24 HOURS IN BOSTON
I know a lot of people who travel to the United States think to visit New York City, the Hollywood sign, or even the Grand Canyon, but don’t feel the need to venture elsewhere throughout the 50 states. However, the country is vast, and there are plenty of other places to see! Boston – especially in autumn – is a wonderful city to visit, and it is steeped in US history.
Boston, Massachusetts was founded in 1630 and is named after Boston, England, where a number of the city’s first settlers came from. Because the city is so old (in USA years), it lends itself to being a trailblazer in a lot of ways: Boston constructed the first public park in the United States in 1634, the first college in 1636, and the first subway system in 1897. It has also been home to many influential people, like Julia Child, Malcolm X, Edgar Allen Poe, and Paul Revere.
Speaking of Paul Revere, start off by checking into Hotel Revere. Just a short walk away from the hotel is the Boston Public Garden. Enjoy the greenery (or hopefully in autumn – some orange, red, and yellow hues) and then make your way to Acorn Street, one of the most picturesque streets in the United States! Spend the rest of the morning along the Freedom Trail, kicking off the journey in Boston Common (the oldest public park in the US, mentioned above). This path spans 2.5 miles and by walking it, you will hit 16 significant locations to the history of not only Boston, but also of the United States. Sights include Paul Revere’s house, the USS Constitution, and the Boston Massacre Site.
Boston Common
Eat lunch at Mike’s City Diner, a greasy spoon that has the kindest staff and the most delicious sandwich – Mike’s Famous Pilgrim Sandwich. Next, spend the afternoon with all things scholastic! First at the Boston Public Library which is in the heart of the city, and then grab a cab to walk around Harvard’s campus. (There are also other schools in the area such as MIT, Boston University, and Boston College if you would like to visit them.)
inside the Boston Public Library
End the evening with friendly ghost stories given by the Ghost & Gravestones Tour. This 90-minute tour brings you around Boston via trolley to visit graveyards, one in particular (the Granary Burying Ground) from the Freedom Trail. While you can visit the Granary Burying Ground during the day, you can only enter it at night with an accompanying tour guide, and it is worth it to see under the cloak of night!
The only thing missing from this packed day is a sporting event! Unfortunately, if you are in town in autumn, chances are the best leaf peeping and the Red Sox season do not coincide. However, if you can’t get enough of Boston and find your way back to Beantown in the spring or summer, I highly recommend attending a Boston Red Sox game. Games are held in Fenway Park, which is the oldest original Major League Baseball Stadium still in use today.
Fun fact: Boston is called “Beantown” due to the city’s earliest settlers’ love for baked beans in molasses. Less fun fact: Oddly enough, there was a deadly molasses incident in Boston in 1919, when a storage tank holding more than 2 million gallons of molasses burst, resulting in 21 deaths and a number of injuries.
Steer clear of molasses, and enjoy Boston!
