Boston
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Founded in 1630, Boston is known as
theAthens of America,
theHub of the Universe, andAmerica's Walking City. One of America's most historic cities, Boston
retains an Old World aura, and preserves historic monuments from colonial
times, the Revolution, and the abolition movement. Yet Boston is also
thoroughly modern, home to numerous colleges and universities, top notch
medical facilities, high-tech companies, and championship-winning sports
franchises. We are proud to host our wedding celebration in this beautiful
city and encourage our guests to avail themselves to all that Boston has to
offer. So come early, stay late, and make a vacation of your visit to
Boston.
Top Ten Things To Do in Boston
- Freedom Trail - While a
tourist cliche, the Freedom
Trail offers a great introduction and overview of Boston. The trail
is marked by a red line on the sidewalks which connect sixteen historic
sites in downtown Boston, the North End, and Charlestown. The tour allows
the walker to see a great slice of Boston in addition to the sixteen
official sites. Walking the trail is free, although some sites charge
admission. The best sites are free of charge including the Bunker Hill
Monument, the USS
Constitution and Museum, and Fanuiel Hall (make sure to head
upstairs and talk with the Park Service interpreters). All the churches
along the trail are worth the donation to see the interiors and the Old State House is a small, but
excellent museum of Boston history which charges a small admission fee.
The Paul Revere House is
not worth the price of admission. Buck the trend and walk the Freedom
Trail backwards starting at Bunker Hill and finishing at Boston
Common.
- The Emerald Necklace - Boston
is home to an excellent system of parks many designed by revered
landscape architect Frederick Law Olmsted. The Emerald Necklace is a
chain of parks starting with the Boston
Common, America's first public park. The adjacent Public Garden
is a lovely place for a stroll or a ride on the swan boats. Look for the Japanese
Lantern just next to the bridge on the lagoon. This is the site of Susan
and Liam's engagement. The Emerald Necklace continues along the
Commonwealth Avenue Mall to the Muddy River. Here is where Olmsted's work
begins, although at this point the natural beauty is marred by highway
overpasses and litter. The Emerald Necklace follows the Muddy River in a
narrow band through the Back Bay Fens and the Riverway to Jamaica Pond,
then along the Arborway to the Arnold Arboretum. The
Arboretum is Harvard University's tree museum and a lovely place for a
Sunday afternoon stroll. The Emerald Necklace ends in Franklin Park, home
of the modest Franklin Park
Zoo. Olmsted buffs will also wish to visit the Frederick Law Olmsted National Historic
Site in Brookline. While not part of the Emerald Necklace, lovers of
the outdoors will also enjoy the Esplanade and paths along the Charles
River.
- Cemeteries - This may sound a
bit morbid to modern ears, but in the nineteenth century Bostonians
designed cemeteries for the living as well as the dead. Several Boston
cemeteries continue this tradition to this day offering a place for a
scenic stroll and home to sculpture. Boston's two best cemeteries to
visit are the Forest Hills
Cemetery (Susan's favorite place in Boston) which is adjacent to
Franklin Park, and the Mt. Auburn
Cemetery in Cambridge.
- Art Museums - Art lovers will
find happiness at the Museum of Fine Arts
(MFA) and the Isabella
Stewart Gardener Museum, both located in the Fenway neighborhood. The
MFA is a traditional art museum with a strong collection of American
paintings by Copley and Sargent, European impressionists, silverware made
by Paul Revere, and Asian arts. The MFA offers special exhibitions four
times a year which require preordering timed-entry tickets that also
allow admission to the permanent collection on the same day. The
eccentric Boston socialite Isabella Stewart Gardener's unique collection
of art is exhibited in her former home, itself modeled after a Venetian
palace. The Gardener is worth the price of admission to admire the
gardens in the courtyard and to see art displayed exactly as Isabella
arranged it. Feeling adventurous and tired of all this great art? Head to
Dedham for the Museum
of Bad Art. Metropolitan Boston is distinguished in having the
world's only institution dedicated to collecting and preserving bad
art.
