City fit for a president
That’s all you can say once you’ve seen the famous statue of America’s founding father in beautiful Boston Common, atop his horse and wearing the jersey of the city’s ice hockey team. It even had “Washington” written across the back.
What a pro.
That was a few months ago, but the reason the first president of the US was backing the Bruins was obvious anywhere you went in Boston. It might have been a muggy June but the Bruins were still on the ice, eventually winning the Stanley Cup after a titanic seven game struggle with the Vancouver Canucks.
Going into the deciding match in Canada at three games apiece, few held out much hope for the Boston side, only for them to devour their opponents four-nil.
The celebrations were riotous, although possibly not quite as much as they were in Vancouver, where actual rioting after the deciding match wrecked parts of the city centre.
The good news is that the new season is already underway. A sports-mad city in a sports-addicted country, Boston has more than triumphant ice hockey teams going for it. The city is historically one of the landing points for the millions of migrants that have come to the US in the past few hundred years, but its present day appearance makes it one of the most handsome cities anywhere in the world. Its mix of red-brick buildings, green parks and tree-lined streets makes it as distinctive as the accent of its people.
So, what do you do once you get among Boston’s avenues and streets? First up, visit the city’s sky deck the Top of the Hub, 52 floors up at the Prudential Center. From here you can see the expanse of the city, from the sea, right next to the downtown area, and the islands which dot the bay beyond the city, to south Boston (often the home for many of the Irish in Boston) and out past Fenway Park, the home of the Red Sox, to Brookline (birthplace of JFK) and beyond. Here you will also learn more about the history of the city, including profiles of many of its famous offspring, from Paul Revere and Robert Kennedy to, er, Ben Affleck.
Back on ground level, the John F Kennedy Museum is, hands down, one of the best museums you could ever visit. Located in south Boston on the Campus of Massachusetts University (the stop on the line is UMass), the white building stands alone on the campus, and once inside it is a singular experience. It begins with a 17-minute film using archive footage and Kennedy’s own words to narrate the story of his life up to the moment he received the Democratic nomination to run for president in 1960.
Once the film is over, you enter the museum proper, a Willie Wonka Chocolate Factory for history and politics junkies. One room is a replica of the TV studio in which Kennedy debated with Nixon, another room focuses on the Space programme and features a John Glenn spacesuit behind glass, another room replicates Robert Kennedy’s office as attorney general. Finally, you turn a corner into a dark corridor marked with the date November 22, 1963. Screens replay the news bulletin of Kennedy having been shot in Dallas, and the clip of newscaster Walter Cronkite relaying the news that the president had died, his faltering speech betraying the pain of a nation.
You might want a little light relief after all this, so head to the Duck Tour. Using its amphibious vehicles it takes you on an entertaining journey through the city, down the streets and onto the water. The whole trip takes two hours and the classic tour departs from the Prudential Center and the Museum of Science. A discounted 55-minute tour departs from the New England Aquarium, itself a brilliant way to wile away a few hours, particularly if you have the children in tow.
This might also be a good opportunity to pop into another Boston institution, the Union Oyster House at 41 Union St. From the outside this restaurant has a definite “olde worlde” feel, so it’s not that surprising to learn that it is officially the oldest functioning restaurant in the US, having stood on this spot since 1636. The former King of France, Louis Phillippe, gave French lessons in one of the upstairs rooms when he stayed in Boston in the early 19th century, while a JFK booth is the restaurant’s links to Kennedy.
Finally, from one institution to another — Cheers. Well, it had to be done. Located bang in the city centre at 84 Beacon St, the boozer otherwise known as the Bull and Finch Pub was the bar shown in the exterior shots of the long-running comedy.
At first glance it isn’t anything to write home about, but it still feels like a quintessentially Boston place to visit. On my stroll down the famous steps I was confronted by a few Vancouver Canucks fans in their ice hockey jerseys, although visitors can also go upstairs to the gift shop for some tat, or head to the replica of the interior of Cheers at Faneuil Hall Marketplace in Quincy Market. Despite the Cheers signage, it felt like a real pub.
A pint of Samuel Adams having been supped, it was soon time to leave beautiful Boston behind. Even the Canucks fans probably agree that, when it comes to this city, you are always glad you came — results permitting.
Aer Lingus (0818-365000; aerlingus.com) operate direct flights from Dublin and Shannon to Boston’s Logan Airport every day during the summer. Return fares start from €398, excluding taxes.
The Doyle Collection Backbay Hotel (www.doylecollection.com) is located in city centre Boston close to many of the sights. Basic double rooms start at $276 (€202) per night. Other options popular with visitors are www.innatstbotolph.com and www.copleysquarehotel.com.
Unlike other parts of New England, in Boston you are not offered a diet made up exclusively of seafood. That said, the Union Oyster House — officially America’s oldest continuously serving restaurant — is a haven for lobster and other seafood dishes. If strolling around midtown nip into Five Napkin Burger, a deluxe diner every bit as good as its New York counterparts.
Apart from the obvious delights of walking the city, the metro public transport system means many attractions are easily accessible. The JFK library and museum on the campus of the University of Massachusetts is a must. On a similar trip you can take the train out to Brookline and beyond that to Harvard. For anyone interested in sport, options abound, from the triumphant Boston Bruins ice hockey team who play their home games at the TD Garden, to the New England Patriots American Football team who play in Foxborough.
Boston is a shopper’s paradise – Newbury St and surrounding streets such as Boylston are packed with all sorts of mid to high end retailers.& The massive Prudential Shopping Center is also nearby, while America’s largest Apple Store is located on 815 Boylston St.
Get a City Pass (www.citypass.com/boston) or Go Boston Card (www.goboston.com) for reductions on entry to many of the attractions.
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