldest public park in the country and the starting point of the Freedom Trail. Opened in 1912, Fenway Park is a baseball park near Kenmore Square near Boston. Serving as the home ballpark of the Boston Red Sox since it opened in 1912, it is the oldest major league stadium currently in use. With its manually operated scoreboard, and the endless tales of the legends that have played there, Fenway remains a link to the legends of baseballs past. The Museum of Fine Art and Symphony Hall, in fact the theater district as a whole, allows for cultural experiences such as ballets, operas, musicals and theater productions.

Acclaimed world class retail shops line Boylston Street, while pavilions and arcades lead guests through the Prudential Center and beyond to the most prestigious and exciting shopping spots. Saks Fifth Avenue, Tiffany & Co., and Gucci are just a few of the shops that you will find there. Faneuil Hall Marketplace is a world renowned and historical open-air shopping mecca. Kiosks and stores stocked with artisan wares of both local and international acclaim are open side by side for easy perusal. Stroll about and enjoy the area’s famous street performers. Stop in The Quincy Market indoors, and choose from more than 35 eateries, serving freshly made to order favorites from all types of ethnic fare to just a good old fashioned American frankfurter. While there, linger through and peruse the New England Holocaust Memorial, a grand sized monument of six green tinted glass towers etched with the numbers one to six million for every Jewish person who perished during the Nazi regime. Stories and quotations can be read along the way, in memorializing this tragic event in the history of mankind. On your way out of the neighborhood, stop in at one of the many Boston’s premier Irish pubs. Paddy O’s embodies everything that is the Irish. From the handcrafted bar to the authentic food and drinks, Paddy O’s offers a menu stocked full of choice Irish fare classics. The Cambridge Antique Market, located directly across from the Cambridge Galleria mall, is situated in an 18th century building housing five floors of antique goodies from oil paintings circa 1900s to one of a kind costume jewelry pieces.

By a café here I hope to be working soon…

As for dining in Boston, the options are as diverse as the people who dine here. The Chocolate Bar at The Langham Hotel is located in Café Fleuri on the second floor. Expect an extravagant spread of everything chocolate from their decadent truffles to their s’mores served up on a silver spoon. Yum. Summer Shack is known as Boston’s Best and Largest Raw Bar. Within walking distance to both Fenway Park and Symphony Hall, the raw bar case holds 4,000 pieces of shellfish kept fresh in an ideal atmospheric condition. Open for lunch during Red Sox season and dinner year round. Looking for another fix? Get over to their spot in Cambridge and eat all over again. Located in Harvard Square overlooking Winthrop Park, Upstairs on the Square is a bi-level spot with a split personality. With its Upstairs designed for elegant soirée style dining while its animated downstairs Monday Club Bar/Zebra Room serves casual haute cuisine, featuring superior cuisine using French and Italian inspired local seasonal ingredients. Located in the Back Bay neighborhood, M Bar & Lounge at the Mandarin Hotel provides the ideal setting for catching up with old friends or making new acquaintances. This spectacular bar and lounge features a custom designed wine wall stocked with select vintages, while the bar offers an extensive menu of classic and exotic cocktails such as their mandarin martini or green tea swinging Tokyo.

Venture out just a bit into the suburbs of Boston and find hidden treasures there as well. The Fireplace Restaurant in Brookline is a New England grill and barbeque, with an emphasis on wood-smoked and rotisserie dishes using the freshest offerings of the New England region. The owner, Chef Jim Solomon stays true to his philosophy: "food that embraces the abundant offerings of the region prepared simply yet thoughtfully." From their Signature Spit-Roasted Maple Glazed Half Chicken to their ‘House Dry-Aged’ Sirloin every bite was true to form. The Fireplace also has wine, spirits and beer "tastings" every other Saturday. Enjoy occasional reenactment visitors, the likes of a costume clad John Adams, as they on occasion, stop by to read excerpts from their lives, fireside.

Truth be told, there is such an endless treasure trove of Bostonian goodies to be had, it’s almost tempting to get planning a return jaunt back even as you visit the first time around, if only just to hoard in and capture what you might have missed!

Please come to Boston for all seasons… Boston beckons "Won’t you come home to me?"

Karen Berliner is a freelance travel writer. "Please come to Boston" music and lyrics by Dave Loggins.

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