- Copley Square - At the heart
of Boston's Back Bay neighborhood, Copley Square is home to Boston's
finest works of architecture:
- Trinity Church - H.H
Richardson's masterpiece.
- Boston Public
Library - Designed by McKim, Mead, and White. Go inside to see
the Sargent murals in the staircase.
- Old South Church - Home to a
powerful organ.
- John
Hancock Tower - The tallest building in New England, designed by
I.M. Pei and Henry Cobb. Sadly the observation deck was closed to the
public after September 11, 2001.
- Fenway Park - Many people
consider this to be Boston's greatest work of architecture. The oldest
and smallest ballpark in Major League Baseball, Fenway
Park is home to the defending World Series Champion Red Sox (I love
saying that). A game at Fenway on a summer night is the quintessential
Boston experience. Tickets
for games are extremely difficult to come by, but if you have a choice
take the Bleacher seats over the Right Field Grandstand, the latter are
at a bad angle with many seats behind support poles. Standing room only
tickets are also a good value if you don't mind standing the entire game.
If you get there early enough you can stand right behind home plate. If
you can't see a game, try to take a tour
of the stadium which allows you to sit in the Red Sox dugout and
touch the Green Monster.
- Fun for Kids of All Ages - If
you're traveling with children, or just young at heart you'll want to
visit at least one of the following museums:
- The Children's
Museum - Fun, interactive exhibits for kids which are secretly
educational.
- The Museum of Science - Home to
dinosaurs, a giant lightning generator, and sundry other scientific
exhibits.
- The New England
Aquarium - Dominated by the 200,000-gallon Giant Ocean Tank, the
aquarium is home to a myriad of fish, penguins, sea lions, and other
aquatic creatures.
- Irish Pubs - One of the most
Irish of American cities, Boston is home to many authentic Irish pubs (as
well as many inauthentic and cheesy ones). The best not only serve
Guinness on tap, but also have live entertainment ranging from Irish
traditional music to punk, bluegrass, and jazz. Some of our favorite
Boston-area pubs:
For beer snobs only. These pubs do not have an Irish theme, but have
some of the best beer on tap in Boston.
- Boston Music Scene - Boston,
Cambridge, and Somerville are home to several music clubs where local
bands play for low cover charges. One of the best places to hear live
music is Club Passim in Harvard
Square. This historic listening room dates back to the folk revival of
the 1950's and has hosted Joan Baez, Tracy Chapman, Shawn Colvin, Dar
Williams, and other illustrious folk musicians. The club is smoke and
alchol free, and delicious vegetarian meals are available from the
adjacent restaurant, Veggie
Planet. Advance reservations are essential and are you can make them
online. If you're unable to go to a club, keep your ears open in T
stations and in Harvard Square where many of Boston's top musicians hone
their skills while playing for tips.
-
Get Out of Town - Boston is the heart of New England, a
beautiful and diverse region worthy of further exploration. Here are
three trips we reccomend:
- Concord - This sleepy village is
where the American Revolution began as well as home to some of early
America's great writers and transcendentalist thinkers. You can get
to Concord on the Fitchburg
Commuter Rail line from North Station or by driving west on Route
2.
- Cape Cod - This scenic vacation area is
home to Massachusetts' best beaches and quaint fishing villages.
Particulary worth visiting is the tip of the Cape where you'll find
vibrant Provincetown and
the Cape Cod National
Seashore. Provincetown is accessible by a Fast
Ferry catamaran from Long Wharf in Boston, while other parts of
Cape Cod can be reached by driving east on Route 3.
- The White Mountains - New England's highest peaks, including Mt.
Washington, are in this range in northern New Hampshire. As an added
bonus, our wedding will be right at the beginning of the fall foliage
season. Avoid the buses full of leafpeepers by getting out and hiking
the trails. The White Mountains are north of Boston on
I-93
